LPI Certification Guide

LPIC-1

This is the lowest LPIC level that measures your ability and knowledge in Linux command lines, as well as your skills at maintaining Linux environments. This includes your skills at giving support to users of Linux, adding users to a larger system, rebooting, shutting down, making backups and restoring Linux systems.

Exams :

You will need to pass two examinations to get your LPIC-1 certification: Exam 101 and 102.
For Exam 101, you will be tested on the following skills:

• System architecture
  
• GNU commands
  
• Unix commands
  
• Installation and Linux package management
  
• Filesystem hierarchies and standards
  

Meanwhile basic skills tested in Exam 102 include:

• Desktops and user interfaces
  
• Linux administration
  
• Scripting, shells & data management
  
• Important system services
  
• Security
  
• Networking basics
  

Both exams include topics that are common to all Linux distributions and are vendor independent.
Pre-requisites :
There are no pre-requisites for the LPIC-1 certification besides knowing basics tasks for running Linux.

LPIC-2

If LPIC-1 is an entry-level certification, then consider LPIC-2 an advanced level certification for the Linux operating system.
The LPIC-2 will be validating your skills in administering a small and medium-sized site.It will certify that you have the skills to plan, maintain, implement, troubleshoot and secure a small Linux or mixed network that includes an Internet gateway, server and LAN server.

Pre-requisites :

In order to pursue the LPIC-2 certification, you’d first need to be LPIC-1 certified. You should also know how to manage a small site and maintain a mixed network.

Exams :

The LPIC-2 certification also requires you to pass two exams: 201 and 202.
Exam topics include in Exam 201 will cover:

• Advanced administration for storage device
  
• Configuring networks
  
• Domain name server (DNS)
  
• Filesystem & devices
  
• Linux kernel
  
• System maintenance
  
• System startup
  

While in Exam 202, the skills tested include:

• E-mail services
  
• File sharing
  
• Network client management
  
• System security
  
• Troubleshooting and
  
• Web services
  

LPIC-3

The LPIC-3 Certification is a senior level Linux certification, mainly for enterprise-level IT professionals who use Linux.
Currently, there is only the Core designation available. The LPIC-3 core will ensure that you:

• Have years of experience in maintaining and installing Linux on a variety of computers for a variety of purposes.
  
• Have professional experience and training as an enterprise level professional in Linux.
• Have enterprise and advanced Linux skills level, including administration, management, installation, security, maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Have knowledge of open-source tools to help in capacity planning and resource problems troubleshooting.
  
• Have experience in utilizing LDAP to bring together Unix and Windows services, including email, Active Directory, PAM and Samba.
  
• Have experienced using Samba and LDAP in planning, architecting, designing, building and implementing full environments.
  
• Know how to write Bash or Perl scripts and other system programming languages.
  

Pre-requisites :

To be able to pursue an LPIC-3 Core certification, you would need to have a LPIC-2 certification.

Exams :

To get a LPIC-3 certification, you need to pass the Exam 301: Core exam.
To pass the Core exam, you will need to brush up on these skills:

• Capacity planning
  
• Concepts, architecture & design
  
• Configuration
  
• Installation and development
  
• Integration & migration, and
  
• Usage
  

On top of the Core exam, however, there are already specialization exams available, but these will not earn you a separate designation other than Core:

Exam 302: Mixed environment
Exam 303: Security
Exam 304: Virtualization and high availability
In order to take these exams, you will need to first pass Exam 301: Core.

Exam 302: Mixed environment

Measures the skills outlined in Exam 301, as well as the necessary skills in integrating Samba with Windows for file and print services. You should also be able to design, plan, implement and build a multi-user environment with Samba.
On top of the skills you need to pass the Core exam, you’ll need to know:

• User & group management
  
• How to work with Active Directory, NetBIOS and CIFS.
  
• Security & performance.
  

Exam 303: Security

To pass this exam, you need to know how to implement and design customized solutions to complex automation problems, including on enterprise sites and public-facing websites. You should also be able to work well with subordinates and higher management, as well as maintain a budget.

Be sure to know access control, application security, cryptography, network and operations security.
To pass Exam 304: Virtualization and high availability, you need to show skills in

• Cluster management
  
• Cluster storage
  
• Load balancing and
  
• Virtualization
  

CompTIA Linux+ Certifications

CompTIA Linux+ Certifications

This exam requires a basic understanding of open source technologies and is an excellent opportunity to certify important fundamental skills and knowledge in Linux.

The Exam is a computer-based exam, many questions of multiple choice with a question followed by four possible answers, at least one of which must be correct. Common subject matter for exam topics include installation methods, boot loader configuration, managing packages management systems are covered, navigating directories via the command line, using the bash shell, security considerations, network administration including TCP/IP configuration, mounting file systems as NFS, SMB or ext3 and managing configuration files for the more common applications that Linux servers are expected to run. Although configuring and running the X Window system is included in the formal exam objectives, there are rarely any questions pertaining to this as the exam focuses on Linux as a server and network operating system rather than for use as a desktop platform.


Two exams are necessary to be certified: LX0-101 and LX0-102.  LX0-101 covers system architecture; Linux Installation and package management; GNU and Unix commands; devices, Linux filesystems, and filesystem hierarchy standard. LX0-102 covers shells, scripting and data management; user interfaces and desktops; administrative tasks; essential system services; networking fundamentals; security.

