Notes from a Red Hat intro course my employer sent me to
Yeah, so I'm in Red Hat training, finally. I've only been supporting a major Linux-based project here at work for over six months now.[1] So here's some notes, taken during class.
Unit 1
UNIX History Bla bla bla.
UNIX Principles
+ Everything is a file
+ Including hardware (!)
+ Configuration data is stored in text (files)
+ Small, single-purpose programs
+ Avoids captive user interfaces (whatever that means)
+ The ability to chain programs together to perform complex tasks
As it turns out, I'm already familiar with most of these principles. "Avoids captive user interfaces" means "non-interactive command-line invocation of most programs, with interactivity reserved for the few apps where it makes sense (e.g., text editors)".
GNU Project/FSF Bla bla bla. Yes, my company is paying good money for me to sit and listen to a sermon on the prophecies of Saint Richard Stallman of the Open Source.
GPL - GNU General Public License Bla bla bla. Yes, yes, yes. I read Slashdot. I know. Believe me, I know. Sure, I'm entry-level when it comes to Linux, but come on!
Linux Origins Bla bla bla. Bonus Preachyness: "When Linux kernel combined with GNU applications, complete free UNIX-like OS possible."
Why Linux Bla bla bla. Why Linux? I'll tell you why Linux: Because my engineers said so. Now let's move on. Please.
Recommended Hardware Specs Bla bla bla. Translation: Use a modern computer, jackass.
Local Logins Well, there's the graphical kind. And the textual kind.
Virtual Consoles
+ Multiple non-GUI logins via "virtual consoles"
+ RHEL defaults to 6 virtual consoles.
+ Virtual consoles are accessible via CTRL+ALT+F[1-6]
Virtual consoles are only accessible locally, because CTRL+ALT+F invocations don't work over the network.
The Xorg GUI Framework
Points of note:
+ Network-transparent
+ Can configure X to present a GUI login on CTRL+ALT+F7
Xorg Graphical Environments Packages that standardize different GUI components to provide a consistent "look & feel" throughout (e.g., GNOME, KDE).
Starting Xorg Xorg may start automatically. Then again, it may not. If it doesn't, startx will start it.
Changing Your Password
+ GNOME: Applications --> Preferences --> Password
+ Terminal: passwd
End of Unit 1 Bla bla bla. Also, Q&A
[1] I'm a sysadmin for a large company. I support various computing environments. Mostly, I deploy and maintain lab, test, and production servers according to the specifications of an engineering team. The engineering team is responsible for end-to-end application design, testing, and implementation. I'm responsible for deployment and server maintenance, and for coordinating application maintenance with the engineers.