The Linux Professional Institute currently has two levels of
certification, Junior Level Administration (LPIC1) and Intermediate
Level Administration (LPIC2). At the time of writing the Senior Level
Administration (LPIC3) course was still being developed. Visit this sitefor the latest
information. The following section will describe the certification
methods and pre-requisite knowledge that is needed to gain the LPI
certifications.
Junior Level Administration (LPIC1)
Status: Available since January 2000, latest revision done in
March 2003 Pre-requisite Knowledge: none Requirements: Pass exam 101
and 102 Job description of a person with this certification:
Work at the Linux command line
Perform easy maintenance tasks: help out users, add users
to a larger system, backup & restore, shutdown & reboot
Install and configure a workstation (including X) and
connect it to a LAN, or a stand-alone PC via modem to the
Internet.
LPI exam 101 Details
Topic 101 Hardware and Architecture
Table 1. LPI exam 101: Hardware and Architecture
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
Fundamental BIOS Settings
Candidates should be able to configure fundamental
system hardware by making the correct settings in the
system BIOS. This objective includes a proper
understanding of BIOS configuration issues such as the use
of LBA on IDE hard disks larger than 1024 cylinders,
enabling or disabling integrated peripherals, as well as
configuring systems with (or without) external peripherals
such as keyboards. It also includes the correct setting
for IRQ, DMA and I/O addresses for all BIOS administrated
ports and settings for error handling.
Ensure devices meet compatibility requirements
(particularly that the modem is NOT a win-modem), verify
that both the modem and sound card are using unique and
correct IRQ's, I/O, and DMA addresses, if the sound
card is PnP install and run sndconfig and isapnp,
configure modem for outbound dial-up, configure modem for
outbound PPP | SLIP | CSLIP connection, set serial port
for 115.2 Kbps
Not applicable
1
Setup SCSI Devices
Candidates should be able to configure SCSI devices
using the SCSI BIOS as well as the necessary Linux tools.
They also should be able to differentiate between the
various types of SCSI. This objective includes
manipulating the SCSI BIOS to detect used and available
SCSI IDs and setting the correct ID number for different
devices especially the boot device. It also includes
managing the settings in the computer's BIOS to
determine the desired boot sequence if both SCSI and IDE
drives are used.
SCSI ID /proc/scsi/ scsi_info
1
Configure Communication Devices
Candidates should be able to install and configure
different internal and external communication devices like
modems, ISDN adapters, and DSL switches. This objective
includes verification of compatibility requirements
(especially important if that modem is a winmodem),
necessary hardware settings for internal devices (IRQs,
DMAs, I/O ports), and loading and configuring suitable
device drivers. It also includes communication device and
interface configuration requirements, such as the right
serial port for 115.2 Kbps, and the correct modem settings
for outbound PPP connection(s).
Candidates should be able to activate USB support,
use and configure different USB devices. This objective
includes the correct selection of the USB chipset and the
corresponding module. It also includes the knowledge of
the basic architecture of the layer model of USB as well
as the different modules used in the different layers. Key
files, terms, and utilities include:
Candidates should be able to configure various
cards for the various expansion slots. They should know
the differences between ISA and PCI cards with respect to
configuration issues. This objective includes the correct
settings of IRQs, DMAs and I/O Ports of the cards,
especially to avoid conflicts between devices. It also
includes using isapnp if the card is an ISA P P*p T€ OK
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pnpdump(8) isapnp(8) lspci(8)
Topic 102 Linux Installation & Package Management
Table 2. LPI exam 101: Linux Installation & Package Management
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
Install a boot manager
Candidate should be able to select, install, and
configure a boot manager. This objective includes
providing alternative boot locations and backup boot
options (for example, using a boot floppy).
