CompTIA Linux+ Study Guide

The Best Test Prep for the CompTIA Linux+ Powered By LPI Exams One of Sybex′s most popular certification Study Guides, CompTIA Linux+ Study Guide, Second Edition thoroughly prepares candidates for the CompTIA Linux+ Powered by LPI exams (LX0–101 and LX0–102). In addition to full coverage of all exam objectives for both exams, chapter review questions, and hands–on exercises, this CompTIA Authorized courseware also includes access to a great set of Linux–, Mac–, and Windows–compatible online test–prep tools. Author Roderick W. Smith, CompTIA Linux+, LPIC–1, LPIC–2, is a Linux networking expert who gives candidates the authoritative instruction and review they need. Provides full coverage of all exam objectives for the CompTIA Linux+ Powered by LPI exams ((LX0–101 and LX0–102) Includes challenging review questions, hands–on exercises, and real–world scenarios that put the information in the context of real job roles Provides access to a Linux–, Mac–, and Windows–compatible custom test engine, with hundreds of sample questions and flashcards Covers essential topics, such as system architecture, installation, GNU and Unix commands, filesystems and filesystem hierarchy, shells, scripting, data management, networking fundamentals, security, and more CompTIA Linux+ Study Guide, Second Edition is what you need for top–notch preparation for the CompTIA Linux+ Powered by LPI certification exams.

Introduction xxiii Exam Objectives xxix – Exam LX0–101 Objectives xxix – Exam LX0–102 Objectives xxxv Assessment Test xli Answers to the Assessment Test xlviii Part I Exam LX0–101 1 Chapter 1 Exploring Linux Command–Line Tools 3 Understanding Command–Line Basics 4 Exploring Your Linux Shell Options 4 Using a Shell 5 Exploring Shell Configuration 12 Using Environment Variables 12 Getting Help 13 Using Streams, Redirection, and Pipes 14 Exploring Types of Streams 15 Redirecting Input and Output 15 Piping Data Between Programs 17 Generating Command Lines 18 Processing Text Using Filters 19 File–Combining Commands 19 File–Transforming Commands 21 File–Formatting Commands 25 File–Viewing Commands 28 File–Summarizing Commands 30 Using Regular Expressions 32 Understanding Regular Expressions 32 Using grep 33 Using sed 35 Summary 37 Exam Essentials 38 Review Questions 39 Chapter 2 Managing Software 45 Package Concepts 46 Using RPM 48 RPM Distributions and Conventions 48 The rpm Command Set 51 Extracting Data from RPMs 54 Using Yum 55 RPM and Yum Configuration Files 59 RPM Compared to Other Package Formats 60 Using Debian Packages 61 Debian Distributions and Conventions 61 The dpkg Command Set 62 Using apt–cache 65 Using apt–get 65 Using dselect, aptitude, and Synaptic 69 Reconfiguring Packages 71 Debian Packages Compared to Other Package Formats 71 Configuring Debian Package Tools 72 Converting Between Package Formats 73 Package Dependencies and Conflicts 75 Real and Imagined Package Dependency Problems 75 Workarounds for Package Dependency Problems 76 Startup Script Problems 78 Managing Shared Libraries 79 Library Principles 79 Locating Library Files 81 Library Management Commands 83 Managing Processes 85 Understanding the Kernel: The First Process 85 Examining Process Lists 86 Understanding Foreground and Background Processes 92 Managing Process Priorities 93 Killing Processes 94 Summary 96 Exam Essentials 96 Review Questions 98 Chapter 3 Configuring Hardware 105 Configuring the Firmware and Core Hardware 106 Understanding the Role of the Firmware 106 IRQs 110 I/O Addresses 113 DMA Addresses 114 Boot Disks and Geometry Settings 114 Coldplug and Hotplug Devices 117 Configuring Expansion Cards 118 Configuring PCI Cards 118 Learning about Kernel Modules 120 Loading Kernel Modules 121 Removing Kernel Modules 123 Configuring USB Devices 124 USB Basics 124 Linux USB Drivers 125 USB Manager Applications 126 Configuring Hard Disks 126 Configuring PATA Disks 127 Configuring SATA Disks 128 Configuring SCSI Disks 128 Configuring External Disks 130 Designing a Hard Disk Layout 130 Why Partition? 130 Understanding Partitioning Systems 131 An Alternative to Partitions: LVM 134 Mount Points 134 Common Partitions and Filesystem Layouts 135 Creating Partitions and Filesystems 136 Partitioning a Disk 137 Preparing a Partition for Use 141 Maintaining Filesystem Health 148 Tuning Filesystems 148 Maintaining a Journal 152 Checking Filesystems 153 Monitoring Disk Use 155 Mounting and Unmounting Filesystems 158 Temporarily Mounting or Unmounting Filesystems 159 Permanently Mounting Filesystems 164 Summary 166 Exam Essentials 167 Review Questions 169 Chapter 4 Managing Files 175 Using File Management Commands 176 File Naming and Wildcard Expansion Rules 176 File Commands 178 File Archiving Commands 183 Managing Links 190 Directory Commands 191 Managing File Ownership 192 Assessing File Ownership 192 Changing a File&rsquo,s Owner 193 Changing a File&rsquo,s Group 194 Controlling Access to Files 194 Understanding Permissions 194 Changing a File&rsquo,s Mode 199 Setting the Default Mode and Group 202 Changing File Attributes 204 Managing Disk Quotas 205 Enabling Quota Support 205 Setting Quotas for Users 206 Locating Files 207 The FHS 207 Tools for Locating Files 211 Summary 215 Exam Essentials 216 Review Questions 218 Chapter 5 Booting Linux and Editing Files 223 Installing Boot Loaders 224 Boot Loader Principles 225 Using GRUB Legacy as the Boot Loader 228 Using