intermediate Level

20 Hands-on labs

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

By Mike Bunch

Prepare for the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam.

Get Started See Pricing See Pricing

17 hours

94 Lessons
20 Hands-On Labs
1 Practice Exam

About the course

The Linux job market continues to grow and expand, and this course will help prepare you for one of the standard industry Linux administration certifications. This course has been designed to match the domains, skills, knowledge, and competencies as detailed by the Linux Foundation.

Contact Sales Get Started See Pricing See Pricing

Chapter 1 5 Lessons Introduction 8:53

An Important Note About A Cloud Guru and Linux Academy Courses
1:19

Introduction to the LFCS
2:33

About This Course
1:43

About the Author
1:20

About the Exam
1:58
Chapter 2 17 Lessons Essential Commands 1:42:43

Search for Files Part 1 - Find/Locate
9:32

Search for Files Part 2 - Which/Whereis/Type
4:42

Evaluate and Compare the Basic File System Features and Options
7:40

Compare and Manipulate File Content and Use Input-Output Redirection Part 1 - Create Files/Input-Output
9:38

Compare and Manipulate File Content and Use Input-Output Redirection Part 2 - Compare Files (Diff/Compare/CMP)
9:15

Use Input-Output Redirection (e.g. >, >>, |, 2>)
8:20

Analyze Text Using Basic Regular Expressions
8:49

Archive, Backup, Compress, Unpack, and Decompress Files
7:12

Create, Delete, Copy, and Move Files and Directories
7:55

Create and Manage Hard and Soft Links
8:12

List, Set, and Change Standard File Permissions
8:55

Manage Access to the root Account
8:23

Read and Use System Documentation
4:10

Archiving Files and Directories with Compression
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Using File Attributes and Permissions
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Finding Files, and Assigning Permissions and Ownership
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Transfer Files Securely Over the Network
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 3 21 Lessons Operation of Running Systems 1:51:27

Boot, Reboot, and Shut Down a System Safely
5:30

Boot or Change System into Different Operating Modes
4:50

Install, Configure, and Troubleshoot Boot-Loaders
5:27

Diagnose and Manage Processes
8:39

Locate and Analyze System Log Files
5:38

Schedule Tasks to Run at a Set Date and Time
7:53

Verify Completion of Scheduled Jobs
4:14

Update and Manage Software to Provide Required Functionality and Security, Part 1 - Ubuntu/Debian
8:47

Update and Manage Software to Provide Required Functionality and Security, Part 2 - CentOS/Redhat
8:57

Verify the Integrity and Availability of Resources
5:01

Verify the Integrity and Availability of Key Processes
9:15

Change Kernel Runtime Parameters, Persistent and Non-Persistent
6:24

Use Scripting to Automate System Maintenance Tasks
4:40

Scripting Conditionals and Loops Part 1 - Operators/If
6:52

Scripting Conditionals and Loops Part 2 - For/While/Until
5:26

Manage the Startup Process and Services (In Services Configuration)
5:01

List and Identify SELinux/AppArmor File and Process Contexts
8:53

Managing Packages on Debian and Ubuntu Systems
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Managing Packages on RedHat/CentOS Systems
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Using a Oneshot Systemd Service
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Creating a Cronjob to Run a Script Periodically
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 4 9 Lessons User and Group Management 48:26

Create, Delete, and Modify Local User Accounts
9:51

Create, Delete, and Modify Local Groups and Group Memberships
8:30

Manage System-Wide Environment Profiles
7:05

Manage Template User Environment
4:24

Configure User Resource Limits
5:04

Manage User Privileges
5:48

Configure PAM
7:44

Managing User and Group Accounts
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Enabling su/sudo Access with Wheel Group
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 5 8 Lessons Networking 36:38

Configure Networking and Hostname Resolution Statically or Dynamically
9:58

Configure Network Services to Start Automatically at Boot
3:42

Implement Packet Filtering
5:30

Start, Stop, and Check the Status of Network Services
5:38

Statically Route IP Traffic
7:10

Synchronize Time Using Other Network Peers
4:40

Adding an IP Address and a Static Route
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Synchronizing Time with NTP
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 6 18 Lessons Service Configuration 1:23:18