/etc/lilo.conf /boot/grub/grub.conf lilo
grub-install MBR superblock first stage boot loader
3
Manage shared libraries
Candidates should be able to determine the shared
libraries that executable programs depend on and install
them when necessary. Candidates should be able to state
where system libraries are kept.
ldd ldconfig /etc/ld.so.conf LD_LIBRARY_PATH
5
Design hard disk layout
Candidates should be able to design a disk
partitioning scheme for a Linux system. This objective
includes allocating filesystems or swap space to separate
partitions or disks, and tailoring the design to the
intended use of the system. It also includes placing /boot
on a partition that conforms with the BIOS'
requirements for booting.
/ (root) filesystem /var filesystem /home
filesystem swap space mount points partitions cylinder
1024
5
Make and install programs from source
Candidates should be able to build and install an
executable program from source. This objective includes
being able to unpack a file of sources. Candidates should
be able to make simple customizations to the Makefile, for
example changing paths or adding extra include
directories.
gunzip gzip bzip2 tar configure make
8
Use Debian package management
Candidates should be able to perform package
management skills using the Debian package manager. This
objective includes being able to use command-line and
interactive tools to install, upgrade, or uninstall
packages, as well as find packages containing specific
files or software (such packages might or might not be
installed). This objective also includes being able to
obtain package information like version, content,
dependencies, package integrity and installation status
(whether or not the package is installed).
Candidates should be able to perform package
' management under Linux distributions that use RPMs for
package distribution. This objective includes being able
to install, re-install, upgrade, and remove packages, as
well as obtain status and version information on packages.
This objective also includes obtaining package information
such as version, status, dependencies, integrity, and
signatures. Candidates should be able to determine what
files a package provides, as well as find which package a
specific file comes from.
/etc/rpmrc /usr/lib/rpm/* rpm grep
Topic 103: GNU & Unix Commands
Table 3. LPI exam 101: GNU & Unix Commands
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
Perform basic file editing operations using vi
Candidates should be able to edit text files using
vi. This objective includes vi navigation, basic vi nodes,
inserting, editing, deleting, copying, and finding text.
vi /, ? h,j,k,l G, H, L i, c, d, dd, p, o, a ZZ,
:w!, :q!, :e! :!
3
Modify process execution priorities
Candidates should should be able to manage process
execution priorities. Tasks include running a program with
higher or lower priority, determining the priority of a
process and changing the priority of a running process.
nice ps renice top
3
Perform basic file management
Candidates should be able to use the basic UNIX
commands to copy, move, and remove files and directories.
Tasks include advanced file management operations such as
copying multiple files recursively, removing directories
recursively, and moving files that meet a wildcard
pattern. This includes using simple and advanced wildcard
specifications to refer to files, as well as using find to
locate and act on files based on type, size, or time.
cp find mkdir mv ls rm rmdir touch file globbing
3
Search text files using regular expressions
Candidates should be able to manipulate files and
text data using regular expressions. This objective
includes creating simple regular expressions containing
several notational elements. It also includes using
regular expression tools to perform searches through a
filesystem or file content.
grep regexp sed
5
Work on the command line
Candidates should be able to Interact with shells
and commands using the command line. This includes typing
valid commands and command sequences, defining,
referencing and exporting environment variables, using
command history and editing facilities, invoking commands
in the path and outside the path, using command
substitution, applying commands recursively through a
directory tree a @&p T€ OK
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Candidates should be able to find and use Linux
documentation. This objective includes using Linux
documentation at sources such as the Linux Documentation
Project (LDP), vendor and third-party websites,
newsgroups, newsgroup archives, and mailing lists.
Not applicable
4
Use and manage local system documentation
Candidates should be able to use and administer the
man facility and the material in /usr/share/doc/. This
objective includes finding relevant man pages, searching
man page sections, finding commands and man pages related
to them, and configuring access to man sources and the man
system. It also includes using system documentation stored
in /usr/share/doc/ and determining what documentation to
keep in /usr/share/doc/.
MANPATH man apropos whatis
1
Notify users on system-related issues
Candidates should be able to notify the users about
current issues related to the system. This objective
includes automating the communication process, e.g.
through logon messages.
