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This series of articles helps you learn Linux system administration tasks. The topics mirror those of the Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) level 1 (LPIC-1) exams. You can use the articles to prepare for certification, or just to learn about Linux.
There are two exams for LPIC-1 certification: exam 101 and exam 102, and you must pass both to attain LPIC-1 certification. Each exam has several topics, and each topic has several objectives. This series of articles covers one objective per article.
The material in these articles corresponds to the April 2009 objectives for exam 101 and exam 102 You should always refer to the objectives for the definitive requirements.
This roadmap is in progress; as we complete articles, we add them to the roadmap. In the meantime, you can find earlier versions of similar material, supporting previous LPIC-1 objectives prior to April 2009, in our LPI certification exam-prep tutorials.
Note: New material will be added over the coming months as it becomes available. Build your own feed as explained in the sidebar, or check back here for updates.
Exam 101 - Topic 101: System architecture
Where are the articles? The final developerWorks article for Topic 101, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, is nearing completion. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 101, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 101.1 Determine and configure hardware
settings Determine and configure fundamental system hardware. This task covers integrated and external peripherals, coldplug and hotplug devices, and different kinds of mass storage devices. Tools related to devices, including USB devices, setting IDs, especially for booting, and low-level facilities such as sysfs, udev, hald, and dbus, are also covered. Weight 2 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Boot the system | 101.2 Boot the system Guide the system through the booting process. Tasks include giving common boot loader commands and kernel options at boot time, knowing the boot sequence from BIOS to boot completion, and checking boot events in the log files. Weight 3 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Runlevels, shutdown, and reboot | 101.3 Change runlevels and shut down or reboot system Manage the runlevel of the system. Tasks include changing to single-user mode, shutting down or rebooting the system, setting the default runlevel, switching between runlevels, alerting users, and properly terminating process. Weight 3 18 Sep 2012 - This article updated to include material for the LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2, 2012. |
Exam 101 - Topic 102: Linux installation and package management
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Learn Linux, 101: Hard disk layout | 102.1 Design hard disk layout Design a disk partitioning scheme for a Linux system. Tasks include allocating filesystems and swap space to separate partitions or disks, tailoring the design to the intended use of the system, and ensuring that the boot partition is acceptable for the hardware architecture. Weight 2 27 Nov 2012 - This article updated to include material for the LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2, 2012. |
| Learn Linux, 101: Boot managers | 102.2 Install a boot manager Select, install, and configure a boot manager. Tasks include providing alternative boot locations and backup boot options, installing and configuring a boot loader such as GRUB or GRUB 2, and interacting with the boot loader. Weight 2 04 Dec 2012 - This article updated to include material for the LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2, 2012. |
| Learn Linux, 101: Manage shared libraries | 102.3 Manage shared libraries Determine the shared libraries that executable programs depend on, and install them when necessary. Tasks include identifying shared libraries, knowing the typical locations of system libraries, and loading shared libraries. Weight 1 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Debian package management | 102.4 Use Debian package
management Perform package management using the Debian package tools. Tasks include installing, upgrading, and removing Debian binary packages, finding packages containing specific files or libraries, and obtaining package information like version, content, dependencies, package integrity, and installation status. Weight 3 |
| Learn Linux, 101: RPM and YUM package management | 102.5 Use RPM and YUM package
management Perform package management using RPM and YUM tools. Tasks include installing, re-installing, upgrading, and removing packages using RPM and YUM; obtaining information on RPM packages such as version, status, dependencies, integrity, and signatures; and determining what files a package provides, as well as finding which package a specific file comes from. Weight 3 |
Exam 101 - Topic 103: GNU and UNIX commands
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Learn Linux, 101: The Linux command line | 103.1 Work on the command line Interact with shells and commands using the command line. This task includes typing valid commands and command sequences; defining, referencing and exporting environment variables; using command history and editing facilities; invoking commands in the path and outside the path; and using man pages to find out about commands. Weight 4 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Text streams and filters | 103.2 Process text streams using
