Run Linux systems, networks and storage like they matter. They do.
For people entering systems administration and for administrators moving to automation, virtualisation and hybrid cloud. Everything is done on real machines first, then automated.
Who this track is for
- IT support and helpdesk staff moving to server administration
- Windows administrators adding Linux
- Administrators who run everything by hand and need automation
- Small-company IT generalists responsible for servers, networks and backups
Three entry levels
Profiling places you on one. The cohort is built from people on the same level with the same target, so the plan is never too slow for half the room.
- level 1
Entry
- you are
- You use Linux a little and support users, but have not built and run servers yourself.
- you get
- You build, secure, back up and monitor Linux servers and a small network, and document it so someone else can run it.
- level 2
Sysadmin
- you are
- You run servers already and want to stop doing things by hand.
- you get
- Infrastructure automated with Ansible, virtualised, monitored, with tested backups and change control.
- level 3
Senior / infrastructure engineer
- you are
- You own the whole environment and are moving it toward hybrid cloud.
- you get
- Design, capacity, hybrid cloud, cost, security baseline and the on-call for all of it.
What a typical plan covers
11 modules in the order a typical cohort runs them. Your cohort's plan is cut, extended and re-ordered after profiling, and names the exact tools.
Linux internals
01- Boot, systemd, processes
- Filesystems, permissions, packages
- Reading logs properly
Networking
02- TCP/IP, routing, DNS, DHCP
- TLS and certificates
- nftables firewalls, WireGuard VPN
Storage and backups
03- LVM, ZFS basics
- NFS and SMB
- Backup strategy and restore drills
Virtualisation and containers
04- KVM / Proxmox
- LXC and Docker
- When to use which
Web and application stacks
05- nginx and reverse proxies
- Certificates and renewal
- Runtimes: PHP, Node.js, Python
Database operations
06- PostgreSQL install and tuning basics
- Backups and replication
- Performance triage
Automation
07- Bash that survives review
- Python for admins
- Ansible playbooks and inventories
Monitoring and alerting
08- Prometheus and Grafana
- Node and blackbox exporters
- Alert routing and on-call
Patching and hardening
09- Update strategy and maintenance windows
- CIS basics, SSH, user management
- Auditing
Hybrid cloud
10- Cloud VMs and networking
- Identity across on-prem and cloud
- Moving a workload, counting the cost
Capstone
11- Build, document and run a small production environment
- Backup, restore and failover drills
- Handover to the mentor panel
Tools you will work with
- Debian / Ubuntu
- RHEL family
- Bash
- Python
- nftables
- WireGuard
- Proxmox
- KVM
- LXC
- Docker
- nginx
- PostgreSQL
- Ansible
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- Restic / Borg
The final list is set in the cohort plan. Where the market is split, such as cloud providers, the cohort picks the one most of its members need.
By the end, you can
- Build a hardened Linux server and a small network from scratch, documented
- Automate it with Ansible and rebuild it from code on demand
- Prove your backups by restoring them in front of the cohort
- Monitor, patch and run the environment through a simulated on-call week
Nine people, Linux from the ground up, 12 weeks
Six helpdesk engineers and three Windows administrators. The plan spent two extra weeks on Linux fundamentals compared to the standard outline and added a Windows-to-Linux translation session in week one.
Illustrative cohort, built from the typical mix for this track.
Tell us where you want to get to.
Applying takes five minutes. Profiling is free and you keep the skills map. The cohort, the plan and the price come before any commitment.
Cohorts are forming now for all four tracks. We reply within two working days.