Course Description

This course presents the commands and methods needed to setup and manage advanced networking, security, and performance management on a RHEL 7 system.  The course will also use a problem solving approach in the lab exercises to present system administrators advanced topics, for long-term management of the system. This course normally requires four (4) days, approximately 60% lecture, and 40% lab time.

This course is the equivalent to Red Hat course 299, is used for preparation for the RHCE certification examination.

Systems: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 7 (all update levels).

Audience Profile

Senior Linux system administrators who require networking and security administration skills – Linux IT professionals who currently have RHCT/RHCSA certification, and are interested in earning an RHCE certification – Linux IT professionals that can demonstrate the competencies needed to earn an RHCT/RHCSA, but have not passed the RHCSA exam provided with the Red Hat System Administration II course.

Prerequisites

This course is a concentrated preparation for the RHCE examination.

Participants are assumed to be (Red Hat Enterprise) Linux system administrators working on production level configurations, and have used and demonstrated competencies in Linux fundamentals and entry-level administrative functions.

Learning Objectives

On completion of this course, a systems administrator should be able to install, update, and boot the RHEL 7 operating system; setup a RHEL 7 system to act as a:  DNS server (and client), VSFTPD server, Apache web server, email server, SAMBA host. Topics covering basic encryption, performance management tools, and usage of PAM will also be covered.

Course Outline

Controlling Services and Daemons

• RHEL 7 startup configuration
• systemd target files
• systemd services and actions
• systemd journal logging
• RHEL 7 system initialization sequence
• GRUB loader
• kernel maintained information (/proc based files)
• modifying RHEL 7 kernel parameters
• supplied performance monitoring tools
• creating system utilization reports
• Kerberos client setup
• maintaining system time via an NTP and chrony server

Managing IPv6 Networking

• network configuration
• host configuration
• gateway configuration
• network configuration
• host configuration
• gateway configuration
• IPv6 networking addressing
• IPv6 network configuration
• IPv6 gateway configuration

Configuring Link Aggregation and Bridging

• channel bonded interfaces
• network teaming interfaces

Network Port Security

• service specific access control
• network ports
• firewalld components
• firewalld control
• ssh key based authentication
• ssh port forwarding
• SELinux port labeling
• SELinux booleans
• SELinux context labels

Managing DNS for Servers

• setting up a BIND primary name server
• setting up a caching-only BIND name server
• controlling the named daemon

Configuring Email Transmissions

• mail components
• postfix components
• postfix null-client configuration

Providing File-based Storage

• Network File System concepts
• Network File System configuration
• setting up the Network File System
• starting up the Network File System
• using the Network File System
• Network File System with Kerberos authentication
• Samba/CIFS configuration
• Samba/CIFS usage

Web Server Additional Configuration

• Apache Web Server operation
• Apache Web Server standard configuration
• Apache Web Server standard configuration
• Apache Web Server CGI
• Apache Web Server user public directories
• Apache Web Server virtual hosts
• Apache Web Server protected directories
• TLS-enabled Apache Web Server

Configuring MariaDB Databases

• MariaDB requirements
• MariaDB installation
• MariaDB usage
• MariaDB backup (and restore)

Configuring the Shell Environment

• comparison of shell environments
• environment files
• environment settings
• environment variables

Writing Bash Scripts

• shell variants
• shell versions
• comparison of shell scripting features
• shell script development
• debugging a shell script
• user defined variables
• obtaining a variable value from standard input
• command substitution
• command line arguments

Bash Conditionals and Control Structures

• if construct
• numeric variables
• while and until loops
• variable access within loops
• formatted output
• here documents
• case construct
• administrative menus
• advanced shell features
• for loops
• associative arrays
• options processing

Controlling Linux Containers with Docker

• introduction to Linux containers
• Docker

Comprehensive review – practice test