Configure a Caching DNS Server
5:39

Maintain a DNS Zone
9:25

Configure Email Aliases
5:27

Configure SSH Servers and Clients
7:13

Restrict Access to HTTP Proxy Servers
4:37

Configure an IMAP and IMAPS Service (and Pop3 and Pop3S)
6:03

Query and Modify the Behavior of System Services at Various Operating Modes
6:25

Configure an HTTP Server (Ubuntu/Debian)
6:08

Configure HTTP Server Log Files
5:28

Restrict Access to a Web Page
7:00

Configure a Database Server
5:40

Manage and Configure Containers
7:16

Manage and Configure Virtual Machines
6:57

Using SSH Keys for Secure Access
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Managing Docker Containers
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Configuring Outgoing Mail Server
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Securing the MariaDB Database Server
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Deploying Apache Web Server on RedHat/CentOS
0:00 Hands-On Lab
Chapter 7 15 Lessons Storage Management 3:05:18

List, Create, Delete, and Modify Physical Storage Partitions
7:59

Manage and Configure LVM Storage Part 1 - Create LVM
6:13

Manage and Configure LVM Storage Part 2 - Extend LVM
8:30

Create and Configure Encrypted Storage
6:29

Configure Systems to Mount File Systems at or During Boot
5:06

Configure and Manage Swap Space
7:29

Create and Manage RAID Devices
9:11

Configure Systems to Mount File Systems on Demand
6:05

Create, Manage, and Diagnose Advanced File System Permissions
8:42

Set up User and Group Disk Quotas for File Systems
7:33

Create and Configure File Systems
7:01

Creating and Mounting an Encrypted Filesystem
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Working with Logical Volume Management
0:00 Hands-On Lab

Managing Swap Files and Partitions
0:00 Hands-On Lab

EXAM: Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator - Key Linux Commands, Terms and Utilities
1:45:00 Quiz
Chapter 8 2 Lessons Conclusion 4:51

Registering for and Taking the Exam
3:33

What's Next
1:18

What are Hands-on Labs

What's the difference between theoretical knowledge and real skills? Practical real-world experience. That's where Hands-on Labs come in! Hands-on Labs are guided, interactive experiences that help you learn and practice real-world scenarios in real cloud environments. Hands-on Labs are seamlessly integrated in courses, so you can learn by doing.

Practice alongside courses in Cloud Playground

What is Cloud Playground? Cloud Playground lets you build skills in real-world AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure environments. Spin up risk-free Sandboxes, Servers and Terminals and follow along with courses, test a new idea or prepare for exams.

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re a small team, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer multiple plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Business Basic

^$ 33.27 / user monthly

Billed as $499 $399.20 / user yearly

Hands-on learning for smaller teams
Unlimited courses, quizzes, and practice exams
Full learn-by-doing experience with Hands-on Labs and Cloud Playground
User and skills analytics

Business Plus

^$ 46.60

Billed as $699 $559.20 / user yearly

Scalability for larger teams and entire organizations
Everything in Business Basic, plus:
Evaluate team readiness with Skills Assessment
Manage teams, single sign-on (SSO), and reporting
Fast-track learning with Study Groups and Accelerator Programs
Dedicated Customer Success Manager

United States customers subject to applicable sales taxes

Offer applies only to: new personal and business paying customers, existing personal and business customers who switch to an annual paid plan, and any additional annual plan licenses purchased by existing business customers. Offer valid for a limited time only, beginning 10:00AM CT on February 19, 2021. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Purchases are subject to applicable Terms of Use or Master Services Agreement.

Business Basic

$499 $399.20 / year

Business Plus

$699 $559.20 / year

Unlimited Courses

Learning without limits

Teams learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Learn faster by doing

Teams learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Learning Paths

Take your teams from novice to guru

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills your team needs to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

Cloud Playground - Servers

Cloud on demand

Your learners can spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Provide safe practice environments and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly and safely launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Learn by doing

Teams learn faster by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test ideas, and prepare for exams.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Practice Exams

Put skills to the test

Learners prepare for certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, they get personalized pointers on how to improve their scores.

Quizzes

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Learners get the help they need, when they need it, from industry experts and others in the community.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Teams learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Records of completion make it easy for your learners to mark and showcase progress.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Learners read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Email Support

One dashboard to rule them all

Easily assign new users, track learning and ROI with usage and skill analytics, and manage the entire ACG for Business experience from one central location.

Unlimited Admin Seats

Manage cloud learning for teams

Scale freely and keep your ACG for Business licenses productive with unlimited free Administrators. Yes, you pay only for learners.

Skills Assessment

Know where you stand

Take stock of your organization’s cloud readiness so you can know exactly where to start.

