Linux for Data Centers
This course develops the Linux system administration skills required to operate servers, GPU nodes, and management tooling in a data center or AI factory environment, aligned to the Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA) exam objectives. Students navigate the Linux command line and filesystem hierarchy, manage users, groups, and file permissions, configure networking interfaces and basic firewall rules, install and manage packages and system services with systemd, monitor system resource utilization, and write basic shell scripts to automate a recurring administrative task. Topics include cloud and virtualization fundamentals, security fundamentals including SSH key-based authentication, and DevOps fundamentals such as version control basics. Laboratory sessions use the Atom Lab Bench's Linux/AI workstations to complete guided exercises culminating in a capstone exercise that provisions, secures, and monitors a Linux server matching a written specification. This course prepares students for the Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA) certification examination and for subsequent GPU cluster operations coursework.
What you'll be able to do
- Navigate the Linux filesystem hierarchy and perform file and directory operations from the command line.
- Create and manage Linux users, groups, and file permissions to meet a stated access-control requirement.
- Configure SSH key-based authentication and disable password authentication on a Linux server.
- Configure a network interface with a static IP address and verify connectivity.
- Configure a host-based firewall to allow only specified inbound services.
- Manage a system service (start, stop, enable, disable, check status) using systemd.
- Install and update system packages using the distribution's package manager, resolving a stated dependency conflict.
- Monitor system CPU, memory, disk, and process utilization to identify a resource-constrained condition.
- Write a basic shell script to automate a recurring administrative task and schedule it using cron.
- Distinguish container and virtual-machine virtualization concepts and identify an appropriate use case for each.
- Complete a capstone exercise provisioning, securing, and monitoring a Linux server against a written specification.
- Complete a Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA) full-length practice examination.
Train the team that runs the factory.
The Institute travels with every SAVRN campus.