Linux skills assessment: expert
You measure your expert skills in identity, storage recovery, performance analysis and multi-server operations through long, linked tasks.
Level 401 · 13 lessons · 12 practice labs
Lessons
Preparation
- Planning and note-taking in a long scenario
- Short task: a forty-five-minute multi-step warm-up
Section tests
- Assessment: central identity and PAM
- Assessment: storage recovery
- Assessment: analysis with perf and eBPF
- Assessment: fleet operations and configuration drift
- Assessment: resource control and service isolation
- Assessment: kernel and boot problems
- Short task: write your own assessment report
Final
- Scenario exam 1: an inherited data centre (2 hours)
- Scenario exam 2: a chain of failures (2 hours)
- Scenario exam 3: migration and release upgrade (2 hours)
- Capstone: a four-hour expert hands-on exam
Practice labs
- Timed check: central identity and PAM: Join a server to the directory and apply an access rule that allows logins from one group only.
- Timed check: storage recovery: On a damaged disk image bring back the partition table, repair the file system and extract the requested file.
- Timed check: fix a central login outage: On a server where directory logins stopped, find clock offset, certificate and cache problems in turn and restore logins.
- Timed check: analysis with perf and eBPF: Find the function consuming CPU by profiling and report the disk latency distribution.
- Timed check: fleet operations and drift: Find the configuration that differs across servers and apply the standard version in parallel with verification.
- Timed check: resource control and service isolation: Define a slice and limits for a service starving its neighbours, add file system and privilege restrictions and prove the effect under load.
- Timed check: kernel and boot problems: Boot a server that fails on the new kernel into the old one and add the missing module to the initramfs.
- Timed check: planning and notes in a multi-step scenario: Order five interdependent tasks first, carry them out while taking notes and record the verification of each step.
- Scenario practice: a chain of failures: Solve a chain that starts with a storage fault and spreads to service and login problems from the root cause and write a short report.
- Scenario practice: first sweep of an inherited estate: In a multi-host environment identify roles, the identity source and the three most urgent risks in twenty minutes.
- Scenario practice: migration and release upgrade: Plan the steps to move a service to a server on the new release, sync the data and verify the cutover.
- Write your own assessment report and retest the weak area: From your practice results write up strong and weak areas with evidence and solve a new timed task from the weakest area.
About this course
You measure your expert skills in identity, storage recovery, performance analysis and multi-server operations through long, linked tasks.
What you will learn
- Preparation
- Section tests
- Final
Prerequisites
You should have practised the topics of the same path up to level 301.
Lab environment
Lessons run in your own Kali Linux terminal in the browser, connected to a private lab network. Nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this course right for my level?
- The course is at level 401; it assumes you know the topics of the lower-level courses.
- Is there anything to install?
- No. Every lesson runs in your own lab environment that opens in the browser.
- How do lessons work?
- Each lesson has 8 to 10 steps and a short quiz. Early steps show the command to type, later steps give less help; if two attempts fail, the solution opens.
- Can I try it for free?
- Yes. The first three lessons of every course are free.