Learn, prepare, and practice for Red Hat RHCSA 9 (EX200) exam success with this Cert Guide from Pearson IT Certification, a leader in IT Certification learning. Master Red Hat RHCSA 9 EX200 exam topics Assess your knowledge with chapter-ending quizzes and labs Review key concepts with exam-preparation tasks Practice with four unique practice tests Learn from two full hours of video training from the author's Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) RHEL 9 Complete Video Course Red Hat RHCSA 9 Cert Guide: EX200 is a comprehensive exam study guide. Leading Linux consultant, author, and instructor Sander van Vugt shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. The material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics. The book presents you with an organized test-preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. Exam topic lists make referencing easy, and chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks help you drill deep on key concepts you must know thoroughly to pass the exam. Review questions help you assess your knowledge, and a final preparation chapter guides you through tools and resources to help you craft your final study plan. The companion website also contains two additional practice tests plus two full hours of personal video training from the author's Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) RHEL 9 Complete Video Course. Well regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time, including Basic system management: Installation, tools, file management, text files, RHEL9 connections, user/group management, permissions, and network configuration Operating running systems: Managing software, processes, storage, and advanced storage; working with Systemd; scheduling tasks; and configuring logging Advanced system administration: Managing the kernel and boot procedures, essential troubleshooting, bash shell scripting Managing network services: Configuring SSH, firewalls, and time services; managing Apache HTTP services and SE Linux; accessing network storage; and managing containers Companion Website The website contains two complete practice exams and more than an hour of video training from the author's Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) RHEL 9 Complete Video Course. Includes Exclusive Offer for 70% Off the full Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) RHEL 9 Complete Video Course.

Table of Contents:
Introduction xxx Part I Performing Basic System Management Tasks Chapter 1 Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 3 Foundation Topics 6 Preparing to Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 What Is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Server? 6 Getting the Software 7 Using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Using CentOS Stream 7 Other Distributions 8 Understanding Access to Repositories 8 Setup Requirements 9 Cert Guide Environment Description 9 Performing an Installation 10 Summary 22 Exam Preparation Tasks 23 End-of-Chapter Lab 24 Chapter 2 Using Essential Tools 27 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 27 Foundation Topics 30 Basic Shell Skills 30 Understanding Commands 30 Executing Commands 30 I/O Redirection 32 Using Pipes 34 History 35 Bash Completion 37 Editing Files with vim 37 Understanding the Shell Environment 40 Understanding Variables 40 Recognizing Environment Configuration Files 41 Using /etc/motd and /etc/issue 42 Finding Help 43 Using --help 43 Using man 43 Finding the Right man Page 44 Updating mandb 46 Using info 47 Using /usr/share/doc Documentation Files 48 Summary 49 Exam Preparation Tasks 49 End-of-Chapter Lab 51 Chapter 3 Essential File Management Tools 53 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 53 Foundation Topics 56 Working with the File System Hierarchy 56 Defining the File System Hierarchy 56 Understanding Mounts 57 Managing Files 61 Working with Wildcards 61 Managing and Working with Directories 61 Working with Absolute and Relative Pathnames 62 Listing Files and Directories 64 Copying Files and Directories 64 Moving Files and Directories 65 Deleting Files and Directories 66 Using Links 68 Understanding Hard Links 68 Understanding Symbolic Links 69 Creating Links 69 Removing Links 70 Working with Archives and Compressed Files 71 Managing Archives with tar 72 Creating Archives with tar 72 Monitoring and Extracting tar Files 73 Using Compression 74 Summary 75 Exam Preparation Tasks 76 End-of-Chapter Lab 77 Chapter 4 Working with Text Files 81 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 81 Foundation Topics 84 Using Common Text File–Related Tools 84 Doing More with less 84 Showing File Contents with cat 85 Displaying the First or Last Lines of a File with head and tail 86 Filtering Specific Columns with cut 87 Sorting File Contents and Output with sort 87 Counting Lines, Words, and Characters with wc 88 A Primer to Using Regular Expressions 89 Using Line Anchors 90 Using Escaping in Regular Expressions 91 