/etc/issue /etc/issue.net /etc/motd
Topic 109:
Table 10. LPI Exam 102: Shells, Scripting, Programming and
Compiling
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Customize or write simple scripts
Candidate should be able to customize existing
scripts, or write simple new (ba)sh scripts. This
objective includes using standard sh syntax (loops,
tests), using command substitution, testing command return
values, testing of file status, and conditional mailing to
the superuser. This objective also includes making sure
the correct interpreter is called on the first (#!) line
of scripts. This objective also includes managing
location, ownership, execution and suid-rights of scripts.
while for test chmod
5
Customize and use the shell environment
Candidate should be able to customize shell
P*ronments to meet users' needs. This objective
includes setting environment variables (e.g. PATH) at
login or when spawning a new shell. It also includes
writing bash functions for frequently used sequences of
commands.
~/.bash_profile ~/.bash_login ~/.profile ~/.bashrc
~/.bash_logout ~/.inputrc function (Bash built-in command)
export env set (Bash built-in command) unset (Bash
built-in command)
Topic 111: Administrative Tasks
Table 11. LPI Exam 102: Administrative Tasks
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Configure and use system log files to meet
administrative and security needs
Candidate should be able to configure system logs.
This objective includes managing the type and level of
information logged, manually scanning log files for
notable activity, monitoring log files, arranging for
automatic rotation and archiving of logs and tracking down
problems noted in logs.
/etc/syslog.conf /var/log/* logrotate tail -f
3
Tune the user environment and system environment
variables
Candidate should be able to modify global and user
profiles. This includes setting environment variables,
maintaining skel directories for new user accounts and
setting command search path with the proper directory.
/etc/profile /etc/skel env export set unset
4
Manage users and group accounts and related system
files
Candidate should be able to add, remove, suspend
and change user accounts. Tasks include to add and remove
groups, to change user/group info in passwd/group
databases. The objective also includes creating special
purpose and limited accounts. Key files, terms, and
utilities include:
Automate system administration tasks by scheduling
jobs to run in the future
Candidate should be able to use cron or anacron to
run jobs at regular intervals and to use at to run jobs at
a specific time. Task include managing cron and at jobs
and configuring user access to cron and at services.
Candidate should be able to plan a backup strategy
and backup filesystems automatically to various media.
Tasks include dumping a raw device to a file or vice
versa, performing partial and manual backups, verifying
the integrity of backup f °op T€ tial @&r fully
restoring backups.
cpio dd dump restore tar
4
Maintain system time
Candidate should be able to properly maintain the
system time and synchronize the clock over NTP. Tasks
include setting the system date and time, setting the BIOS
clock to the correct time in UTC, configuring the correct
timezone for the system and configuring the system to
correct clock drift to match NTP clock.
/usr/share/zoneinfo /etc/timezone /etc/localtime
/etc/ntp.conf /etc/ntp.drift date hwclock ntpd ntpdate
Topic 112:
Table 12. LPI Exam 102: Networking Fundamentals
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Configure Linux as a PPP client
Candidates should understand the basics of the PPP
protocol and be able to configure and use PPP for outbound
connections. This objective includes the definition of the
chat sequence to connect (given a login example) and the
setup commands to be run automatically when a PPP
connection is made. It also includes initialisation and
termination of a PPP connection, with a modem, ISDN or
ADSL and setting PPP to automatically reconnect if
disconnected.
Candidates should demonstrate a proper
understanding of network fundamentals. This objective
includes the understanding of IP-addresses, network masks
and what they mean (i.e. determine a network and broadcast
address for a host based on its subnet mask in "dotted
quad" or abbreviated notation or determine the network
address, broadcast address and netmask when given an
IP-address and number of bits). It also covers the
understanding of the network classes and classless subnets
(CIDR) and the reserved addresses for private network use.
It includes the understanding of the function and
application of a default route. It also includes the
understanding of basic internet protocols (IP, ICMP, TCP,
UDP) and the more common TCP and UDP ports (20, 21, 23,
25, 53, 80, 110, 119, 139, 143, 161).
