Introduction to Server Administration

Name: Introduction to Server Administration
Rating: 4.3 (126 reviews)

Deploy and Manage Your Servers | Act as Your Own Server Administrator

Created bySkillSprints Inc., Henry Quinn

Last updated 7/2018

English

What you'll learn

You will learn what exactly a virtual private server (VPS) is, how one can benefit you, and how to provision one.
You will learn how to SSH into your new machine and navigate around using the command line.
You will learn how to use command line based text editors to edit configuration files.
You will learn what a package manager is and how they can help you set up a system.
You will learn how to set up a LAMP hosting environment.
You will learn how to use Git to populate /var/www/ with your projects.
You will learn how to connect projects to local MySQL databases.
You will learn how to point domain names to your sites and set up Apache virtual hosts.
You will learn to lock down your system by closing common web server attack vectors.
You will learn how to troubleshoot your server by reading your log files.

Course content

10 sections • 75 lectures • 4h 59m total length

Welcome to the Course0:39
A quick introduction to the course, overview of the main learning points, and why you should be hyped.
About the Instructor0:50
Learn a little bit about your instructor for this course, Henry.
Introductory Activity4:37
Dip your feet into Server administration with this quick introductory activity.
Defining a Virtual Private Server2:18
Obtain the Tools of the Trade2:35
Learn about which tools and resources you will need while going through this course.
Digital Ocean Overview2:58
Henry goes over Digital Ocean.
Creating Your First Server9:30
Henry shows you how to create your first server.
Sign up for Digital Ocean and Create a Server5:08
Henry gets you started on your first lab exercise for the course.
You’re Officially a Server Admin (“It’s A Unix System!”)0:35
Congratulations video on making your first server!

Handling Permissions and Users0:49
Cool, you have a server. Now what?
SSH (Secure Shell)5:10
Learn how to use SSH to log in using emailed credentials.
PuTTY (SSH from a PC)4:29
Create a User2:15
Henry goes over sudo, and how to add a user that’s not root and explain why that’s important.
Navigate the File Tree5:41
Some basics of navigating the file tree with - ls (-a -l -alt), cd, cp, mv, rm, pwd, man.
Quick Tour5:35
Take a look at Linux file system.
Less Quick Tour6:14
Dive a little deeper with File permissions, chmod, chown.
Setting up Tasks on the Command Line6:47
This second lab will have you go through a set of tasks on the command line.
CLI Came, CLI Saw, CLI Conquered0:35
You now have the knowledge to move around your server!

Navigating with Nano & VIM0:58
CLI is neat and all, but how do I write code in here?
CLI Text Editors2:47
CLI editors vs GUI editors
Nano3:59
A rundown of the basics of using Nano.
Vim7:24
Henry shows you how to install and get started with Vim.
VIM Adventures3:37
Learn some VIM commands in a neat and fun game!
Creating and editing files3:56
In this lab exercise you will Create a file/edit file, find/replace, and copy/paste.
You Too Can Be a Vim Snob!0:48
Vim seems like a lot, but it’s powerful. Nano is more than acceptable.

Basic Yum Commands0:57
Cool. Files and stuff. What else can this do?
Package Managers 1012:26
There are programs just like on desktops. Just… different.
See What You’ve Got and Find Something New4:43
Henry discusses dependencies, Yum list, yum search, and compares version numbers.
Remove a Package2:24
Henry shows you how to install the sl train, shows how it works, and demonstrates how remove it with yum.
Yum Cheat Sheet3:13
Go over some commands in Yum and some places for quick reference.
Using Package managers4:10
The World At Your Fingers0:48
Package managers are the key to making any server you want.

What is the Lamp Stack?1:00
How do I string packages together?
Introduction to the LAMP Stack3:29
Gather The Tools3:20
Install and enable Apache, MySQL and PHP.
Common Setting in Apache6:02
Common settings people change, and /var/www/
Enabling and Configuring with MySQL6:42
Enable and configure MySQL and learn some basic MySQL commands.
Serving HTML Pages with PHP4:10
Henry talks about how this translates PHP and serves HTML pages.
Working with Apache, MySQL, and PHP6:29
The Hostess With the Mostest0:37
Now you have LAMP up. You can put any number of sites in here!

Using GITHUB to put projects on your Server0:53
But how do I get projects on here?
Overview of Git and /var/www/2:49
Brief overview of Git, and an explanation of /var/www/ hosting sites.
Git Clone4:56
Clone a repository down to your server and check in browser.
Making Changes (Remote)5:19
Make a change on your computer, push it to GitHub, and pull to your server.
Making Changes (Local)4:53
Henry shows you how to make changes on the server (Vim), commit, push to GH, and pull to computer.
Git Cloning Virtual repositories3:21
This lab will ask you to Git clone two of Henry's repos and set up virtual hosts (ports).
You’re A Git-ar Hero0:36
Now you can get your code somewhere you can show it off!

