BSD and Linux+
 

I've decided to get my Linux+ certification and have a couple questions about the distros to use. Since I'm a Windows guy by trade, I'm working with Linux at home. I'm going to play around with a bunch of different distros in the process of studying for the exams. I'm also reading and working thru the examples of several different "teach yourself" type of books. One of these is The Complete Reference to FreeBSD.

I know that BSD is not Linux. What I'd like to know is if they are similar enough so that working with FreeBSD will help me study for the exam. Or am I wasting my time working with this one?

F_M

Realistically you could learn most of Linux+ from BSD. Go over all of the objectives, then look up how modules work as well as rpm and deb packages. Those are pretty much the only things that yo'll have to worry about on top of the stuff you'd learn with BSD.

My thinking originally was that I'd grab a bunch of distros and work some with each. I saw the Complete Reference to FreeBSD in Ollies for next to nothing and got it. That was prior to me knowing that BSD is not Linux.

Since I'm from the Windoze side, I've started out with a pretty easy distro, Red Hat 8. That's what came with one of the book I bought. I also have Damn Small, Knopix and I'm expecting Debian to be delivered soon.

F_M

You'll need to know RPM and DEB package management systems for Linux+, neither of which FreeBSD uses. Slackware probably has more in common with FreeBSD than any other Linux distro.

BTW, just install Knoppix on a hard disk and you'll have Debian. ;)

From a Windows Network Admin who also has his Linux+ certification. I used the Mark Minasi guide Linux for Windows Admins to help understand it a lot better. Might be a little outdated, depending on if he released an updated version? Also I used RedHat and Debian distros to study. It was pretty simple when I took it in 2003, mostly A+ stuff.