05Technical path
Linux system administration from the command line
A path that starts from the meaning of the prompt and arrives at the routine management of a server in service. Every command is presented for what you need to know in order to use it well: what it answers, in what situation it is used, how it is written, which examples make it clear and what happens when you get it wrong.
Filesystem and permissionsStreams and pipelinesProcesses and systemdNetworking and SSH
How it is delivered
- Delivery
- Entirely online and asynchronous, from any device: you study when you want, at your own pace.
- Passing the tests
- At least 70% correct answers; every answer comes with an explanation of why.
- Attempts per test
- Unlimited: the best attempt counts.
- Progress
- Tracked module by module: each module unlocks when you pass the test of the previous one.
- On completion
- A personal PDF certificate, with a unique verification code.
- Length of access
- You have 90 days from enrolment to complete the learning path. Once you complete it your access stays available with no expiry; if the deadline passes without the path being completed, the enrolment is suspended and the results you have already achieved stay on record.
- Enrolment
- With a personal key, after you have created your account.
The learning path in detail
Welcome. You learn this path by typing: every lesson contains terminal sessions meant to be reproduced, not read. Before you start, get hold of a system where you can make mistakes without consequences: a virtual machine, a container or a test server.
Terminal session convention: a line beginning with $ is typed by a normal user, one beginning with # by root; the lines without a prompt are the output of the command, those in italics are our comments and are not to be typed.
Distributions. The examples are verified on Debian and Ubuntu; where the Red Hat family (RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux, Fedora) behaves differently the text says so.
Path objectives
By the end of the path you will be able to:
- move around the shell understanding what you are typing: prompt, commands, options, arguments and documentation (Module 1)
- find your way around the filesystem and work on files safely, deletions included (Modules 2 and 3)
- build text processing pipelines with streams, redirections and filters (Module 4)
- administer users, groups and permissions, understanding who can do what and why (Module 5)
- manage processes, services, packages and system startup with systemd (Modules 6 and 7)
- configure the network and SSH remote access and transfer data securely (Module 8)
- managing disks and archives, automating with scripts and securing a server (Module 9)
Who it is for and prerequisites
For those starting from scratch with the command line and for those who already use it but by imitation, copying commands without being able to explain them. No Linux prerequisites are needed; what is needed is the willingness to practise on a real machine.
How it is delivered
The path is delivered entirely online, asynchronously: you can study whenever you like, at your own pace, from any device. The estimated total duration is 39 hours, to be spread within the completion deadline set out below.
Each module is organised into four lessons and two tests:
- Lesson. A reasoned treatment of the topic, with diagrams, examples and concrete cases.
- In depth. The updated regulatory and technical framework, with the deadlines that matter and references you can check at source.
- Real-world cases. What really happens in the market: documented episodes always read with the same grid, down to the control that would have broken the chain.
- In practice. What you do on Monday morning: procedures, checklists, ready-made templates and indicators with which to measure the result.
- Test. Closed answer questions on the whole module. Passing requires at least 70%; attempts are unlimited and the best mark counts. At the end of each attempt you get a precise explanation of every answer, including the correct ones.
- Exercise. A case to work through by deciding: every choice opens a different path and the outcome depends on what you chose, with an explanation of what would have happened otherwise. Marking is automatic and you can retake it as many times as you like.
Progression. The 9 modules are taken in sequence: each module unlocks only after you have passed the test of the previous module. The exercises do not block progress, but they are an integral part of the path and of the overall assessment.
Final test and certificate
Once you have passed the tests of all the modules, the final test unlocks: 30 questions drawn at random from the topics of the whole path, with the same 70% threshold and unlimited attempts. On passing it you obtain the path certificate, downloadable as a PDF, with a unique code that allows its authenticity to be verified.
Completion deadline
You have 90 days from enrolment to complete the learning path. 15 days before the deadline you receive an email reminder.
If you complete the path within the deadline, your access stays available with no time limit and you receive the certificate. If the deadline passes without the path being completed, the enrolment is suspended: the results you have already achieved stay on record, and to carry on you need a new enrolment key.
Support
In the Announcements forum you will find the tutor's messages. For questions about the content or the exercises use the channels indicated by your training contact.
Programme
The modules are taken in sequence: each one opens when you pass the test of the previous one.
Module 1
The shell, the prompt and the structure of a command
What actually runs the commands, how you read a prompt, how the line you type is made up and how you consult the documentation installed on the system.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 13 questionsExercise
Module 2
The filesystem: getting your bearings, looking, moving around
The single tree of Linux, the FHS standard, absolute and relative paths, and the commands you use to move around and observe without changing anything.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 13 questionsExercise
Module 3
Create, copy, move, delete
The operations that change the filesystem, the shell wildcards, links, and searching for files by name, time and size.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 4
Text, streams and pipelines
The Unix stream model: redirection, pipes and the filters with which you extract an answer from a log file without opening it.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 5
Users, groups and permissions
Who you are as far as the system is concerned, how permissions are read and written, what SUID, SGID and the sticky bit really do, and how sudo is used without opening holes.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 6
Processes, jobs and system resources
What is running and why, how you control a process from the shell, how you read the load and how you find out who is using memory, CPU or disk.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 7
Packages, services and system start-up
Installing software from the right sources, and governing services with systemd: units, targets, dependencies, logs and scheduled tasks.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 8
Network, remote access and data transfer
Network configuration and diagnosis with iproute2, name resolution, SSH and keys, efficient copying with rsync and traffic filtering.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Module 9
Disks, archives, automation and hardening
Archiving and compression, disks and mounts, bash scripts written so as not to do damage, and the discipline of hardening and diagnosing a system in production.
LessonLessonLessonLessonTest · 14 questionsExercise
Final test and certificate
The final test of the path draws at random from all the questions of the nine modules. Passing it earns you the personal certificate.
Test · 30 questionsCertificate
How to get access to the learning path
To follow "Linux system administration from the command line" you need an account on the platform: registration is free and takes a minute. Once the account is created you can request the enrolment key for the learning path.
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