ATTENTION: If you belong to the LaaS Cert program, the training does not include an exam.
Official LPI Linux Course: LPIC-2 - Exam Preparation 201 plus 1 free exam
LPIC-2 is the second certification in the
Linux Professional Institute's (LPI) multi-level professional certification program.
The LPIC-2 will validate the candidate's ability to manage small and medium-sized mixed networks.
Important: This course covers only the topics for Exam 201. If you are interested in complete training with the syllabus for Exams 201 and 202, visit our course: LPIC-2 Exams 201 and 202
Contents for certification
To obtain the LPIC-2 certification , you must have the LPIC-1 certification and pass exams 201 and 202. This course covers only the topics on exam 201 :
LPIC-2 exam 201:
- Topic 200: Capacity Planning
- Topic 201: Linux Kernel
- Topic 202: System boot
- Topic 203: File system and devices
- Topic 204: Advanced storage device management
- Topic 205: Network Configuration
- Topic 206: System maintenance
LPIC-2 Exam 201
Topic 200: System Resource Planning
200.1 Measure resource use and identify and resolve associated problems
The candidate should be able to measure hardware resources and network bandwidth, as well as identify and resolve resource-related issues.
Key knowledge areas:
- Measure CPU usage.
- Measure memory usage.
- Measure disk I/O.
- Measure network I/O.
- Measure firewall and router performance.
- Map bandwidth per client.
- Match/correlate symptoms in the system with their possible causes.
- Make estimates of system performance and identify bottlenecks, including network bottlenecks.
200.2 Predict future resource needs
The candidate must be able to monitor resource usage to predict future needs.
Key knowledge areas:
- Use monitoring and measurement tools to monitor IT infrastructure usage.
- Predict the breaking point of a configuration with respect to capacity.
- Observe the growth rate of capacity utilization.
- Make graphs that reflect the trend of capacity usage.
- Learn monitoring solutions such as Icinga2, Nagios, collectd, MRTG, and Cacti
Topic 201: The Linux kernel
201.1 Kernel Components
The candidate must be able to use kernel components required for specific hardware, hardware drivers, resources, and system requirements. This objective includes implementing different types of kernel images, understanding the concepts of stable kernels, long-lived kernels, and patches, and knowing how to use kernel modules.
Key knowledge areas:
- Documentation for 2.6.x, 3.x and 4.x kernels
201.2 Compiling a Linux Kernel
The candidate must be able to properly configure a Linux kernel to include or disable special features, as well as compile and recompile it as needed. The objective also includes the ability to update it, create an initial memory image (initrd), and install new kernels.
Key knowledge areas:
- /usr/src/linux/
- Kernel Makefiles.
- Targets of the make command for 2.6.x, 3.x, and 4.x kernels.
- Customize kernel settings.
- Build a new kernel and corresponding modules.
- Install a new kernel and any necessary modules.
- Ensure that the bootloader can locate the new kernel and associated files.
- Module configuration files.
- Using DKMS to compile kernel modules.
- Have knowledge about dracut.
201.3 Kernel Runtime Management and Troubleshooting
The candidate should be able to manage and/or query a 2.6.x, 3.x, or 4.x kernel and the modules that can be loaded within it; identify and correct common boot and runtime issues; understand device management and detection using the udev tool; and troubleshoot issues related to udev rules.
Key knowledge areas:
- Use command-line utilities to obtain information about the running kernel and its modules.
- Load and unload kernel modules manually.
- Determine when modules can be downloaded.
- Determine what parameters a module accepts.
- Configure the system to load modules by a name other than their file name.
- /proc file system.
- Contents of /, /boot/ , and /lib/modules/.
- Tools and utilities to analyze information concerning available hardware.
- Udev rules.
Topic 202: System startup
202.1 Customize system startup
The candidate should be able to query the status of system services on different targets/runlevels, as well as modify their behavior. A thorough understanding of systemd, SysV Init, and the Linux boot process is required. The objective includes interaction with systemd targets and SysV Init runlevels.
Key knowledge areas:
- Systemd
- SysV init
- Linux Standard Base Specification (LSB)
202.2 System Recovery
The candidate must be competent in manipulating a Linux system, both during the boot process and in recovery mode. They must be familiar with the init utility and related kernel options. They must also be able to determine the causes of errors that occur during boot and use of GRUB version 2 and GRUB Legacy boot loaders on both BIOS and UEFI systems.
Key knowledge areas:
- BIOS and UEFI.
- NVMe boot.
- GRUB version 2 and Legacy.
- The grub shell.
- Boot sequence: the bootloader gives way to the kernel.
- Loading the kernel.
- Hardware initialization and configuration.
- Initialization and configuration of daemons/services.
- Know the possible installation locations of the bootloader on both a hard drive and a removable device.
- Use the bootloader shell and override standard bootloader options.
- Using systemd rescue and emergency modes.
202.3 Alternative boot loaders
The candidate must be familiar with alternative boot loaders to GRUB and their main features.
Key knowledge areas:
- SYSLINUX, ISOLINUX, PXELINUX.
- Understand how PXE works for BIOS and UEFI.
- Know systemd-boot and U-Boot.
