From filesystem fundamentals to production performance analysis and automation
Day 1
Filesystem, Users, Boot & Service Management
- Filesystem hierarchy: FHS standard — /etc, /var, /proc, /sys, /run, /usr — and what lives where and why
- Permissions: rwx bits, octal notation, special bits (SUID, SGID, sticky bit), umask, chmod/chown/chgrp
- ACLs: getfacl/setfacl, default ACLs for directories, mask calculation, backup and restore with getfacl
- User and group management: useradd/usermod/userdel, /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow format, sudo configuration
- systemd boot process: UEFI → GRUB2 → kernel → initramfs → systemd target units, boot target configuration
- Unit files: service, timer, socket, mount, and path units — writing and enabling custom services
- Package management: apt (Ubuntu/Debian) and dnf/yum (RHEL/Rocky) — repositories, pinning, local packages
Day 2
Networking, Security & Storage
- Network configuration: ip addr/link/route, nmcli for NetworkManager, netplan (Ubuntu), static IP assignment
- Firewall: firewalld zones and services, nftables rules, iptables basics for reading legacy configs
- SSH hardening: key-based authentication, sshd_config tuning (PermitRootLogin, AllowUsers, MaxAuthTries), fail2ban
- SELinux: enforcing vs permissive mode, contexts (user:role:type:level), audit2allow, setsebool, restorecon
- AppArmor: profile modes (enforce/complain/disable), aa-genprof for profile generation, log-based tuning
- Disk management: fdisk/gdisk for partitioning, LVM (PV/VG/LV create and extend), mount options, /etc/fstab
- Scheduled tasks: cron syntax and crontab, systemd timer units as a modern cron alternative
Day 3
Performance Analysis, Troubleshooting & Automation
- CPU and memory profiling: top/htop, vmstat, sar (sysstat), perf stat for quick CPU profiling
- I/O analysis: iostat for disk throughput and latency, iotop for per-process I/O, blktrace for block-level tracing
- Network troubleshooting: tcpdump for packet capture, ss for socket statistics, netstat -tulpn, traceroute/mtr
- Kernel parameters: sysctl for runtime tuning (net.core, vm.swappiness, fs.file-max), /etc/sysctl.conf persistence
- journalctl log inspection: filtering by unit, priority, time range, kernel messages, persistent storage configuration
- Shell scripting for automation: bash variables, conditionals, loops, functions, error handling (set -euo pipefail), here-docs
- Introduction to Ansible: connecting Linux administration knowledge to Ansible for scalable automation
What your team walks away with
Participants gain the depth of Linux knowledge needed to confidently operate production servers — from first boot to performance optimization and automated configuration management.
- Configure and secure Linux systems for production including SSH hardening, firewall rules, and SELinux/AppArmor
- Diagnose performance problems using CPU, memory, I/O, and network profiling tools built into Linux
- Manage storage with LVM including online volume extension without downtime
- Write bash automation scripts with proper error handling for routine administration tasks
- Operate systemd services confidently — writing unit files, managing dependencies, and reading structured logs
Book the Linux Administration training
Reach out to schedule a session for your team — remote, on-site, or hybrid, in German or English.
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