Learning Accelerator

Get to the cloud faster

Fast-track your organization’s path to cloud fluency with sprint-based certification tracks, including weekly lessons, hands-on projects and whitepapers.

Study Groups

Learn better together

Group learners together so they can support each other and build skills faster. Discussing topics and helping others understand concepts boosts retention and builds camaraderie.

Certification Reporting

Skills at a glance

Keep tabs on skills and certifications across your organization to properly staff projects, track progress, and inform learning goals.

Team Management

Easy organization by teams

Create and assign learners to teams for easier management, tracking, and reporting. Designate team coordinators to help keep teams on track, and know who’s conquering the cloud or needs a nudge with the team leaderboard.

Single Sign-On

Invite 10 to 10,000 or more

Use your company’s ID and password to make management and scalability a breeze.

LMS Integration

Connect all the dots

Integrate results and reporting into your existing learning management systems for a 360-degree view of employee skills development.LMS Integration currently available for EdCast and Degreed.

API Access

Get your bits

Automatically transfer raw usage and skills data to your data warehouse or other repository.

Dedicated Customer Success Manager *

We’ve got your back

Get the most out of ACG for Business with a dedicated cloud learning consultant to support you with onboarding, best practices, and more.

Personalized Onboarding *

We’ll show you the ropes

Get up and running the right way. Let one of our learning gurus take you through an onboarding experience tailored to your needs.

Contact Sales

* Available with 50+ seats

Plans & Pricing

Choosing is the first step

Whether you’re an individual learner, a global enterprise, or somewhere in between, we offer several plans so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Free

^$ 0 / month

Limited access to basic courses and features
Rotating selection of limited courses
Stay ahead with weekly cloud roundups
Engage with a vibrant community of learners and experts

Save 20%

Personal Basic

^$ 39 ^$ 25.57 / month

Billed as $379 $303.20 / user yearly

Pay Yearly Pay Monthly

Save 35% with annual plan!

Full access to our hands-on learning library
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
Unlimited courses, quizzes, & practice exams
Unlimited Hands-on Labs
Practice in real multi-platform servers

Save 20%

Personal Plus

^$ 33.27 / month

Billed as $499 $399.20 / user yearly

Everything in Personal Basic, plus:
Full learn-by-doing experience in real AWS, Azure, & GCP environments!
Unlimited access to full Cloud Sandboxes
Includes FREE 7-Day trial
No account setup or cloud bills

United States customers subject to applicable sales taxes

Offer applies only to: new personal and business paying customers, existing personal and business customers who switch to an annual paid plan, and any additional annual plan licenses purchased by existing business customers. Offer valid for a limited time only, beginning 10:00AM CT on February 19, 2021. Offer may not be combined with other offers. Purchases are subject to applicable Terms of Use or Master Services Agreement.

Free

Personal Basic

$379 $303.20 / year

Personal Plus

$499 $399.20 / year

Unlimited Courses

limited

Learn without limits

Learn from anywhere with unlimited access to certification courses and deep dives on AWS, Azure, GCP, Linux, and so much more.

Quizzes

limited

Pop quiz, hot shot

Quickly check your knowledge on a variety of topics and know where to brush up with short quizzes.

ACG Original Series

Keep up with the cloud

Stay up-to-date on all things cloud with weekly and monthly videos about the latest developments in AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.

Community Forums

Cloud with friends

Get the help you need, when you need it, from industry experts and other learners in the community — and help others in turn.

Learning Paths

Go from novice to guru in your chose specialty

Not sure how to proceed? We’ll guide you through the exact skills you need to gain to progress from novice to guru across a variety of cloud specialties, including Architect, Security, and DevOps.

ACG Mobile Apps

Keep ACG in your pocket

Learn cloud from anywhere with our mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Mobile Offline Mode

Learn off the grid

No internet connection? No problem. Download courses for offline access with our app for iOS and Android.

Unlimited Hands-on Labs

Get your hands cloudy

Learn by doing with guided labs based on real-world scenarios in a secure, risk-free environment. Build new skills in as little as 15 minutes.

Practice Exams

Put your skills to the test

Prepare for your certs with practice exams that mimic the real thing. Plus, get personalized pointers on how to improve your score.

Interactive Diagrams

Study aids on demand

Snag clickable, PDF versions of core concepts to revisit later. Our diagrams make great study aids, help build retention, and can act as handy cheat sheets for a quick refresher down the road.