Using Wildcards and Multipliers 91 Using Extended Regular Expressions 91 Using grep to Analyze Text 93 Working with Other Useful Text Processing Utilities 94 Summary 96 Exam Preparation Tasks 96 End-of-Chapter Lab 98 Chapter 5 Connecting to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 101 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 101 Foundation Topics 104 Working on Local Consoles 104 Logging In to a Local Console 104 Switching Between Terminals in a Graphical Environment 105 Working with Multiple Terminals in a Nongraphical Environment 107 Understanding Pseudo Terminal Devices 108 Booting, Rebooting, and Shutting Down Systems 109 Using SSH and Related Utilities 110 Accessing Remote Systems Using SSH 110 Using Graphical Applications in an SSH Environment 113 Securely Transferring Files Between Systems 114 Using scp to Securely Copy Files 114 Using sftp to Securely Transfer Files 115 Using rsync to Synchronize Files 115 Configuring Key-Based Authentication for SSH 116 Using Passphrases or Not? 116 Summary 117 Exam Preparation Tasks 118 End-of-Chapter Labs 119 Chapter 6 User and Group Management 121 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 121 Foundation Topics 124 Understanding Different User Types 124 Users on Linux 124 Working as Root 124 Using su 125 sudo 126 PolicyKit 127 Creating and Managing User Accounts 129 System Accounts and Normal Accounts 129 Creating Users 132 Modifying the Configuration Files 132 Using useradd 133 Home Directories 133 Default Shell 133 Managing User Properties 134 Configuration Files for User Management Defaults 134 Managing Password Properties 135 Creating a User Environment 135 Creating and Managing Group Accounts 137 Understanding Linux Groups 137 Creating Groups 137 Creating Groups with vigr 137 Using groupadd to Create Groups 138 Managing Group Properties 138 Summary 139 Exam Preparation Tasks 140 End-of-Chapter Labs 141 Chapter 7 Permissions Management 145 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 145 Foundation Topics 148 Managing File Ownership 148 Displaying Ownership 148 Changing User Ownership 149 Changing Group Ownership 150 Understanding Default Ownership 150 Managing Basic Permissions 151 Understanding Read, Write, and Execute Permissions 152 Applying Read, Write, and Execute Permissions 153 Managing Advanced Permissions 155 Understanding Advanced Permissions 155 Applying Advanced Permissions 157 Setting Default Permissions with umask 159 Working with User-Extended Attributes 160 Summary 162 Exam Preparation Tasks 162 End-of-Chapter Lab 164 Chapter 8 Configuring Networking 167 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 167 Foundation Topics 170 Networking Fundamentals 170 IP Addresses 170 IPv6 Addresses 171 IPv4 Network Masks 171 Binary Notation 172 MAC Addresses 173 Protocol and Ports 173 Managing Network Addresses and Interfaces 174 Validating Network Configuration 175 Validating Network Address Configuration 175 Validating Routing 178 Validating the Availability of Ports and Services 179 Managing Network Configuration with nmtui and nmcli 180 Required Permissions to Change Network Configuration 181 Configuring the Network with nmcli 182 Configuring the Network with nmtui 184 Working on Network Configuration Files 186 Setting Up Hostname and Name Resolution 187 Hostnames 187 DNS Name Resolution 189 Summary 191 Exam Preparation Tasks 191 End-of-Chapter Lab 193 Part II Operating Running Systems Chapter 9 Managing Software 195 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 195 Foundation Topics 198 Managing Software Packages with dnf 198 Understanding the Role of Repositories 198 Registering Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Support 199 Managing Subscriptions 200 Specifying Which Repository to Use 200 Understanding Repository Security 203 Creating Your Own Repository 204 Using dnf 206 Using dnf to Find Software Packages 206 Getting More Information About Packages 208 Installing and Removing Software Packages 209 Showing Lists of Packages 211 Updating Packages 213 Working with dnf Package Groups 214 Using dnf History 216 Managing Package Modules 217 Understanding dnf Modules 218 Managing Modules 218 Managing Software Packages with rpm 221 Understanding RPM Filenames 222 Querying the RPM Database 222 Querying RPM Package Files 223 Using repoquery 224 Summary 226 Exam Preparation Tasks 226 End-of-Chapter Labs 227 Chapter 10 Managing Processes 231 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 231 Foundation Topics 234 Introduction to Process Management 234 Managing Shell Jobs 234 Running Jobs in the Foreground and Background 234 Managing Shell Jobs 235 Understanding Parent–Child Relations 237 Using Common Command-Line Tools for Process Management 237 Understanding Processes and Threads 238 Using ps to Get Process Information 239 Understanding Process Priorities 241 Exploring Relations Between Slices 241 Managing Process Priorities 242 Sending Signals to Processes with kill, killall, and pkill 243 Killing Zombies 245 Using top to Manage Processes 246 Using tuned to Optimize Performance 248 Summary 250 Exam Preparation Tasks 250 End-of-Chapter Lab 251 Chapter 11 Working with Systemd 253 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 253 Foundation Topics 256 Understanding Systemd 256 Understanding Systemd Unit Locations 256 Understanding Systemd Service Units 257 Understanding Systemd Mount Units 258 Understanding Systemd Socket Units 259 Understanding Systemd Target Units 260 Managing Units Through Systemd 261 Managing Dependencies 263 Managing Unit Options 265 Summary 267 Exam Preparation Tasks 267 End-of-Chapter Lab 268 Chapter 12 Scheduling Tasks 271 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 271 Foundation Topics 274 Understanding Task Scheduling Options in RHEL 274 Using Systemd Timers 274 Configuring cron to Automate Recurring Tasks 276 Managing the crond Service 276 Understanding cron Timing 278 Managing cron Configuration Files 278 Understanding the Purpose of anacron 281 Managing cron Security 282 Configuring at to Schedule Future Tasks 282 Summary 283 Exam Preparation Tasks 284 End-of-Chapter Lab 285 Chapter 13 Configuring Logging 287 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 287 Foundation Topics 290 Understanding System Logging 290 Understanding the Role of systemd-journald and rsyslogd 290 Reading Log Files 292 Understanding Log File Contents 293 Live Log File Monitoring 294 Using logger 294 Working with systemd-journald 295 Using journalctl to Find Events 295 Preserving the Systemd Journal 298 Configuring rsyslogd 300 Understanding rsyslogd Configuration Files 300 Understanding rsyslog.conf Sections 300 Understanding Facilities, Priorities, and Log Destinations 301 Rotating Log Files 304 Summary 306 Exam Preparation Tasks 306 End-of-Chapter Lab 308 Chapter 14 Managing Storage 311 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 311 Foundation Topics 314 Understanding MBR and GPT Partitions 314 Understanding the MBR Partitioning Scheme 314 Understanding the Need for GPT Partitioning 315 Understanding Storage Measurement Units 316 Managing Partitions and File Systems 317 Creating MBR Partitions with fdisk 318 Using Extended and Logical Partitions on MBR 320 Creating GPT Partitions with gdisk 322 Creating GPT Partitions with parted 327 Creating File Systems 328 Changing File System Properties 329 Managing Ext4 File System Properties 329 Managing XFS File System Properties 331 Adding Swap Partitions 332 Adding Swap Files 333 Mounting File Systems 333 Manually Mounting File Systems 334 Using Device Names, UUIDs, or Disk Labels 334 Automating File System Mounts Through /etc/fstab 335 Using Systemd Mounts 338 Summary 339 Exam Preparation Tasks 340 End-of-Chapter Lab 341 Chapter 15 Managing Advanced Storage 343 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 343 Foundation Topics 346 Understanding LVM 346 LVM Architecture 346 LVM Features 347 Creating LVM Logical Volumes 348 Creating the Physical Volumes 350 Creating the Volume Groups 353 Creating the Logical Volumes and File Systems 355 Understanding LVM Device Naming 355 Resizing LVM Logical Volumes 358 Resizing Volume Groups 358 Resizing Logical Volumes and File Systems 358 Reducing Volume Groups 360 Configuring Stratis 361 Understanding Stratis Architecture 362 Creating Stratis Storage 362 Managing Stratis 363 Summary 365 Exam Preparation Tasks 365 End-of-Chapter Labs 366 Part III Performing Advanced System Administration Tasks Chapter 16 Basic Kernel Management 369 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 369 Foundation Topics 372 Understanding the Role of the Linux Kernel 372 Understanding the Use of Kernel Threads and Drivers 372 Analyzing What the Kernel Is Doing 373 Working with Kernel Modules 375 Understanding Hardware Initialization 376 Managing Kernel Modules 378 Checking Driver Availability for Hardware Devices 381 Managing Kernel Module Parameters 382 Upgrading the Linux Kernel 383 Summary 383 Exam Preparation Tasks 384 End-of-Chapter Lab 385 Chapter 17 Managing and Understanding the Boot Procedure 387 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 387 Foundation Topics 390 Managing Systemd Targets 390 Understanding Systemd Targets 390 Working with Targets 390 Understanding Target Units 391 Understanding Wants 392 Managing Systemd Targets 392 Isolating Targets 393 Setting the Default Target 396 Working with GRUB 2 396 Understanding GRUB 2 396 Understanding GRUB 2 Configuration Files 397 Modifying Default GRUB 2 Boot Options 398 Summary 399 Exam Preparation Tasks 399 End-of-Chapter Labs 401 Chapter 18 Essential Troubleshooting Skills 403 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 403 Foundation Topics 406 Understanding the RHEL 9 Boot Procedure 406 Passing Kernel Boot Arguments 408 Accessing the Boot Prompt 408 Starting a Troubleshooting Target 409 Using a Rescue Disk 410 Restoring System Access Using a Rescue Disk 411 Reinstalling GRUB Using a Rescue Disk 413 Re-creating the Initramfs Using a Rescue