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Tenth Edition

Christopher Negus

You can't learn Linux without using it.

I've come to that conclusion after more than two decades of teaching people how to use Linux. You can't just read a book; you can't just listen to a lecture. You need someone to guide you, and you need to jump in and do it yourself.

In 1999, I wrote my first Linux book, the Red Hat Linux Bible . The book's huge success gave me the opportunity to become a full-time, independent Linux author. For about a decade, I wrote dozens of Linux books and explored the best ways to explain Linux from the quiet of my small home office.

In 2008, I hit the road. I was hired by Red Hat, Inc., as a full-time instructor, teaching Linux to professional system administrators seeking Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification. In my three years as a Linux instructor, I honed my teaching skills in front of a live audience whose Linux experience ranged from none to experienced professionals. Over time, I was able to broaden my own knowledge of Linux by acquiring about 10 certifications, including the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) certification.

In the previous edition of the Linux Bible , I turned my teaching experience into text to take a reader from someone who has never used Linux to someone with the foundational skills to become a Linux professional. The skills that you could acquire from that edition remain in effect in this edition as well. They include the following:

Beginner to certified professional: As long as you have used a computer, mouse, and keyboard, you can start with this book. I tell you how to get Linux, begin using it, step through critical topics, and ultimately excel at administering and securing it.

System administrator focused: When you are finished with this book, you will know how to use Linux and how to modify and maintain it. Almost all of the topics needed to become a Red Hat Certified Engineer are introduced in this book. That said, many software developers have also used this book to understand how to work on a Linux system as a development platform or target for their applications.

Emphasis on command-line tools: Although point-and-click windows for managing Linux have improved greatly in recent years, many advanced features can only be utilized by entering commands and editing configuration files manually. I teach you how to become proficient with the Linux command-line shell, and I occasionally compare shell features with graphical tools for accomplishing the same tasks.

Aimed at fewer Linux distributions: In past editions, I described about 18 different Linux distributions. With only a few notable exceptions, most popular Linux distributions are either Red Hat based (Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, CentOS, and so on) or Debian based (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, KNOPPIX, and so forth). Although this book most thoroughly covers Red Hat distributions, I increased the coverage of Ubuntu throughout the book, because that's where many of the biggest Linux fans begin.

Many, many demos and exercises: Instead of just telling you what Linux does, I actually show you what it does. Then, to make sure that you got it, you have the opportunity to try Linux exercises yourself. Every procedure and exercise has been tested to work in Fedora or Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Most work in Ubuntu as well.

For this 10th edition, major enhancements include a focus on simplified Linux administration, automating tasks, and managing containerized applications (individually or at scale):

Cockpit administration web UI: Since Linux was created, people have tried to develop simple graphical or browser-based interfaces for managing Linux systems. I believe that Cockpit is the best web UI ever created for managing most basic Linux features. Throughout this book, I have replaced most older system-config* tool descriptions with those focusing on Cockpit. With Cockpit, you can now add users, manage storage, monitor activities, and do many other administrative tasks through a single interface.