Connecting Databases to your Server0:39
But how do I store and use input data?
Creating Users/Passwords/Permissions4:41
Create a user, give CRUD access, and go over GRANT.
Creating Databases/Tables/Columns7:32
Go over how databases are made up of tables.
Connecting App To Database10:29
Connect Prebuilt PHP app to the database and learn how conn/user/pass/db work.
SQLBuddy8:50
Install and hook up SQLBuddy. Easy mode.
Linking up to MySQL10:08
In this lab you will Git clone Henry's repo and hook it up to MySQL.
It’s Alive It’s Alive!!!0:51
Now you can give your apps lasting memory and that's pretty neat.

Linking a Domain to your Server0:35
Buying A Domain5:47
Buy a domain from NameCheap and do the name server forwarding.
Pointing That Domain To Your Site/Server3:54
Subdomains8:24
Henry teaches you how to create virtual host to have a subdomain.
Advanced Domain Stuff4:45
Henry talks about how you can use MX, TXT, and AAAA records.
Setting up a Domain with your Server8:34
This Is Kind Of How Google Started0:49
No one likes remembering IP’s. This makes your life easier.

Protecting Your Server0:57
This all seems like it would be awfully easy to hack…
Lock Down SSH4:00
Henry goes over settings, explains some of them, and teaches you how to lock down ssh by root when not local.
Add SSH Key7:55
Henry explains creating, adding, and using an SSH key.
Basic Firewall4:53
Lock down those ports.
Snapshot3:18
Making snapshots with DO, go over offsite backups and git fire.
Basic Security9:07
Read up on basic security principles?
The Best Offense Is A Good Defense0:42
There is SO much more you can do, but this is a solid baseline.

Check those Logs0:43
Seriously though, have you checked the logs?
Logs and You! (/var/log/)3:00
If something broke, this should be your first stop. Henry explains logs.
Which Files To Check (ls -altr)6:10
Quick video to go over ls flags again, so you can find last modified.
What To Look For3:57
Henry breaks a couple things on purpose and finds the access/error logs.
Log Aggregators4:23
Talk briefly on technology like Splunk and ELK.
Opening up logs and searching for events10:14
In this lab, you will open certain logs in vim and search for provided events.
Pay Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain0:19
Logs make your life easier. Learn to read them. Learn to love them.

Requirements

You should have basic understanding of the Windows or Mac operating system
You should able to use the internet and internet tools

Description

Are you a developer who wants to be able to deploy and manage your own servers? Perhaps you want to start working in server side development and need to understand the back end environment. Maybe you're interested in starting a career in server administration and want to understand the fundamentals?

The fact is if you're a web developer, or web technologist you need to understand server administration. After you complete this course you will be able to independently provision your own web servers, and deploy salable web applications that can be shared globally. You'll learn the tools of the trade used by server administrators, and how to properly secure your web servers.

This is a course about DOING-- not simply watching an instructor. In the very first chapter you'll hit the ground running as you create and configure your first server. During the course you'll master command interface tools like NANO and VIM. You'll examine package managers and understanding the LAMP stack.

This course also prepares you to work with GIT code repositories and the popular mySQL database. You'll also learn the important server administration skills of working with security and logs.

When you enroll in this class you'll join a community of learners led by LearnToProgram's Henry Quinn. If you'd like to add server administration to your list of skills, we'll look forward to seeing you in class.

Who this course is for:

Web Designers and Developers who want to understand the server environment
People who want to learn DevOps (Development Operations)
People who work with enterprise applications
Back end developers

Introduction to Server Administration

What you'll learn

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Course content

First Steps In Server Administration9 lectures • 29min

How To Connect And Get A Lay Of The Land (SSH & CLI)9 lectures • 38min

Editing Files, Or How To Stop Worrying And Love Vim (Nano & Vim)7 lectures • 23min

Sudo Yum Get Install Understanding-Of-Package-Managers (Yum)7 lectures • 19min

No, The Other Kind of LAMP (LAMP Stack)8 lectures • 32min

Let’s Git Your Code On This Server (Git & HTTPD)7 lectures • 23min

If It Only Had A Brain (MySQL)7 lectures • 43min

Help People Find Your Projects (Domains)7 lectures • 33min

How To Stop The Hackers (Security)7 lectures • 31min

Have You Checked The Logs?7 lectures • 29min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: