How To Become A Linux System Admin

For you to start your career as a Linux, you need to first install Linux on your PC. After that, you need to understand how the Linus environment works.

According to ZipRectuiter, the average annual salary for a Linux System Admin in the United States is $99,759. With this figure, you’ll agree with me that choosing a career in this field is worthwhile.

Most companies around the world need Linux system administrators to diagnose and address issues relating to the operating system’s servers, hardware, software, and apps. Organizations also need them to install and configure Linux operating systems.

“Becoming a Linux System Administrator” is not as difficult as you may have thought. With the right information, you can always start a career in this field. The rest of this post will serve as a guide for you to understand exactly how to become a successful Linux System Administrator.

What is the Linux Operating System?

Like iOS, macOS, and Windows, Linux is a popular operating system. It’s an open-source, community-developed OS for mobile devices, computers, and mainframes. Linux has been around for many years. To be precise, this open-source operating system came out in the mid-1990s. Linux is one of the few operating systems that power the popular Android OS.

Linux is written in two different programming languages. The first one is C – a general-purpose programming language. The second programming language is Assembly Language. In case you don’t know, Assembly Language is a low-level language that experts designed specifically to communicate directly with a computer’s hardware.

That said, the primary function of a Linux operating system is that it enables developers to design their custom operating systems through one of its pieces – Kernels. The kernel is the core of the Linux OS. It’s the piece that controls a computer’s hardware, such as CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. Other Linux system pieces are bootloader, Init system, daemons, graphical server, and applications.

What is Linux System Administration?

Linux system administration is a process that involves setting up, maintaining, and configuring a computer system in the Linux environment. System administration involves a lot of operations, including taking reports, creating users’ accounts, updating files, and performing backup & recovery actions.

That said, a System Administrator is any person that monitors and maintains the operations of a computer system. As a Linux System administrator, your job is to manage Linux systems’ operations. In an organization, Linux admins are responsible for planning and implementing the best security measures for the company.

Below is the list of roles you can perform as a Linux System Administrator:

You need to manage all internet requests relating to RADIUS, DNS, MySQL, Apache, and PHP.
As a Linux System Admin, you must be able to perform a regular backup of data.
You need to diagnose all error logs and provide solutions to all issues.
Your responsibility also includes providing support for Web Hosting and ISP clients.
You need to be able to enhance, manage, and create necessary tools for Linux users and the Linux community.
As a Linux admin, you need to install, configure, manage, and update systems and security tools.
You need to partner with Data Network Engineers to diagnose hardware requirements.
Your job also includes troubleshooting, debugging, and resolving various server issues.

For you to be able to perform all the tasks mentioned above, you need to have a good understanding of Linux File Systems and File System Hierarchy. You also need to understand exactly how to manage Root/super use, Basic Bash Command, and Handling File, Directories, and Users.

Step by Step guide on how to become a Linux System Admin

By following the four steps below, you’ll be able to kick start your career path as a Linux System Administrator.

1. Learn how to use the Linux environment

For you to start your career as a Linux, you need to first install Linux on your PC. After that, you need to understand how the Linus environment works. Here’s where the need to take relevant Linux courses comes into play.

Currently, many online learning platforms offer Linux courses. Some of these platforms include Lynda, EDX, and Udemy. As a beginner, you can start with the basics of how to become a Linux admin by taking this course. Even if you already have a good knowledge of Linux administration, you can still consider taking this course.

2. Earn relevant certifications

Learning how the Linux environment works alone isn’t enough to start a career as a Linux System Administrator. In addition, you need to earn relevant Linux certifications. Today, there are many Linux certifications out there that you can enroll in. For instance, you can always consider sitting for the Oracle Certified Professional Oracle Linux 8 System Administrator certification. This exam costs $245 and the passing score is 60 percent.

Other relevant Linux certifications you can consider earning are:

CompTIA Linux+
LPIC 1 – Linux Administrator
LPIC 3 (300) – Linux Enterprise Professional Certification
LFCS (Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator) certification
RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator) certification

3. Learn about Linux documentation

This is arguably the most difficult step on this list. By learning to do Linux documentation, I mean you need to get familiar with kernel API, and how to perform its documentation. After learning this aspect, you should be able to understand exactly how certain kernel subsystems operate.

4. Join relevant groups

The last step requires you to join top Linux forums and communities. This way, you’ll be able to get support and help when needed. It’s simple, most forums and communities have one or more industry experts. You can always learn better from these people and become a successful Linux administrator.

Conclusion

Linux System Administration is certainly one of the good career options in the IT industry. You can always become a successful Linux admin if you follow the right information. Interestingly, every information you need to kickstart a career as a Linux System Administrator is already in this post.