Book Image

Linux for System Administrators

By : Viorel Rudareanu, Daniil Baturin
Book Image

Linux for System Administrators

By: Viorel Rudareanu, Daniil Baturin

Overview of this book

Linux system administration is an essential aspect of maintaining and managing Linux servers within an organization. The role of a Linux system administrator is pivotal in ensuring the smooth functioning and security of these servers, making it a critical job function for any company that relies on Linux infrastructure. This book is a comprehensive guide designed to help you build a solid foundation in Linux system administration. It takes you from the fundamentals of Linux to more advanced topics, encompassing key areas such as Linux system installation, managing user accounts and filesystems, networking fundamentals, and Linux security techniques. Additionally, the book delves into the automation of applications and infrastructure using Chef, enabling you to streamline and optimize your operations. For both newcomers getting started with Linux and professionals looking to enhance their skills, this book is an invaluable hands-on guide with a structured approach and concise explanations that make it an effective resource for quickly acquiring and reinforcing Linux system administration skills. With the help of this Linux book, you’ll be able to navigate the world of Linux administration confidently to meet the demands of your role.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Linux Basics
7
Part 2: Configuring and Modifying Linux Systems
13
Part 3: Linux as a Part of a Larger System

NetworkManager

Servers and embedded devices usually have fixed, statically assigned IP addresses, but desktop and especially laptop computers may need to dynamically connect to multiple networks of different types. A systems administrator with a laptop may need to connect to a wired Ethernet network in their server closet, to Wi-Fi networks in their office, home, and public spaces such as cafes, and also use a VPN tunnel to connect to the corporate network from home. Since many laptops no longer have an onboard wired network card, there may be a need to use a USB Ethernet adapter instead, so the system must handle not just on-demand network connections, but also hot-plug network devices.

Managing such configurations by hand through configuration files and commands would be tedious, so people created software projects to automate it. Those projects rely on the usual tools such as the ip utility and third-party projects such as strongSwan or xl2tpd for VPN connections but tie them...