Ubuntu Administration Essentials for IT Professionals

Course Description:
This hands-on course is designed for IT professionals, system administrators, and aspiring Linux users who want to master the essentials of managing Ubuntu 22.04 LTS in real-world environments. Whether you're supporting servers in the cloud or managing workstations locally, this course builds the foundational and intermediate skills you need to confidently operate Ubuntu systems.

Through practical labs, real-world exercises, and guided instruction, you’ll learn to manage users, configure networks, monitor processes, handle storage, automate updates, implement backup strategies, and even deploy web applications.

What You Will Learn:

Navigate and manage the Linux filesystem using powerful shell commands
Manage users, groups, and permissions to secure access
Configure networking, SSH, firewalls, and hostname resolution
Install, update, and remove software using APT, Snap, and dpkg
Monitor CPU, memory, disk usage, and system logs effectively
Mount and manage file systems, partitions, and quotas
Control system services, boot behavior, and startup troubleshooting
Perform regular backups, automate restore points, and recover from issues
Deploy a real-world web application with Apache and MySQL

Who Should Take This Course:

IT professionals supporting Linux environments
Cloud administrators and DevOps engineers working on Ubuntu servers
Students and career changers preparing for Linux system roles
Anyone preparing for certifications like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1

Hands-On Labs:
Each module includes guided labs using virtual machines with real Ubuntu installations. You’ll practice key admin tasks step-by-step, using command-line tools in real scenarios. No simulated environments—just practical experience that mirrors production.

Prerequisites:

Basic familiarity with computers and command-line usage recommended
No prior Linux experience required, but helpful

Category: IT Support and Administration
Level: Intermediate
Time Estimate: 12h 0m
Price: $399.99 for 3 months of access
Subscription: $149.99 per month after 7-day free trial
Lab Environment: Included
Free Trial: 7 Days

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Lessons in this Course

Lesson 1: Introduction to Ubuntu 22.04 and Linux Fundamentals

Get started with Ubuntu by learning the core concepts every Linux administrator needs to know. This lesson introduces the Ubuntu 22.04 operating system, key use cases, and the Linux file system structure. You'll practice navigating the command line, managing files and directories, and understanding users, groups, and permissions—skills that form the foundation for everything you'll do in Ubuntu.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Exploring the Linux File System Hierarchy Understand the structure of the Linux filesystem and identify key system directories that hold configuration files, binaries, user data, and system logs. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Command-Line Navigation Navigate through the Linux filesystem using common commands and understand your current location within the system. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: File and Directory Management Create, modify, and organize files and directories using Linux commands. Learn how these tools are commonly used in system administration tasks. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 4: Users, Groups, and Permissions Overview Understand how file access is controlled through permissions, ownership, and groups. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 2: User and Group Management

In this lesson, you will learn about user account files, how to create and manage users and groups, control password policies, and configure administrative privileges using the `sudo` system.

Duration: 1 h 30 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Understanding System User Files This lab teaches you how to manage users, groups, and permissions in Ubuntu 22.04. These tasks are essential for securing systems and managing access rights. You will learn how to create, modify, and delete user accounts, assign users to groups, manage passwords and expiration policies, and configure sudo privileges. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Users and Groups Create user and group accounts, update them, and delete them. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Managing User Passwords and Expiration Set passwords, expire them, and enforce aging policies. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 4: Sudo Permissions and Editing sudoers File Grant and manage sudo access securely using the correct tools. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 3: Networking Essentials and Configuration

In this lesson, we’ll work through configuring static IP addresses, setting hostnames and DNS, enabling firewalls with `ufw`, and configuring secure remote access with SSH.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: View and Understand Network Configuration Examine the VM’s current DHCP-based network configuration without attempting to modify it. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Set DNS and Hostname Resolution Manually configure DNS settings and change the system hostname. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Enable Firewall with UFW and Allow SSH Secure your VM using UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) and allow essential access for remote administration. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 4: Install and Test SSH Access Install and configure OpenSSH Server for secure access to your VM. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 4: Package Management and System Updates

