I have a friend. He runs a Linux Administration Institute. Though it is small it is really successful for the past 2 year.

This is a Linux Course, I am planning to get. Please go through and tell me what’s missing or worth adding to this course.

Also if any of you know, where can I get detailed Red-hat Linux Certification Course-ware. Please guide me to it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MODULE 1

Unit 1: Hardware and Installation (X 86 Architecture)

Hardware compatibility, CPU and SMP support, New Hardware Detection, Plug and Play, Serial and Parallel Ports, Block and other Devices, Disk Addressing and Partitioning, Peripheral Devices, Kick start Configuration, CD-Rom based installation, ISO based installation, NFS and FTP based installation.
Configuring a Red hat Linux work installation server as NFS, FTP based server.

Unit 2: Linux Basic.

Issue essential Linux commands from bash shell command line.
Launch apps from the command line and Gnome interface.
Use and customize the X windows system and Gnome desktop environment.
Understand the Linux file system.
Perform Common file maintenance tasks.
Understand and maintain file access permissions.
Copy to and from a floppy diskette.
Open, Edit and save text documents using the VI editor.
Us printing commands and utilities.
Understand and use client side email.
Connect processed and files using standard I/O and Pipes Backup.
Query Packages on your System.

Unit 3 : User and Group Administration.

Creating User and group accounts, User authorization configuration.
Shadow package and utilities, Authentication configuration permission, User templates and login policy, User & Login Profile.

Unit 4 : Linux Boot Process

Linux boot sequence, Understanding Init process and inittab and lilo.conf, managing system V initializing Scripts, GRUB boot manager, Dual Boot OS, Booting Linux from Windows and boot.ini.

Unit 5: Disk Configuration in Linux.

The Linux quota system, Understanding /etc/fstab. Creating partition and installing file system ext3 on partition. Software RAID configuration, CDROM, floppy mounting.

Unit 6 : Linux kernel and Services.

Configuring, compiling and installing the Linux Kernel, Kernel modules, Runlevels. Ntsysv, rc.d directory, insmod Ismod and chkconfig.

Unit 7: Standard Networking Services.

TCP/IP fundamentals, BIND (DNS), Sendmail, FTP HTTP/Apache, NFS Sever, Samba (as a windows server or as a PDC/BDC), DHCP, Squid Proxy server.

Unit 8: X Window System.

The X Server, X clients/ Window Managers, The X font Server Display managers , X free 86 Startups, The Gnome and KDE environments remote Display of X applications , X security.

Unit 9: Host Security and Firewall.

Security Concepts, Firewall using Ipchains and Iptables, Firewall using IP masquerading.
The Xinetd Super-Server and tcp_warpers.
Ssh: secure shell, telnet and remote copy.
Rescue Environment utilities.

Unit10: Troubleshooting.

Understanding different log files, troubleshooting in each section of this module.




MODULE 2 Advance part




Unit 11: Routers and VPN

Linux as a router – Static and Dynamic Routes, PPTP, L2TP, Network to Network VPN host & client based VPN, Securing tunnel using IPsec.

Unit 12: Administering a secure Redhat Linux network.

Introduction to security.
Host-Level security, Service-Level security (Securing System services tcp_wrapers, Xinetd).
Network-level security (Firewalling, NAT, iptables).
System monitoring (File system analysis, Log file analysis, monitoring and limiting processes, tripwire)

Unit 13: Administering a secure Redhat Linux network.

PKI, Encrypted Communications (Digital Certificates, OpenSSH, stunnel), SSL technology, creating CA and issuing certificates.

Unit 14: Advanced RPM for system administrators.

Why and when to rebuild, Support and compatibility considerations.
The Contents of an RPM packages.
The spec file, the important spec file directives, RPM build commands, Gnome RPM.

Unit 15: Load balancing using Red Hat Linux Advanced Server.

Implementing a two-node load-balancing pair using Piranha, Security considerations when using Piranha, concepts of failover and clustering.

Unit 16: Open LDAP.

LDAP Concepts, Configuring and implementing LDAP, understanding of schema and Idif files. LDAP Commands and utilities. LDAP based email address list, LDAP based authentication.

Unit 17: Introduction of MYSQL database.

MySQL Database basics, Creating and deleting databases, creating tables and assigning Privileges to users. Running query using MySQL, Utilities. Connecting database from remote Systems.


Unit 18: Qmail and Vpopmail.

Understanding MTA, MUA, MDA.
Installing, configuring, implementing Qmail based SMTP and Pop3 mail server. Creating virtual email domains and virtual user accounts with quota using Vpopmail, User accounts using MySql database. Web-based email using sqwebmail. Web based administration of Qmail and Vpopmail. Creating and managing mailing list manager, IMAP server using Courier package.

Unit 19: Intruder Detection system.

Packet capture/sniffer, packet logger and intruder detecting using Snort. Storing all tcp/udp headers and alerts in MySQL database. Getting alert popup on windows based systems, Analysis of traffic and alerts using ACID, ADODB, PHP plot using Apache from remote systems running IE/Netscape internet browser.

Unit 20: Kerberos Authentication.

Understanding Kerberos version 4 and 5 concepts.
Configuring, implementing, and managing Kerberos tickets, setting authentication using Kerberos.

Unit 21: PPP and RADIUS server.
Unit 22: Remote booting – LTSP project

Unit 23: Scripting and Automated Task, Introduction to PHP & PERL with MySQL.

