Linux Hardware Discovery, Interaction, and Control

• Hardware Discovery Tools
• Configuring New Hardware with hwinfo
• Hardware and System Clock
• Console
• Virtual Terminals
• Serial Ports
• SCSI Devices
• USB Devices
• USB Configuration
• Common UNIX Printing System
• Defining a Printer
• Managing Optical Media
• Tape Drives
• Tape Libraries
• Managing Linux Device Files
• Kernel Hardware Info - /sys/
• /sys/ Structure
• udev
• Kernel Modules
• Configuring Kernel Components and Modules
• Handling Module Dependencies
• Configuring the Kernel via /proc/

Boot Process and SysV Init

• Booting Linux on PCs
• GRUB Configuration
• Boot Parameters
• Initial ramdisk
• /sbin/init
• System Init Styles
• Linux Runlevels
• /etc/inittab
• /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit
• SUSE /etc/init.d/boot
• Runlevel Implementation
• System Configuration Files
• Configuration Utilities
• Novell's Configuration Utilities
• Typical SysV Init Script
• The /etc/rc.local File
• The /etc/init.d/*.local Files
• Managing Daemons
• Controlling Service Startup
• Shutdown and Reboot

Software Maintenance

• Managing Software
• RPM Features
• RPM Architecture
• RPM Package Files
• Working With RPMs
• Querying and Verifying with rpm
• Updating the Kernel RPM
• Managing Software Dependencies
• Using the YUM command
• Using the Zypper command
• YUM package groups
• Zypper Services and Catalogs
• Dealing With RPM & YUM Digest Changes
• Configuring YUM
• Yum Plugins
• YUM Repositories
• Compiling/Installing from Source
• Manually Installed Shared Libraries
• Installing Source RPM Packages

Filesystem Administration

• Partitioning Disks with fdisk
• Partitioning Disks with parted
• Filesystem Creation
• Mounting Filesystems
• Filesystem Maintenance
• Persistent Block Devices
• Resizing Filesystems
• Swap
• Two Types of Disk Space
• Determining Disk Usage With df and du
• Configuring Disk Quotas
• Setting Quotas
• Viewing and Monitoring Quotas
• Filesystem Attributes
• Backup Software
• Backup Examples

LVM & RAID

• Logical Volume Management
• Implementing LVM
• Creating Logical Volumes
• Manipulating VGs & LVs
• Advanced LVM Concepts
• system-config-lvm
• SLES Graphical Disk Tool
• RAID Concepts
• Array Creation with mdadm
• Software RAID Monitoring
• Software RAID Control and Display

Remote Storage Administration

• Remote Storage Overview
• Remote Filesystem Protocols
• Remote Block Device Protocols
• File Sharing via NFS
• NFSv4
• NFS Clients
• NFS Server Configuration
• Implementing NFSv4
• AutoFS
• AutoFS Configuration
• Accessing Windows/Samba Shares from Linux
• SAN Multipathing
• Multipath Configuration
• Multipathing Best Practices
• iSCSI Architecture
• Open-iSCSI Initiator Implementation
• iSCSI Initiator Discovery
• iSCSI Initiator Node Administration
• Mounting iSCSI Targets at Boot
• iSCSI Multipathing Considerations

User/Group Administration

• User and Group Concepts
• User Administration
• Modifying Accounts
• Group Administration
• Password Aging
• Default User Files
• Controlling Logins
• Manual DS Client Configuration
• system-config-authentication
• SLES Graphical DS Client Configuration
• System Security Services Daemon (SSSD)

Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)

• PAM Overview
• PAM Module Types
• PAM Order of Processing
• PAM Control Statements
• PAM Modules
• pam_unix.so
• pam_unix2.so
• pam_nologin.so
• pam_limits.so
• pam_wheel.so
• pam_xauth.so

Security Administration

• Security Concepts
• Tightening Default Security
• SuSE Security Checker
• Security Advisories
• File Access Control Lists
• Manipulating FACLs
• Viewing FACLs
• Backing Up FACLs
• File Creation Permissions with umask
• User Private Group Scheme
• Alternatives to UPG
• AppArmor
• SELinux Security Framework
• SELinux Modes
• SELinux Commands
• Choosing an SELinux Policy
• SELinux Booleans
• Permissive Domains
• Graphical SELinux Policy Tools

Process Administration

• Automating Tasks
• at/batch
• cron
• The crontab Command
• crontab Format
• /etc/cron.*/ Directories
• anacron
• Viewing Processes
• Managing Processes
• Tuning Process Scheduling
• Process Accounting
• Enabling Process Accounting
• Setting Resource Limits via ulimit

Basic Networking

• IPv4 Fundamentals
• TCP/UDP Fundamentals
• Linux Network Interfaces
• Ethernet Hardware Tools
• Network Configuration with ip Command
• Configuring Routing Tables
• IP to MAC Address Mapping with ARP
• Starting and Stopping Interfaces
• NetworkManager
• DNS Clients
• DHCP Clients
• system-config-network{tui,cmd}
• SUSE YaST Network Configuration Tool
• Network Diagnostics
• Information from netstat
• Managing Network-Wide Time
• Continual Time Sync with NTP
• Configuring NTP Clients
• Useful NTP Commands

Advanced Networking

• Multiple IP Addresses
• Configuring a DHCP server
• Enabling IPv6
• Interface Bonding
• Interface Bridging
• 802.1q VLANS
• Tuning Kernel Network Settings

The X Window System

• The X Window System
• X Modularity
• X.Org Drivers
• Configuring X Manually
• Automatic X Configuration
• Automatic X Configuration - SLES
• Xorg and Fonts
• The X Font Server
• Installing Fonts for Modern Applications
• Installing Fonts for Legacy Applications
• The X11 Protocol and Display Names
• Display Managers and Graphical Login
• Starting X Apps Automatically
• X Access Control
• Remote X Access (historical/insecure approach)
• Remote X Access (modern/secure approach)
• XDMCP
• Remote Graphical Access With VNC and RDP
• Specialized X Servers

Log File Administration

• System Logging
• Syslog-ng
• Rsyslog
• /etc/rsyslog.conf
• Log Management
• Log Anomaly Detector

Monitoring & Troubleshooting

• System Status - Memory
• System Status - I/O
• System Status - CPU
• Performance Trending with sar
• Troubleshooting Basics: The Process
• Troubleshooting Basics: The Tools
• strace and ltrace
• Common Problems
• Incorrect File Permissions
• Inability to Boot
• Typos in Configuration Files
• Corrupt Filesystems
• Rescue Environment
• SUSE Rescue Environment

Pre-Installation Considerations

• Pre-Installation Considerations
• Hardware Compatibility
• Multi-OS Booting
• Partition Considerations
• Filesystem Planning
• Selecting a Filesystem

Installing RHEL6

• Anaconda: An Overview
• Anaconda: Booting the System
• Anaconda: Common Boot Options
• Anaconda: Loading Anaconda and Packages
• Anaconda: Storage Options
• Anaconda: Troubleshooting
• FirstBoot
• Kickstart
• A Typical Install

Installing SLES11

• Installation Choices
• DVD-ROM Install Media
• Network Installation
• SLP for SUSE Linux Installation
• Local Hard Drive Installation
• The linuxrc Program
• Install Program Interface
• Installation Diagnostics
• Language/Keyboard Selection and EULA
• Installation Mode
• Clock and Time Zone
• Desktop Selection
• Server Base Scenario
• The YaST Installer Design
• Disk Partitioning
• Boot Loader Configuration
• Software Package Selection
• Kernel Crash Dump Configuration
• Confirmation and File Installation
• Setting the Root Password
• Hostname and Domain Name
• Network Configuration
• SLES Services Configuration
• Adding a User Account
• Release Notes
• Final Installation Hub
• Installation Complete and AutoYaST2 "Cloning"
• Using AutoYaST2 files
• Creating AutoYaST2 Files
• linuxrc Automation

Xen Virtualization

• Virtualization: What and Why?
• What is Xen?
• Xen Architecture
• Xen Deployment Options and Considerations
• Xen Networking
• Live Migration of Xen Virtual Servers
• xend Configuration
• Guest Config Files
• The xm Command
• Common xm Usage
• Xen Configuration Tools

Linux Kernel Compilation

• Why Compile?
• Getting Kernel Source
• Preparing to Compile
• Configuring Kernel Compilation Options
• Available Kernel Compile Options
• Compiling the Kernel
• Install Compiled Kernel Modules
• Installing the Kernel
• Tips and Tricks