Candidates should be able to view, change and
verify configuration settings and operational status for
various network interfaces. This objective includes manual
and automatic configuration of interfaces and routing
tables. This especially means to add, start, stop,
restart, delete or reconfigure network interfaces. It also
means to change, view or configure the routing table and
to corr @&an improperly set default route manually.
Candidates should be able to configure Linux as a DHCP
client and a TCP/IP host and to debug problems associated
with the network configuration.
/etc/HOSTNAME or /etc/hostname /etc/hosts
/etc/networks /etc/host.conf /etc/resolv.conf
/etc/nsswitch.conf ifconfig route dhcpcd, dhcpclient, pump
host hostname (domainname, dnsdomainname) netstat ping
traceroute tcpdump the network scripts run during system
initialization.
Topic 113: Networking Services
Table 13. LPI Exam 102: Networking Services
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
4
Setup and configure basic DNS services
Candidate should be able to configure hostname
lookups and troubleshoot problems with local caching-only
name server. Requires an understanding of the domain
registration and DNS translation process. Requires
understanding key differences in configuration files for
bind 4 and bind 8.
/etc/hosts /etc/resolv.conf /etc/nsswitch.conf
/etc/named.boot (v.4) or /etc/named.conf (v.8) named
4
Configure and manage inetd, xinetd, and related
services
Candidates should be able to configure which
services are available through inetd, use tcpwrappers to
allow or deny services on a host-by-host basis, manually
start, stop, and restart internet services, configure
basic network services including telnet and ftp. Set a
service to run as another user instead of the default in
inetd.conf.
Operate and perform basic configuration of sendmail
Candidate should be able to modify simple
parameters in sendmail configuration files (including the
"Smart Host" parameter, if necessary), create mail
aliases, manage the mail queue, start and stop sendmail,
configure mail forwarding and perform basic
troubleshooting of sendmail. The objective includes
checking for and closing open relay on the mailserver. It
does not include advanced custom configuration of
Sendmail. Key files, terms, and utilities include:
/etc/aliases or /etc/mail/aliases /etc/mail/*
~/.forward mailq sendmail newaliases
4
Operate and perform basic configuration of Apache
Candidates should be able to modify simple
parameters in Apache configuration files, start, stop, and
restart httpd, arrange for automatic restarting of httpd
upon boot. Does not include advanced custom configuration
of Apache.
httpd.conf apachectl httpd
4
Properly manage the NFS, smb, and nmb daemons
Candidate sh P*p T€ w to 'nt remote
filesystems using NFS, configure NFS for exporting local
filesystems, start, stop, and restart the NFS server.
Install and configure Samba using the included GUI tools
or direct edit of the /etc/smb.conf file (Note: this
deliberately excludes advanced NT domain issues but
includes simple sharing of home directories and printers,
as well as correctly setting the nmbd as a WINS client).
/etc/exports /etc/fstab /etc/smb.conf mount umount
4
Set up secure shell (OpenSSH)
The candidate should be able to obtain and
configure OpenSSH. This objective includes basic OpenSSH
installation and troubleshooting, as well as configuring
sshd to start at system boot..
Candidate should know how to set up a basic level
of host security. Tasks include syslog configuration,
shadowed passwords, set up of a mail alias for root's
mail and turning of all network services not in use.
/etc/inetd.conf or /etc/inet.d/* /etc/nologin
/etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/syslog.conf
4
Perform security administration tasks
Candidates should know how to review system
configuration to ensure host security in accordance with
local security policies. This objective includes how to
configure TCP wrappers, find files with SUID/SGID bit set,
verify packages, set or change user passwords and password
aging information, update binaries as recommended by CERT,
BUGTRAQ, and/or distribution's security alerts.
Includes basic knowledge of ipchains and iptables.
