Learn Linux, 302 (Mixed environments): Aroadmap for LPI-302Your guide to LPI-302 exam-preparation articles ondeveloperWorks

Skill Level: Advanced

Sean Walberg, P. Eng (sean@ertw.com)Network EngineerIndependent author

02 Feb 2011

Updated 30 May 2010

Use this roadmap to find IBM developerWorks articles that help you learn and reviewthe fundamentals of supporting Linux in a mixed UNIX/Microsoft environment. If youare also pursuing professional certification as a Linux systems administrator, thesearticles can help you study for the Linux Professional Institute Certification examLPI-302. This roadmap is organized according to the 21 objectives in the LPI-302exam, which is required to get the LPIC-3 specialization in mixed environments.

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About this series

Linux Professional Institute Certification (LPIC) is like many other certifications inthat different levels are offered, with each level requiring more knowledge and

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experience than the previous one. The LPI-302 exam is an elective specialty examin the third level of the LPIC hierarchy and requires an advanced level of Linuxsystem administration knowledge.

To get your LPIC level 3 (LPIC-3) certification, you must pass the two first-levelexams (101 and 102), the two second-level exams (201 and 202), and the LPIC-3core exam (301). After you have achieved this level, you can take the electivespecialty exams. As of November 2010, these specialty exams are:

• 302. Mixed environments

• 303. Security

• 304. Virtualization and high availability

• 306. Web and intranet (in development)

• 305. Mail and messaging (in development)

Passing any of these exams earns you the appropriate designation on top of yourLPIC-3 credentials.

This series prepares you for the Mixed environment specialty exam, which focusesentirely on managing Linux clients and servers in a heterogeneous Linux andMicrosoft environment. This is done almost entirely through the tools that the Sambaproject provides, so to pass the 302 exam, you must master the installation,configuration, and troubleshooting of Samba.

It is rare to find a large company that doesn't have some amount of Windowsinfrastructure, so this series will prove to be helpful even if you aren't planning totake the LPI-302 Mixed environments exam.

LPI-302 Topic 310: Concepts, architecture, and design

Table 1. LPI-302 Topic 310 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Concepts

310.1 ConceptsDemonstrate familiarity with the fundamental conceptssurrounding Server Message Block (SMB)/CommonInternet File System (CIFS), file sharing, and print servicesin a mixed environment. You should understand thevarious components and functions of the SMB and CIFSprotocols and where to find Samba's configuration files.Weight: 1

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Samba roles

310.2 Samba rolesDemonstrate awareness of Samba's security modes andthe key roles of the Samba daemons. Tasks includemanaging the Samba daemons, identifying their roles, and

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describing the different Samba security modes.Weight: 1

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Trivial Databasefiles

310.3 Trivial database filesUnderstand the structure of the trivial database (TDB) filesthat Samba uses to store its information and know how totroubleshoot problems. You should be able to back up andrestore TDB files, identify corruption within a TDB file, andshow and change the contents of a TDB file using thevarious tools that come with Samba.Weight: 2

LPI-302 Topic 311: Compile and install Samba

Table 2. LPI-302 Topic 311 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Configure andbuild Samba from source

311.1 Configure and build from sourceUnderstand the steps required to compile Samba fromsource and resolve external dependencies. Tasks includeidentifying the key packages and content required,identifying and resolving any external dependencies (suchas libraries), describing the Samba software structure, andidentifying common Samba compilation options.Weight: 1

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Install and upgradeSamba

311.2 Install and upgrade SambaInstall and upgrade a Samba installation from bothcompiled source and binary packages. Tasks includeinstalling Samba from source, installing Samba frompackages on both Red Hat- and Debian-deriveddistributions, and being able to upgrade an existinginstallation while retaining current configuration settings.Weight: 1

LPI-302 Topic 312: Samba configuration and usage

The remaining developerWorks articles for Topic 312, based on the current(November 2010) exam 302 objectives, are coming soon.

Table 3. LPI-302 Topic 312 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): Configure Samba

312.1 Configure SambaConfigure the Samba daemons for a wide variety ofpurposes. You are expected to understand the structure ofthe configuration files along with the variables andconfiguration parameters used within the files. You mustbe able to configure logging and use other tools totroubleshoot and debug problems with Samba. In addition,

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you must be able to list the key TCP and User DatagramProtocol ports that SMB and CIFS protocols use.Weight: 6

Learn Linux, 302 (Mixedenvironments): File services

312.2 File servicesCreate and configure file shares in a mixed environment.Tasks include managing file shares, planning a file servermigration, scripting tasks related to managing file shares,and using Samba command-line tools to use and test fileshares.Weight: 4

Coming soon 312.3 Print servicesCreate and manage print shares in a mixed environment.Create and configure printer sharing between Windowsmachines and Samba servers, including distributing printdrivers to clients. Configure the print$ share, especiallywith regards to security. Integrate Samba and CommonUNIX Printing System and manage print accounting.Weight: 2

Coming soon 312.4 Domain controlSet up and maintain primary and backup domaincontrollers and manage client access to the domain. Youare expected to be able to create and maintain both theprimary and backup domain controllers and to add clientsto the domain. Other tasks include configuring logonscripts, roaming profiles, and system policies.Weight: 4

Coming soon 312.5 SWAT configurationInstall, configure, and use the Samba Web AdministrationTool (SWAT). Tasks include installing and configuringSWAT, understanding SWAT's features, and knowing howto use SWAT to configure Samba.Weight: 1

Coming soon 312.6 InternationalizationDemonstrate knowledge of internationalization charactercodes and code pages. You should be able to use andunderstand the benefits of internationalization charactercodes and code pages; patch and build the appropriatecode conversion libraries; and learn how to manage users,groups, and computers in a non-English environment.Weight: 1

LPI-302 Topic 313: User and group management

The three developerWorks articles for Topic 313, based on the current (November2010) exam 302 objectives, are coming soon.

