Unix or Linux or CCNA?

[loxleynew]

Which to get first? I'm currently studying for my CCNA but it will still be a while before I can take that test. However in looking for a new job most people seem to want linux or unix more so than ccna. I mean how hard is it to get experience with unix or linux in a home lab type setup?

I know ccna would more so be for networking and unix/linux sys admin type stuff but the job i'm looking for would be for kinda both.

[phoeneous]

how hard is it to get experience with unix or linux in a home lab type setup?

Not difficult at all. Download virtualbox and any linux flavor (RedHat, Debian, CentOS, etc..) and have fun. And for Unix, check out PC-BSD - Home.

[Bl8ckr0uter]

Which to get first? I'm currently studying for my CCNA but it will still be a while before I can take that test. However in looking for a new job most people seem to want linux or unix more so than ccna. I mean how hard is it to get experience with unix or linux in a home lab type setup?

I know ccna would more so be for networking and unix/linux sys admin type stuff but the job i'm looking for would be for kinda both.

I think the CCNA cert would do more for your resume than a LPIC-1 (just because of Cisco ubiquity and stuff). The Linux knowledge might do more for your skillset. I suggest doing after both (as I am) because I am looking to move into security and both seemed to be desired.

As P stated, getting started with linux isn't hard.

[NightShade03]

I think the CCNA cert would do more for your resume than a LPIC-1 (just because of Cisco ubiquity and stuff).

You could also argue that the LPIC-1 would do more because everyone is going after the CCNA.

Either way you should pursue what you like working with.

[Bl8ckr0uter]

You could also argue that the LPIC-1 would do more because everyone is going after the CCNA.

Either way you should pursue what you like working with.

Lol here we go. But yes I do agree. I hope the LPIC-1 will do something for my resume in a few months.

[loxleynew]

Hmm thanks for the responses! I think i'll continue going after CCNA and for leisure time mess around with linux on a seperate box since it does seem to be let's say easier to self study.

[phoeneous]

I think i'll continue going after CCNA

GNS3 is your friend, but nothing beats real hardware.

GNS3 | Graphical Network Simulator

[Bl8ckr0uter]

Hmm thanks for the responses! I think i'll continue going after CCNA and for leisure time mess around with linux on a seperate box since it does seem to be let's say easier to self study.

Grab a copy of virtual box and download 1 deb based (debian or ubuntu) and 1 red hat based linux (fedora or centOS) and maybe a BSD for extra credit. I am doing this and it is interesting to see the differences but the concepts transfer.

[Bl8ckr0uter]

GNS3 is your friend, but nothing beats real hardware.

GNS3 | Graphical Network Simulator

Install it on ubuntu and kill two birds with one stone (learning linux and learning gns3).

[loxleynew]

GNS3 is your friend, but nothing beats real hardware.

GNS3 | Graphical Network Simulator

Wow thanks this looks like it will help a lot. Especially seeing the "big picture" of the network.

[loxleynew]

Grab a copy of virtual box and download 1 deb based (debian or ubuntu) and 1 red hat based linux (fedora or centOS) and maybe a BSD for extra credit. I am doing this and it is interesting to see the differences but the concepts transfer.

I just got VB and am getting Ubuntu now so going to give it a try tonight. Thanks.

[Bl8ckr0uter]

Wow thanks this looks like it will help a lot. Especially seeing the "big picture" of the network.

Just know that you will need to have your own copy of the IOS to use GNS3. It isn't a simulator like packet tracer, it uses the REAL IOS.

[phoeneous]

Wow thanks this looks like it will help a lot. Especially seeing the "big picture" of the network.

You can even attach it to real hardware like a Cisco 2960 switch.

[tiersten]

And for Unix, check out PC-BSD - Home.

Does anybody even use that in a business environment? Its a fairly recent distribution forked from FreeBSD and does its own thing in several areas like package management. Those changes alone would mean I'd steer clear of using it as a learning environment since you'll just learn what PC-BSD does. It is apparently more user friendly than other BSDs but you won't be learning anything.

If you want experience of *NIX then I'd say try OpenSolaris or maybe OpenBSD as they're both available for free. You're going to find it difficult to get AIX or HP-UX which are the other two main commercial *NIX OSes out there. Less popular BSDs would be NetBSD and FreeBSD.

If you want something which has better prospects (and excluding the various Linux distributions) then I'd say stick with AIX but I'm biased since I use AIX :P

[Bl8ckr0uter]

If you want experience of *NIX then I'd say try OpenSolaris or maybe OpenBSD as they're both available for free. You're going to find it difficult to get AIX or HP-UX which are the other two main commercial *NIX OSes out there. Less popular BSDs would be NetBSD and FreeBSD.

