Hess K. Practical Linux System Administration (Early Release)

O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2023. — 148 p.This essential guide covers all aspects of Linux system administration, from user maintenance, backups, filesystem housekeeping, storage management, and network setup to hardware and software troubleshooting and some application management. It's both a practical daily reference manual for sysadmins and IT pros and a handy study guide for those taking Linux certification exams.
You'll turn to it frequently, not only because of the sheer volume of valuable information it provides but because of the real-world examples within and the clear, useful way the information is presented. With this book at your side, you'll be able to
Install Linux and perform initial setup duties, such as connecting to a network
Navigate the Linux filesystem via the command line
Install software from repositories and source and satisfy dependencies
Set permissions on files and directories
Create, modify, and remove user accounts
Set up networking
Format and mount filesystems
Perform basic troubleshooting on hardware and softwareGetting Started with Linux
Installing Linux
Preparing Your System for Linux
Downloading and Installing Linux
Getting to Know Your New Linux System
Learning the Command Line Interface
Commands for Filesystem Navigation
Starting, Rebooting, and Shutting Down a Linux System
Starting a System
Restarting a System
Shutting Down a SystemDiving Deeper into the Command Line Interface
Working as a Regular User
Working as the Root User
Login as Root
su to Root
Use the sudo Command
Creating a sudoer
Setting and Modifying Permissions
Read, Write, and Execute
Numerical Permission Values
Group Permissions
Bringing Permissions Settings All Together
Changing File Permissions
Symbolic Mode
Numeric Mode
Default Permissions Explained: umaskCustomizing the User Experience
Altering Home Directory Options
Login Versus Non-login Shells
/etc/bashrc
/etc/profile
.bashrc
.bash_profile
.bash_logout
The /etc/skel Directory
Customizing the Shell PromptManaging Users
Creating User Accounts
Adding Users with adduser
Adding Users with useradd
Modifying User Accounts
Adding a Supplementary Group
Changing the User Comments Field
Setting an Expiration (Expiry) Date on an Account
Changing a User’s Login Shell
User and Group ID Numbering Conventions
Removing User Accounts
Forcing Password Changes
Handling Service Accounts
Managing Groups Rather Than UsersConnecting to a Network
Plugging into a Network
Static IP Addressing
Dynamic IP Addressing
Networking and Security
Preparing a System for Network Connectivity
Pruning Your Systems
Securing Network DaemonsInstalling and Uninstalling Software
Updating Your System
Applying Red Hat Enterprise Linux-Based System Updates
Applying Debian-Based System Updates
Installing Software from Repositories
Installing an Application
Uninstalling an Application
Installing and Uninstalling Individual Software Packages
Installing an Individual Software Package Manually
Uninstalling Individual Software Packages
Finding Package Dependencies
Installing Software from Source Code
Satisfying Prerequisites: Building a Development Environment
Download, Extract, Compile, and Install Your Software
Uninstalling a Source-Installed Software PackageManaging Storage
Administering Linux Storage
Disks
Filesystems
Mounting and mount points
Physical and logical volumes
Checking space
Swap space
RAM-based temporary space (ramfs, tmpfs)
Adding a New Disk to a System
Installing the disk
Prepping the disk for use
Implementing Logical Volumes
Decommissioning and Disk Disposal
Notification
Scream test
Power down
Disk wiping
Unracking and palletizing
DisposalMaintaining System Health
Keeping your system clutter-free
Cleaning the /tmp directory
Making /home a livable space for everyone
Decluttering shared directories
Deduplicating files with fdupes
Tackling /home file sprawl with quotas
Patching your way to a healthy system
Patching a Red Hat Enterprise Linux-based system
Patching a Debian-based Linux system
Securing your systems
Maintaining user and group accounts
Setting up a naming convention
Creating account retention policies
Retiring group accounts
Monitoring system health
Gathering system activity reports
Formatting system activity reports
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