What Is Linux?

In 1991 Linus Torvalds developed the Linux operating system. Linux is a UNIX look alike operating system, but was a complete rewrite and was not developed from the main System V or BSD source code.

The objective for the Linux operating system was to develop an Open Source operating system. Open source means that the source code is freely available in the public domain. As a result of this there are now a number of variants of Linux including (to name but a few): RedHat, CentOS, Suse, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora.

Many variants of Linux are available as free software, some such as RedHat Enterprise (RHEL) are available under a license scheme. Linux is becoming more and more popular as an economic application environment in the commercial world, as more Open Source (and often Free) applications are developed for the Linux world. 

So, Linux is a UNIX look alike operating system and in many ways appears to be a “works like UNIX” operating system. The basic architecture principals and the rich tool set is the same as traditional UNIX variants. So if you have used a traditional UNIX system in the past the chances are that you will be very comfortable finding your way round a Linux system.

Despite being Open Source and in many cases Free it is far from a simple “teach yourself” environment if you have no previous UNIX experience. There are many online tutorials and documentation sites available for Linux systems, but it can be a complex environment to self teach and get the optimum configuration that guarantees performance, security and reliability.

PTR Linux Training Courses

PTR offer a range of Linux courses to help you get to grips with the basic Linux user environment (X Windows and Command Line Interface (CLI)) all the way through to Advanced Linux Administration, Shell Scripting, Configuration, Monitoring and Tuning.

Unix / Linux Fundamentals

Unix / Linux Shell Programming

Advanced Unix / Linux Tools & Shell Scripts

Linux System Administration: CompTIA Linux+/LPIC-1 Certification

Linux Advanced System and Network Administration: LPI 201/202 Certification

Unix / Linux Performance & Tuning

Linux Apache Web Server Administration

Linux Certifications

Linux Certification is a way of demonstrating your knowledge and skill level to employers and clients. There are three main certification tracks for Linux:

• Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

• CompTIA – Linux+ (Powered By LPI)

• RedHat

RedHat certification is obviously dedicated to the RedHat Enterprise (RHEL) variant of Linux. There are many RedHat certifications but these are probably the most common:

• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)

• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

• Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)

LPI and CompTIA are independent of Linux variant. LPIC 1 also qualifies for CompTIA Linux+ and vice versa.

The LPI certifications are at three levels:

• LPIC 1 (Linux Administrator)

• LPIC 2 (Linux Engineer)

• LPIC 3 (Enterprise Professional)

  • Mixed Environment

  • Security

  • Virtualization & High Availability

. There is also an LPI Linux Essentials entry level certification.

If you would like more information on the PTR Linux Training Courses do get in touch at info@ptr.co.uk.