Topic 203: File systems and devices
203.1 Managing the Linux File System
The candidate should be able to correctly configure and navigate the standard Linux file system, as well as configure and mount various types of file systems.
Key knowledge areas:
- fstab configuration.
- Tools and utilities for managing swap partitions and files.
- Using Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs) to identify and mount file systems.
- Understanding systemd mount units.
203.2 Maintaining a Linux File System
The candidate should be able to properly maintain a Linux file system using system utilities. This includes manipulating standard file systems and monitoring devices with SMART technology.
Key knowledge areas:
- Tools and utilities for manipulating ext2, ext3 and ext4 file systems.
- Tools and utilities for performing basic operations on a Btrfs file system, including creating subvolumes and snapshots.
- Tools and utilities for manipulating an XFS file system.
Get to know the ZFS file system.
203.3 Create and configure file system options
The candidate should be able to configure self-mounting file systems using AutoFS. This includes configuring automounting for network file systems or storage devices, as well as creating file systems for devices such as CD-ROMs and basic knowledge of file system encryption features.
Key knowledge areas:
- Autofs configuration files.
- Know how automount units work.
- Tools and utilities for UDF and ISO9660.
- Know other file systems for CD-ROM (HFS).
- Know file system extensions for CD-ROMs (Joliet, Rock Ridge, El Torito).
- Basic knowledge of data encryption features (dm-crypt / LUKS).
Topic 204: Advanced storage device management
204.1 RAID Configuration
The candidate must know how to configure and implement software RAID. This includes the use and configuration of RAID 0, 1, and 5.
Key knowledge areas:
- Configuration files and utilities for implementing software RAID.
204.2 Storage Device Access Settings
The candidate should be able to configure kernel options to support multiple storage drives as well as use software tools to view and modify hard drive configurations (including iSCSI devices).
Key knowledge areas:
- Tools and utilities to configure DMA on IDE devices (including ATAPI and SATA).
- Tools and utilities for configuring solid-state drives (including AHCI and NVMe).
- Tools and utilities to manipulate or analyze system resources (e.g. interrupts).
- Understand the sdparm command and its different uses.
- Tools and utilities for working with iSCSI.
- Understand SAN, including relevant protocols such as AoE and FCoE.
204.3 Logical Volume Management
The candidate must be able to create and delete logical volumes, volume groups, and physical volumes. This objective also includes managing snapshots and resizing logical volumes.
Key knowledge areas:
- LVM Suite Tools.
- Resize, rename, create, and delete logical volumes, volume groups, and physical volumes.
- Create and maintain snapshots.
- Activate volume groups.
Topic 205: Network Configuration
205.1 Basic Network Configuration
The candidate must know how to configure a network device to connect to a local area network (wired or wireless) and a wide area network. Likewise, the candidate must be able to establish communication between multiple subnets of the same network (both IPv4 and IPv6).
Key knowledge areas:
- Utilities for configuring and manipulating Ethernet network interfaces.
- Configure basic access to wireless networks.
205.2 Advanced Network Configuration
The candidate must be able to configure a network device to implement various network authentication schemes. Likewise, the candidate must be able to configure a multi-homed network device and troubleshoot communication issues.
Key knowledge areas:
- Utilities for manipulating routing tables.
- Utilities for configuring and manipulating Ethernet network interfaces.
- Utilities to manipulate the status of network devices.
- Utilities for monitoring and analyzing TCP/IP traffic.
205.3 Network Troubleshooting
The candidate should be able to identify and correct common network configuration problems, as well as understand the location of basic commands and configuration files.
Key knowledge areas:
- Location and content of access restriction files.
- Utilities for configuring and manipulating Ethernet network interfaces.
- Utilities for managing routing tables.
- Utilities for producing lists of network statuses.
- Utilities for obtaining information about network configuration.
- Methods for obtaining information about recognized and used hardware devices.
- System initialization files and their contents (Systemd and SysV init).
- Knowledge of NetworkManager and its impact on network configuration.
Topic 206: System maintenance
206.1 Compiling and installing programs from source code
The candidate must be able to compile and install an executable program from its source code. The candidate must also know how to unpack an archive containing source code.
Key knowledge areas:
- Unpack source code using common compression and archiving utilities.
- Understand what happens when you invoke the make command to compile programs.
- Apply parameters to a configuration script.
- Know the default location of the source code of the programs.
206.2 Backup Operations
The candidate must be able to use system tools to back up important information.
Key knowledge areas:
- Know which files to include in backups.
- Learn about network backup solutions such as Amanda, Bacula, Bareos, and BackupPC.
- Understand the benefits and drawbacks of tapes, CD-Rs, disks, and other backup media.
- Perform partial and manual backups.
- Verify the integrity of backup files.
- Restore backups in full or in part.
206.3 Notify users about system-related problems
The candidate must be able to notify users about system-related issues.
Key knowledge areas:
- Automate communication with users through login messages.
- Inform active users about system maintenance.
Language
The e-Learning components on which the training is conducted are in English and Spanish .
Exam languages available at VUE test centers: English, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Languages for exams available online through OnVUE: English, Japanese
Requirements
The candidate must have an active LPIC-1 certification to receive the LPIC-2 certification.