Candidate should be able to configure user level
security. Tasks include limits on user logins, processes,
and memory usage. Key files, terms, and utilities include:
quota usermod
Intermediate Level Administration (LPIC2)
Status: Available now; published November 29, 2001
Pre-Requisites: Completion of LPIC Level 1 Requirements: Passing
Exams 201 and 202 # Overview of Tasks: To pass Level 2 someone
should be able to
Administer a small to medium-sized site
Plan, implement, maintain, keep consistent, secure, and
troubleshoot a small mixed (MS, Linux) network, including a:
'AN server (samba)
Internet Gateway (firewall, proxy, mail, news)
InternetServer(webserver,FTPserver)
Supervise assistants
Advise management on automation and purchases
LPI Exam 201
Topic 201: Linux Kernel
Table 15. LPI Exam 201: The Linux Kernel
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
Kernel Components
Candidates should be able to utilize kernel
components that are necessary to specific hardware,
hardware drivers, system resources and requirements. This
objective includes implementing different types of kernel
images, identifying stable and development kernels and
patches, as well as using kernel modules.
zImage bzImage
1
Compiling a kernel
Candidates should be able to properly compile a
kernel to include or disable specific features of the
Linux kernel as necessary. This objective includes
compiling and recompiling the Linux kernel as needed,
implementing updates and noting changes in a new kernel,
creating a system initrd image, and installing new
kernels.
/usr/src/linux/ /etc/lilo.conf make options
(config, xconfig, menuconfig, oldconfig, mrproper zImage,
bzImage, modules, modules_install) mkinitrd (both Red Hat
and Debian based) make
1
Customizing a kernel
Candidates should be able to customize a kernel for
specific system requirements by patching, compiling, and
editing configuration files as required. This objective
includes being able to assess requirements for a kernel
compile versus a kernel patch as well as build and
configure kernel modules.
Candidates should be able to properly patch a
kernel for various purposes including to implement kernel
updates, to implement bug fixes, and to add support for
new hardware. This objective also includes being able to
properly remove kernel patches from existing production
kernels.
Makefile patch gzip bzip
Topic 202:
Table 16. LPI Exam 201: System Startup
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
2
Customizing system startup an @&p T€ sses °o>
Candidates should be able to edit appropriate
system startup scripts to customize standard system run
levels and boot processes. This objective includes
interacting with run levels and creating custom initrd
images as needed.
/etc/init.d/ /etc/inittab /etc/rc.d/ mkinitrd (both
Red Hat and Debian scripts)
3
System recovery
Candidates should be able to properly manipulate a
Linux system during both the boot process and during
recovery mode. This objective includes using both the init
utility and init= kernel options.
inittab LILO init mount fsck
Topic 203: Filesystem
Table 17. LPI Exam 201: Filesystem
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Operating
the Linux filesystem Candidates should be able to
properly configure and navigate the standard Linux
filesystem. This objective includes configuring and
mounting various filesystem types. Also included, is
manipulating filesystems to adjust for disk space
requirements or device additions.
/etc/fstab /etc/mtab /proc/mounts mount and umount
sync swapon swapoff
3
Creating and configuring filesystem options
Candidates should be able to configure automount
filesystems. This objective includes configuring automount
for network and device filesystems. Also included is
creating non ext2 filesystems for devices such as CD-ROMs.
Candidates should be able to properly maintain a
Linux filesystem using system utilities. This objective
includes manipulating a standard ext2 filesystem.
Candidates should be able to configure a Linux
installation to include PCMCIA support. This objective
includes configuring PCMCIA devices, such as ethernet
adapters, to autodetect when inserted.
/etc/pcmcia/ *.opts cardctl cardmgr
2
Configuring RAID
Candidates should be able to configure and
implement software RAID. This objective includes using
mkraid tools and configuring RAID 0, 1, and 5.
/etc/raidtab m °od
2
Software and kernel configuration
Candidates should be able to configure kernel
options to support various hardware devices including
UDMA66 drives and IDE CD burners. This objective includes
using LVM (Logical Volume Manager) to manage hard disk
drives and particitions as well as software tools to
interact with hard disk settings.
/proc/interrupts hdparm tune2fs sysctl
3
Adding new hardware
Candidates should be able to configure internal and
external devices for a system including new hard disks,
dumb terminal devices, serial UPS devices, multi-port
serial cards, and LCD panels.
