Good way to learn linux, setting up a server?
 

Hey LQ!

I'm very new to linux and I'm wondering, is it a good way to learn linux through setting up a server and learn to "defend" it? Or is there a better way?

And if its a good way, what do I need to learn i terms of server security?

Is it a good way to learn or does oanyone have a better idea?


Regards



Polo_

Since you are saying you are very new, I suggest you to familiarise yourself with GNU/Linux first. The following is what I suggest, although there are other approaches you can take.

So, I suggest you to get a general overview of how the Linux OS is organized and how it works. You can do some reading about Unix and learn to use some crucial commands.

You can also do some more reading about Gnome, Kde, xfce, lxde, ...

In short, the Linux OS is like this:
BIOS ---->> Bootloader (grub/lilo) ---->> Linux, the kernel ---->> init ---->> 6 shells + 1 special one to hold a window manager or desktop ---->> desktop manager ---->> desktop or window manager

Some more points:
a) init is the parent process of all processes and is run by root during the boot sequence. Its task is to monitor processes and act accordingly.
To read about it use "man init" in a terminal but be aware that these manuals are intended for technical people.
b) an installation does not need a desktop or window manager to be installed although this depends on the distribution.
c) there are many distributions to choose from and these are based on different and often conficting design philosophies. So, it is important to read about a distribution's philosophy before choosing it to avoid being disappointed.

Some consider having diverse distributions of GNU/Linux as a drawback but this is in reality a positive as it means different people can feel at home in using GNU/Linux.
d) an installer is not an absolute necessity as a new installation can take place from within a running Live Linux version (knoppix is one of these powerful distributions)
e) Linux is based on UNIX which is not afraid of the user. So, the latter can do commands that in Windows are not even imaginable.

I've installed ubunto and it seems pretty nice. Allthough i just read about Knoppix and it looks more like Windows. So, perhaps that's better to begin with?

Are all versions easy to learn or is for instance Ubunto harder?

Ubuntu is 1 of the easier distros although it may be a little more resource hungry, if you'd like to try the harder distros now that you have a running linux system, you can install them in virtualbox & get a feel of how they run & installing them. As edbarx said familiarize yourself with linux & how it operates,then move onto server. Virtualbox is a good tool to use as you can play around with different os'es & their configurations, while not breaking your system.

- use search engine read about how to install
- install latest Ubuntu or distro you like
- read newsgroups regularly to learn lots of stuff
- use search engine to solve problems, configure
- get library books to supplement online reading
- take class as last resort

I read a lot online and tried various things to learn more. Eventually I got a couple of old P4 boxes and learned to multiboot with Grub and NTLDR, tried most of the major variations and spent time learning some of the command line stuff. Having the old boxes was great because if anything broke I could always start over. I did learn how to fix a lot of things along the way. I started by install linux(Fedora) and play with it and read some Ebooks like: Linux the complete reference and others, and now i am using virtual machine with Linux installed on my windows PC.

In terms of server security, there are many useful links in the 'stickies' in the security sub-forum. Probably more information than you want, at this point, so you may want a superficial skim first.

I'm in two minds as to whether setting up a server is the right place to start. It sounds as if you are very new to Linux (/Unix/BSD) or setting up any server yourself. Those would be negative factors.

On the positive side, if there is nothing of any real worth on the server, then you might argue that the cost of making a mistake 9and you will make some mistakes to learn) isn't all that high. It still might be better to spend a little time playing with the desktop first, then looking through some tutorials to find some project that you would like to pursue. Maybe http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/ has something that you would like.

The hardest part in adopting GNU/Linux is learning to stop expecting GNU/Linux to behave like MS Windows or any other proprietary OS. To put is simply, you have a different OS designed with different people having different philosophies.

Thank you, all of you!!! Wonderful awnsers and I hope that I'll learn alot from you!

Use ubuntu and you'll learn ubuntu. use slackware and you'll learn linux

The main thing is to keep using it. It look me 1.5 years to learn Linux but I gave up Windoze hardcore. It was painful but in the end it worked out.