If you want something which has better prospects (and excluding the various Linux distributions) then I'd say stick with AIX but I'm biased since I use AIX :P

You the first person who has suggested OpenSolaris. Interesting. That might be good for those people who might be interested in Sun certs. I thought they were having problems with OpenSolaris since the Oracle take over.

[tiersten]

You the first person who has suggested OpenSolaris. Interesting. That might be good for those people who might be interested in Sun certs.

I'm just naming *NIX distributions that are used widely in a business environment and are also free. OpenSolaris is the closest you'll get to the old SPARC Solaris for free and it'll run on most recent x86 PCs. There are quite a few Sun servers out there still and OpenSolaris experience is better than Linux or none.

OpenBSD is popular for servers due to the quality of the code and the rigorous reviews of everything. I'd recommend it over FreeBSD or NetBSD.

If you want a nice simple *NIX that'll teach you about how the system works and how everything is put together then install MINIX and get the related books. It isn't going to help you much out in the business world though.

I thought they were having problems with OpenSolaris since the Oracle take over.

They're having issues with leadership and direction of OpenSolaris since Oracle doesn't really seem to know what they want to do with it.

[dynamik]

I didn't know PC-BSD was significantly different than FreeBSD. I thought it was just a distro designed to be user-friendly. Interesting. I never bothered because I didn't want a GUI...

Also, while not as cheap or convenient as a VM, I've seen some P-series with AIX 6.1 go for a few hundred on eBay. That's not out of the question as far as lab equipment goes.

I recently got an OpenBSD VPS, and I've been having a blast playing around with that. One particular highlight is showing clients how easy it is to circumvent their web filtering. "We can't even see those URLs in the logs!" Yea, SSH running on 443 is a b!tch...

[Bl8ckr0uter]

... OpenSolaris experience is better than Linux or none.

I am not sure what you mean by that last statement. Are you saying that OpenSolaris experience is better than general linux experience?

[tiersten]

I am not sure what you mean by that last statement. Are you saying that OpenSolaris experience is better than general linux experience?

"There are quite a few Sun servers out there still and OpenSolaris experience is better than Linux or none."

If you're going to be working with Sun gear then OpenSolaris is better than Linux experience? If you think that knowing Linux (GNU/Linux if you're RMS) means you're a god at every *NIX out there then you're going to get a surprise.

[Bl8ckr0uter]

"There are quite a few Sun servers out there still and OpenSolaris experience is better than Linux or none."

If you're going to be working with Sun gear then OpenSolaris is better than Linux experience? If you think that knowing Linux (GNU/Linux if you're RMS) means you're a god at every *NIX out there then you're going to get a surprise.

Interesting. Thanks for the input.

[phoeneous]

I didn't know PC-BSD was significantly different than FreeBSD. I thought it was just a distro designed to be user-friendly. Interesting.

Likewise.

[tiersten]

Likewise.

The parts that make it more user friendly also make it different than standard FreeBSD. The installer, package manager, administrator tools and where packages are even installed are different in PC-BSD. If you only know how to use the user friendly tools then what happens if you then have to use FreeBSD or another BSD which doesn't come with it? Having software end up in its own directory in /Programs isn't a normal *NIX thing...

If you're using PC-BSD but not using the extra tools/changes then you might as well use FreeBSD :P

[sidsanders]

what type of exp on unix are the jobs you are looking at requiring (certs, degree, c/c++/etc)? note that adding users/backups/etc will be diff then supporting dev folks (core dump analysis, compilers, etc). curious since not all folks enjoy programming and at times unix support may require it.

[phoeneous]

The parts that make it more user friendly also make it different than standard FreeBSD. The installer, package manager, administrator tools and where packages are even installed are different in PC-BSD. If you only know how to use the user friendly tools then what happens if you then have to use FreeBSD or another BSD which doesn't come with it? Having software end up in its own directory in /Programs isn't a normal *NIX thing...

If you're using PC-BSD but not using the extra tools/changes then you might as well use FreeBSD :P

What would you suggest as the most beginner friendly nix?

EDIT: Unix, not Linux.

[phantasm]

What would you suggest as the most beginner friendly nix?

Do a command line install of Gentoo. You'll learn more about Linux in those 6hrs then you would in a month with Ubuntu. lol.

Gentoo Linux Documentation -- Gentoo Handbook

Gentoo Linux -- Where to Get Gentoo Linux