GL275 - Enterprise Linux Network Services

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The GL275 is an expansive course that covers a wide range of network services useful to every organization. Special attention is paid to the concepts needed to implement these services securely, and to the trouble-shooting skills which will be necessary for real-world administration of these network services. Like all Guru Labs courses, the course material is designed to provide extensive hands-on experience. Topics include: Security with SELinux and Netfilter, DNS concepts and implementation with Bind; LDAP concepts and implementation using OpenLDAP; Web services with Apache; FTP with vsftpd; caching, filtering proxies with Squid; SMB/CIFS (Windows networking) with Samba; and e-mail concepts and implementation with Postfix combined with either Dovecot or Cyrus.

Current Version: A01

Prerequisites:

Students should already be comfortable with basic Linux or Unix administration. Fundamentals such as the Linux filesystem, process management, and how to edit files will not be covered in class. A good understanding of network concepts, the TCP/IP protocol suite is also assumed. These skills are taught in the GL120 "Linux Fundamentals" and GL250 "Enterprise Linux Systems Administration" courses.

Supported Distributions:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
SUSE Linux Enterprise 15
Recommended Class Length:
5 days
Detailed Course Outline:
  1. Securing Services
    1. Xinetd
    2. Xinetd Connection Limiting and Access Control
    3. Xinetd: Resource limits, redirection, logging
    4. TCP Wrappers
    5. The /etc/hosts.allow & /etc/hosts.deny Files
    6. /etc/hosts.{allow,deny} Shortcuts
    7. Advanced TCP Wrappers
    8. FirewallD
    9. Netfilter: Stateful Packet Filter Firewall
    10. Netfilter Concepts
    11. Using the iptables Command
    12. Netfilter Rule Syntax
    13. Targets
    14. Common match_specs
    15. Extended Packet Matching Modules
    16. Connection Tracking
    Lab Tasks
    1. Securing xinetd Services
    2. Enforcing Security Policy with xinetd
    3. Securing Services with Netfilter
    4. FirewallD
    5. Troubleshooting Practice
  2. SELinux and LSM
    1. AppArmor
    2. SELinux Security Framework
    3. Choosing an SELinux Policy
    4. SELinux Commands
    5. SELinux Booleans
    6. SELinux Policy Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Exploring AppArmor Modes
    2. SELinux File Contexts
  3. DNS Concepts
    1. Naming Services
    2. DNS – A Better Way
    3. The Domain Name Space
    4. Delegation and Zones
    5. Server Roles
    6. Resolving Names
    7. Resolving IP Addresses
    8. Basic BIND Administration
    9. Configuring the Resolver
    10. Testing Resolution
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring a Slave Name Server
  4. Configuring BIND
    1. BIND Configuration Files
    2. named.conf Syntax
    3. named.conf Options Block
    4. Creating a Site-Wide Cache
    5. rndc Key Configuration
    6. Zones In named.conf
    7. Zone Database File Syntax
    8. SOA – Start of Authority
    9. A, AAAA, & PTR – Address & Pointer Records
    10. NS – Name Server
    11. TXT, CNAME, & MX – Text, Alias, & Mail Host
    12. SRV – SRV Service Records
    13. Abbreviations and Gotchas
    14. $GENERATE, $ORIGIN, and $INCLUDE
    Lab Tasks
    1. Use rndc to Control named
    2. Configuring BIND Zone Files
  5. Creating DNS Hierarchies
    1. Subdomains and Delegation
    2. Subdomains
    3. Delegating Zones
    4. in-addr.arpa. Delegation
    5. Issues with in-addr.arpa.
    6. RFC2317 & in-addr.arpa.
    Lab Tasks
    1. Create a Subdomain in an Existing Domain
    2. Subdomain Delegation
  6. Advanced BIND DNS Features
    1. Address Match Lists & ACLs
    2. Split Namespace with Views
    3. Restricting Queries
    4. Restricting Zone Transfers
    5. Running BIND in a chroot
    6. Dynamic DNS Concepts
    7. Allowing Dynamic DNS Updates
    8. DDNS Administration with nsupdate
    9. Common Problems
    10. Common Problems
    11. Securing DNS With TSIG
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring Dynamic DNS
    2. Securing BIND DNS
