RHCE

RED HAT SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION I (RH124)

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and
open source software development and distribution.

The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first
released 5 October 1991 by Linus Torvalds.

Linux was originally developed as a free operating system for Intel x86-based personal

computers. It has since been ported to more computer hardware platforms than any other
operating system. It is a leading operating system on servers and other big iron systems
such as mainframe computers and supercomputers more than 90% of today's 500 fastest
supercomputers run some variant of Linux, including the 10 fastest. Linux also runs on
embedded systems (devices where the operating system is typically built into the
firmware and highly tailored to the system) such as mobile phones, tablet, computers,
network routers, televisions and video game consoles; the Android system in wide use
on mobile devices is built on the Linux kernel.
Linux: Open Source - Open source software is software whose source code is available
for modification or enhancement by anyone. "Source code" is the part of software that
most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer programmers can manipulate
to change how a piece of softwarea "program" or "application"works. Programmers
who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by
adding features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly. That is easy to
upgrade by editing the source code and update it without performing the function of
reinstall, also able to do customization.
Linux doesnt support .exe (executable) files.

Linux Advantages:
1. Low cost: You dont need to spend time and money to obtain licenses since Linux
and much of its software come with the GNU General Public License. You can start
to work immediately without worrying that your software may stop working
anytime because the free trial version expires. Additionally, there are large
repositories from which you can freely download high quality software for almost
any task you can think of.
2. Stability: Linux doesnt need to be rebooted periodically to maintain performance
levels. It doesnt freeze up or slow down over time due to memory leaks and such.
Continuous uptimes of hundreds of days (up to a year or more) are not uncommon.
3. Performance: Linux provides persistent high performance on workstations and on
networks. It can handle unusually large numbers of users simultaneously, and can
make old computers sufficiently responsive to be useful again.
4. Network friendliness: Linux was developed by a group of programmers over the
Internet and has therefore strong support for network functionality; client and server

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systems can be easily set up on any computer running Linux. It can perform tasks
such as network backups faster and more reliably than alternative systems.
Flexibility: Linux can be used for high performance server applications, desktop
applications, and embedded systems. You can save disk space by only installing the
components needed for a particular use. You can restrict the use of specific
computers by installing for example only selected office applications instead of the
whole suite.
Compatibility: It runs all common Unix software packages and can process all
common file formats.
Choice: The large number of Linux distributions gives you a choice. Each
distribution is developed and supported by a different organization. You can pick the
one you like best; the core functionalities are the same; most software runs on most
distributions.
Fast and easy installation: Most Linux distributions come with user-friendly
installation and setup programs. Popular Linux distributions come with tools that
make installation of additional software very user friendly as well.
Full use of hard disk: Linux continues work well even when the hard disk is
almost full.
Multitasking: Linux is designed to do many things at the same time; e.g., a large
printing job in the background wont slow down your other work.
Security: Linux is one of the most secure operating systems. Walls and flexible
file access permission systems prevent access by unwanted visitors or viruses.
Linux users have to option to select and safely download software, free of charge,
from online repositories containing thousands of high quality packages. No
purchase transactions requiring credit card numbers or other sensitive personal
information are necessary.
Open Source: If you develop software that requires knowledge or modification of
the operating system code, Linuxs source code is at your fingertips. Most Linux
applications are Open Source as well.

Linux Vs Windows:
The main benefits and advantages of Linux over other operating systems, particularly
Microsoft Windows, are:
1. It is free to use and distribute.
2. Support is free through online help sites, blogs and forums.
3. It is very reliable more so than most other operating systems with very few
crashes.
4. A huge amount of free open source software has been developed for it.
5. It is very resistant to malware such as spyware, adware and viruses.
6. It runs in a wide variety of machines than cannot be updated to use newer
Windows versions.
7. Since the source code is visible, backdoors are easily spotted, so Linux offers
greater security for sensitive applications.
8. Linux offers a high degree of flexibility of configuration, and significant
customization is possible without modifying the source code.

RHEL (RED HAT ENTREPRISE LINUX) 7: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a
Linux distribution developed by Red Hat and targeted toward the commercial market.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server versions for x86, x86-64, Itanium,
PowerPC and IBM System z, and desktop versions for x86 and x86-64. All of the Red
Hat's official support and training, together with the Red Hat Certification Program,
focuses on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux platform. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is often
abbreviated to RHEL, although this is not an official designation.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 features the following file system enhancements:
1. eCryptfs not included: eCryptfs (Enterprise Cryptographic Filesystem) is a
package of disk encryption software for Linux. It is implemented as a POSIXcompliant filesystem-level encryption layer, aiming to offer functionality
similar to that of GnuPG(GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG or GPG) is a free
software, is a hybrid encryption software program in that it uses a combination
of conventional symmetric-key cryptography for speed, and public-key
cryptography for ease of secure key exchange, typically by using the
recipient's public key to encrypt a session key which is only used once.) at the
operating system level, and has been part of the Linux kernel since version
2.6.19. The eCryptfs package has been included in Ubuntu since version 9.04
and is used to implement Ubuntu's encrypted home directory feature. eCryptfs
is not suitable for encrypting complete partitions which also means you cannot
protect swap space with it (but you can, of course, combine it with Dmcrypt/Swap encryption). If you are just starting to set up disk encryption, swap
encryption and other points to consider are covered in Disk
encryption#Preparation.
2. System Storage Manager: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 includes a new
application called System Storage Manager. This provides a command-line
interface to manage various storage technologies.
3. XFS is the default File System
4. File system restructure: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 introduces a new file
system structure. The directories /bin, /sbin, /lib, and /lib64 are now nested
under /usr.
5. Snapper: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 introduces a new tool called snapper that
allows for the easy creation and management of snapshots for LVM and
BTRFS
6. BTRFS (Technology Preview): BTRFS is a local file system that aims to
provide better performance and scalability, including integrated LVM
operations. This file system is not fully supported by Red Hat and as such is a
technology preview.
7. NFS (Network File System) v2 no longer supported: Network File System
(NFS) is a distributed file system protocol originally developed by Sun
Microsystems in 1984, allowing a user on a client computer to access files
over a network much like local storage is accessed. NFS, like many other
protocols, builds on the Open Network Computing Remote Procedure Call
(ONC RPC) system. The Network File System is an open standard defined in
RFCs, allowing anyone to implement the protocol.

Linux is designed based on file system ie; Extended file system (.ext4, .ext5 etc ).
RHEL 7 supports XFS (High performance file system)
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/enUS/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/html/Storage_Administration_Guide/ch-xfs.html