Linux Essentials Summary Version 1.6 To 2.0

Purpose

This document is meant to provide a detailed overview into what has changed with the objectives update for the Linux Essentials exam (010). A detailed diff is available in the document history of the objectives page.

Changes in Exam 010

The following changes constitute the update of exam 010 from version 1.6 to version 2.0:

• Topic 1: The Linux Operating System and Open Source Software (renamed from The Linux Community and a Career in Open Source)
  • 1.1 Linux Distributions (renamed from Linux Evolution and Popular Operating Systems)
    • Changed to better reflect Linux distribution families, include support schemas and Linux components (kernelspace and userspace)
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Kernel and userspace'
    • Added 'Distribution life cycle management' (moved from 4.1)
    • Added 'Awareness of Android and its relation to Linux'
    • Replaced individual distribution names with distribution family groupings:
      • Added 'Debian-based Distributions (Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS)' — replaces 'Debian, Ubuntu (LTS)' and 'Raspberry Pi, Raspbian'
      • Added 'Enterprise Linux-based Distributions (Red Hat Enterprise Linux, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Fedora Linux, CentOS Stream)' — replaces 'CentOS, Red Hat'
      • Added 'SUSE-based Distributions (SUSE Linux Enterprise, openSUSE Leap, openSUSE Tumbleweed)' — replaces 'openSUSE, SUSE'
      • Added 'Alpine Linux (main and edge)'
      • Added 'Long-Term Support (LTS), stable, testing and unstable releases, and rolling releases'
      • Removed 'Linux Mint, Scientific Linux'
  • 1.2 Major Open Source Applications
    • Updated description to clarify that awareness of purpose and features is required, not specific usage or installation details
    • Changed 'Development languages' to 'Programming languages'
    • Added 'Web applications'
    • Added 'Software packages and repositories'
    • Added (awareness level) 'Chromium / Chrome, Codium / VS Code, Inkscape, VLC, GPG, R'
    • Added (awareness level) 'Kodi, Jitsi, Big Blue Button, Moodle, Git, GitLab, Forgejo / Gitea'
    • Added (awareness level) 'PostgreSQL'
    • Added (awareness level) 'C++, Rust, Go'
    • Added 'apt, dnf, zypper, apk'
    • Removed 'OpenOffice.org'
    • Removed 'Perl, shell'
  • 1.3 Open Source Software and Licensing
    • Updated description to add digital autonomy and digital sovereignty
    • Editorial changes to the description
    • Changed 'Open source licensing' to 'Open source and open content licensing'
    • Added 'Proprietary software'
    • Added: 'Free software'
    • Added: 'Digital autonomy', 'Digital sovereignty'
    • Removed: 'FOSS, FLOSS', 'Open source business models'
  • 1.4 Linux Usage (renamed from ICT Skills and Working in Linux)
    • Changed to focus on various kinds of system that run Linux as well as securely accessing remote system, such as cloud providers
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Understanding types of computers that can run Linux'
    • Added 'Awareness of virtualization, containers and cloud computing'
    • Added 'Awareness of common text editors'
    • Added 'Awareness of configuration management tools'
    • Added 'Secure handling of credentials'
    • Added 'Secure transfer and storage of data'
    • Added 'Desktop computers, laptops and other mobile devices'
    • Added 'Server computers, virtual machines and cloud instances'
    • Added 'Embedded systems and HPC clusters'
    • Added 'Client and server roles'
    • Added 'vi, nano'
    • Added 'Strong password, password managers, multi-factor authentication, passkeys'
    • Added 'Encryption in network protocols (HTTPS), storage media'
    • Added 'Secure handling of USB devices'
    • Removed 'Desktop skills'
    • Removed 'Getting to the command line'
    • Removed 'Industry uses of Linux, cloud computing and virtualization'
    • Removed 'Using a browser, privacy concerns, configuration options, searching the web and saving content'
    • Removed 'Terminal and console'
    • Removed 'Password issues'
    • Removed 'Privacy issues and tools'
    • Removed 'Use of common open source applications in presentations and projects'
• Topic 2: Command Line Basics (renamed from Finding Your Way on a Linux System)
  • 2.1 Command Line Usage (renamed from Command Line Basics)
    • Editorial changes to the description
    • Added to utilities: '/bin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /sbin'
  • 2.2 Documentation, Man Pages and Usage Information (renamed from Using the Command Line to Get Help)
    • Updated to include parameters for querying usage information and removed info pages and locate
