Hello to all the Linux Guru's out there,
I have an unusual request. I was wondering if there is anyone out there willing to mentor me on my way to becoming a proficient Linux administrator. I think I would learn more if I had someone there correctly my problems, suggesting solutions instead of googling and finding multiple resources on one thing, that can get confusing. Plus some of the stuff is outdated.

About me: I'm currently a Unix admin but there SO much more I need to learn (e.g. Bind, Apache, Tomcat, Squid, Samba, Sendmail, Postfix, Dovecot, etc...). I know the basic system admin stuff/commands. Ultimately I would like to get my RHCE but thats WAY down the road. I really want to become a Linux guru.

Can anyone help me out? Thanks all.

I don't think that's a good way of learning anything. If someone provides you with answers, you won't be forced to experiment/try things out, etc and that way you'll not really learn linux. If you're after hints/directing you on to the right track, what's wrong with just posting your problems on the forum then?

LQ members can help you if you've got specific problems, nobody can actually put the knowledge/skills in your head

Anyway, I probably shouldn't be answering this post as I'm closer to being a newbie than a guru:
Tomcat?, is it the cat from a Lonely Tunes cartoon who tries to catch Jerry?

I'd recommend picking one service at a time, reading the manual (eg for RHEL/Centos http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_boo...ion/index.html ) then asking here at LQ if you get stuck.
Also look for a local LUG (Linux User Group) near your location; see google 'LUG locations' or similar.

sycamorex,
Thank for the reply. Well, to tell you the truth, I have been posting threads and everyone is so helpful. Honestly, I know what you are talking about, its just hard to get pointed in the right direction on a topic, for instance, Sendmail. I know what a MTA, MUA, MSP, etc.. are and I kinda know the files in the /etc/mail directory, its just hard to understand how it all works together with the files etc... Does anyone have any CBT's I can use to help my learning process?

Thanks chrism01!! I'm looking into my local LUG's now. Thanks for the help.

Best advice I can give is to muck through the config files, read how everything is tied together. That's how I learned, just manually installing and configuring things. It took me forever to get an IRC server with services running, just because some of the new ircd.conf files are going through some huge changes. That's what you'll have to learn, is how everything is set up and all the new changes that take place when something updates. Just learn one subject at a time, once you know that move on to the next one. And don't ever think it's a bad thing if you forget syntax or have to re-read things. That doesn't mean you don't know it, just means you still need practice. Everyone looks up syntax and use, if we didn't need to there wouldn't be websites with quick refrences.