Table 4. LPI-302 Topic 313 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

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Coming soon 313.1 Managing user accounts and groupsManage user and group accounts in a mixed environment.Key tasks include managing user and group accountsthrough various tools and understanding user and groupmapping. You should also know how to force ownership offile and directory objects.Weight: 4

Coming soon 313.2 Authentication and authorizationUnderstand the various authentication mechanisms andconfigure access control. Tasks include setting up a localpassword database, understanding the smbpasswd fileformat, and synchronizing passwords between Samba andother systems. You are also expected to know aboutalternative back-end password storage systems, integrateSamba with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP),and understand access control lists.Weight: 8

Coming soon 313.3 WinbindInstall and configure the Winbind service. Tasks includeinstalling and configuring a Linux server to get directoryinformation from a Windows domain, including integrationwith Pluggable Authentication Module and the nscddaemon, and mapping between local UNIX user IDs andMicrosoft security IDs.Weight: 2

LPI-302 Topic 314: Working with CIFS, NetBIOS, and ActiveDirectory

The four developerWorks articles for Topic 314, based on the current (November2010) exam 302 objectives, are coming soon.

Table 5. LPI-302 Topic 314 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon 314.1 CIFS integrationDemonstrate your understanding of the CIFS protocol in amixed environment. Tasks include understandingSMB/CIFS concepts, mounting remote CIFS shares from aLinux client, and describing the features and benefits ofCIFS.Weight: 3

Coming soon 314.2 NetBIOS and WINSDemonstrate familiarity with Network Basic Input/OutputSystem (NetBIOS)/Windows Internet Naming System(WINS) concepts and an understanding of networkbrowsing. At a high level, you must understand WINS andNetBIOS concepts and be able to describe the way inwhich name resolution and browsing work. You should be

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able to describe the roles of the local master browserversus the domain master browser and how to configureSamba as a WINS server.Weight: 7

Coming soon 314.3 Integration with Active DirectoryIntegrate Linux servers into an environment containingActive Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Tasks includelisting remote AD DS users through LDAP, configuringSamba using the Active Directory Services security mode,and describing the Domain Name System requirements ofAD DS.Weight: 2

Coming soon 314.4 Working with Windows clientsConfigure a Linux client to interact with remote Windowsclients, and configure Windows clients to access file andprint services from Linux servers. You should understandhow Windows clients work, including how to use aWindows client to browse the network and use file andprint resources. In addition, you must be able to use theWindows net and Linux smbclient utilities to performvarious tasks related to file and print sharing.Weight: 4

LPI-302 Topic 315: Security and performance

The three developerWorks articles for Topic 315, based on the current (November2010) exam 302 objectives, are coming soon.

Table 6. LPI-302 Topic 315 objectives and weightsdeveloperWorks article LPI exam objective summary

Coming soon 315.1 Linux file system and share/service permissionsDemonstrate your understanding of file permissions on aLinux file system in a mixed environment. You should befamiliar with all aspects of UNIX and Windows file anddirectory control and know how to manage thosepermissions from the command line and within Samba.Weight: 3

Coming soon 315.2 Samba securitySecure Samba at both the firewall level and within theSamba configuration files. Tasks include controlling whohas access to a Samba server and a Samba share andidentifying the best approach to secure each. You mustunderstand the security-related parameters in the Sambaconfiguration.Weight: 2

Coming soon 315.3 Performance tuningUse cluster services for load balancing and highavailability, and tune Samba settings for better server and

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network performance. Tasks include measuring Sambaperformance, optimizing Samba memory usage, andimproving file-transfer speeds. In addition, you should befamiliar with the various Linux and Samba command-lineutilities for viewing network configuration and performance.Weight: 1

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Resources

Learn

• At the LPIC Program site, find detailed objectives, task lists, and samplequestions for the three levels of the LPI's Linux systems administrationcertification. In particular, look at the LPI-302 detailed objectives and the tasksand sample questions.

• Review the entire LPI exam prep series on developerWorks to learn Linuxfundamentals and prepare for systems administrator certification based on LPIexam objectives prior to April 2009.

• Exam Preparation Resources for Revised LPIC Exams provides a list of othercertification training resources maintained by LPI.

• In the developerWorks Linux zone, find hundreds of how-to articles andtutorials, as well as downloads, discussion forums, and a wealth of otherresources for Linux developers and administrators.

• Stay current with developerWorks technical events and webcasts focused on avariety of IBM products and IT industry topics.

• Attend a free developerWorks Live! briefing to get up-to-speed quickly on IBMproducts and tools, as well as IT industry trends.

• Watch developerWorks on-demand demos ranging from product installation andsetup demos for beginners, to advanced functionality for experienceddevelopers.

• Follow developerWorks on Twitter, or subscribe to a feed of Linux tweets ondeveloperWorks.

Get products and technologies

• Evaluate IBM products in the way that suits you best: Download a product trial,try a product online, use a product in a cloud environment, or spend a few hoursin the SOA Sandbox learning how to implement Service Oriented Architectureefficiently.

Discuss

• Get involved in the My developerWorks community. Connect with otherdeveloperWorks users while exploring the developer-driven blogs, forums,groups, and wikis.

About the author

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Sean Walberg, P. EngSean Walberg is a network engineer and the author of two books onnetworking. He has worked in several different verticals, from healthcare to media.

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