Unit 24: Administration utilities – Linuxconf, Webmin, ISPman, Commanche3.

Welcome to LQ.

I'll move this to Linux->General as it isn;t just netwok related and may get more responses there.

One of the more basic things I can't see is installing from source (although you have compiling a kernel).

Another slightly more advanced, but useful, topic could be clustering.

Thanx .

Thanx very much. As soon as i posted it i felt that i should had posted in general. No replies really screamed this point to me.

Ya , even i noticed it. But the course is just for 2 months (Module 1= 1 month & Module 2 = 1 month). And the cost of the course is just US $200 (Us$100 per module). Also almost all peeps learning this course ,actually leave after doing Module 1 ( my friend and Institute Owner told me ... when asked about some missing topics ..)

The main reason he said ; for many peeps , completing Module 1 is more than enough from pure (necessary) technical knowledge point of view . and they (peeps who come to learn) openly say , "Now that we have done Module 1 , we can learn on our own when we do need to do things from Module 2 " . .......... (ouch)

I have posted this same thread on 4 popular (Linux and Non-Linux) Web-site forums but just havent got any feedback. I am wondering , is this course OverKill or Peeps who actually know this sh1t dont scroll on forums anymore (as they might be making lots of money.......) cause they have no time and need to do so.

Perhaps you/your friend could consider running 2 courses. Don't get me wrong - it looks like it is a great course with a variety of content but there is a lot of information in it that some people may not want. Maybe it would be more effective running 2 courses - one for a basic introduction to linux and one for people who are more interested in managing business level linux systems.

As for people dropping out you may wnat to look at having a deal like:
Module 1 = $100
Module 2 = $100
Both for = $175

well david, U have got it right. They havent titled the course (modules) in their fliers (Basic and Avanced), but thats how they Xplain the prospective student , they tell him Xactly like that .

When i approached them and told what i knew, they said , "U are ready for Mod2 but there are many things u dont know from Mod 1 , we suggest U go through Mod 1 first and then Mod 2".

Hello Kyro,

I don't know where you're located, but it's probably not close enough for me. I would really like to have a course like this. I am sick of Micro$loth, and am migrating to Linux as quickly and effectively as I can. There are no Linux books in English here, and most of the material I've read online is above my knowledge of Linux today. However, I will learn!

I currently repair and build computers. When Micro$loth resurrected NT with Windows 2000, I thought there was hope for them, and that someone there actually cared about the end user, and not just their money god. But they destroyed that small bit of hope with Windows eXPerience. Now, I've experienced it for a couple of years, and have had enough. It makes me want to vomit! Not only does their EULA benefit them more than the end user, but they have left the user totally vulnerable to all manner of crackers roaming the Internet. And other things I want take the time to mention (rant).

In 1999 I tried Linux via RedHat, but gave up after a couple of months. This May, about 4 years later, I tried RedHat again. It was too bloated, so I jumped to Debian. The learning curve (to me) is like climbing Mt. Everest, but if you make it to the summit, you'll one day find me there, also.

Yesterday someone brought a laptop for me to repair. It's a Gateway which came with Windows 2000, but had been upgraded to Windows XP Pro. When the owner installed Micro$loth's 811493 (MS03-013) security update package, it basically hosed his system. I won't digress into the problems, but Micro$loth's workaround's only work if you can boot the OS - and it doesn't.

However, I was able to boot with the Knoppix v3.3 CD, and it recognized all the hardware. I was able to mount the hard drive and back up his data by uploading it to my ftp web pages. How do you like that? The Micro$loth OS won't boot, but Debian running off a CD in ramdisk recognizes all the hardware, configures his nic effortlessly, mounts and reads his hard drive, and basically saves the day

So, the comp owner requested a dual boot between Linux and W2K. Tonight I formatted the drive and installed W2K first, and there is hardware not detected. He no longer has a recovery CD from Gateway, and there's no Gateway store in China. So we're left with three choices:
1) search the net for drivers;
2) reinstall XP and hope for the drivers;
3) forget Windoze and just use Linux.

I surely hope he chooses #3 when I call him tomorrow. It will make my day.

Keep up the good work. I wish I could take your course and learn from a qualified instructor, rather through trial and error in "the school of hard knocks." It sure takes more time to learn this way I'm grateful for LQ, as these forums have given me more insight than all the reading I've done

Well Chinaman , I am from Bombay India (just updated in profile).

Good Linux courses (even in very reputated institutes) are impossible to find as the very main factor i.e. :- Xperienced Tutor (teacher) is almost impossible to find; cause the guy who is knowing (Xpert) this will never care to teach in some institute . he would rather be happy cashing bucks while working in R&D department of some big company.

But luckily i have found one. this is not a reputated institute. and they dont offer any prometia like live-certification-exam, they say its a waste of money . they proudly say, just show your employer , what you are capable of , he will gaurentedly shower you with money (provided you have honed all skill learned).

Hope i do become one of their sucessfull student.

They have such a tight grip even on their notes.. first there are no notes (Printed material) offered . You have to scramble all your notes when you are learning. they do offer CD os a flash tutorial with all Important stuff in slides but is hardcoded for 50 uses only (from USA they say). and you also cannot take screenshot of the flash. I tried it .. but just cant. the security on Notes matches the security of a good fiction movie. (FBI, CIA are nothing in front of these guys when it comes in protection their notes). Nough of it.