Christine Bresnahan
LPIC-1®: Linux Professional Institute Certification Study Guide
LPIC-1®: Linux Professional Institute Certification Study Guide
Exams 101-400 and 102-400
Fourth Edition
Christine Bresnahan
Richard Blum
Senior Acquisitions Editor: Kenyon Brown
Development Editor: Gary Schwartz
Technical Editor: Kevin Ryan
Production Editor: Rebecca Anderson
Copy Editor: Judy Flynn
Editorial Manager: Mary Beth Wakefield
Production Manager: Kathleen Wisor
Associate Publisher: Jim Minatel
Media Supervising Producer: Richard Graves
Book Designers: Judy Fung and Bill Gibson
Proofreader: Word One, New York
Indexer: Johnna VanHoose
Project Coordinator, Cover: Brent Savage
Cover Designer: Wiley
Cover Image: © Getty Images Inc./Jeremy Woodhouse
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-119-02118-6
ISBN: 978-1-119-02120-9 (ebk.)
ISBN: 978-1-119-02119-3 (ebk.)
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/
permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015933955
TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission.LPIC-1 is a registered trademark of Linux Professional Institute, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Acknowledgments
First, all glory and praise go to God, who through His Son, Jesus Christ, makes all things possible, and gives us the gift of eternal life.
Many thanks go to the fantastic team of people at Sybex for their outstanding work on this project. Thanks to Kenyon Brown, the acquisitions editor, for offering us the opportunity to work on this book. Also thanks to Gary Schwartz, the development editor, for keeping things on track and making this book more presentable. Thanks, Gary, for all your hard work and diligence. The technical editor, Kevin E. Ryan, did a wonderful job of double-checking all of the work in the book in addition to making suggestions to improve the content. We would also like to thank Carole Jelen at Waterside Productions, Inc., for arranging this opportunity for us and for helping us out in our writing careers.
Christine would particularly like to thank her husband, Timothy, for his encouragement, patience, and willingness to listen, even when he has no idea what she is talking about.
About the Authors
Richard Blum, CompTIA Linux+, LPIC-1, has worked in the IT industry for more than 25 years as both a system and network administrator, and he has published numerous Linux and open-source books. Rich is an online instructor for Linux and Web programming courses that are used by colleges and universities across the United States. When he is not being a computer nerd, Rich enjoys spending time with his wife, Barbara, and two daughters, Katie Jane and Jessica.
Christine Bresnahan, CompTIA Linux+, LPIC-1, started working with computers more than 25 years ago in the IT industry as a systems administrator. Christine is an Adjunct Professor at Ivy Tech Community College where she teaches Linux certification and Python programming classes. She also writes books and produces instructional resources for the classroom.
Introduction
Why should you learn about Linux? It's a fast-growing operating system, and it is inexpensive and flexible. Linux is also a major player in the small and mid-size server field, and it's an increasingly viable platform for workstation and desktop use as well. By understanding Linux, you'll increase your standing in the job market. Even if you already know Windows or Mac OS and your employer uses these systems exclusively, understanding Linux will give you an edge when you're looking for a new job or you're looking for a promotion. For instance, this knowledge will help you make an informed decision about if and when you should deploy Linux.
The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) has developed its LPIC-1 certification as an introductory certification for people who want to enter careers involving Linux. The exam is meant to certify that an individual has the skills necessary to install, operate, and troubleshoot a Linux system and is familiar with Linux-specific concepts and basic hardware.
The purpose of this book is to help you pass the LPIC-1 exams (101-400 and 102-400), updated in 2015. Because these exams cover basic Linux installation, configuration, maintenance, applications, networking, and security, those are the topics that are emphasized in this book. You'll learn enough to get a Linux system up and running and to configure it for many common tasks. Even after you've taken and passed the LPIC-1 exams, this book should remain a useful reference.
What Is Linux?
Linux