CompTIA Linux+ certification

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From the #1 Name in Professional Certification

Get on the fast track to becoming CompTIA Linux+ certified with this affordable, portable study tool. Inside, Linux expert Michael Jang guides you on your career path, providing expert tips and sound advice along the way. With an intensive focus on only what you need to know to pass the CompTIA Linux+ exam, this certification passport is your ticket to success on exam day.

Featuring:

Itineraries--List of official exam objectives covered ETAs--Amount of time needed to complete each lesson Travel Advisories--Expert advice on critical topics Local Lingo--Concise definitions of key terms and concepts Exam Tips--Common exam pitfalls and solutions Checkpoints--End-of-chapter questions, answers, and explanations Career Flight Path--Career options mapped out to maximize the return from your IT journey

Practice exam on CD powered by LearnKey

Author Notes

Michael Jang, LCP, MCSE, RHCE is the bestselling author of RHCE Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide and several other certification prep books.

About the Series Editor: Mike Meyers is the bestselling author of six editions of CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide and several other computer books. He is the president and founder of Total Seminars, LLC, a major provider of PC and network repair seminars for thousands of organizations throughout the world, and a member of CompTIA.

Acknowledgments	p. xviii
Check-In	p. xix
I Installing and Configuring Linux	p. 1
1 Basic Installation	p. 3
Objective 1.01 Determine Customer Needs	p. 4
The History of Linux	p. 4
What Applications Linux Can Include for Clients	p. 5
What Server Services Can Be Installed	p. 6
Selecting a Distribution	p. 6
Objective 1.02 Identify Required Hardware	p. 7
Basic Hardware	p. 8
Required Space	p. 8
Scalability	p. 9
Objective 1.03 Understand That Linux Is Just the Kernel	p. 9
Numbering Schemes	p. 9
Upgrades	p. 10
Custom Kernels	p. 10
Objective 1.04 Determine the Appropriate Installation Method	p. 11
Boot Method	p. 11
Local Source	p. 12
Network Source	p. 13
Objective 1.05 Define Multimedia Options	p. 14
Video	p. 14
Sound	p. 15
Codecs	p. 16
Objective 1.06 Identify Machine Requirements	p. 16
Packages and Package Groups	p. 16
Appliance	p. 18
Functional Server	p. 18
Desktop	p. 19
Checkpoint	p. 19
Review Questions	p. 20
Review Answers	p. 22
2 Configuring During and After Installation	p. 23
Objective 2.01 Select Appropriate Parameters for Installation	p. 24
Language	p. 25
Keyboard	p. 26
Pointing Device	p. 26
Time Zone	p. 27
Objective 2.02 Partition with fdisk and More	p. 27
Appropriate Directories for Dedicated Partitions	p. 27
RAID Configuration	p. 28
Logical Volume Management Configuration	p. 30
Other Partition Management Tools	p. 31
Objective 2.03 Configure a Filesystem	p. 31
Standard Linux Filesystems	p. 31
Other Filesystems	p. 33
Objective 2.04 Understand and Reinstall a Boot Manager	p. 33
The Linux Loader (LILO)	p. 34
The Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB)	p. 35
Other Bootloaders	p. 37
Objective 2.05 Identify Network Configuration Issues	p. 37
Network Fundamentals	p. 37
IP Addresses	p. 38
Connecting to a LAN	p. 39
Connecting via Telephone Modern	p. 40
The Internet Super Server	p. 41
Objective 2.06 Configure Peripherals as Needed	p. 41
Printers	p. 41
Scanners	p. 42
Other Devices	p. 42
Objective 2.07 Perform Post-Installation Package Management	p. 42
Installing New RPM Packages	p. 43
Upgrading RPM Packages	p. 43
Installing from a Compressed Tarball	p. 44
Checkpoint	p. 45
Review Questions	p. 46
Review Answers	p. 48
II Managing Linux Users, Files, Packages, Processes, and Services	p. 49
3 Managing Files and Directories	p. 51
Objective 3.01 Work with Files and Directories	p. 52
Basic Navigation	p. 53
Using the find and locate Commands	p. 57
Searching with grep	p. 59
Comparing with diff	p. 59
Objective 3.02 Create Files and Directories	p. 60