    • Updated Description
    • Added 'Common help parameters of command line tools'
    • Added '-h, --help'
    • Removed 'Info pages'
    • Removed 'info', 'locate'
  • 2.3 Files, Directories and Paths (renamed from Using Directories and Listing Files)
    • Changed to include find
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Searching for files based on file names'
    • Added to utilities: 'find'
    • Added /' (root path)
    • Changed 'home' to '/home'
  • 2.4 File and Directory Management (renamed from Creating, Moving and Deleting Files)
    • Editorial changes to the description
• Topic 3: Data Processing (renamed from The Power of the Command Line)
  • 3.1 File Archives and Compression (renamed from Archiving Files on the Command Line)
    • Editorial changes to the description
  • 3.2 Redirections and String Processing (renamed from Searching and Extracting Data from Files)
    • Changed to use Extended Regular Expressions instead of Basic Regular Expressions
    • Updated Description
    • Added 'grep -E'
    • Added 'uniq'
  • 3.3 Shell Scripting Basics (renamed from Turning Commands into a Script)
    • Editorial changes to the description
    • Changed 'for loops' to 'for loops (iterate over space separated lists and file glob expressions)'
    • Added 'if conditions (file existence and variable equality)'
    • Removed 'Awareness of common text editors (vi and nano)' (now in to 1.4)
• Topic 4: Linux System Administration Basics (renamed from The Linux Operating System)
  • 4.1 Linux Installation and Provisioning (renamed from Choosing an Operating System)
    • Updated cover the installation of Linux on physical machines, VMs and cloud instances
    • Added 'Installing Linux on a computer or in a virtual machine'
    • Added 'Using Linux in cloud instances'
    • Changed 'OS X' to 'macOS'
    • Added 'Installation media, ISO files'
    • Added 'Operating system images'
    • Added 'Dual boot'
    • Added 'Windows Subsystem for Linux'
    • Removed 'Distribution life cycle management' (now in 1.1)
    • Removed 'GUI versus command line, desktop configuration'
    • Removed 'Maintenance cycles, beta and stable'
  • 4.2 Computer Hardware and Device Access (renamed from Understanding Computer Hardware)
    • Changed to include kernel aspects, hardware management and device files
    • Updated description
    • Added Key Knowledge Area: 'Device files for physical and virtual devices'
    • Added 'processors (x86, ARM)' and 'memory'
    • Added 'Network interface cards (Ethernet, WiFi)'
    • Added '/dev/nvme*'
    • Added 'Raspberry Pi'
    • Changed 'Drivers' to 'Drivers and Kernel Modules'
    • Added '/dev/, /boot/, /sys/'
    • Added '/dev/null, /dev/zero, /dev/urandom'
  • 4.3 Processes and Log Messages (renamed from Where Data is Stored)
    • Changed to include systemd service management and journal querying and remove syslog
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Services'
    • Added 'systemctl (start, stop, status)'
    • Added 'systemd Journal'
    • Added 'journalctl'
    • Removed 'System messaging'
    • Removed 'Memory addresses'
    • Removed 'syslog'
    • Removed '/boot/, /dev/, /sys/'
  • 4.4 Network Configuration (renamed from Your Computer on the Network)
    • Changed to include IPv6 and remove net-utils
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Automatic network configuration'
    • Added 'ip -6 route show'
    • Added 'resolvectl'
    • Added 'DHCP, SLAAC, DHCPv6'
    • Removed 'route'
    • Removed 'ifconfig'
    • Removed 'netstat'
• Topic 5: Security and File System Permissions (renamed from Security and File Permissions)
  • 5.1 Remote Logins, File Transfers and Elevated Permissions (renamed from Basic Security and Identifying User Types)
    • Changed to focusing on SSH, remote access and privilege escalation, user management aspects were moved to 5.2.
    • Updated description
    • Added 'Executing commands with elevated permissions'
    • Added 'Remote logins using SSH'
    • Added 'SSH key generation and authentication'
    • Added 'ssh, scp'
    • Added 'ssh-keygen'
    • Added '~/.ssh/authorized_keys'
    • Removed '/etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group' (now in 5.2)
    • Removed 'id, last, who, w' (not in 5.2)
  • 5.2 User and Group Management (renamed from Creating Users and Groups)
    • Editorial changes to the description
    • Added 'w, last, wtmpdb last'
  • 5.3 File System Permissions and Ownership (renamed from Managing File Permissions and Ownership)
    • Editorial changes to the description
  • 5.4 Special Directories and Files
    • Editorial changes to the description