Advanced Linux System Administration

by Monospace Mentor

Goals

This course builds on the foundation of Basic Linux System Administration (LINSYS-1) and takes you to the point where you can independently set up, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain production Linux systems — without hand-holding.

You will work with advanced storage (RAID, LVM, encryption), write production-quality shell scripts, master systemd at depth, configure firewalls and network services, harden SSH, run containerized services with Podman, and automate repetitive tasks with Ansible.

This course will make you operationally autonomous.

These course materials are still a work in progress. Check in regularly for updates!

Requirements

You have completed the course ‘Basic Linux System Administration’ (LINSYS-1) or have equivalent experience. You can work confidently on the Linux command line, manage users and permissions, configure basic networking, and write simple shell scripts.

I recommend gaining at least 6 months of practical experience with Linux administration after LINSYS-1 before attending this advanced course.

Hello! I’m your instructor.

Jochen Lillich Hello! My name is Jochen Lillich. I started developing software in 1984, and have multiple decades of experience in Unix/Linux system administration. In 2001, I began teaching as a SuSE Certified Linux Trainer. Later, I continued sharing my knowledge as an IT Manager at two of Germany’s leading internet service providers before I launched my own managed web hosting business in 2010. Jochen Lillich

Syllabus

Module 1: Course Setup

  • Setting up your lab VM
  • Terminal efficiency with tmux

Module 2: Advanced Filesystems and Storage

  • Special files and device handling
  • RAID configuration
  • Logical Volume Management (LVM)
  • Encrypted storage with LUKS
  • Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Module 3: Advanced Scripting

  • Advanced regular expressions
  • Production shell scripting

Module 4: Advanced Process and Service Management

  • Boot essentials for troubleshooting
  • Systemd deep dive
  • Timed automation with systemd timers
  • System logging with journald
  • Troubleshooting methodology

Module 5: Advanced Networking

  • Routing and interface management
  • Network troubleshooting

Module 6: SSH and Remote Administration

  • SSH key management and authentication
  • SSH tunneling, jump hosts, and SFTP
  • SSH hardening

Module 7: Firewall and Network Security

  • Firewall technologies compared (iptables, nftables, firewalld)
  • Practical firewall design

Module 8: Network Services

  • File sharing with Samba
  • Web server with Nginx
  • TLS with OpenSSL
  • TLS with Let’s Encrypt

Module 9: Containers with Podman

  • Running containers with Podman
  • Container systemd integration with Quadlet
  • Building container images

Module 10: Automation with Ansible

  • Ansible fundamentals
  • Playbooks for system administration
  • Ansible for ongoing administration

Table of contents