What are the benifit of linux+ 

The number one benefit is that of value. Any tool that makes you better able to contribute and add value worth is your time, effort and money. Linux is here to stay. Do you need to know more about Linux Linux brings many opportunities to the market place. Today, all the major players on the hardware and software market each have their team of Linux developers. in turn increases demand of qualified and competent Linux professionals. Getting exposed to a technology with immediate and foreseeable demand is a wise career move for IT professionals. In view of its flexibility and outstanding performance, With the right approach you can use this workhorse to become a powerhouse.

Exam Details :  

Exam : Two, LX0-101 and LX0-102

Number Of Questions : 60 for each exam
Test time : 90 minutes each
Passing score : 500 (on a scale of 200-800)

• Installation and Configuration (22%)
  

• System Maintenance and Operation (28%)
• Application and Services (23%)
• Networking (14%)
• Security (13%)

Exam Complete List highlights below : 

1.0 Installation and Configuration:

• Compare and contrast installation sources (physical media & network options)
• Implement partitioning schemes and filesystem layout using tools such as – RAID, fdsk, and mkfs
• Explain the purpose of local and network filesystem types such as EXT2/3, NTFS, NFS and others
• Conduct routine mount and unmount of filesystems
• Explain the advantages of having a separate partition or volume for directories such as: /boot, /home, /usr
• Explain the Linux system directories and their purpose
• Configure the GRUB boot process
• Perform package management functions: deb, rpm and source
• Configure profile and environment variables system-wide and at the user level
• Troubleshoot boot issues
• Manage devices using standard tools including but not limited to: lspci, modprobe, and lsusb
  

2.0 System Maintenance and Operations:
Correct usage of basic Linux tools, techniques and resources including but not limited to: directory navigation, file commands, kernel, editing and process/device management and I/O operations.

• Basic BASH tasks
• Analyze system and application logs to troubleshoot Linux systems, based on scenario
• Backup and restore operations
• Explain the features and concepts of X11
• Explain the difference in runlevels and their purpose (levels 0 – 6)
• Manage filesystems using the following: disk usage, quotas, file system management, NFS, and swap files.
• Manage task scheduling using cron
• Utilize performance monitoring tools and concepts to identify common problems
  

3.0 Application and Services:

• Manage Linux system services using: etc/init.d , start, stop, restart, inetd, xinetd, and chkconfig
• Implement Windows interoperability with these tools: rdesktop, vnc, Samba and security
• Implement, configure and maintain standard Web and FTP services – Apache & FTP
• Explain the purpose of these web-related services based on presented scenario: Tomcat, Apache, and, Squid
• Troubleshoot web-related services with: curl, wget, ftp, telnet
• Scenario based troubleshooting of common FTP problems including active vs. passive, ASCII vs. binary
• Perform these scenario based MySQL administrative tasks:
• Locate configuration file
• Starting and stopping
• Test the connection
• Explain the purpose of each of the following mail services, protocols and features:
• Protocols: SMTP, IMAP, POP3
• MTA: Postfix & Sendmail
• Email aliases: /etc/aliases & newaliases
• Deploy and manage CUPS print services
• Set up, install, configure and maintain a BIND DNS server and related services
• Perform basic administration of the DHCP server
• Scenario based troubleshooting of NTP related issues
  

4.0 Networking:

• Identify common networking ports and the associated service
• Perform network interface configuration
• Implement configurations and/or configuration changes for the following
• Packet filtering: iptables
• Hostname lookup
• /etc/hosts
• /etc/nsswitch.conf
• /etc/resolv.conf
• Explain the different DNS record types and the process of DNS resolution
• Troubleshoot basic connectivity issues using: netstat, ping, traceroute, telnet, route, and arp
• Troubleshoot name resolution issues using: dig, host, nslookup, and hostname
  

5.0 Security:

• Manage user and group accounts with these tool:
• useradd, userdel, usermod, groupadd, groupdel, groupmod, lock, who, w, last, whoami
• Select file permissions, set ownership and troubleshoot typical issues
• Explain the basics of SELinux
• Change and manage privileges with sudo, su, and sudoers
• Explain the usage of these security related utilities: nmap, Wireshark, NESSUS, Snort, and Tripwire
• Use checksum and file verification utilities
• Implement remote access solutions using SSH and VNC
• Explain these authentication methods: PAM, LDAP, NIS, RADIUS, and two-factor authentication
  

How to reset mysql root password in linux

If you forgot your mysql root password, not able to login to your mysql database. Don't worry this is the simplest way I could find to reset mysql root user password.

1. Stop MySQL Service

[root@manoj ~]# /etc/init.d/mysqld stop

2. Execute Following Command

[root@manoj ~]# mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables and Press ENTER

3. Now Let’s Login to MySQL Without Password


[root@manoj ~]# mysql -u root


4. Use Following Queries to Reset your MySQL root Password


mysql> use mysql; 


mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD(“NEW-MYSQL-ROOT-PASSWORD”) where User=’root'; 


mysql> flush privileges; 


mysql> quit 


5. Let’s Stop MySQL Server as we have started in Step 2


[root@manoj ~]# service mysqld stop 


6. Now Start MySQL Service


[root@manoj ~]# service mysqld start 


7. Execute Following Command to Login with New Password 


[root@manoj ~]# mysql -u root -p 


You should now be able to connect to MySQL as root using the new password.