Chapter 1, Installing Linux, shows you how to install Linux on physical hardware (bare-metal) and inside a virtual machine in Windows. As we are targeting future Linux system administrators, the command line will be used most of the time, with little reference to the GUI. The future Linux professional will learn how to install Linux and how the boot process works.

Chapter 2, The Linux Shell and Filesystem, teaches you how to use the command line and introduces you to the most widely used commands in Linux. You will learn about the structure of a basic command, how the Linux filesystem is organized, the structure of the Linux operating system, and the structure of a file. By the end of the chapter, you will also know how to use VI/VIM, one of the widely used command-line text editors in Linux.

Chapter 3, Linux Software Management, explains how to use specific software management commands, how software packages work depending on the distribution of choice, and how to build your own packages.

Chapter 4, Managing Users and Groups, shows you how to manage user accounts in Linux. This is one of the most important tasks a Linux system administrator should master. You will be introduced to the general concepts, the specific files for user administration, and how to manage accounts. By the end of the chapter, you will know how to work with permissions and how to change them, and you will understand the special permissions and attributes.

Chapter 5, Working with Processes, Daemons, and Signals, explores processes, signals, and services in Linux. You will learn how to manage them, how to use them, and what the differences are between them.

Chapter 6, Working with Disks and Filesystems, teaches you how to manage disks and filesystems, understand storage in Linux, use Logical Volume Management (LVM) systems, and how to mount and partition.

Chapter 7, Networking with Linux, discusses how networking works in Linux, including the key concepts and how to configure your network from the command line and GUI.

Chapter 8, Linux Shell Scripting, shows you how to create and use Bash shell scripts for task automation in Linux. This will prove an invaluable asset for any system administrator.

Chapter 9, Securing Linux, delves into advanced topics of Linux security. You will learn how to work with SELinux and AppArmor.

Chapter 10, Disaster Recovery, Diagnostics, and Troubleshooting, shows you how to do a system backup and restore in a disaster recovery scenario. Also, you will learn how to diagnose and troubleshoot a common array of problems.

Chapter 11, Working with Virtual Machines, describes how to set up and work with KVM virtual machines on Linux.

Chapter 12, Managing Containers with Docker, introduces containers and discusses how to use Docker-specific tools to deploy your applications.

Chapter 13, Configuring Linux Servers, shows you how to configure different types of Linux servers, from Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Secure Shell (SSH), Samba file-sharing servers, and Network File System (NFS). This is one of the core foundations for any good Linux system administrator.

Chapter 14, Short Introduction to Computing, covers the basics of cloud computing. You will be presented with core technologies such as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), containers-as-a-service (CaaS), DevOps, and cloud management tools.

Chapter 15, Deploying to the Cloud with AWS and Azure, explains how to deploy Linux to AWS and Azure.

Chapter 16, Deploying Applications with Kubernetes, teaches you how to use Kubernetes to monitor and secure your deployments and how to manage your containers and networks. You will learn what Kubernetes is and how to use its diverse community approaches.

Chapter 17, Infrastructure and Automation with Ansible, introduces Ansible, including how to configure it, and how to manage playbooks, modules, and servers. At the end of this chapter, you will be a master of automation.