Disk 413 Fixing Common Issues 414 Reinstalling GRUB 2 414 Fixing the Initramfs 415 Recovering from File System Issues 415 Resetting the Root Password 416 Summary 417 Exam Preparation Tasks 417 End-of-Chapter Lab 419 Chapter 19 An Introduction to Automation with Bash Shell Scripting 421 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 421 Foundation Topics 424 Understanding Shell Scripting Core Elements 424 Using Variables and Input 426 Using Positional Parameters 426 Working with Variables 427 Using Conditional Loops 429 Working with if … then … else 430 Using || and && 431 Applying for 431 Understanding while and until 432 Understanding case 434 Bash Shell Script Debugging 435 Summary 435 Exam Preparation Tasks 436 End-of-Chapter Lab 437 Part IV Managing Network Services Chapter 20 Configuring SSH 439 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 439 Foundation Topics 442 Hardening the SSH Server 442 Limiting Root Access 442 Configuring Alternative Ports 443 Modifying SELinux to Allow for Port Changes 443 Limiting User Access 444 Using Other Useful sshd Options 445 Session Options 446 Connection Keepalive Options 446 Configuring Key-Based Authentication with Passphrases 447 Summary 448 Exam Preparation Tasks 448 End-of-Chapter Lab 450 Chapter 21 Managing Apache HTTP Services 453 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 453 Foundation Topics 456 Configuring a Basic Apache Server 456 Installing the Required Software 456 Identifying the Main Configuration File 456 Creating Web Server Content 459 Understanding Apache Configuration Files 460 Creating Apache Virtual Hosts 462 Summary 464 Exam Preparation Tasks 464 End-of-Chapter Lab 466 Chapter 22 Managing SELinux 469 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 470 Foundation Topics 473 Understanding SELinux Working Modes 473 Understanding Context Settings and the Policy 477 Monitoring Current Context Labels 477 Setting Context Types 479 Finding the Context Type You Need 482 Restoring Default File Contexts 483 Managing Port Access 484 Using Boolean Settings to Modify SELinux Settings 485 Diagnosing and Addressing SELinux Policy Violations 487 Making SELinux Analyzing Easier 489 Summary 490 Exam Preparation Tasks 491 End-of-Chapter Lab 492 Chapter 23 Configuring a Firewall 495 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 495 Foundation Topics 498 Understanding Linux Firewalling 498 Understanding Previous Solutions 498 Understanding Firewalld 498 Understanding Firewalld Zones 499 Understanding Firewalld Services 500 Working with Firewalld 501 Summary 504 Exam Preparation Tasks 504 End-of-Chapter Lab 506 Chapter 24 Accessing Network Storage 509 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 509 Foundation Topics 512 Using NFS Services 512 Understanding NFS Security 512 RHEL NFS Versions 512 Setting Up NFS 513 Mounting the NFS Share 514 Mounting Remote File Systems Through fstab 515 Mounting NFS Shares Through fstab 515 Using Automount to Mount Remote File Systems 516 Understanding Automount 516 Defining Mounts in Automount 516 Configuring Automount for NFS 517 Using Wildcards in Automount 517 Summary 518 Exam Preparation Tasks 518 End-of-Chapter Lab 520 Chapter 25 Configuring Time Services 523 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 523 Foundation Topics 526 Understanding Local Time 526 Using Network Time Protocol 527 Managing Time on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 527 Using date 528 Using hwclock 528 Using timedatectl 529 Managing Time Zone Settings 531 Configuring Time Service Clients 533 Summary 534 Exam Preparation Tasks 535 End-of-Chapter Lab 536 Chapter 26 Managing Containers 539 “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 539 Foundation Topics 542 Understanding Containers 542 Container Host Requirements 543 Containers on RHEL 9 544 Container Orchestration 545 Running a Container 545 Working with Container Images 550 Using Registries 550 Finding Images 552 Inspecting Images 553 Performing Image Housekeeping 556 Building Images from a Containerfile 556 Managing Containers 558 Managing Container Status 558 Running Commands in a Container 559 Managing Container Ports 561 Managing Container Environment Variables 562 Managing Container Storage 563 Running Containers as Systemd Services 566 Summary 568 Exam Preparation Tasks 569 End-of-Chapter Lab 570 Chapter 27 Final Preparation 573 General Tips 573 Verifying Your Readiness 573 Registering for the Exam 573 On Exam Day 574 During the Exam 575 The Nondisclosure Agreement 576 Chapter 28 Theoretical Pre-Assessment Exam 579 Part V RHCSA 9 Practice Exams RHCSA Practice Exam A 581 RHCSA Practice Exam B 583 Appendix A: Answers to the “Do I Know This Already?” Quizzes and Review Questions 585 Appendix B: Red Hat RHCSA 9 Cert Guide: EX200 Exam Updates 617 Glossary 619 Online Elements: RHCSA Practice Exam C RHCSA Practice Exam D Appendix C: Memory Tables Appendix D: Memory Tables Answer Key Appendix E: Study Planner Glossary 9780138096274 TOC 3/24/2023