Creating Files with touch	p. 60
Creating Files with cp	p. 60
Modifying Filenames with mv	p. 61
Deleting Files with rm	p. 61
Creating and Removing Directories with mkdir and rmdir	p. 62
Objective 3.03 Manage Text Files	p. 63
File Reading Commands	p. 63
The Stream Editor, sed	p. 65
The awk Text Manipulation Tool	p. 65
The Visual Editor	p. 65
Objective 3.04 Create Linked Files	p. 68
Hard Links	p. 68
Soft Links	p. 68
Objective 3.05 Modify Ownership and Permissions	p. 69
File Ownership	p. 69
Changing Ownership with chown and chgrp	p. 70
Defining Permissions, Octally	p. 71
Changing Permissions with chmod	p. 72
The SUID, SGID, and Sticky Bits	p. 73
Defining Default Permissions with umask	p. 74
Objective 3.06 Shell Command Management	p. 75
Standard Output	p. 75
Standard Input	p. 76
Error Output	p. 76
Quotes in the Shell	p. 76
Interactivity	p. 78
Command Completion	p. 79
Escaping Special Characters	p. 79
Objective 3.07 Create, Modify, and Run Basic Scripts	p. 80
Shell Script Examples	p. 80
Making a Shell Script Executable	p. 81
Checkpoint	p. 81
Review Questions	p. 82
Review Answers	p. 84
4 Media, Process, and Package Management	p. 87
Objective 4.01 Manage Storage Devices and Filesystems	p. 88
The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard	p. 88
Configuring with fdisk	p. 90
Checking with fsck	p. 91
Formatting with mkfs	p. 92
Tuning with tune2fs	p. 93
Objective 4.02 Mount Locally and Remotely	p. 93
Mounting on Your Own	p. 94
Mounting a Shared NFS Directory	p. 94
Mounting a Shared Samba/CIFS Directory	p. 94
Objective 4.03 Back Up and Restore Data	p. 95
Tape Archives and Compression with tar	p. 95
Input and Output with cpio	p. 96
Objective 4.04 Use Recordable Media	p. 96
Mounting Devices	p. 97
Writing to CD/DVDs	p. 98
Objective 4.05 Manage Runlevels	p. 99
The Boot Process	p. 99
Setting the Default Runlevel	p. 100
Changing Runlevels	p. 101
Services in Each Runlevel	p. 101
Other Initialization Scripts	p. 101
Objective 4.06 Learn Process Management	p. 101
Process Collections with ps	p. 101
Core Kernel and init Processes	p. 102
Stopping and Restarting a Job	p. 103
Load Monitoring with top	p. 105
Listing Open Files with Isof	p. 105
Changing Job Priorities	p. 106
Objective 4.07 Identify Package Problems and Solve with Updates	p. 107
Importing the Keyfile	p. 107
Identifying a Problem	p. 108
Dependency Resolution	p. 108
Package Updates	p. 110
Checkpoint	p. 110
Review Questions	p. 111
Review Answers	p. 113
5 User and Service Management	p. 115
Objective 5.01 Understand Network Troubleshooting	p. 116
Confirming Connectivity with ping	p. 116
Reviewing Network Connections with netstat	p. 117
Tracing a Network Path with traceroute	p. 118
Objective 5.02 Administer with Remote Management Tools	p. 119
The "r" Commands	p. 120
The Secure Shell	p. 121
Objective 5.03 Configure Printer Systems	p. 122
The Line Printer Daemon	p. 122
The Common Unix Printing System	p. 123
Running a Print Job	p. 124
Checking Print Queues and Spools	p. 124
Removing Print Jobs	p. 125
Objective 5.04 Control Mail Servers	p. 126
Basic sendmail	p. 126
Basic Postfix	p. 127
Objective 5.05 Understand Text-based Mail Clients	p. 127
The mail Client	p. 127
The mutt Client	p. 128
Objective 5.06 Administrative Job Management	p. 129
Standard and User cron Jobs	p. 129
Creating an at Job	p. 131
Objective 5.07 Manage User Accounts	p. 132
User and Group Configuration Files	p. 132
Adding User Accounts in Configuration Files	p. 134
Adding Users and Groups from the Command Line	p. 135
User and Group Management Commands	p. 135
Managing Users and Groups with Quotas	p. 137
Objective 5.08 Configure the Network Information Service	p. 138
Basic NIS Client Configuration	p. 138
NIS Commands	p. 138
Common File Management	p. 139
Checkpoint	p. 140
Review Questions	p. 140
Review Answers	p. 142
III Configuring Linux Clients and Servers	p. 145
6 Basic Client Configuration	p. 147
Objective 6.01 Set Up Environment Variables	p. 148
Objective 6.02 Configure Mounted Directories	p. 149
Editing/etc/fstab	p. 150