filters Apply filters to text streams. This task includes sending text files and output streams through text utility filters to modify the output, using standard UNIX commands found in the GNU textutils package. Weight 3 |
| Learn Linux, 101: File and directory management | 103.3 Perform basic file and directory
management Use the basic UNIX commands to copy, move, and remove files and directories. Tasks include advanced file management operations such as copying multiple files recursively, removing directories recursively, using wildcard patterns, finding files and acting on them based on type size or time, and using tar, cpio, and dd commands. Weight 4 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Streams, pipes, and redirects | 103.4 Use streams, pipes, and
redirects Redirect streams and connect them in order to efficiently process textual data. Tasks include redirecting standard input, standard output, and standard error; piping the output of one command to the input of another command; using the output of one command as arguments to another command; and sending output to both stdout and a file. Weight 4 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Create, monitor, and kill processes | 103.5 Create, monitor, and kill
processes Manage processes. This task includes knowing how to run jobs in the foreground and background, bringing a job from the background to the foreground and vice versa, starting a process that will run without being connected to a terminal, and signaling a program to continue running after logout. Tasks also include monitoring active processes, selecting and sorting processes for display, sending signals to processes, and killing processes. Weight 4 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Process execution priorities | 103.6 Modify process execution
priorities Manage process execution priorities. Tasks include determining the default priority of jobs, running a program with higher or lower priority, determining the priority of a process, and changing the priority of a running process. Weight 2 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Search text files using regular expressions | 103.7 Search text files using regular
expressions Manipulate files and text data using regular expressions. Tasks include creating simple regular expressions containing several notational elements, and using regular expression tools to perform searches through a filesystem or file content. Weight 2 |
| Learn Linux, 101: File editing with vi | 103.8 Perform basic file editing operations using
vi Edit text files using vi. Tasks include vi navigation, understanding basic vi nodes, and inserting, editing, deleting, copying, and finding text. Weight 3 |
Exam 101 - Topic 104: Devices, Linux filesystems, Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
Where are the articles? Several developerWorks articles for Topic 104, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are complete, and the rest are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to the articles below that are complete, as well as to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 104, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Learn Linux, 101:
Create partitions and filesystems | 104.1 Create partitions and
filesystems Configure disk partitions and create filesystems or swap space on media such as hard disks, and design a disk partitioning scheme for a Linux system. Tasks include understanding the different types of common Linux filesystems, and allocating filesystems and swap space to separate partitions or disks. Weight 2 04 Dec 2012 - This article updated to include material for the LPI Exam 101: Objective Changes as of July 2, 2012. |
| Learn Linux, 101:
Maintain the integrity of filesystems | 104.2 Maintain the integrity of
filesystems Maintain a standard filesystem or journaling filesystem. Tasks include verifying the integrity of filesystems, monitoring free space and inodes, and repairing simple filesystem problems. Weight 2 |
| Learn Linux, 101:
Control mounting and unmounting of filesystems | 104.3 Control mounting and unmounting of
filesystems Configure the mounting of a filesystem. Tasks include manually mounting and unmounting filesystems, configuring filesystem mounting on bootup, and configuring user-mountable removable filesystems. Weight 3 |
| Learn Linux, 101:
Manage disk quotas | 104.4 Manage disk quotas Manage disk quotas for users. Tasks include setting up a disk quota for a filesystem, as well as editing, checking, and generating user quota reports. Weight 1 |
| Learn
Linux, 101:
Manage file permissions and ownership | 104.5 Manage file permissions and
ownership Control file access through the proper use of permissions and ownerships. Tasks include managing access permissions on regular and special files as well as directories; using access modes such as suid, sgid, and the sticky bit to maintain security; learning how to change the file creation mask; and using the group field to grant file access to group members. Weight 3 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Create and change hard and symbolic links | 104.6 Create and change hard and symbolic
