Best way to learn Linux
 

I have some familiarity with Linux, but I want to start learning it, in more detail, now. I will install something like VirtualBox from Oracle, with Centos, as distro, I think. I've been already testing something like this, end I ended up picking Centos for this.

I have some time that I can invest in this, and I want to do it very good. I will be getting up to 10 separate books from Amazon (the best), if needed, and going over all of them. In general, I am a webmaster, and I want to learn Linux and server administration, in order to be able to do everything that is needed on unmanaged hosting plans. I want to get any plan that may be needed (unmanaged, and at a good price), install everything that is needed there, make sure it is secure, be able to fix anything that comes up (like support tickets with managed hosting), and so on.

I dont want to be learning unnecessary things, as I am not a programmer or anything like that, even though I am familiar with php and mysql. I would like to know Linux and command line, and server administration (Apache and Nginx) would be the most important part. Whatever may be needed for running websites, is what I want to learn, but not necessarily like Linux programming, lets say.

Please let me know, what would be the best way to go, with this, and if you know about any good books for it, please let me know too.

Thanks.

In my opinion, the best way to learn linux is to use it and mess up on it. You should always presume that knowing more is better then knowing less. The lines between programmer and linux user blends tremendously as you begin to use the command line.
While using linux, you will identify things you do not know. So learning how to find information is very helpful. Learn how to quickly navigate man pages (usage of / for search and Ctrl+d/u - similar to vi), how to read error reports, where error reports are located, how to redirect errors to files. Being cautious with everything by backing up when experimenting will save you countless hours. For example, copying a config file to .bak before modifying the original takes about 30 seconds. Restoring a broken one without a copy can potentially take a full system re-install. Restoring personal data is easy when it was backed up. Restoring data that you didn't back up.. more hours of frustration and loss.

So be cautious, assume you don't know the right way - and learn what the right way is, do your best to find information before asking a new question (chances are it's already been answered!) What is necessary and unnecessary depends on how you use it, so using it is definitely the first step.
A good start would be to read these two man pages:
and of course, some links

• http://en.flossmanuals.net/command-line/index/
• http://www.commandlinefu.com/command.../sort-by-votes
• http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm
• http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/...ect_03_01.html
• http://en.tldp.org/HOWTO/Unix-and-In...WTO/index.html
• http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/ind..._defragmenting

gogoat100 tutorials on youtube...

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...llected-35954/ may be of help.

are you SURE???


i use rhel/cent/sl all the time and
it is a very LOUSY /BAD!!!!!! general purpose HOME system
-- GREAT on servers CRAPY as a home system


you want to learn

install AND DO!!!!!!!

for a home set up
install OpenSUSE 13.2 if you need a rpm based OS
or
Mint if you want a deb based system

then USE IT !!!


NOTHING!!!!!! is unnecessary !!!!!
there is a reason YOU NEED!!!!! to learn about "Plato and Socrates " in a CS or EE degree

Then you WILL!!!! need to learn some programming !!!!!!!

this is a long list
Linux and MS Windows SERVER admin
( this REQUIRES writing bash scripts and win .bat files )
html
php
perl
ruby
rust
r
python
go
C
C++
SQL
some C#
bash scripting ( sh and csh )
Flash !!!!!
unity
java
javascript

Hello! Welcome to the forums!

I'm in a very similar place to you: I've used linux for many years, but am now looking to get further into it and am working towards getting RHCSA certified.

My main advice based on my last few months is to think of it like learning an instrument - don't expect to be called up for the rolling stones next tour over night. It's going to take a lot of practice and repetition. You're not going to study for a year and find yourself being a $100K a year webadmin - if it was that easy, why would anyone do anything else?

Study, get the knowledge, get a cert and get an entry level job. 3 years experience in that job and you'll be moving towards a proper salary. a few years in the next job and you can start looking at the big jobs.

VirtualBox is a great place to start - I've got desktop and server VM's for CentOS(server), REHL(Desktop), debian(server), Ubuntu(gui), openSuSe(server), SLE(gui). I like to practice the same thing I've just learned over and over on each different VM to see the differences.

In terms of learning resources, the Linux Foundations introduction to Linux course on EdX HAS to be THE place to start nowadays. It's free, its a lot easier to access than text books written by people who have been doing it for 30 years and a lot more organised than youtube series. On the negative it isn't as in depth as the Rodrick Smith books for LPI-C. I completed the course in 2 weeks and learnt more in those 2 weeks than I had in years. However, it's just the foundation. it makes reading the textbooks a lot easier.