GRUB 2 as the Boot Loader 234 Using Alternative Boot Loaders 236 Understanding the Boot Process 237 Extracting Information about the Boot Process 238 Locating and Interpreting Boot Messages 238 The Boot Process 239 Dealing with Runlevels and the Initialization Process 240 Runlevel Functions 240 Identifying the Services in a Runlevel 241 Managing Runlevel Services 243 Checking Your Runlevel 245 Changing Runlevels on a Running System 246 Using Alternative Boot Systems 249 Configuring Upstart 249 Using systemd 251 Editing Files with Vi 252 Understanding Vi Modes 252 Exploring Basic Text–Editing Procedures 253 Saving Changes 256 Summary 256 Exam Essentials 257 Review Questions 259 Part II Exam LX0–102 265 Chapter 6 Configuring the X Window System, Localization, and Printing 267 Configuring Basic X Features 268 X Server Options for Linux 268 Methods of Configuring X 270 X Configuration Options 273 Obtaining X Display Information 281 Configuring X Fonts 283 Font Technologies and Formats 284 Configuring X Core Fonts 284 Configuring a Font Server 287 Configuring Xft Fonts 288 Managing GUI Logins 289 The X GUI Login System 289 Running an XDMCP Server 290 Configuring an XDMCP Server 292 Using X for Remote Access 294 X Client–Server Principles 294 Using Remote X Clients 295 X Accessibility 297 Keyboard and Mouse Accessibility Issues 297 Screen Display Settings 300 Using Additional Assistive Technologies 301 Configuring Localization and Internationalization 302 Setting Your Time Zone 302 Querying and Setting Your Locale 305 Configuring Printing 308 Conceptualizing the Linux Printing Architecture 309 Understanding PostScript and Ghostscript 310 Running a Printing System 311 Configuring CUPS 312 Monitoring and Controlling the Print Queue 318 Summary 322 Exam Essentials 322 Review Questions 324 Chapter 7 Administering the System 329 Managing Users and Groups 330 Understanding Users and Groups 330 Configuring User Accounts 333 Configuring Groups 344 Tuning User and System Environments 348 Using System Log Files 349 Understanding syslogd 350 Setting Logging Options 350 Manually Logging Data 352 Rotating Log Files 353 Reviewing Log File Contents 356 Maintaining the System Time 358 Linux Time Concepts 358 Manually Setting the Time 359 Using NTP 360 Running Jobs in the Future 366 Understanding the Role of cron 367 Creating System cron Jobs 367 Creating User cron Jobs 369 Using anacron 371 Using at 373 Summary 374 Exam Essentials 375 Review Questions 376 Chapter 8 Configuring Basic Networking 381 Understanding TCP/IP Networking 382 Knowing the Basic Functions of Network Hardware 382 Investigating Types of Network Hardware 383 Understanding Network Packets 385 Understanding Network Protocol Stacks 385 Knowing TCP/IP Protocol Types 387 Understanding Network Addressing 389 Using Network Addresses 389 Resolving Hostnames 395 Network Ports 398 Configuring Linux for a Local Network 402 Network Hardware Configuration 402 Configuring with DHCP 402 Configuring with a Static IP Address 403 Configuring Routing 406 Using GUI Configuration Tools 408 Using the ifup and ifdown Commands 408 Configuring Hostnames 409 Diagnosing Network Connections 411 Testing Basic Connectivity 412 Tracing a Route 412 Checking Network Status 413 Examining Raw Network Traffic 414 Using Additional Tools 415 Summary 418 Exam Essentials 418 Review Questions 420 Chapter 9 Writing Scripts, Configuring Email, and Using Databases 425 Managing the Shell Environment 426 Reviewing Environment Variables 426 Understanding Common Environment Variables 427 Using Aliases 431 Modifying Shell Configuration Files 431 Writing Scripts 433 Beginning a Shell Script 434 Using Commands 435 Using Variables 437 Using Conditional Expressions 440 Using Loops 442 Using Functions 443 Managing Email 445 Understanding Email 445 Choosing Email Software 447 Working with Email 448 Securing Your Email Server 452 Managing Data with SQL 453 Picking a SQL Package 453 Understanding SQL Basics 454 Using MySQL 456 Summary 465 Exam Essentials 465 Review Questions 467 Chapter 10 Securing Your System 473 Administering Network Security 474 Using Super Server Restrictions 475 Disabling Unused Servers 481 Administering Local Security 488 Securing Passwords 488 Limiting root Access 492 Setting Login, Process, and Memory Limits 493 Locating SUID/SGID Files 495 Configuring SSH 497 SSH Basics 497 Setting SSH Options for Your Computer 498 SSH Security Considerations 505 Using GPG 506 Generating Keys 506 Importing Keys 507 Revoking a Key 508 Encrypting and Decrypting Data 508 Signing Messages and Verifying Signatures 509 Summary 510 Exam Essentials 510 Review Questions 512 Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 517 Chapter 1: Exploring Linux Command–Line Tools 518 Chapter 2: Managing Software 521 Chapter 3: Configuring Hardware 524 Chapter 4: Managing Files 528 Chapter 5: Booting Linux and Editing Files 531 Chapter 6: Configuring the X Window System, Localization, and Printing 534 Chapter 7: Administering the System 538 Chapter 8: Configuring Basic Networking 542 Chapter 9: Writing Scripts, Configuring Email, and Using Databases 546 Chapter 10: Securing Your System 549 Appendix B About the Additional Study Tools 553 Additional Study Tools 554 Sybex Test Engine 554 Electronic Flashcards 554 PDF of Glossary of Terms 554 Adobe Reader 554 System Requirements 555 Using the Study Tools 555 Troubleshooting 556 Cus tomer Care 556 Index 557