The candidate should be able to set up a Samba
server for various clients. This objective includes
setting up a login script for Samba clients, and setting
up an nmbd WINS server. Also included is to change the
workgroup in which a server participates, define a shared
directory in smb.conf, define a shared printer in
smb.conf, use nmblookup to test WINS server functionality,
and use the smbmount command to mount an SMB share on a
Linux client.
The candidate should be able to create an exports
file and specify filesystems to be exported. This
objective includes editing exports file entries to
restrict access to certain hosts, subnets or netgroups.
Also included is to specify mount options in the exports
file, configure user ID mapping, mount an NFS filesystem
on a client, using mount options to specify soft or hard
and background retries, signal handling, locking, and
block size. The candidate should also be able to configure
tcpwrappers to further secure NFS.
/etc/exports exportfs showmount nfsstat
Topic 211: System Maintenance
Table 20. LPI Exam 201: System Maintenance
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
System logging
The candidate should be able to configure syslogd
to act as a central network log server. This objective
'p T€ als P*cludes configuring syslogd to send log output to a
central log server, logging remote connections, and using
grep and other text utils to automate log analysis.
syslog.conf /etc/hosts sysklogd
1
Packaging software
The candidate should be able to build a package.
This objective includes building (or rebuilding) both RPM
and DEB packaged software.
/debian/rules SPEC file format rpm
2
Backup operations
The candidate should be able to create an offsite
backup storage plan.
Not applicable
Topic 213: System Customization and Automation
Table 21. LPI Exam 201: System Customization and Automation
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Automating tasks using scripts
The candidate should be able to write simple Perl
scripts that make use of modules where appropriate, use
the Perl taint mode to secure data, and install Perl
modules from CPAN. This objective includes using sed and
awk in scripts, and using scripts to check for process
execution and generate alerts by email or pager if a
process dies. Candidates should be able to write and
schedule automatic execution of scripts to parse logs for
alerts and email them to administrators, synchronize files
across machines using rsync, monitor files for changes and
generate email alerts, and write a script that notifies
administrators when specified users log in or out.
perl -MCPAN -e shell bash, awk, sed crontab at
Topic 214: Troubleshooting
Table 22. LPI Exam 201: Troubleshooting
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
Creating recovery disks
Candidate should be able to: create both a standard
bootdisk for system entrance, and a recovery disk for
system repair.
/etc/fstab /etc/inittab Any standard editor
Familiarity with the location and contents of the LDP
Bootdisk-HOWTO /usr/sbin/rdev /bin/cat /bin/mount
(includes -o loop switch) /sbin/lilo /bin/dd /sbin/mke2fs
/usr/sbin/chroot
1
Identifying boot stages
Candidate should be able to: determine, from bootup
text, the 4 stages of boot sequence and distinguish
between each.
boot loader start and hand off to kernel kernel
loading hardware initializiation and setup daemon
initialization and setup
1
Tro P*shooting LILO
Candidate should be able to: determine specific
stage failures and corrective techniques.
/boot/boot.b Know meaning of L, LI, LIL, LILO, and
scrolling 010101 errrors Know the different LILO install
locations, MBR, /dev/fd0, or primary/extended partition.
Know significance of /boot/boot.### files
1
General troubleshooting
A candidate should be able to recognize and
identify boot loader and kernel specific stages and
utilize kernel boot messages to diagnose kernel errors.
This objective includes being able to identify and correct
common hardware issues, and be able to determine if the
problem is hardware or software.
/proc filesystem Various system and daemon log
files in /var/log/ /, /boot, and /lib/modules screen
output during bootup kernel syslog entries in system logs
(if entry is able to be gained) location of system kernel
and attending modules dmesg /sbin/lspci /usr/bin/lsdev
/sbin/lsmod /sbin/modprobe /sbin/insmod /bin/uname strace
strings ltrace lsof
1
Troubleshooting system resources
A candidate should be able to identify, diagnose
and repair local system environment.
