Linux System Administration
Linux system administration is the work of keeping Linux hosts configured, secure, observable, and useful. You manage the layers between hardware and applications: accounts, services, storage, networking, updates, and failure recovery.
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Intro
Linux System Administration
Linux system administration is the practice of operating a host as a system, not a collection of commands. Your job is to keep intended services available while preserving security, evidence, and a route back from each change.
A Linux host has layers. The kernel manages processes, memory, devices, filesystems, and network interfaces. User space supplies shells, utilities, libraries, package tooling, and services. A distribution selects and integrates those parts. Administration crosses the boundaries between them.
The operating model
Start with observed behavior. Identify the component that owns it. Inspect its current state and recent evidence. Make the smallest reversible change that addresses the cause. Then verify the outcome.
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Sources
- https://docs.kernel.org/admin-guide/index.html
Supports
- Kernel user and administrator documentation scope
- Kernel administration interfaces, booting, diagnostics, core subsystems, and filesystem administration
- https://docs.kernel.org/filesystems/proc.html
Supports
- Proc as a kernel interface to process and system information
- https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html
Supports
- GNU utilities for files, directories, text, process control, and permissions
- https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/Mode-Structure.html
Supports
- Owner, group, and other permission classes
- Different meanings of mode bits on regular files and directories
- https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html
Supports
- Shell command execution, redirection, pipelines, and status handling
- https://wiki.freedesktop.org/www/Software/systemd/
Supports
- systemd as a system and service manager
- Units, supervision, and related system-management components
- https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/journalctl.html
Supports
- journalctl printing and filtering journal entries
- https://github.com/awesome-foss/awesome-sysadmin
Supports
- Curated ecosystem discovery for Cockpit, Ansible, and Netdata
- https://cockpit-project.org/
Supports
- Cockpit as a web interface for Linux server administration
- https://www.ansible.com/
Supports
- Ansible configuration-management and automation material
- https://www.netdata.cloud/
Supports
- Netdata monitoring material