Configuring Local Mounts in/etc/fstab	p. 153
Configuring Network Mounts in/etc/fstab	p. 154
/etc/mtab	p. 155
Objective 6.03 Work Client Network Settings	p. 155
Network Client Commands	p. 155
Network Client Configuration Files	p. 157
Objective 6.04 Manage a Network Card	p. 158
Running ifconfig	p. 158
Associated Configuration Files	p. 159
Dynamic IP Configuration	p. 161
Objective 6.05 Implement Name Resolution	p. 161
/etc/hosts	p. 162
Name Resolution Order	p. 162
Remote DNS Services	p. 163
Testing DNS Databases	p. 163
Objective 6.06 Work with Log Files	p. 165
As Defined in /etc/syslog.conf	p. 165
Logs in the /var/log Directory	p. 167
Log Rotation	p. 168
Set Up Remote Logging	p. 169
Objective 6.07 Use Makefiles	p. 169
Compiling Drivers and Other Packages	p. 170
Compiling a Kernel	p. 170
Objective 6.08 Configure the X Window System	p. 171
The X Window Server, Old and New	p. 171
Different Meanings for Client and Server	p. 172
X Window Configuration Tools	p. 172
The X Window Configuration File	p. 174
X Window Management	p. 174
Configuring the X Window System from the Command Line	p. 174
Checkpoint	p. 175
Review Questions	p. 176
Review Answers	p. 178
7 Basic Server Configuration	p. 181
Objective 7.01 Implement Basic Routing and Subnetting	p. 182
Managing Routing Tables	p. 182
IP Forwarding	p. 183
IP Masquerading	p. 184
Objective 7.02 Configure Basic Network Server Services	p. 186
Domain Name Service	p. 186
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol	p. 190
Squid	p. 191
Objective 7.03 Configure Samba	p. 192
The Basic Configuration File	p. 193
Stanzas and Directives	p. 194
Samba Configuration Commands	p. 195
Objective 7.04 Configure Apache	p. 197
The Structure of Apache Directories	p. 197
Associated Configuration Files	p. 198
Apache Command Controls	p. 201
Objective 7.05 Set Up Linux Print Services	p. 202
The Line Printer, Next Generation Service	p. 202
The Common Unix Printing System	p. 203
Sharing Printers with Samba	p. 206
Objective 7.06 Apply Basic Printer Permissions	p. 208
Limiting Access by Address	p. 208
Limiting Access by User	p. 208
Checkpoint	p. 209
Review Questions	p. 210
Review Answers	p. 212
IV Securing Accounts and Services	p. 215
8 Security and Users	p. 217
Objective 8.01 Manage User Accounts	p. 218
Deactivating Accounts	p. 218
Deleting Accounts While Keeping the Data	p. 220
Deactivating Regular Accounts	p. 221
Changing Groups	p. 221
Objective 8.02 Control Administrative Accounts	p. 222
Regular and Administrative Accounts	p. 223
Temporary Administrative Access with su	p. 223
Administrative Privileges with sudo	p. 224
Objective 8.03 Set Up Security Environment Files	p. 225
Users as Administrators in /etc/sudoers	p. 225
Secure Shell Limits	p. 226
Pluggable Authentication Module User Limits	p. 228
FTP Access with ftpusers	p. 230
Server Limits with /etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny	p. 231
Objective 8.04 Work with Special File Permissions	p. 232
Identifying Files with Specialized Permissions	p. 233
Preventing Specialized Permissions	p. 233
Immutability Protects Files	p. 234
Special Group Directories	p. 235
Objective 8.05 Configure Password Policies	p. 236
The Shadow Password Suite	p. 236
Password Aging	p. 237
Account Aging	p. 237
PAM and Password Complexity	p. 238
Objective 8.06 Promote User-level Security	p. 239
Login Limits	p. 239
Memory Usage and Process Limits with ulimit	p. 241
Checkpoint	p. 242
Review Questions	p. 243
Review Answers	p. 245
9 System Security	p. 247
Objective 9.01 Configure Encryption	p. 248
Shadow Passwords	p. 249
Password Strength	p. 250
Disk Encryption	p. 250
Other Encryption Schemes	p. 250
Objective 9.02 Detect Intrusion Attempts	p. 252
Logging Logins	p. 252
Other Log Files	p. 253
The w and who Commands	p. 253
Checking Up on Users with last and utmpdump	p. 254
Objective 9.03 Understand Intrusion Detection Systems	p. 255
Snort	p. 256
PortSentry	p. 256
Command-line Monitoring	p. 257
Objective 9.04 Decipher Basic Firewall Configurations	p. 258