links Create and manage hard and symbolic links to a file. Tasks include creating links, identifying hard and or soft links, understanding the difference between copying and linking files, and using links to support system administration tasks. Weight 2 |
| Learn Linux, 101: Find and place system files | 104.7 Find system files and place files in the
correct location
Understand the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS), including typical file locations and directory classifications. Tasks include understanding the correct locations of files under the FHS, finding files and commands on a Linux system, and learning the location and purpose of important file and directories as defined in the FHS. Weight 2 |
Exam 102 - Topic 105: Shells, scripting, and data management
Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles for Topic 105, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 105, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 105.1 Shells, scripting, and data
management Customize and use the shell environment. Tasks include customizing shell environments to meet user needs; modifying global and user profiles; setting environment variables, such as PATH, at login or when spawning a new shell; writing Bash functions for frequently used sequences of commands; maintaining skeleton directories for new user accounts; and setting command search paths with the proper directories. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 105.2 Customize or write simple
scripts Customize existing Bash scripts, or write simple new ones. Tasks include using standard shell loop and test syntax; using command substitution; testing return values for success or failure; conditionally mailing the superuser, selecting the correct script interpreter through the shebang (#!) line; and managing the location, ownership, execution, and suid-rights of scripts. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 105.3 SQL data management Query databases and manipulate data using basic SQL commands, including joins or subselects. Tasks include using basic SQL commands and performing basic data manipulation. Weight 2 |
Exam 102 - Topic 106: User interfaces and desktops
Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles for Topic 106, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 106, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 106.1 Install and configure X11 Install and configure X11. Tasks include verifying that your video card and monitor are supported by an X server, understanding the X font server, and understanding the X Window configuration file. Weight 2 |
| Coming soon | 106.2 Set up a display manager Configure the mounting of a filesystem. Tasks include setting up the XDM (X Display Manger), GDM (Gnome Display Manager), and KDM (KDE Display Manager); customizing the greeting and color depth; and configuring display managers for use by X-stations. Weight 2 |
| Coming soon | 106.3 Accessibility Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of accessibility technologies. Tasks include understanding keyboard accessibility settings, visual settings and themes, and assistive technology (ATs). Weight 1 |
Exam 102 - Topic 107: Administrative tasks
Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles for Topic 107, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 107, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 107.1 Manage user and group accounts and related
system files Add, remove, suspend, and change user accounts. Tasks include adding, modifying, and removing users and groups; managing user and group info in password and group databases; and creating and managing special-purpose and limited accounts. Weight 5 |
| Coming soon | 107.2 Automate system administration tasks by
scheduling jobs Maintain a standard filesystem or journaling filesystem. Tasks include using the cron or anacron facilities to run jobs at regular intervals and the at command to run jobs at a specific
time. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 107.3 Localization and
internationalization Localize a system in a language other than English and understand why LANG=C is useful when scripting. Tasks
include understanding locale and timezone settings.Weight 3 |
Exam 102 - Topic 108: Essential system services
Where are the articles? The four developerWorks articles for Topic 108, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 108, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 108.1 Maintain system time Maintain the system time and synchronize the clock via NTP. Tasks setting the system date and time, setting the hardware clock to the correct time in UTC, configuring the timezone, configuring NTP, and understanding the pool.ntp.org service. Weight 3 |
| Coming soon | 108.2 System logging Configure the syslog daemon, as well as the logging daemon to send log output to a central log server or accept log output as a central log server. Tasks include understanding syslog configuration files, the syslog facility, as well as standard facilities, priorities, and actions. Weight 2 |
| Coming soon | 108.3 Mail Transfer Agent (MTA)
