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

High Availability

All computer hardware has limits regarding its performance and reliability, so systems that must process requests from large numbers of users without interruptions are always composed of multiple individual worker machines and dedicated load-balancing nodes that spread the load among those workers.

Linux includes functionality for load balancing and redundancy in the kernel, and multiple user-space daemons manage that built-in functionality and implement additional protocols and features.

In this chapter, we will learn about the following:

  • Different types of redundancy and load balancing
  • Link and network layer redundancy mechanisms in Linux
  • Transport layer load balancing with Linux Virtual Server (LVS)
  • Using Keepalived to share a virtual IP address between multiple nodes and automate LVS configuration
  • Application layer load-balancing solutions, using HAProxy as an example