Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the NDG Linux Essentials course. NDG (Network Development Group) is very
excited that you have decided to immerse yourself in the world of Linux. Before you get started, we
want to take the opportunity to introduce you to the course, give you an idea of what you can expect
from the material and your interaction with the features we have designed for you.
The NDG Linux Essentials course is designed to prepare you for the Linux Professional Institute
Linux Essentials Professional Development Certificate, which validates a demonstrated
understanding of:
FOSS, the various communities, and licenses
Knowledge of open source applications in the workplace as they relate to closed source
equivalents
Basic concepts of hardware, processes, programs and the components of the Linux Operating
System
How to work on the command line and with files
How to create and restore compressed backups and archives
System security, users/groups and file permissions for public and private directories
How to create and run simple scripts
To obtain the Linux Essentials Professional Development Certificate you must pass Linux Essentials
(LPI-010) which covers:

The Linux community and a career in open source

Finding your way on a Linux system
The power of the command line
The Linux operating system
Security and file permissions

The Linux Essentials Professional Development Certificate is the beginning of your path to
becoming a Linux certified professional. Information about the Linux Professional Institute
certifications can be found by going to http://www.lpi.org.
Do not be concerned if you have little or no Linux experience. This course is the perfect starting
place designed to teach all of the concepts from square one. However, if you do not find this
material challenging enough, consider starting with NDG Introduction to Linux I, a more rigorous
introductory course.

Course Overview
Title of Chapter

LPI Linux Essentials Certificate Objective

Covered
1.1 Linux Evolution and Popular Operating Systems

1 Introduction to Linux
4.1 Choosing an Operating System
1.2 Major Open Source Applications
2 Open Source Applications and Licenses
3 Using Linux
4 Command Line Skills
5 Getting Help

1.3 Understanding Open Source Software and

Licensing
1.4 ICT Skills and Working in Linux
2.1 Command Line Basics
2.2 Using the Command Line to Get Help
2.3 Using Directories and Listing Files

6 Working with Files and Directories

7 Archiving and Compression
8 Pipes, Redirection, and REGEX
9 Basic Scripting
10 Understanding Computer Hardware
11 Managing Packages and Processes
12 Network Configuration
13 System and User Security
14 Managing Users and Groups
15 Ownership and Permissions
16 Special Permissions, Links and File
Locations

2.4 Creating, Moving and Deleting Files

3.1 Archiving Files on the Command Line
3.2 Searching and Extracting Data from Files
3.3 Turning Commands into a Script
4.2 Understanding Computer Hardware
4.3 Where Data is Stored
4.4 Your Computer on the Network
5.1 Basic Security and Identifying User Types
5.2 Creating Users and Groups
5.3 Managing File Permissions and Ownership
5.4 Special Directories and Files

Interacting with the Course

Above, is a screenshot taken from the course content. The important pieces have been highlighted
for you and are explained in detail below.
1: Navigation Tabs
Within each chapter there are up to three tabs:
1. Content: The primary tab, which includes the reading material for the chapter.
2. Objectives: Indicates which LPIC-1 Exam Objectives the chapter aligns to. Includes links to
the pages where information pertaining to the Key Knowledge Areas can be found.
3. Key Terms: A list of key terms included in the chapter along with their definitions and links
to their locations within the chapter.
2: Table of Contents
This lists the pages contained in the currently selected chapter. It can be used to jump to a page and
expanded to view the names of the pages as well.
3: Virtual Terminal
This command line interface (CLI) is provided so that you can actively apply concepts and
commands introduced within the text. If this is your first time using Linux, this interface may be
foreign to you. We are going to introduce you to the basic components of the terminal. You do not
need to understand all of them all right away, as you become more comfortable using the CLI, the
pieces should begin to make sense. Feel free to refer back here at any time.