After that course, it's time to think about which certification you want to go towards. There are essentially three routes:

RedHat.
Linux Professional Institute.
Linux Foundation.

I have ranked them there in the order that employers are currently aware of them. This is research I have done myself by contacting recruitment agents in London, Sydney and Melbourne. Very few were aware of the Linux Foundation qualification, and of the three I contacted that did know about it, 1 of them said they didn't trust that you take the exam on your own machine relatively unsupervised.

For now, the preferred industry certification seems to still be RHCSA, leading on the RHCE. Many employers are also clued up on the Linux Professional Institutes LPI-c 1,2,3 exams, but I have seen a great many jobs detailing Ubuntu knowledge, and seeking RHCSA certified staff because they know that certification.

Whilst the Linux Foundation's Introduction to Linux is a great, free and independent foundation, which I think you have to do, even if you think you already know it, I do not recommend the Linux Foundation's 'Essentials of Linux System Administration' course. I bought it because I got it 50% off, which was cheaper than the exam itself. It isn't interactive, or multimedia, it's essentially at full price a $200 text book that's not as good as the text books out there.

After your intro to linux, I would recommend beginning studying for the RHCSA, that's where I currently am at. It's a tricky time, because with Systemd, both LPI and RedHat are changing their exams. My preferred study route is to study both for the RHCSA and the LPIC at the same time, so I'm doubling up on resources, and to try and repeat the steps on all my systems.

My Core meterial is currenlty 'RHCSA & RHCE. Red Hat Enterprise Linux7: Training and Exam Preperation Guide Third Edition by Asghar Ghori, ISBN 978-1-4951-4820-0

I have just recieved (because it just came out) Linux Professional Institute Certification Study Guide Fourth Edition by Bresnahan & Blum, ISBN 978-1-119-02118-6

The definitive author I can find on the Red Hat certifiactions seems to be Michael Jang. With the tests still quite new, his 7th Edition 'RHCSA/RHCE Red Hat Linux Certification Study Guide, Seventh Edition' isn't due to be released until December. So my plan is just to complete the Ghori book by then, then work through the Jang book.

It's been coming along pretty well, The main thing to remember is remember not to just read a section, but even if you think you've got it, practice it out, and do so on a number of distributions.

Best of luck!

JJ

I too can recommend this course. You can find it here: https://www.edx.org/course/introduct...ionx-lfs101x-2

I also recommend taking the following course: https://www.edx.org/course/introduct...harvardx-cs50x

The CS50 course will help you get a handle on most topics related to IT and Computer Science, and will introduce you to what you need exposure to. The Intro to Linux class will be difficult if you are not already comfortable with Linux and the CS50 class will acclimate you.

This is related to programming, I would like to focus on something like seo for xxx sites. In general, I would be talking about something like this:

- hardware
- networking
- hosting
- linux (and server administration)
- sql / mysql
- php
- html
- css
- JavaScript
- photoshop
- social media marketing (facebook, twitter, google+, reddit, pinterest, tumblr, vk, sex.com, stumbleupon)
- seo (I want to specialize in this, and possibly even dating seo, work just on this 100% of the time)
- wordpress
- email marketing
- landing page and conversion rate optimization
- domaining
- all things related to adult websites (tube, traffic trading, all programs related to this; I've been working for it for over 6 years, full time, so my knowledge of this is very good)

In general, I am thinking dating -> focus on converting traffic from google.com / search -> landing page / conversion rate optimization (this can be added to this, get good traffic, make sure it converts). These are just plans though, I am nowhere near on achieving any kind of good results with this. There is a lot of competition too. I may want to start a dating site, based on self-written php script (simple).

I already added some good resources from other places, so this may be useful too (it looks like that reply needs to be approved). I will be adding more, as the time goes by too. In general, I want to learn this, but dont work as system administrator, or anything like that. I basically want to learn it, as I work on making sites, and this is not only very good and useful knowledge, but it can save me a lot of money, down the road (good unmanaged hosting, at a fraction of the price). So the only thing that I will / may be working on is my own hosting plan, and my own sites.

here is a discussion, probably interested:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...at-4175536570/