Video Transcripts & Captions

For the record

Read along when sound isn’t an option and skip furiously scribbling notes. Our transcripts and captions are also fully searchable, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Records of Completion

Achievement unlocked

Earn a little something when you complete courses. Records of completion make it easy to mark and showcase your progress.

Email Support

Cloud on demand

Spin up pre-configured, auto-provisioned servers in just a few clicks. Cloud along with courses, practice whenever you feel like it, and never worry about a surprise cloud bill.

Cloud Playground - Instant Terminal

SSH on demand

Quickly launch a secure, in-browser SSH terminal into any instance on any provider – even behind a firewall.

Cloud Playground - Sandboxes

Personal Plus Only

Learn by doing

Learn by doing with Cloud Playground. Try out new cloud skills in live AWS, Azure, and GCP sandbox environments — without racking up a surprise bill. Cloud along with courses, test an idea at work or prepare for exams.

Free
$0

Personal Basic
$379 / year

Personal Plus
$499 / year

Start Free

Free Trial

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Hands-on Labs

Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS)

About the course

Lab Highlights

An Important Note About A Cloud Guru and Linux Academy Courses

Introduction to the LFCS

About This Course

About the Author

About the Exam

Search for Files Part 1 - Find/Locate

Search for Files Part 2 - Which/Whereis/Type

Evaluate and Compare the Basic File System Features and Options

Compare and Manipulate File Content and Use Input-Output Redirection Part 1 - Create Files/Input-Output

Compare and Manipulate File Content and Use Input-Output Redirection Part 2 - Compare Files (Diff/Compare/CMP)

Use Input-Output Redirection (e.g. >, >>, |, 2>)

Analyze Text Using Basic Regular Expressions

Archive, Backup, Compress, Unpack, and Decompress Files

Create, Delete, Copy, and Move Files and Directories

Create and Manage Hard and Soft Links

List, Set, and Change Standard File Permissions

Manage Access to the root Account

Read and Use System Documentation

Archiving Files and Directories with Compression

Using File Attributes and Permissions

Finding Files, and Assigning Permissions and Ownership

Transfer Files Securely Over the Network

Boot, Reboot, and Shut Down a System Safely

Boot or Change System into Different Operating Modes

Install, Configure, and Troubleshoot Boot-Loaders

Diagnose and Manage Processes

Locate and Analyze System Log Files

Schedule Tasks to Run at a Set Date and Time

Verify Completion of Scheduled Jobs

Update and Manage Software to Provide Required Functionality and Security, Part 1 - Ubuntu/Debian

Update and Manage Software to Provide Required Functionality and Security, Part 2 - CentOS/Redhat

Verify the Integrity and Availability of Resources

Verify the Integrity and Availability of Key Processes

Change Kernel Runtime Parameters, Persistent and Non-Persistent

Use Scripting to Automate System Maintenance Tasks

Scripting Conditionals and Loops Part 1 - Operators/If

Scripting Conditionals and Loops Part 2 - For/While/Until

Manage the Startup Process and Services (In Services Configuration)

List and Identify SELinux/AppArmor File and Process Contexts

Managing Packages on Debian and Ubuntu Systems

Managing Packages on RedHat/CentOS Systems

Using a Oneshot Systemd Service

Creating a Cronjob to Run a Script Periodically

Create, Delete, and Modify Local User Accounts

Create, Delete, and Modify Local Groups and Group Memberships

Manage System-Wide Environment Profiles

Manage Template User Environment

Configure User Resource Limits

Manage User Privileges

Configure PAM

Managing User and Group Accounts

Enabling su/sudo Access with Wheel Group

Configure Networking and Hostname Resolution Statically or Dynamically

Configure Network Services to Start Automatically at Boot

Implement Packet Filtering

Start, Stop, and Check the Status of Network Services

Statically Route IP Traffic

Synchronize Time Using Other Network Peers

Adding an IP Address and a Static Route

Synchronizing Time with NTP

Configure a Caching DNS Server

Maintain a DNS Zone

Configure Email Aliases

Configure SSH Servers and Clients

Restrict Access to HTTP Proxy Servers

Configure an IMAP and IMAPS Service (and Pop3 and Pop3S)

Query and Modify the Behavior of System Services at Various Operating Modes

Configure an HTTP Server (Ubuntu/Debian)

Configure HTTP Server Log Files

Restrict Access to a Web Page

Configure a Database Server

Manage and Configure Containers

Manage and Configure Virtual Machines

Using SSH Keys for Secure Access