basics Become familiar with commonly available MTA programs and perform basic forward and alias configuration on a client host. Tasks include creating e-mail aliases, configuring e-mail forwarding, and learning about commonly available MTA programs such as postfix, sendmail, qmail, and exim. Weight 3 |
| Coming soon | 108.4 Manage printers and printing Manage print queues and user print jobs using CUPS and the LPD compatibility interface. Tasks include configuring CUPS for local and remote printers, managing user print queues, troubleshooting general printing problems, and adding and removing jobs from configured printer queues. Weight 2 |
Exam 102 - Topic 109: Networking fundamentals
Where are the articles? The four developerWorks articles for Topic 109, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 109, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 109.1 Fundamentals of internet
protocols Understand TCP/IP network fundamentals. Tasks include learning about network masks; knowing the differences between private and public dotted decimal IP addresses; setting a default route; understanding common TCP and UDP ports (20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 53, 80, 110, 119, 139, 143, 161, 443, 465, 993, and 995); understanding the differences and major features of UDP, TCP and ICMP; and knowing the major differences between IPv4 and IPV6. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 109.2 Basic network configuration View, change, and verify configuration settings on client hosts. Tasks include manually and automatically configuring network interfaces, and configuring TCP/IP hosts. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 109.3 Basic network
troubleshooting Troubleshoot networking issues on client hosts. Tasks include manually and automatically configuring network interfaces and routing tables to add, start, stop, restart, delete, or reconfigure network interfaces; changing, viewing, or configuring the routing table; correcting an improperly set default route manually; and debugging problems associated with the network configuration. Weight 4 |
| Coming soon | 109.4 Configure client side DNS Configure DNS on a client host. Tasks include using DNS on the local system, and modifying the order in which name resolution is done. Weight 2 |
Exam 102 - Topic 110: Security
Where are the articles? The three developerWorks articles for Topic 110, based on the latest (April 2009) exam 101 objectives, are coming soon. In the meantime, you can refer to similar material in the developerWorks tutorial for Topic 110, based on the previous exam 101 objectives.
| developerWorks article | LPI exam objective summary |
|---|---|
| Coming soon | 110.1 Perform security administration
tasks Review system configuration to ensure host security in accordance with local security policies. Tasks include auditing a system to find files with the suid/sgid bit set; setting or changing user passwords and password aging information; using nmap and netstat to discover open ports on a system; setting limits on user logins, processes, and memory usage; and basic sudo configuration and usage. Weight 3 |
| Coming soon | 110.2 Setup host security Set up a basic level of host security. Tasks include learning about shadow passwords and how they work, stopping network services not in use, and learning about TCP wrappers. Weight 3 |
| Coming soon | 110.3 Securing data with encryption Use public key techniques to secure data and communication. Tasks include configuring and using OpenSSH 2 clients, learning the role of OpenSSH 2 server host keys, configuring and using GnuPG, and learning about SSH port tunnels, including X11 tunnels. Weight 3 |
Learn
- At the LPIC
Program site, find detailed objectives, task lists, and sample
questions for the three levels of the Linux Professional Institute's Linux
system administration certification. In particular, see their April 2009
objectives for LPI exam 101 and LPI exam 102. Always refer to the LPIC Program site for the
latest objectives.
- Review the entire LPI exam
prep series on developerWorks to learn Linux fundamentals and
prepare for system administrator certification based on earlier LPI exam
objectives prior to April 2009.
-
Exam Preparation Resources for Revised LPIC Exams is a list of
other certification training resources maintained by LPI.
- In the developerWorks Linux zone, find hundreds of how-to articles and tutorials, as well as downloads, discussion
forums, and a wealth of other resources for Linux developers and
administrators.
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Ian Shields works on a multitude of Linux projects for the developerWorks Linux zone. He is a Senior Programmer at IBM at the Research Triangle Park, NC. He joined IBM in Canberra, Australia, as a Systems Engineer in 1973, and has since worked on communications systems and pervasive computing in Montreal, Canada, and RTP, NC. He has several patents and has published several papers. His undergraduate degree is in pure mathematics and philosophy from the Australian National University. He has an M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from North Carolina State University. Learn more about Ian in Ian's profile on developerWorks Community.
