You can really distinguish yourself from the field of consultants by earning your Sair Linux & GNU Certified Professional (LCP) rating. The first step down that road (for most people, anyway) is the installation and configuration exam (3X0-103), which tests your ability to convert a bare-metal machine to one running any of several Linux distributions configured according to requirements. Combined with a machine or two and some time to experiment with them, Installation & Configuration, Sair Linux and GNU Certification Level 1 ought to do the trick for Linux novices who need to learn about Linux variants and some of the tools they run.

Tobin Maginnis breaks from test-prep conventions by making this book remarkably text-heavy, and his iconoclasm pays off for the certification candidate. The text is strong, generally readable, and encourages you to experiment with the concepts and features you have to understand to pass the test. Where it's appropriate, Maginnis does provide tables that list command options and other details, but his approach is usually more like that of a tour guide than a reference librarian. You may wish for more practice exam questions--the 100 or so that appear in the back don't come with explanations (and they're numbered strangely, to boot). Regardless, this book deserves praise for its evenhanded treatment of the top Linux distributions and emphasis on the features they have in common. --David Wall

Topics covered: The concepts, facts, and procedures you need to understand to pass the installation and configuration exam (3X0-103) en route to Sair Linux & GNU Certified Professional (LCP) certification. Most coverage goes to the Linux 2.2.x kernel itself, but the author walks you through installation and configuration of Red Hat Linux 6, SuSE Linux 6.1, Caldera OpenLinux 2.2, and Slackware 4. He also highlights some differences that show up in a few other distributions. Other coverage goes to hardware compatibility, preinstallation planning, the bash shell and its important commands, and top utilities.

Book Description
The Sair Linux and GNU Certification program, designed and developed by the industry-leading members of SAIR, Inc. and its advisory board, provides you with a clear path for improving your Linux skills and knowledge base. This new series of books will help you gain the necessary tools to become Linux certified, which can lead to more job opportunities and a higher salary! In Installation and Configuration, the Sair Linux and GNU Certification team draws upon their years of experience to provide expert advice and guidance on installing and configuring all major distributions of Linux, including Red Hat, Caldera, Debian, and SuSE. They cover all of the areas that you'll need to know in order to pass the 3X0-101 exam including: theory of operation, base system, shells and commands, system services, and applications. Each section also contains study questions and sample test questions to help you prepare for your exam.

From the Back Cover
The Sair Linux and GNU Certification program, designed and developed by the industry-leading members of Sair, Inc. and its advisory board, provides you with a clear path for improving your Linux skills and knowledge base. This new series of books will help you gain the necessary tools to become Linux certified, which can lead to more job opportunities and a higher salary! Level I concentrates on the areas of expertise that must be mastered to become a Linux Certified Administrator (LCA). In this guide, the Sair Linux and GNU Certification team draws upon their years of experience to provide expert advice and guidance on installing and configuring all distributions of Linux with walk-throughs for major distributions, including Red Hat, Caldera, Slackware, and SuSE. They cover all of the areas that you'll need to know in order to pass the 3X0-101 exam including theory of operation, base system, shells and commands, system services, and applications. Included are over 100 sample test questions to help you prepare for your exam. The first of four study guides for the LCA certificate, this book will help you: *Configure a printer capabilities file and a printer filter *Compare proprietary versus open source software licenses *List PC system architecture configuration issues *Explain the Linux device driver lag and give examples *Install, configure, and navigate two X11 window managers *Compare and contrast environmental versus shell variables *Describe and use common shell editing commands *Install run-time device drivers *Describe Netscape functions, FTP functions, Telnet functions, and mail functions *Discuss the role of system logging and how to use it for troubleshooting Other books to look for in The Level I series: *Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: Networking *Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: System Administration *Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: Security, Ethics, & Privacy

About the Author
TOBIN MAGINNIS is an Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Mississippi. He has used open source, free software to teach many systems courses including three levels of operating systems and computer networking courses over the last 20 years. Since 1992, he has been President of Sair, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Sair Linux and GNU Certification program, designed and developed by the industry-leading members of Sair, Inc. and its advisory board, provides you with a clear path for improving your Linux skills and knowledge base. This new series of books will help you gain the necessary tools to become Linux certified, which can lead to more job opportunities and a higher salary! Level I concentrates on the areas of expertise that must be mastered to become a Linux Certified Administrator (LCA).In this guide, the Sair Linux and GNU Certification team draws upon their years of experience to provide expert advice and guidance on installing and configuring all distributions of Linux with walk-throughs for major distributions, including Red Hat, Caldera, Slackware, and SuSE. They cover all of the areas that you'll need to know in order to pass the 3X0-101 exam including theory of operation, base system, shells and commands, system services, and applications. Included are over 100 sample test questions to help you prepare for your exam.The first of four study guides for the LCA certificate, this book will help you:*Configure a printer capabilities file and a printer filter*Compare proprietary versus open source software licenses*List PC system architecture configuration issues*Explain the Linux device driver lag and give examples*Install, configure, and navigate two X11 window managers*Compare and contrast environmental versus shell variables*Describe and use common shell editing commands*Install run-time device drivers*Describe Netscape functions, FTP functions, Telnet functions, and mail functions*Discuss the role of system logging and howtouse it for troubleshooting Other books to look for in The Level I series:*Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: Networking*Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: System Administration*Sair Linux and GNU Certification(r) Level I: Security, Ethics, & Privacy

SYNOPSIS

The Sair Linux and GNU Certification program, designed and developed by the industry-leading members of Sair, Inc. and its advisory board, provides you with a clear path for improving your Linux skills and knowledge base. This new series of books will help you gain the necessary tools to become Linux certified, which can lead to more job opportunities and a higher salary! Level I concentrates on the areas of expertise that must be mastered to become a Linux Certified Administrator (LCA).

In this guide, the Sair Linux and GNU Certification team draws upon their years of experience to provide expert advice and guidance on installing and configuring all distributions of Linux with walk-throughs for major distributions, including Red Hat, Caldera, Slackware, and SuSE. They cover all of the areas that you'll need to know in order to pass the 3X0-101 exam including theory of operation, base system, shells and commands, system services, and applications. Included are over 100 sample test questions to help you prepare for your exam.

The first of four study guides for the LCA certificate, this book will help you:

Configure a printer capabilities file and a printer filter Compare proprietary versus open source software licenses List PC system architecture configuration issues Explain the Linux device driver lag and give examples Install, configure, and navigate two X11 window managers Compare and contrast environmental versus shell variables Describe and use common shell editing commands Install run-time device drivers Describe Netscape functions, FTP functions, Telnet functions, and mail functions Discuss the role of system logging and how touse it for troubleshooting

Other books to look for in The Level I series: