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Where Do You Go For Linux Training?
Spritzer writes "I work for a rather large corporation with multiple divisions around the world. Nearly all user computers in the company are Windows systems, and there is no plan to move to Linux in the future. However, a good many of our products are now designed to run on Linux systems for security and stability purposes. Obviously, the design/development teams are knowledgeable in the use of Linux operating systems. Unfortunately my field service teams are not, and their is no in-house training program. This has begun to affect our ability to provide efficient, quality service to customers when in the field. So, we need training and would prefer to stay away from online, self-paced courses and get our people some hands on training with an instructor. What training services have you used in the past to get people trained in the basics of using?"
At lots of locations in North America.
https://www.redhat.com/training/
The Southern California Linux Expo is a great traing event for Linux and OSS platforms.
I go to the man.
Where else?
If you really want to be proficient with an OS, the only way to really do it is through experience. In school, I took a class where I learned how to use MS Office (I've been to hell and back a few times), and after the semester, do you really think I understood how to use it?
Same goes for Linux. The only reason I know how to use it (fairly) well is because I've been using it for a few months.
I suggest you have your teams just start trying stuff and looking online (I know, I know) for reference.
Eddie
I suggest sending a large number of emails liberally sprinkled with the phrases "RTFM" and "n00b". It works wonders on my mailing list. I haven't listened to a single complaint.
(It's a joke. Laugh)
RTFM, noob! ;)
IBM offers Linux and UNIX training, but it's pricey, like everything IBM carries.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
When I took my last Oracle class, the instructor told me they were finalizing a new set of Linux classes. I just hopped over to their web site and did a search on linux and it came up with a few classes they offer.
All the classes I have taken from them have been for the database, or Peoplesoft. They all were built around hands on labs with instruction. They are not cheap. My last RAC class cost $3700 for 5 days.
I can't recommend the Linux classes, as I have never taken them, but just thought I would mention that they are out there. I don't know about availability location wise either, but I would assume that eventually they will be available wherever Oracle training is available - which should mean choices in many countries.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
man(1) and their sister organizations apropos(1) and whatis(1) meet most of my training needs. Sometimes I have to go to their less organized competitor /usr/share/doc, or the overly bureaucratic info(1), but most of the time all I need is man(1), man.
...pages, of course!
Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/lpi/101.ht ml?S_TACT=105AGX45&S_CMP=LPLINUX
and
www.lpi.org
"Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's brains..."
I thought I was pretty good with dozens of system installs of Redhat 6 through 9 but it wasn't until I got through a couple of Gentoo installs that I felt my linux skill set was worth a damn. Say what you want about Gentoo but as a Linux learning tool, there is nothing better. Their documentation is first rate and much of what you learn by installing Gentoo carries over to every other Linux flavour.
How can you suggest that a company which might have thousands of employees should let them train for such skill as Linux admin/setup "Empirically"? Empirical learning is OK for the mom-basement geeks which might just put their web server online. What are they going to do? are they going to give the guys 2 daily hours to mess around with some computers? uh, *great* use of time (and money).
I would definitely suggest getting some formal (read *real*) training. As others have stated in the thread, there are lots of Linux certification programs. What companies usually do (at least the ones I have been which does not have a lot of money to send 100 monkeys to learn about X or Y technology) is to choose 2 or 3 people and send them to take a course and certificate on the technology (some kind of Linux administrator cert. on http://www.lpi.org/ for example) and then arrange some time to let these guys teach the other people in your place. That way you will have a structured plan of learning.
Of course you may want to have practical sessions (to "try stuff and look online") but you will know what to try and look. I can just imagine a chemist going to the laboratory to "try stuff" in order to learn about the effects of nitroglycerin when combined with different reactants...
If you are a lone consultant, sure just google your way to get this new set of knowledge (of course do not get pissed of when the guy who has the Red Hat Certified Engineer cert. gets your job...). But for big companies, you'd better get real training (to justify the time/money you will be spending).
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
Well, I don't know if it's pertinent, but LinuxZoo can be helpful when you wanna learn..
You just got troll'd!
http://www.lpi.org/
INTEC BRUSSEL vzw offers a free (as in beer!) three-month course in Linux/Windows/Networking (Windows Server 2003 connected to Linux via SaMBa) to the unemployed. In Dutch only, but there is also a special PC technician course with language class. More details are here.
You can learn from linux in a nutshell...
O'reilly books...
But if you are wanting a broad knowledge you really need baptism by fire...
whether fed by a fire hose @ some intense 5day course or setting up an internal server that houses live services that everyone uses...and you get to figure out how to make it all play nice...
hands-on is the only way to go...with 'man' pages at your fingertips & google for backup...
"Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
Work in a managed hosting datacenter such as Rackspace, The Planet, layered Technologies, etc. You'll learn things you never knew about linux really fast.
I go to http://www.tic.ac.uk/ (Technology Innovation Centre) in Birmingham, UK. They have a RedHat an Sun Academy for Linux training. It's also the central training centre for CISCO for the world apart except the Americas.
You said that the development people were fine with linux, and were pushing it for security reasons. That means they know your product, on linux, with security features turned on. They're the best source to find out which versions of Linux they're recommending and which ones the clients are using. On top of which, they can most easily convene a train-the-trainer session for several of your senior support people, including yourself, and can answer questions not only about Linux but more importantly about your application's behaviour under Linux. That's also the information your customers will most frequently want.
You missed the most obvious source -- in-house!
I think it may be a little informal for your needs, but attending local LUG meetings can be a great way to develop your Linux skills. You can interface with other people interested in Linux, and there's usually someone there who can answer any sort of question you have. The only downside is that they have everyone from the hobbyist to professionals, so like I said it may be a little informal.
I also know that a lot of companies are forming their own LUGS, so perhaps it would be a good idea to start one at your company. It can be a cost effective way to increase your employee's skills.
I got nothin'
Given there are over 200 different forks of the Linux kernel with each one being different - you want to "train" people to service the differences?
.mc file) And on others (I think gentoo) sendmail isn't a package that one can get from the fork-ers. I think Suse had milter enabled - RedHat had some of the libraries for milter but its otherwise a seperate package.
Lets take sendmail as an example. On RedHat the default is to not allow the local IP address for sending email. On Debian, they replace the sendmail.cf on reboot (a rebuild is done from some
If your field 'techs' are point-n-click admins and board-swappers - exactly how are you gonna have them fix, say sendmail, when different 'linux vendors' implement thinks how they want.
Read The F... Manual! Some of them are outdated, but then again, some things don't change. Go to The Linux Documentation Project and read.
Using the Freedom of Speech while I still have it.
Where do I apply?
There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
--dave
davecb@spamcop.net
You can get all your questions answered by reading the forums. Don't dare ask any questions, just read. If you can't figure out what you're looking for then you have no business using linux, since they can't be bothered to help those they deem unworthy.
OK, done ranting. Just tired of the "use a forum or wiki for all your support needs" crowd.
Seriously, consider a good liberal education. It lasts far longer than the current tech fad and with it you should be able to tech yourself from the foundation that you have been given to handle new challenges.
Have you actually tried reading man pages on a linux based system? Its not like an operating system where there's consistant and useful documentation. Most man pages are non-existant or just say "read the info page". The ones that do exists are practically worthless and in some cases even incorrect.
Search for "Linux and Unix Certifications" on my page http://1wit.com/links/links.htm
The community college in my area has a technical training program that they offer on Linux (I'm taking a course there right now). It's great for getting a comprehensively taught course on the basics, and costs a ton less than any "training academy" or other specialized training service vendor.
They can supplement this with any online materials on a specific distro.
(Disclaimer: I teach the following courses) SANS has two 6-day courses on Linux and Unix; Linux System Administration (track 408) and Securing Linux and Unix (track 506). Both are hand-on courses that require laptops. The first focuses on system administration, the second on hardening and security, with a small amount of overlap. --Bill
Mason, Buildkernel and more: http://www.stearns.org/
Nowhere. Your jobs should be outsourced to IT contractors who are actually knowledgeable of the products they support.
In house IT departments are always such a joke. Almost bottom of the barrel... where the paper MCSE's hide. I have to deal with your undocumented remnants all the time. Sigh.
Believe me, I really can't stand tech snobs. But linux is a special case--if someone can't manage to self-teach on a free operating system that is perhaps better documented than any other technical topic on the entire internet, I really don't want them working in my environment. If they're doing it for the certification and credentials, fine. But if for the knowledge, no thanks, that is a serious indication that you are hiring a hand-held spectation junkie.
Unfortunately it will be much easier to find and arrange outside training than to get the devs to crawl out of their hole and support us. Welcome to "How to drive your corporation into the ground through in-house politics 101"
Why aren't you acting like every other company out there and firing all your (now "worthless") staff and outsourcing to some big Linux geek company? LOL!
(It's a joke, kinda.)
Seriously though -- if the skill-set of the Field Engineering staff doesn't match the products anymore, you *might* have some culling to do. They can learn Linux on their own.
If they're not learning it on their own already, it might be a sign that they're not interested. Find people that are.
+++OK ATH