Hi,

I recently got my RHCSA cert and got placed as a Linux Admin in a company. I am a fresher and this is my first job. In any company Support is a demanding job and hence I wish to learn as much as I can but the problem is that I haven't found any solid resources about learning practical Linux Administration. Also, I have searched through Google to learn networking but all I get is theories and not enough real life examples/scenarios with illustrations and diagrams. Almost every tutorial I get starts off with "What is IP" or What is Ethernet, etc.. the general stuff. I am no longer into college and theory serves no purpose. It bores me to death. Plus I have already read these things several times. I don't wanna make a fool of myself in front of my boss.

Where can I get good learning resources that teach practically with taking real scenarios into consideration?

You could have a look at this lot http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_boo...ion_index.html.

Also if you have any specific qns, we could help with those.

1 members found this post helpful.

I remember posting in your other threads, am quite happy to know
that you've got a job.

How about solving the administration related questions on LQ?

3 members found this post helpful.

Thanks a lot Anisha But I have to admit that I went through hell of a struggle to find this job. It was devastating before I got a call for employment.. Considering the extreme recession today in IT, getting such a job is like finding a drop of water in a desert! Finally I got a start.

I did go through some admin related questions but due to lack of practical knowledge I managed to solve only some. Sometimes I find it hard to follow the discussions on forums. Nevertheless, I will keep learning and fill my knowledge gap in the best way possible cos I am a quick learner.

What exactly is stopping you from asking what ever you don't understand
in this forum, in new threads?

This is called experience, or Systems Support.

Take it from an 18 year Veteran of IT.
It's OK to say "I don't know".
It's OK to ask a community for help.
Reading is part of the life of a SysAdmin.
What you read is every bit as important as where you read it IMO.

Even after 18 years...
The stuff I don't know could fill a warehouse.
The stuff I do know could fill an outhouse.

"I don't know, but I can find out" is an answer I use frequently and my Boss respects me for it.

Doing Tech Support does suck, but it is an invaluable resource to gain skill.
Just be a nice person. People will tolerate quite a bit from a nice person, even looking foolish.

Carry On. You have a Bright and Shiny Future. Certification and all.

Definitely the place to ask that question is ... inside the company that just hired you.

Another thing to consider is: "Why are these computers, that I am in some way responsible for, here, anyway?" I mean, somebody bought them, someone else installed them and programmed them, but, why did the business do all that? The various programs and systems that are running on these boxes ... what do they do for the business?

That's why you were hired: to keep those boxes doing what they're doing. When they "stop doing it," you figure out why and fix it. You anticipate what might cause them to "stop doing it," and help to make sure that this doesn't actually happen. And so on.

It has been said that there are three steps to knowledge:

1. "You know (are aware of ...) what you don't know." This is the neophyte, eager to learn and constantly confronted by lack of experience.
2. "You don't know what you don't know." This is the too-brash and over-confident "sorcerer's apprentice" who gets himself into trouble, not only because he doesn't recognize when he's going beyond his actual knowledge, but also because he feels it necessary to "show people" how "good" he is.
3. "You don't know what you do know." This is the master, who might not be able to recite everything that he knows (it would take all day) but who knows what to do when he encounters it, having done it for many years.

What you'd like to do in your career is to bypass "step #2," and the way to do that is to always ask ... to always "err on the side of caution." As a sysadmin, you can screw things up very badly, very quickly. So, don't feel that it "makes you look bad" if you express your uncertainty and ask for help ... in fact, it does the opposite. It increases your associate's trust and confidence in you, and in this business, anywhere in the world, "that's everything."

1 members found this post helpful.

Figure out how to make better what is already there. Look at matters of performance, cost effectiveness, maintainability, reliability, future migration paths, end-user acceptance, etc. Often, with luck, you'll find some things that can be done differently that will be easy to adopt and have some positive impact. Often, you'll find that things are already being done optimally. In such cases, it is very useful to understand why you should not implement changes. A lot of things are done because the person before you only knew one way to do something, or because "we've just always done it that way". Examine alternatives, and ask others what the history is behind the how & why. Suggest alternatives, and be prepared for responses that are both satisfactory and unsatisfactory. Identify tasks that are part of your daily/weekly routine, and see if they can be automated or otherwise streamlined. Making tools that make your work easier, faster, more accurate is a visible sign of productivity. Ask questions. Curiosity is a sign of an active mind, and can also be a clever way of demonstrating what you already do know.

--- rod.

First off, let me say congrats on your cert!! I'm very very jealous. lol. Anyway some things that have helped me are this forum.
reddit's various subreddits like /r/sysadmin, /r/linux, etc.. http://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/

Also this podcasting station called Jupiter Broadcasting http://www.jupiterbroadcasting.com/
their Linux Action Show along with TechSnap( Sysytem network administration podcast) are amazing. These guys are very smart and very entertaining.

Also another site that has helped me out a lot is http://www.howtoforge.com with some simple how to guides to give me a brief overview on how to install something.
Hope this helps you out.

Wow.. so much help!! Thanx for the inputs guys! This community surprises me from time to time with such eagerness to help and provide resources!