/etc/profile && /etc/profile.d/
/etc/init.d/ /etc/rc.* /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/bashrc
/etc/ld.so.conf (or other appropriate global shell
configuration files) Core system variables Any standard
editor /bin/ln /bin/rm /sbin/ldconfig /sbin/sysctl
1
Troubleshooting environment configurations
A candidate should be able to identify common local
system and user environment configuration issues and
common repair techniques.
Modified: 2001-August-24 Maintainer: Kara Pritchard
Weight: 5 Description: The candidate should be able to
configure a network device to be able to connect to a
local network and a wide-area network. This objective
includes being able to communicate between various subnets
within a single network, configure dialup access using
mgetty, configure dialup access using a modem or ISDN,
configure authentication protocols such as PAP and CHAP,
and configure TCP/IP logging.
Advanced Network Configuration and Troubleshooting
The candidate should be able to configure a network
device to implement various network authentication
schemes. This objective includes configuring a multi-homed
network device, configuring a virtual private network and
resolving networking and communication problems.
Candidates should be able to install and configure
news servers using inn. This objective includes
customizing and monitoring served newsgroups.
innd
1
Configuring mailing lists
Install and maintain mailing lists using majordomo.
Monitor majordomo problems by viewing majordomo logs.
Majordomo2
3
Managing Mail Traffic
Candidates shold be able to implement client mail
management software to filter, sort, and monitor incoming
user mail. This objective includes using software such as
procmail on both server and client side.
procmail .procmailrc
Using Sendmail
4
Candidates should be able to manage a Sendmail
configuration including email aliases, mail quotas, and
virtual mail domains. This objective includes configuring
internal mail relays and monitoring SMTP servers.
The candidate should be able to configure BIND to
function as a caching-only DNS server. This objective
includes the ability to convert a BIND 4.9 named.boot file
to the BIND 8.x named.conf format, and reload the DNS by
using kill or ndc. This objective also includes
configuring logging and options such as directoryh
location for zone files.
The candidate should be able to create a zone file
for a forward or reverse zone or root level server. This
objective includes setting appropriate values f @&he SOA
resource record, NS records, and MX records. Also included
is adding hosts with A resource records and CNAME records
as appropriate, adding hosts to reverse zones with PTR
records, and adding the zone to the /etc/named.conf file
using the zone statement with appropriate type, file and
masters values. A candidate should also be able to
delegate a zone to another DNS server.
contents of /var/named zone file syntax resource
record formats dig nslookup host
3
Securing a DNS server
The candidate should be able to configure BIND to
run as a non-root user, and configure BIND to run in a
chroot jail. This objective includes configuring DNSSEC
statements such as key and trusted-keys to prevent domain
spoofing. Also included is the ability to configure a
split DNS configuration using the forwarders statement,
and specifying a non-standard version number string in
response to queries.
SysV init files or rc.local /etc/named.conf
/etc/passwd dnskeygen
Topic 208 Web Services
Table 26. Exam 202: Web Services
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
2
Implementing a web server
Candidates should be able to install and configure
an Apache web server. This objective includes monitoring
Apache load and performance, restricting client user
access, configuring mod_perl and PHP support, and setting
up client user authentication. Also included is
configuring Apache server options such as maximum
requests, minimum and maximim servers, and clients.
Candidates should be able to configure Apache to
use virtual hosts for websites without dedicated IP
addresses. This objective also includes creating an SSL
certification for Apache and defining SSL definitions in
configuration files using OpenSSL. Also included is
customizing file access by implementing redirect
statements in Apache's configuration files.
httpd.conf
2
Implementing a proxy server
Candidates should be able to install and configure
a proxy server using Squid. This objective includes
impelementing access policies, setting up authentication,
and utilizing memory usage.
squid.conf acl http_access
Topic 210 Network Client Management
Table 27. Exam 202: Network Client Management
Candidates should be able to edit appropriate
system startup scripts to customize standard system run
levels and boot processes. This objective includes
interacting with run levels and creating custom initrd
images as needed.
