RHCE recent test doc/info help

[Huc_1]

I intend to take the RHCE test before 2.6 kernel is out so no real urgency here, now I know that some of you have already past this test so I am hoping for good insight from you

What I am after is recent links, docs, informations, advices.

I underline recent because what in am after is anything dealing with 2.4 linux kernel and OS environment that is helpfull in RHCE context.(a vast subject realy)

I will of course assign points to any good helpfull entry, and i will close this post explicitaly and assign 0 point from then on when i have more then i can swallow, or i feel the informations is becomming redundant.

merci, buckets
(no reason this should not be fun!)

J-P

[Jerome Henry · Accepted solution]

Salut Jean Pierre,

As you know (this is not secret), RHCE exams has 3 parts :
one is debugging, meaning that a get a non working machine (a bug is implemented through a batch), and you have a target, make it work... For this, experiment with your machine is the best.
Then you have a quizz. For this (and next part), you can use http://www.rhce2b.com/ it's a good resource. There is also http://www.qod.com/ where you can subscribe to receive everyday a new question... None of these sites are craming sites, meaning that they do not take real questions 'stolen' from the real exam to train your skills. They just ask questions to test your knowledge on some subject. The result is that most of the time their questions are harder than the real one... The way to use it is : if you know the answer, great. If you know what it's talking about but you are not sure about the answer, review a little the subject. Really go make some coffee and read more if you don't even know what the question refers to...
Then last but very important, the practice exam, in which you'll have to set up a server working... For all that, you knwo that we sign an agreement not to reveal exact content, in order for our certification to be meaningful. But you knwo what services can work on a server. To prepare it, I used Negus' Linux bible, basically all that is about server stuff is to be known and practiced. Add a few security stuff (iptables, ssh, ssl, and all the other, you'll find them useful even if you are not asked about them...).

hth

J

[Jerome Henry]

Hi again !

I forgot a very good source :
http://www.europe.redhat.com/documentation/
If you know all the topics, from installation to administration primer, then there are good chances that you know exactly all that Redhat feels important to know...

:]

J

[Huc_1]

J??r??me

I like your two first links... good stuff... keep it comming I will review it ASAP, I just had time for a peep.

merci beaucoup and not buckets.

J-P

[Stuart Browne]

*blink* woo..

One post, and most topics have been covered already..

I'll just make a few comments on the things I did before going for my RHCE.

I got a book. The book I got was a few versions old, but that really doesn't matter. You should now be able to get bookx on RHCE 7.3, or maybe even 8. These would be great.

Work your way through the book bit by bit. Even if you think you know a topic, read it anyway. There's always more than one way to do something, and if you know 3 ways to do the same job, you'll stand a better chance of being able to configure real-world machines where non rhce's have been playing.

Take the pactice tests. As Jerome said, if you don't know an answer, go study the related subject. If you're not sure what the related subjects are, ask us.

Also as Jerome said, the other 2 parts of the tests (what I considered to be the fun bits!) are the hands on work.

If you don't want to risk your own system, get a spare box, install Linux on it.. Break it. Be creative.

Fix it.

Repeat until you don't know how to break it any more.

Things you can do to break it:

destroy boot sectors of the HDD. Strangely enough, this is a regular occurance in the real world, especially in multi-boot environtments.

turn off services. Hell, turn 'em all off! See what each one does.

forcibly remove files, rename them, remove packages, corrupt libraries.. This really is a real world occurance. This will teach you how and why 'rpm' is a tool to be used for 'good' :P And how it can be used for 'evil'... (go --nodeps!).


Another good thing to do is to create hypothetical situations.. for instace:

I've got a customer who wants to set up a web server with PHP and PostGres databases. Configure it.

I've got a customer who wants a mail server/router so his private network can browse the 'net, but not be accessable from the outside world.

Customer has an existing linux box and wants to use a server on his Internal network as his public web server, but only has one IP address, already assigned to the linux box.


And come up with solutions.

If you can do these sorts of things, things of which I know I get asked every day, then you'll be fine.

[Jerome Henry]

On the same mood (and jumping on Stuart's tip), add to these configs some accounts that have a shell, some that doesn't and some that have only ssh access, only to some directory. Be sure to do each config in less than 2 hours...

(plz 0 here as I'm just sitting on Stuart's shoulders).

:]

J

[Huc_1]

*blink* *blink* woo wow wow
2 reply's and I am keep busy for the next few months this is a plot !! to keep me of the air !

..more seriouly

Thanks both for you on hand experiences, advices.

I intend go take the exam, just the one day, I have gotten hold for free of an old RHCE book from Global knowledge with a cd but this is 6.2 so a bit dated still I am doing this on my own budget so will want to be budget aware, this book is pre kernel 2.4 stuff, think most is still valid, but may consider openning my purse for a newer version, just want to be sure it's the right one, I have a small network at home with 3 i386 old desktops and 1 alpha desktop they all run linux so I am nearly all set.

The idea of writting various senarios is a good one will do and if I get a new book will walk it all the way!

any futher sugestions welcome.

J-P


I

[Jerome Henry]

At the time I passed rhce I had only one linux box, and used the network functionnality to connect to it (I mean, using the IP address instead of 127.0.0.1), it's a good way to see if what you set up is working from outside.

I like 7.3 very much for training, as many things are still to be done from a shell, and it integrates many functionnality you are suppose to know on 2.4 kernel (6.2 is 2.2 kernel, if I remember well). You could download it from Internet.

Yours

J

[Huc_1]

Oui J??r??me in fact I run RH 9.0 on all i386 and 7.2 on ALPHA these are usualy update by RHN and I am hook-up to 4 mega/bit per sec coaxial TV net work provider using dhcp dynamic ip address with a permanent node name,(run a script every so often to make sure my ip address and node name match) the node on internet has 2 network card and i use masquarade to open up to other nodes when I need to, so I can nmap from outside tho check ports and open port 22 when I want to use this.

I have installed mysql,apache,php,dont run mail use a provider for that, my next move is to set dns inside of my lan and use this for internal node ip address (they are now static in /etc/host i maintaine this on all nodes)

I have in fact always use linux at home (since 0.96 on floppys SLS dist if i remenber well, before that i used minix on an atari 1024) i do run dos and w2k on one i386 that dual boot just for a few tools, but i find i am booting these os less and less linux env is better by the hour.

I also still have to convert from ipchains to iptales, but I first tackel the lan name server
set up.

I am moving along and having fun.

J-P

[David Sullivan_7]

I agree with the others, but make sure that you study against the most current release of Red Hat, as versions of the packages change. A good example is that Apache went from 1.x to 2.x from Red Hat 7.3 to Red Hat 8.0, and the configuration and file placement changed a good bit.