Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Managed Hosting and Services : Quickest way to learn how to manage?

[DonKon]

Hello,

I was wondering whats the quickest way to learn how to manage a server?

Is there any hands on tutorials online? Any information guides, im mostly curious about linux since i heard they are more secure..

Thanks

[Katatonic]

Firstly, Linux isn't more "secure". It just depends how it's configured and by whom usually.

What do you need to "manage"?

You could be managing the networking, clustering, performance, security, maintainence (physically and virtually) etc...

There would be plenty of IT courses around that you could attend depending on where you are.

If you must do it online, you're better off setting up your own Linux box (if that's the path you choose) and work from there.

Nothing more than hands on experience.

You can set the machine up locally (own home network) before migrating to bigger and better things.

[DonKon]

where can i find a guide on how to set one up locally?

[Mini]

Google.

Honestly, I've never been to any computer courses, it's all experience.

Mini

[Katatonic]

You can't even install Linux onto a machine at home?

Just get a spare box. Linux will run on anything.

[cywkevin]

There is no quick way to learn server management. I've been working in this industry for years and there's still so much that I don't know.

[Katatonic]

Originally Posted by pixelized

There is no quick way to learn server management. I've been working in this industry for years and there's still so much that I don't know.

Unless we live in the Matrix

[stephanhughson]

Just doing it, and looking up each thing you need to do isn't too bad, but you might break things every now and then.

The trouble is, there are many guides on the internet about how to do things, but they assume that you have things set up in similar ways, and you might not.

I started off with a computer at home running Windows (with server software), then Linux that I could wipe if I did anything wrong and just felt like starting again.

Good luck!

[besty]

It's like ocean and we can't dive into each and every section. If you are very particular like installation, particular security/troubleshooting then it is possible to have tutorial.

Check with the basic guide. I believe it would be usefull or you

http://www.openna.com/documentations/documentations.php

http://www.openna.com/pdfs/John_Holbrook_GSEC.pdf

[LightTPD]

Read Centos and FreeBSD tutorials and handbooks. It'll take time. All of us learn everyday.

[Jeremy]

Get a really dirt cheap vps and try stuff on it. Learn to compile a few things and install some basic apps.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=522376 there's a link in there that might help with some things.

[Galaxy-Hosts]

heres what I did several years back. Figure out which operating system you want to learn on and install that on a spare computer you have laying around. Then research how to secure that operating system. Install all your security and patches thru the command prompt. Do not use a GUI, you will be using a command prompt on the remote server. And the last pointer I have is, Google is your best friend. Good Luck

[mhalligan]

Originally Posted by DonKon

Hello,

I was wondering whats the quickest way to learn how to manage a server?

Is there any hands on tutorials online? Any information guides, im mostly curious about linux since i heard they are more secure..

Thanks

How about learning how the technologies work? Learn how to be a systems administrator, or hire one. Here's the list I recommend to anybody that asks
me "what do I do to become a systems administrator".

Websites:

- http://www.lopsa.org/
- http://www.sage.org/
- http://www.usenix.org/ (conference proceedings alone are worth the membership)
- http://www.stokely.com/
- http://www.infrastructure.org/ (to get you into the mindset of infrastructure thinking)

Books:

The Practice of System and Network Administration by Tom Limoncelli & Christine Hogan
Design of the UNIX Operating System - Maurice J Bach
Operating Systems: Design & Implementation - Tanenbaum
Adavnced Programming In The Unix Environment - Richard Stevens
TCP/IP Illustrated Vols 1-3 - Richard Stevens
Firewalls and Internet Security - William Cheswick
Essential System Administration, Third Edition - Æleen Frisch
UNIX Sysetms Administration Handbook - Evi Nemeth
Linux Administration Handbook (2nd Edition) by Evi Nemeth
Modern Operating Systems (2nd Edition) - Tanenbaum

[slice16]

as many people are saying above. best bet is to setup a box at home. install one of the popular server distributions (most popular seems to be centos (identical to RedHatEnterprise). This is what i started to learn on (i am still learning, most admins will never stop learning). Play about with apache, exim, proftp etc.

Also, keep reading, google is your best friend. I also found sites like WHT helped me alot, with information on new security flaws, and links to tutorials on how to secure the operating systems. There are also loads of tutorials in the Technical and Security forum.

Just keep practising, and dont use the GUI. Then, when you have the basics, get yourself a cheap VPS. Then its based at a DC, and you can run your own sites on there. And if it breaks, you have the support staff to fix it for you.

Wish you the best off luck

[hiwd]

If your interested in cPanel/WHM have a look at the below URL, it has alot of tutorials for installed different things, security etc...

http://www.dedicated-resouces.com