Common Ports	p. 259
Configuring iptables	p. 260
Objective 9.05 Audit Key Security Files	p. 264
Security-related /etc/ Configuration Files	p. 264
The Internet Super Server	p. 264
Security Logs	p. 266
Other Security Configuration Issues	p. 266
Objective 9.06 Identify File Corruption	p. 267
Verifying with rpm	p. 267
Running Tripwire	p. 268
Checking Download Integrity	p. 268
Checkpoint	p. 269
Review Questions	p. 270
Review Answers	p. 271
V An Overview of Linux Documentation	p. 273
10 Documentation and Configuration	p. 275
Objective 10.01 Document a System Performance Baseline	p. 276
Display Linux Performance with top	p. 276
System Activity Reports with sar	p. 277
Memory Statistics with vmstat	p. 278
Review the Process Tree with pstree	p. 278
Objective 10.02 Create Installation, Configuration, and Security Management Procedures	p. 280
Document the Installation Configuration	p. 280
Back Up Configuration Files	p. 280
Set Up Security Procedures	p. 281
Objective 10.03 Document the Installed Configuration	p. 281
Find the Package List	p. 281
Document Compiled Package Options	p. 284
Documented Hardware	p. 284
Set Up Consistent Networking	p. 285
Create Maintenance Procedures	p. 285
When to Update the Kernel	p. 285
Objective 10.04 Troubleshoot System and Application Errors with Logs	p. 286
Monitoring Logs with head and tail	p. 286
Searching Through Logs with grep	p. 286
Objective 10.05 Access System Documentation	p. 287
Command Manuals	p. 287
Package Documentation	p. 288
Online Documentation	p. 289
Licensing	p. 289
Checkpoint	p. 290
Review Questions	p. 290
Review Answers	p. 292
VI Hardware Issues	p. 295
11 Hardware on Linux	p. 297
Objective 11.01 Describe Common Hardware Components	p. 298
Connectors	p. 298
Basic Hardware Channels	p. 299
Module Management	p. 302
Hardware Compatibility Lists	p. 303
Objective 11.02 Diagnose Hardware Issues	p. 304
Hardware Detected in /proc	p. 304
Using Disk Utilities	p. 304
Using a Live CD as a Rescue Disk	p. 305
Network Hardware	p. 306
Hardware Detection Commands	p. 307
Reviewing Device Files	p. 307
Reviewing dmesg Output	p. 308
Kernel Hardware Boot Parameters	p. 309
Objective 11.03 Understand Hardware Power Management	p. 310
Working with Advanced Power Management	p. 310
Managing the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface	p. 311
Objective 11.04 Identify and Configure Removable System Hardware	p. 311
PC Cards	p. 312
USB Devices	p. 312
IEEE 1394 Devices	p. 312
Objective 11.05 Identify and Configure Mass Storage Devices	p. 313
Hard Drives	p. 313
Floppy Drives	p. 315
Tape Drives	p. 315
Flash Memory Devices	p. 316
CD/DVD Drives	p. 316
Checkpoint	p. 316
Review Questions	p. 317
Review Answers	p. 319
VII Appendixes	p. 321
A About the CD-ROM	p. 323
Mike Meyers' Certification Passport CD-ROM Instructions	p. 323
System Requirements	p. 323
Installing and Running Wine	p. 323
Installing and Running MasterExam	p. 324
MasterExam	p. 327
Help	p. 328
Removing an Installation	p. 328
LearnKey Technical Support	p. 328
Content Support	p. 328
B Career Flight Path	p. 329
Red Hat Certifications	p. 329
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)	p. 329
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)	p. 330
Red Hat Certified Security Specialist (RHCSS)	p. 330
Red Hat Certified Datacenter Specialist (RHCDS)	p. 330
Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)	p. 331
Novell/SUSE Certifications	p. 331
Novell Certified Linux Professional (CLP)	p. 332
Novell Certified Linux Engineer (CLE)	p. 332
Linux Professional Institute (LPI)	p. 332
LPI Level 1	p. 333
LPI Level 2	p. 333
LPI Level 3	p. 333
C Installing CentOS-5, Step by Step	p. 335
Download CentOS-5	p. 335
Install CentOS-5	p. 336
D Testing Linux with VMware	p. 343
Acquiring VMware Server	p. 344
Installing VMware Server on Microsoft Windows	p. 345
Installing VMware Server on Ubuntu Dapper Drake	p. 346
Preparing VMware for Linux Installation	p. 348
VMware Snapshots	p. 352
Glossary	p. 353
Index	p. 377

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