LinuxEssentials Objectives V1

Introduction

The description of the entire LinuxEssentials programme is listed here.

Minimally Qualified Candidate Description

This is a description of a candidate that is just barely qualified to pass the LPI Introductory Linux exam. This hypothetical person is called the Minimally Qualified Candidate (MQC). Standards on the Introductory Linux exam should be set so that this person (and anyone more able) would pass but anyone less able would not pass.

An LPI Linux and Open Source Technician should have an understanding of the major components of the Linux operating system, the technical proficiency to work on the Linux command line and a basic understanding of security and administration related topics such as user/group management, working on the command line and permissions. A LPI Linux ad Open Source Technician is most likely the end user of a mostly managed system.

The LPI Linux and Open Source MQC typically:

• Has a basic understanding of FOSS, the various communities and licenses
• Understands the basic concepts of processes, programs and the components of an Operating System
• Has a rudimentary ability to work on the command line and with files.
• Can use a basic command line editor.
• Has enough network knowledge to get a system up on a LAN.
• Has a basic appreciation of system security, encryption and user/groups and file permissions.

Version Information

These objectives are version 0.3.0.

Translations of Objectives

The following translations of the objectives are available on this wiki:

• English
• German

Objectives

Topic 1.1: A Career in Open Source and Joining The Linux Community (weight: 7)

1.1.1 Linux Evolution and Popular Operating Systems

Weight	3
Description	Knowledge of Linux Development and Major Distributions.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Open Source Philosophy
• Distributions
• Embedded Systems

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• Android
• Debian
• CentOS

1.1.2 Major Open Source Applications

Weight	1
Description	Awareness of major applications and their uses.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Desktop Applications
• Server Applications
• Mobile Applications
• Development Languages

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Firefox
• Blender, Gimp, Audacity
• Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Samba, OpenLDAP
• C, Perl, shell, Python, PHP

1.1.3 Understanding "Freeware" and Licensing

Weight	2
Description	Open Source Communities and Licensing in Free and Commercial Open Source Software.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Licensing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• GPL, BSD, Creative Commons
• Free Software, Open Software, FOSS, FLOSS

1.1.4 ICT Skills and Working in Linux

Weight	1
Description	Basic Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills and Working in Linux.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Desktop Skills
• Open Source Applications used in an academic setting

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• Using a browser, privacy concerns, configuration options, searching the web and saving content
• Cloud Computing
• Password issues
• Use of common open source applications in presentations and projects

Topic 1.2: The Linux Operating System (OS) and Programs (weight: 10)

1.2.1 Using Help Commands and “Man Pages”

Weight	2
Description	Navigation of the various help systems.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Man
• Info

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• man
• info
• man pages
• whatis
• /usr/share/doc

1.2.2 Choosing an Operating System

Weight	1
Description	Knowledge of major Linux Operating Systems and how their life cycle is managed.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Windows, Mac, Linux differences

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• GUI versus command line, desktop configuration
• maintenance cycles, Beta and Stable

1.2.3 Understanding Computer Hardware

Weight	2
Description	Familiarity with the components that go into building desktop and server computers.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Hardware

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• Hard drives and partitions, motherboards, processors, power supplies, optical drives, peripherals
• display types
• drivers

1.2.4 Where Data is Stored

Weight	3
Description	Where various types of information are stored on a Linux system.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Kernel
• Process

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• programs, libraries, packages and package databases, system configuration
• processes and process tables, memory addresses, system messaging and logging

1.2.5 Networking Your Computer

Weight	2
Description	Adding a computer on to a Local Area Network (LAN).

Key Knowledge Areas:

• internet, network, routers
• Domain Name Service

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• route
• resolve.conf
• IPv4, IPv6
• ifconfig, netstat, route

Topic 1.3: The Power of the Command Line (weight: 10)

1.3.1 Using Directories and Listing Files

Weight	2
Description	Navigation of home and system directories and listing files in various locations.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• files, directories

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• ls, recursive listings, less
• common options for ls
• cd

1.3.2 Creating, Moving and Deleting Files

Weight	2
Description	Create, move and delete files and directories under the home directory.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• files, directories
• case sensitivity

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• mv, cp, rm, touch
• mkdir, rmdir

1.3.3 Archiving Files on the Command Line

Weight	1
Description	Archiving files in their home directories.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• files, directories
• archives, compression

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• tar, cpio
• gzip, bzip2

1.3.4 Searching and Extracting Data from Files

Weight	2
Description	Search and extract data from files in the home directories.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Regular Expressions

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• grep
• less

1.3.5 Turning Commands into a Script

Weight	3
Description	Turning repetitive commands into simple scripts.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Bash

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• /bin/bash
• arguments
• for loops

Topic 1.4: Keep it Simple: The Text File (weight: 6)

1.4.1 Launch Text Editors like pico or nano

Weight	1
Description	Launching a simple command line editor.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• command line text editing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• pico, nano

1.4.2 Editing of Text Files

Weight	2
Description	Making simple changes to text files.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• command line text editing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• pico, nano editing functions

1.4.3 Search And Replace of Text

Weight	1
Description	Finding and replacing simple text in files.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• command line text editing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• pico, nano search and replace functions

1.4.4 Undo Functions

Weight	1
Description	Undoing changes in a text file.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• command line text editing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• pico, nano undo functions

1.4.5 Saving Changes

Weight	1
Description	Saving changes made to text files in an editor.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• command line text editing

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• pico, nano content saving functions

Topic 1.5: Security and File Permissions (weight: 7)

1.5.1 Basic Security and Identifying User Types

Weight	2
Description	Various types of users on a Linux system.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Root and Un-privileged Users
• System users

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• /etc/passwd
• id, who

1.5.2 Creating Users and Groups

Weight	1
Description	Creating users and groups on a Linux system.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• user and group commands
• user IDs

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• /etc/passwd
• id, lastlog

1.5.3 Setting File Permissions and Ownership

Weight	2
Description	Understanding and manipulating file permissions and ownership settings.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• File permissions and owners

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• ls -l
• chmod, chown, chgrp

1.5.4 Special Directories and Files

Weight	1
Description	Special directories and files on a Linux system including special permissions.

Key Knowledge Areas:

• Hidden files, system files, libraries, repositories,
• /tmp, /var/tmp and special permissions
• File hierarchy

The following is a partial list of the used files, terms and utilities:

• /etc, /var, /usr
• ls -a, ls -d

Notes and Comments

Feel free to add comments here:

1. privacy topic?