/etc/init.d/ /etc/inittab /etc/rc.d/ mkinitrd (both
Red Hat and Debian scripts)
3
System recovery
Candidates should be able to properly manipulate a
Linux system during both the boot process and during
recovery mode. This objective includes using both the init
utility and init= kernel options.
inittab LILO init mount fsck
Topic 203: Filesystem
Table 17. LPI Exam 201: Filesystem
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
3
Operating
the Linux filesystem Candidates should be able to
properly configure and navigate the standard Linux
filesystem. This objective includes configuring and
mounting various filesystem types. Also included, is
manipulating filesystems to adjust for disk space
requirements or device additions.
/etc/fstab /etc/mtab /proc/mounts mount and umount
sync swapon swapoff
3
Creating and configuring filesystem options
Candidates should be able to configure automount
filesystems. This objective includes configuring automount
for network and device filesystems. Also included is
creating non ext2 filesystems for devices such as CD-ROMs.
Candidates should be able to properly maintain a
Linux filesystem using system utilities. This objective
includes manipulating a standard ext2 filesystem.
Candidates should be able to configure a Linux
installation to include PCMCIA support. This objective
includes configuring PCMCIA devices, such as ethernet
adapters, to autodetect when inserted.
/etc/pcmcia/ *.opts cardctl cardmgr
2
Configuring RAID
Candidates should be able to configure and
implement software RAID. This objective includes using
mkraid tools and configuring RAID 0, 1, and 5.
/etc/raidtab m °od
2
Software and kernel configuration
Candidates should be able to configure kernel
options to support various hardware devices including
UDMA66 drives and IDE CD burners. This objective includes
using LVM (Logical Volume Manager) to manage hard disk
drives and particitions as well as software tools to
interact with hard disk settings.
/proc/interrupts hdparm tune2fs sysctl
3
Adding new hardware
Candidates should be able to configure internal and
external devices for a system including new hard disks,
dumb terminal devices, serial UPS devices, multi-port
serial cards, and LCD panels.
The candidate should be able to set up a Samba
server for various clients. This objective includes
setting up a login script for Samba clients, and setting
up an nmbd WINS server. Also included is to change the
workgroup in which a server participates, define a shared
directory in smb.conf, define a shared printer in
smb.conf, use nmblookup to test WINS server functionality,
and use the smbmount command to mount an SMB share on a
Linux client.
The candidate should be able to create an exports
file and specify filesystems to be exported. This
objective includes editing exports file entries to
restrict access to certain hosts, subnets or netgroups.
Also included is to specify mount options in the exports
file, configure user ID mapping, mount an NFS filesystem
on a client, using mount options to specify soft or hard
and background retries, signal handling, locking, and
block size. The candidate should also be able to configure
tcpwrappers to further secure NFS.
/etc/exports exportfs showmount nfsstat
Topic 211: System Maintenance
Table 20. LPI Exam 201: System Maintenance
Weight
Title
Description
Key Files, terms and utillities
1
System logging
The candidate should be able to configure syslogd
to act as a central network log server. This objective
lures arising from bootloader, module, and filesystem errors
diagnose and correct problems with network services (see Installation and Configuration below for a list of
these services)
add, remove, and resize logical volumes
Skills needed for Installation and Configuration Exam:
perform network OS installation
implement a custom partitioning scheme
configure printing
configure the scheduling of tasks using cron and at
attach system to a network directory service, such as NIS or LDAP
configure autofs
add and manage users, groups, and quotas
configure filesystem permissions for collaboration
install and update RPMs
properly update the kernel RPM
modify the system bootloader
implement software RAID at install-time and run-time
use /proc/sys and sysctl to modify and set kernel run-time parameters
People wanting to attain the RHCE certification must be also capable of configuring the following network services:
HTTP/HTTPS
SMB
NFS
FTP
Web proxy
SMTP
IMAP, IMAPS, and POP3
SSH
DNS
For each of these services, RHCEs must be able to:
install the packages needed to provide the service
configure the service to start when the system is booted
configure the service for basic operation
Configure host-based and user-based security for the service
