I want to learn to administer Linux systems. Where should I start, being at home and having 1 computer?

    4 answers 4

    1. Put a virtual machine (I advise virtualbox) Full replacement of the real OS will cause you only anger and frustration.
    2. To decide on the distribution kit. If you plan on doing linux in industry i. prepare yourself in professional activities i. here the two main titans are debian and redhat (rhel, centos). Ubunt is good, but as a home OS, or as a desktop at work, openSuse, gentoo, slackware linux, etc., are still rare in professional use.
    3. Further, when installing the OS (I strongly advise you to install without graphics, that is, without any window manager. Sometimes it is called server minimal) - you should learn the basics of working in the command line in one of the shells (bashshtsch).
    4. After you feel confident in the console, start exploring basic services (ftp, ntp, httpd, nfs, etc.)
    5. Well, after that you will find what to learn more.

    I write everything in detail, because I have been teaching Linux at the institute for more than a year =) if there is interest, I can reset the curriculum (just topics from simple to complex - without disclosing those)

      You can put Ubuntu, it is simple enough for a beginner. However, when you master it, install Debian and Red Hat (CentOS) in a virtual machine, i.e. They are most often used as servers.

      Further, if you want to become a good admin, for starters:

      1. Examine thoroughly the system device: file system, configuration files, download progress, etc.
      2. Examine the team. Working with the command line is the basis of everything.
      3. Well master the creation of scripts in the shell. For a start - bash, then you can get acquainted with ksh, zsh. C-like shells are rarely used in Linux, but if you study them, it won't be bad.
      4. Explore another scripting language: Perl and / or Python.
      5. The theory of networks and their configuration in Linux is like our Father. DHCP, FTP, SAMBA.
      6. Install and configure the mailbox.
      7. Install and configure Apache.
      8. It would be nice to get acquainted with HTML and PHP. Later will help to create web muzzles.
      9. Remote administration.
      10. Safety principles - mandatory.

        From installing ubuntu and using it as a workstation for all needs. Further, as a checkpoint, self-installation of gentoo and tasks depending on the profile (say, the study of ftp-applications and network theory). Why do you need it?

          • Put a virtualka
          • come up with a task (s)
          • select OS
          • perform the task