In this lesson, we’ll learn how to install software using command-line tools, add third-party repositories, and automate security patching using unattended-upgrades.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Install and Remove CLI-Based Packages Learn to install and remove CLI-based tools using `apt`, `snap`, and `wget`, understand their purpose, and verify their presence. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Add and Remove a PPA for CLI Tools Learn how to add and remove Personal Package Archives (PPAs) that provide CLI tools. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Configure Automatic Security Updates Install and configure unattended-upgrades to automatically apply critical updates. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 5: Process Management and System Monitoring

In this lesson, you'll learn how to inspect system processes, monitor CPU and memory usage, examine logs, and use tools to alert or troubleshoot performance problems.

Duration: 1 h 30 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Simulate and Monitor CPU and Memory Usage Generate CPU and memory load using a tool called `stress` and monitor with `top`, `htop`, and `free`. Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Exercise 2: Simulate Disk Activity and Monitor I/O Create disk activity using a file generation script and monitor space usage and directory size. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Generate Network Activity and Monitor Simulate network traffic and use `ss` and `iftop` to inspect active connections and bandwidth. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 4: Analyze Logs for System Events and Stress Tests Review system logs to detect abnormal or resource-heavy operations. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 6: Storage, Disks, and File Systems

This lesson introduces you to analyzing disk layouts, setting up and mounting file systems, and applying disk usage controls with quotas. These are everyday tasks in both cloud and on-prem environments.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Inspecting Disk Layouts Use `lsblk`, `fdisk`, and `blkid` to examine disks and partitions. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Formatting and Mounting a New Partition Create a partition on the new disk (/dev/sdb), format it with ext4 or xfs, and mount it manually and persistently. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 7: Services, Daemons, and Startup Processes

In this lesson, you will learn how to manage Linux services using systemd and systemctl, configure startup behavior, and troubleshoot performance issues at boot. Use real-world server management examples to contextualize the hands-on tasks.

Duration: 1 h 30 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Managing Common Services with systemctl Start, stop, restart, and check the status of services using `systemctl`. Understand what happens when services fail. Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Exercise 2: Enable and Disable Services at Boot Configure services to automatically start or not start during system boot. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Analyze Boot Performance and Troubleshoot Startup Use `systemd-analyze` and `journalctl` to measure boot time and inspect boot logs. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Lesson 8: Backup and Restore Strategies

In this lesson, you will learn how to perform manual and automated backups, and leverage snapshot tools to ensure system recoverability. Provide hands-on experience with tools like rsync, tar, cron, and Timeshift.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Manual Backups with rsync and tar Learn how to manually create backups using `rsync` and `tar`. These tools are commonly used for syncing and archiving files. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 2: Automating Backups with Cron Automate your backup task with `cron`, a job scheduler used widely in Linux systems. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Create and Restore a System Snapshot with Timeshift Use Timeshift to take a system snapshot and restore from it. Useful for system recovery after failed upgrades or configuration issues. Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Lesson 9: Basic Server Setup and Security

In this lesson, you will learn how to set up a basic web server on Ubuntu, configure a database, deploy a web application (WordPress), and understand key configuration files and behaviors using real-world examples.

Duration: 1 h 15 m

Exercises

Exercise 1: Install Apache and PHP Install and configure Apache and PHP to serve dynamic web content. Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Exercise 2: Install and Configure MySQL Install MySQL, secure the database server, and create a database and user for WordPress. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 3: Download and Configure WordPress Download WordPress, configure the wp-config.php file, and set secure permissions. Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Exercise 4: Finalize WordPress Setup Complete the WordPress installation via the browser and validate login functionality. Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Exercise 5: Explore Configuration Files Understand where and how Apache, PHP, and MySQL are configured. Estimated Time: 15 minutes