LPIC-2: Linux Engineer Certification

Audience

This course will be of interest to anyone wishing to learn the advanced skills needed by Linux professionals that are common across all distributions of Linux.

This course will be of particular benefit to anyone who has already completed the first part of their LPIC-2 training and is looking to complete their studies to become fully LPIC-2 certified.

LPIC-2 is the second certification in LPI’s multi-level professional certification program. The LPIC-2 will validate your ability to administer small to medium–sized mixed networks.

Supported distributions include:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
SUSE Linux Enterprise.

Prerequisites

It is strongly recommended that delegates first complete the LPIC-2: Linux Engineer Certification (Part 1 - Exam 201) course.

Additionally, you must have an active LPIC-1 certification to receive LPIC-2 certification, but the LPIC-1 and LPIC-2 exams may be taken in any order. The following courses are available to help you achieve LPIC-1:

Duration

5 days. Hands on.

This course is available on site only. Please call for details.

Course Objectives

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is the premier certification body for vendor independent Linux certifications.

This course prepares students for the second LPIC-2 exam (exam 202-450), which may be taken on the fifth day of the course. With the included revision sessions, practice tests and hands-on exercises delegates will be confident sitting the exam.

For training for the first LPIC-2 exam, please see LPIC-2: Linux Engineer Certification (Part 1 - Exam 201).

After successfully completing both LPIC-2 exams (exam 201-450 and exam 202-450) delegates will be awarded the LPIC-2: Linux Engineer Certification and will be able to:

Perform advanced system administration, including common tasks regarding the Linux kernel, system startup and maintenance
Perform advanced Management of block storage and file systems as well as advanced networking and authentication and system security, including firewall and VPN
Install and configure fundamental network services, including DHCP, DNS, SSH, Web servers, file servers using FTP, NFS and Samba, email delivery
Supervise assistants and advise management on automation and purchases

Course Content

Domain Name Server

Basic DNS server configuration
Candidates should be able to configure BIND to function as a caching-only DNS server. This objective includes the ability to managing a running server and configuring logging.
Key knowledge areas:
• BIND 9.x configuration files, terms and utilities
• Defining the location of the BIND zone files in BIND configuration files
• Reloading modified configuration and zone files
• Awareness of dnsmasq, djbdns and PowerDNS as alternate name servers

Create and maintain DNS zones
Candidates should be able to create a zone file for a forward or reverse zone and hints for root level servers. This objective includes setting appropriate values for records, adding hosts in zones and adding zones to the DNS. A candidate should also be able to delegate zones to another DNS server.
Key knowledge areas:
• BIND 9 configuration files, terms and utilities
• Utilities to request information from the DNS server
• Layout, content and file location of the BIND zone files
• Various methods to add a new host in the zone files, including reverse zones

Securing a DNS server
Candidates should be able to configure a DNS server to run as a non-root user and run in a chroot jail. This objective includes secure exchange of data between DNS servers.
Key knowledge areas:
• BIND 9 configuration files
• Configuring BIND to run in a chroot jail
• Split configuration of BIND using the forwarders statement
• Configuring and using transaction signatures (TSIG)
• Awareness of DNSSEC and basic tools

Web Services

Implementing a web server
Candidates should be able to install and configure a web server. This objective includes monitoring the server’s load and performance, restricting client user access, configuring support for scripting languages as modules and setting up client user authentication. Also included is configuring server options to restrict usage of resources. Candidates should be able to configure a web server to use virtual hosts and customize file access.
Key knowledge areas:
• Apache 2.4 configuration files, terms and utilities
• Apache log files configuration and content
• Access restriction methods and files
• mod_perl and PHP configuration
• Client user authentication files and utilities
• Configuration of maximum requests, minimum and maximum servers and clients
• Apache 2.4 virtual host implementation (with and without dedicated IP addresses)
• Using redirect statements in Apache’s configuration files to customize file access

Apache configuration for HTTPS
Candidates should be able to configure a web server to provide HTTPS.
Key knowledge areas:
• SSL configuration files, tools and utilities
• Generate a server private key and CSR for a commercial CA
• Generate a self-signed Certificate
• Install the key and certificate, including intermediate CAs
• Configure Virtual Hosting using SNI
• Awareness of the issues with Virtual Hosting and use of SSL
• Security issues in SSL use, disable insecure protocols and ciphers

Implementing a proxy server
Candidates should be able to install and configure a proxy server, including access policies, authentication and resource usage.
Key knowledge areas:
• Squid 3.x configuration files, terms and utilities
• Access restriction methods
• Client user authentication methods
• Layout and content of ACL in the Squid configuration files

Implementing Nginx as a web server and a reverse proxy
Candidates should be able to install and configure a reverse proxy server, Nginx. Basic configuration of Nginx as a HTTP server is included.
Key knowledge areas:
• Nginx
• Reverse Proxy
• Basic Web Server

