Linux Distros

[high_lander]

Hey all,

I am currently looking for work in IT, but I need to build up my skillset with some Linux/Unix I think.

What would be a good learning distro? I currently running Ubuntu in a VM, and I am downloading Mint as I type this. Can I get a good handle on the basics with these distros?

Also I have a Mac Book Pro with Lion, can I also get some good linux type learning from that? I have an older Unix Sys Admin learning book I was hoping to use. I am looking at picking up the Linux+ study guide from Amazon. Unfortunately I don't have the cash to drop on a course right now.

Any advice you guys can give would be great.

[GlockBlocker]

CentOS and Debian are pretty popular & well supported server choices.

Your mac makes a perfect interface to those systems with the terminal app via SSH.

If you had an idea of the type of things you would be doing in your ideal job, then install linux on a server and give yourself little projects. If you know what you need to do, then it's pretty easy to find ways to do it with google.

If you have no idea where to start, then yeah, maybe a book would be a good choice.

I used to subscribe to http://safaribooksonline.com/ a long time ago. I was just trying to find the price, but I can't now.... they do have a free trial. If you don't mind reading on the computer, a subscription service like that can save a lot of money on computer books. They have lots of linux & other tech books.

Good luck!

[r3dn3ck]

Start like all my students. Install CentOS, configure apache to display "hello" and then get more advanced from there. Add SSL redirection, url rewriting, authentication. Then toss up a mysql database. Then toss up a squid proxy. Then try and install a new kernel and boot it.

the key to learning unix/linux is to keep it up. If you don't use it you lose it. Projects are the only way that you'll keep the knowledge integrated in your head.

I'd start by forgetting anything you learned in windows land, and learn vi. You need vi to get far and it'll help teach you regex later. You'll only need insert, append, navigation, open, undo, write, quit, yank and paste. Most of the really neat vi features you'll never use enough to memorize.

Start by reading the man pages for ls, ln, rm, find, top, netstat, iostat and learning vi.

If you want training, I'll passively train you by pm like I do all my other students. That is, I'll give you a task each week and you do the research and googling and work to solve it, learn what you need to and I'll keep giving you harder and harder projects.

[AAShooter]

Start like all my students. Install CentOS, configure apache to display "hello" and then get more advanced from there. Add SSL redirection, url rewriting, authentication. Then toss up a mysql database. Then toss up a squid proxy. Then try and install a new kernel and boot it.

the key to learning unix/linux is to keep it up. If you don't use it you lose it. Projects are the only way that you'll keep the knowledge integrated in your head.

I'd start by forgetting anything you learned in windows land, and learn vi. You need vi to get far and it'll help teach you regex later. You'll only need insert, append, navigation, open, undo, write, quit, yank and paste. Most of the really neat vi features you'll never use enough to memorize.

Start by reading the man pages for ls, ln, rm, find, top, netstat, iostat and learning vi.

If you want training, I'll passively train you by pm like I do all my other students. That is, I'll give you a task each week and you do the research and googling and work to solve it, learn what you need to and I'll keep giving you harder and harder projects.

Good advice . . .

[r3dn3ck]

a toy for sysadmins. if you're not one, it won't make sense even if I did try to explain it.

[shooterfpga]

pretty much almost all current or user friendly distros are all based off of debian. this is because they have any easy to use package management. by using APT, its a familiar experiance, to downloading any software on a windows os and installing it. when you get more familiar with linux/unix, you might find that building the package on your own gives you more joy and advanced management custom tailored to your suiting.

[pbsmind]

Like mentioned above Centos/Fedora and Debian are a good way to go. Learn how to do things on the command line, not the gui because you'll most likely managing machines over SSH. Start with vanilla installs, and then configure different types of servers. Web (Apache, nginx), Mail (postfix, sendmail), DNS (Bind), File Share (NFS, Samba).

Also get familiar with appliance distros like smoothwall, pfsense, Untangled, FreeNAS, Openfiler.

[ibanezfoo]

Hey all,

I am currently looking for work in IT, but I need to build up my skillset with some Linux/Unix I think.

I'd concur with the others, CentOS and Debian are what you'll find out in the wild. I'd also add FreeBSD, though not Linux and not in as much use, you'll still come across it. I started "back in the day" on SCO and IRIX machines. I'd recommend just reading up on what *nix and what a POSIX OS actually is and get the concepts down.... that way whatever distro you encounter isn't that big of a deal. Learn vi and get your shell scripting chops down (bash, tsh, whatever). Learn about runlevels and the *nix security model. SELinux vs no SE, etc. System V vs. ELF.

Also, whatever you do, get that crap working in a hypervisor. Learn all you can about Xen, VMware, and HyperV... how the clustering works, live migration, all that stuff... All this "cloud" nonsense is the way of the future.

[high_lander]

If I download these distros, can I run them in a VM? I am using virtualbox right now. I don't have the extra hardware for dedicated Linux boxes right now.

[ibanezfoo]

If I download these distros, can I run them in a VM? I am using virtualbox right now. I don't have the extra hardware for dedicated Linux boxes right now.

Yep. M$'s hypervisor is free in Server 2008. VMware has ESXi.

[1859sharps]

While ANY Linux experience is transferable to any distro, if your looking to really get to know a particular flavor that would be of value on a resume, then CentOS i the way to go.

Lets you learn Red Hat without the cost of buying Red Hat. Red Hat is going to be what most places are going to be looking for. Not all, but a lot. Fedora is close, but not identical to for purchase Red Hat. CentOS works to be identical minus the branding.

[gugoo]

If you're up for it, try Linux from Scratch

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

[Brianguy]

my minecraft server is powered by centos

[dotalchemy]

my minecraft server is powered by centos

Pfft.

My Minecraft server is powered by an 8-bit redstone CPU that I built on a different Minecraft server.

[Brianguy]

Pfft.

My Minecraft server is powered by an 8-bit redstone CPU that I built on a different Minecraft server.