Building RHEL From SRPMS To Learn RHEL?
 

I am in the process of studying for the RHCSA/RHCE exams as a self-study(I'm broke), and I was wondering if building RHEL from its source RPMs would be a good exercise in getting to know the distro better. I have been using Linux for several years now, but I've mostly used Debian based distros and rolling release ones like Arch and Gentoo, though I have some experience with Fedora. I know CentOS is a RHEL clone, and I installed that briefly, but I found that using it as a primary desktop OS was cumbersome in many of the non-professional aspects of daily PC use(gaming, audio/video, etc.) due to outdated packages and installed Fedora instead. Would building RHEL on a second hard drive or in a VM help? Any input would be great. Thanks.

Hi,

Personally, I don't think building from source will make a difference. But I know it is tempting for Gentoo users ;-)

As you already have Linux experience, first visit the three links below.
https://www.redhat.com/resourcelibra...lls-assessment
https://www.redhat.com/training/cour.../examobjective
https://www.redhat.com/training/cour.../examobjective

The first will give a idea of your RHEL level and recommendations to move towards RHCE.
We will then need to ensure that you can perform all the objectives listed in the last two links, quickly and without referring to any help.

Then study, and practise a lot. And come back in training forum for further discussion.
Mind the NDA Red Hat exam takers have signed.

Thanks. That info is very helpful. I just have one other question. I would like to install RHEL to practice and use daily for a total immersion experience. What is the difference between the subscriptions for desktop and workstations? Do they limit access to packages based on subscription? What kind of support would I get from a self-support subscription?

Hi,

Unfortunately, I have never used a Red Hat subscription.

But normally an unmodified CentOS should be enough to study for the exams.

I'd go with Centos instead; the exam is server based and those subscriptions are the most expensive.
(re your qn; yes, the avail pkgs vary depending on desktop vs wkstn vs server).
With Centos you get the lot...
You should find this useful http://computernetworkingnotes.com/s...udy-guide.html

https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/...erprise_Linux/