File Sharing

Samba Server Configuration
Candidates should be able to set up a Samba server for various clients. This objective includes setting up Samba as a standalone server as well as integrating Samba as a member in an Active Directory. Furthermore, the configuration of simple CIFS and printer shares is covered. Also covered is a configuring a Linux client to use a Samba server. Troubleshooting installations is also tested.
Key knowledge areas:
• Samba 4 documentation
• Samba 4 configuration files
• Samba 4 tools and utilities and daemons
• Mounting CIFS shares on Linux
• Mapping Windows user names to Linux user names
• User-Level, Share-Level and AD security

NFS Server Configuration
Candidates should be able to export filesystems using NFS. This objective includes access restrictions, mounting an NFS filesystem on a client and securing NFS.
Key knowledge areas:
• NFS version 3 configuration files
• NFS tools and utilities
• Access restrictions to certain hosts and/or subnets
• Mount options on server and client
• TCP Wrappers
• Awareness of NFSv4

Network Client Management

DHCP configuration
Candidates should be able to configure a DHCP server. This objective includes setting default and per client options, adding static hosts and BOOTP hosts. Also included is configuring a DHCP relay agent and maintaining the DHCP server.
Key knowledge areas:
• DHCP configuration files, terms and utilities
• Subnet and dynamically-allocated range setup
• Awareness of DHCPv6 and IPv6 Router Advertisements

PAM authentication
The candidate should be able to configure PAM to support authentication using various available methods. This includes basic SSSD functionality.
Key knowledge areas:
• PAM configuration files, terms and utilities
• passwd and shadow passwords
• Use sssd for LDAP authentication

LDAP client usage
Candidates should be able to perform queries and updates to an LDAP server. Also included is importing and adding items, as well as adding and managing users.
Key knowledge areas:
• LDAP utilities for data management and queries
• Change user passwords
• Querying the LDAP directory

Configuring an OpenLDAP server
Candidates should be able to configure a basic OpenLDAP server including knowledge of LDIF format and essential access controls.
Key knowledge areas:
• OpenLDAP
• Directory based configuration
• Access Control
• Distinguished Names
• Changetype Operations
• Schemas and Whitepages
• Directories
• Object IDs, Attributes and Classes

E-Mail Services

Using e-mail servers
Candidates should be able to manage an e-mail server, including the configuration of e-mail aliases, e-mail quotas and virtual e-mail domains. This objective includes configuring internal e-mail relays and monitoring e-mail servers.
Key knowledge areas:
• Configuration files for postfix
• Basic TLS configuration for postfix
• Basic knowledge of the SMTP protocol
• Awareness of sendmail and exim

Managing E-Mail Delivery
Candidates should be able to implement client e-mail management software to filter, sort and monitor incoming user e-mail.
Key knowledge areas:
• Understanding of Sieve functionality, syntax and operators
• Use Sieve to filter and sort mail with respect to sender, recipient(s), headers and size
• Awareness of procmail

Managing Remote E-Mail Delivery
Candidates should be able to install and configure POP and IMAP daemons.
Key knowledge areas:
• Dovecot IMAP and POP3 configuration and administration
• Basic TLS configuration for Dovecot
• Awareness of Courier

System Security

Configuring a router
Candidates should be able to configure a system to forward IP packet and perform network address translation (NAT, IP masquerading) and state its significance in protecting a network. This objective includes configuring port redirection, managing filter rules and averting attacks.
Key knowledge areas:
• iptables and ip6tables configuration files, tools and utilities
• Tools, commands and utilities to manage routing tables
• Private address ranges (IPv4) and Unique Local Addresses as well as Link Local Addresses (IPv6)
• Port redirection and IP forwarding
• List and write filtering and rules that accept or block IP packets based on source or destination protocol, port and address
• Save and reload filtering configurations

Securing FTP servers
Candidates should be able to configure an FTP server for anonymous downloads and uploads. This objective includes precautions to be taken if anonymous uploads are permitted and configuring user access.
Key knowledge areas:
• Configuration files, tools and utilities for Pure-FTPd and vsftpd
• Awareness of ProFTPd
• Understanding of passive vs. active FTP connections

Secure shell (SSH)
Candidates should be able to configure and secure an SSH daemon. This objective includes managing keys and configuring SSH for users. Candidates should also be able to forward an application protocol over SSH and manage the SSH login.
Key knowledge areas:
• OpenSSH configuration files, tools and utilities
• Login restrictions for the superuser and the normal users
• Managing and using server and client keys to login with and without password
• Usage of multiple connections from multiple hosts to guard against loss of connection to remote host following configuration changes

Security tasks
Candidates should be able to receive security alerts from various sources, install, configure and run intrusion detection systems and apply security patches and bugfixes.
Key knowledge areas:
• Tools and utilities to scan and test ports on a server
• Locations and organizations that report security alerts as Bugtraq, CERT or other sources
• Tools and utilities to implement an intrusion detection system (IDS)
• Awareness of OpenVAS and Snort

OpenVPN
Candidates should be able to configure a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections.
Key knowledge areas:
• OpenVPN

LPI Certified Linux