The CLI begins by offering you a prompt:

sysadmin@localhost:~$

This prompt, also referred to as the Command Line Interface prompt, CLI prompt, or shell prompt,
provides you with some basic information about your session. The text in green indicates the user
currently logged in. On our machines, you begin as the user sysadmin on the local machine. Some
commands must be executed by an administrator, which is someone with root or superuser account
privileges. In order to login into the administrator account, type in the su command and press
Enter. You will then be asked for a password:
sysadmin@localhost:~$ su
Password:

The password to the administrator account for our machine is netlab123. Type in the password
and press Enter. The prompt will change to indicate you are now logged in as the root user:
root@localhost:~#

The text in blue indicates your location within the filesystem. The prompts above indicate that you
are in the ~ folder, which represent the current users home folder. If you move to the Documents
folder, the prompt will change to indicate your new location:
sysadmin@localhost:~$ cd Documents
sysadmin@localhost:~/Documents$

The CLI prompt will vary depending on which version of Linux you are using, but its function
remains the same, to accept commands from the user. Any output the commands produce will be
displayed below the line on which the command was given:
sysadmin@localhost:~$ whoami
sysadmin

4: Reset Button
Be forewarned that the virtual environment does not persist, it will periodically be reset to its
original state. This means any files you create or customization to your working environment
(creating aliases, setting variables, etc.) will be removed and any changes made will be undone.
The environment can also be reset manually using the drop down button located above the terminal.
5: Examples
Contained within the course are examples of the commands and demonstrations of the concepts. As
you can see from the screenshot, these are designed to imitate the look of the terminal. Many of
these examples were produced using the same environment available to you and copied directly into
the text. We encourage you to use the terminal as often as possible while reading the chapter content,
however there are places where the output will differ or you will not be able to reproduce the

examples altogether. The labs that follow the chapters were designed to take you through the
material step-by-step, working with the CLI to give you practical experience.
6: Help Menu
This menu provides two options. The first is a link to Frequently Asked Questions, where you can
find information like the minimum browser requirements. The second opens a Submit Feedback
window where you can submit feedback about the course, ask questions, or report problems.

Labs
After completing chapter content, you will have an opportunity to practice what youve learned by
completing a set of lab exercises designed to give you hands-on experience.
Labs are accessed by returning to the LPIC-1 101 course dashboard and selecting the lab for the
relevant chapter. Note that some chapters are more conceptual and do not have a hands-on lab. In
some cases, there is one lab that covers multiple chapters.
Each lab is contained within its own separate browser window, with the lab steps on the left and a
live Linux terminal window on the right. Please note that it may take several minutes before the
command line interface prompt is displayed in the Linux terminal window. If the prompt does
not appear automatically, click in the terminal window with your mouse then press the Enter key.
At the completion of a lab, you can return to the course modules list to take the exam or move on to
the next chapter.

Getting Certified with LPI

Who is LPI?
The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is the leading Linux certification and workforce development
organization that is committed to helping students and professionals grow their career opportunities
in Linux and Open Source. With over 15 years of experience, LPI offers one of the most
comprehensive, globally recognized Linux skills certification programs.

Why is validating your skills important?

When looking for your next internship, job, or promotion its important to have the right Linux skills
and knowledge for the position. The Linux Essentials Professional Development Certificate is a
trusted credential that can be a great first step toward LPIs professional LPIC certification track or
it can be a great way to show decision-makers that you have the skills and abilities to do the job
whether thats in big data, cloud, network, mobile or open source technologies that rely on Linux.

Connect with LPI

LPI is committed to being there for you no matter where you are in your Linux journey. LPI's 100k+
strong social community is a great way to network, get advice, participate in discussions, and keep
up to date on Linux news from around the world. Join us today to connect with a global community
of professionals that speak Linux, just like you.

Special Offer
Commit to Your Success
One of the best ways to stay on track and reach your professional goals is to invest in them early. To
help you on your road to success, LPI is offering you a special discount on your Linux Essentials
certificate exam aligned to this course.