Lesson 1

You know about Linux installation and user management.
The next step is to control your network.
In this course, you will discover the tools available to manage your desktop, network, and system resources.

Red Hat is the world's leading open source and Linux provider and is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with satellite offices worldwide.
Ubuntu is currently the leading Linux distribution.
Red Hat provides operating system platforms along with middleware, applications, and management solutions.

Most modern networks fall into one of two very broad categories: IP based networks. These are all networks that communicate via Internet Protocol addresses, which is the standard for the Internet and for most internal networks today. This generally includes Ethernet, Cable Modems, DSL Modems, dialup modems, Wi-Fi, VPN connections and more.
Then there are non-IP based networks. These are usually very specific niche networks, but one in particular has grown in usage enough to warrant mention here and that is InfiniBand. Because InfiniBand is not an IP network, many features and configurations normally used on IP networks are not applicable to InfiniBand.

Many system administrators would prefer to use an automated installation method to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on their machines. Red Hat, Inc created the kickstart installation method. Using kickstart, a system administrator can create a single file containing the answers to all the questions that would normally be asked during a typical installation. Kickstart files can be kept on a single server system and read by individual computers during the installation. This installation method can support the use of a single kickstart file to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on multiple machines, making it ideal for network and system administrators. Kickstart provides a way for users to automate a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation.

Linux was a phenomenon waiting to happen as the computer industry suffered from a rift. In the 1980s and 1990s, people had to choose between inexpensive, market-driven PC operating systems from Microsoft and expensive, technology-driven operating systems such as UNIX. Free software was being created all over the world, but lacked a common platform to rally around. Eventually, Linux became that common platform.
For several years, Red Hat Linux was the most popular commercial distribution of Linux. In 2003, Red Hat, Inc. changed the name of its distribution from Red Hat Linux to Fedora Core (later changing the name to simply Fedora) and moved its commercial efforts toward its Red Hat Enterprise Linux products. It then set up Fedora to be:

1. Sponsored by Red Hat
2. Supported by the Linux community
3. Inclusive of high-quality, cutting-edge open source technology
4. A proving ground for software slated for commercial Red Hat deployment and support

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, on the other hand, became the basis for Red Hat’s fully supported product line, geared toward big companies with the need to set up and manage many Linux systems.