It was a very long time since my last post. As I have decided to start preparation for Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator LFCS, so what is a better study way than creating a blog with an exam guide? I will be following the official exam domain and competency list, which can be found at the Linux Federation website here.

The exam allows us to choose between Ubuntu and CentOS because I’m more familiar with Ubuntu. I will choose this one, and all commands run in this guide will be tested on Ubuntu. I can imagine that all the topics below should be completed in a similar or even same way independent of the Linux distribution. This blog will be updated as I make progress in my study. I hope it will not take too long to finish it.

This blog is only to capture my learning steps towards the exam, and it is not an official exam guide. Join me on my journey, let’s have a fan with Linux commands and shell because who like the GUI. So let us get started.

Essential Commands – 25%

• Log into local & remote graphical and text mode consoles
• Search for files
• Evaluate and compare the basic file system features and options
• Compare and manipulate file content
• Use input-output redirection (e.g. >, >>, |, 2>)
• Analyze a text using basic regular expressions
• Archive, backup, compress, unpack, and uncompress files
• Create, delete, copy, and move files and directories
• Create and manage hard and soft links
• List, set, and change standard file permissions
• Read, and use system documentation
• Manage access to the root account

Operation of Running Systems – 20%

• Boot, reboot, and shut down a system safely
• Boot or change system into different operating modes
• Install, configure and troubleshoot bootloaders
• Diagnose and manage processes
• Locate and analyze system log files
• Schedule tasks to run at a set date and time
• Verify completion of scheduled jobs
• Update software to provide required functionality and security
• Verify the integrity and availability of resources
• Verify the integrity and availability of key processes
• Change kernel runtime parameters, persistent and non-persistent
• Use scripting to automate system maintenance tasks
• Manage the startup process and services (In Services Configuration)
• List and identify SELinux/AppArmor file and process contexts
• Manage Software
• Identify the component of a Linux distribution that a file belongs to

User and Group Management – 10%

• Create, delete, and modify local user accounts
• Create, delete, and modify local groups and group memberships
• Manage system-wide environment profiles
• Manage template user environment
• Configure user resource limits
• Manage user privileges
• Configure PAM

Networking – 12%

• Configure networking and hostname resolution statically or dynamically
• Configure network services to start automatically at boot
• Implement packet filtering
• Start, stop and check the status of network services
• Statically route IP traffic
• Synchronize time using other network peers

Service Configuration – 20%

• Configure a caching DNS server
• Maintain a DNS zone
• Configure email aliases
• Configure SSH servers and clients
• Restrict access to the HTTP proxy server
• Configure an IMAP and IMAPS service
• Query and modify the behavior of system services at various operating modes
• Configure an HTTP server
• Configure HTTP server log files
• Configure a database server
• Restrict access to a web page
• Manage and configure containers
• Manage and configure Virtual Machines

Storage Management – 13%

• List, create, delete, and modify physical storage partitions
• Manage and configure LVM storage
• Create and configure encrypted storage
• Configure systems to mount file systems at or during boot
• Configure and manage swap space
• Create and manage RAID devices
• Configure systems to mount file systems on demand
• Create, manage and diagnose advanced file system permissions
• Setup user and group disk quotas for filesystems
• Create and configure file systems

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope my notes will be helpful for you .