  7. Using Apache
    1. HTTP Operation
    2. HTTP Operation
    3. Apache Architecture
    4. Dynamic Shared Objects
    5. Adding Modules to Apache
    6. Apache Configuration Files
    7. httpd.conf – Server Settings
    8. httpd.conf – Main Configuration
    9. HTTP Virtual Servers
    10. Virtual Hosting DNS Implications
    11. httpd.conf – VirtualHost Configuration
    12. Port and IP based Virtual Hosts
    13. Name-based Virtual Host
    14. Apache Logging
    15. Log Analysis
    16. The Webalizer
    Lab Tasks
    1. Apache Architecture
    2. Apache Content
    3. Configuring Virtual Hosts
  8. Apache Security
    1. Virtual Hosting Security Implications
    2. Delegating Administration
    3. Directory Protection
    4. Directory Protection with AllowOverride
    5. Common Uses for .htaccess
    6. Symmetric Encryption Algorithms
    7. Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms
    8. Digital Certificates
    9. TLS Using mod_ssl.so
    Lab Tasks
    1. Using .htaccess Files
    2. Using TLS Certificates with Apache
    3. Use SNI and TLS with Virtual Hosts
  9. Apache Server-Side Scripting Administration
    1. Dynamic HTTP Content
    2. PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
    3. Developer Tools for PHP
    4. Installing PHP
    5. Configuring PHP
    6. Securing PHP
    7. Security Related php.ini Configuration
    8. Java Servlets and JSP
    9. Apache's Tomcat
    10. Installing Java SDK
    11. Installing Tomcat Manually
    12. Using Tomcat with Apache
    Lab Tasks
    1. CGI Scripts in Apache
    2. Apache Tomcat
    3. Using Tomcat with Apache
  10. Implementing an FTP Server
    1. The FTP Protocol
    2. Active Mode FTP
    3. Passive Mode FTP
    4. ProFTPD
    5. Pure-FTPd
    6. vsftpd
    7. Configuring vsftpd
    8. Anonymous FTP with vsftpd
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring vsftpd
  11. The Squid Proxy Server
    1. Squid Overview
    2. Squid File Layout
    3. Squid Access Control Lists
    4. Applying Squid ACLs
    5. Tuning Squid & Configuring Cache Hierarchies
    6. Bandwidth Metering
    7. Monitoring Squid
    8. Proxy Client Configuration
    Lab Tasks
    1. Installing and Configuring Squid
    2. Squid Cache Manager CGI
    3. Proxy Auto Configuration
    4. Configure a Squid Proxy Cluster
  12. SQL Fundamentals and MariaDB
    1. Popular SQL Databases
    2. SELECT Statements
    3. INSERT Statements
    4. UPDATE Statements
    5. DELETE Statements
    6. JOIN Clauses
    7. MariaDB
    8. MariaDB Installation and Security
    9. MariaDB User Account Management
    10. MariaDB Replication
    Lab Tasks
    1. SQL with Sqlite3
    2. Installing and Securing MariaDB
    3. Creating a Database in MariaDB
    4. Create a Database Backed Application
  13. LDAP Concepts and Clients
    1. LDAP: History and Uses
    2. LDAP: Data Model Basics
    3. LDAP: Protocol Basics
    4. LDAP: Applications
    5. LDAP: Search Filters
    6. LDIF: LDAP Data Interchange Format
    7. OpenLDAP Client Tools
    8. Alternative LDAP Tools
    Lab Tasks
    1. Querying LDAP
  14. 389 Directory Server
    1. Popular LDAP Server Implementations
    2. 389 Directory Server
    3. 389 Directory Server Features
    4. 389DS Utilities
    Lab Tasks
    1. Installing and Configuring 389DS
  15. Samba Concepts and Configuration
    1. Introducing Samba
    2. NetBIOS and NetBEUI
    3. Samba Daemons
    4. Accessing Windows/Samba Shares from Linux
    5. Samba Utilities
    6. Samba Configuration Files
    7. The smb.conf File
    8. Mapping Permissions and ACLs
    9. Mapping Linux Concepts
    10. Mapping Users
    11. Sharing Home Directories
    12. Sharing Printers
    13. Share Authentication
    14. Share-Level Access
    15. User-Level Access
    16. Samba Account Database
    17. User Share Restrictions
    Lab Tasks
    1. Samba Share-Level Access
    2. Samba User-Level Access
    3. Samba Group Shares
    4. Handling Symbolic Links with Samba
    5. Samba Home Directory Shares
  16. SMTP Theory
    1. SMTP
    2. SMTP Terminology
    3. SMTP Architecture
    4. SMTP Commands
    5. SMTP Extensions
    6. SMTP AUTH
    7. SMTP STARTTLS
    8. SMTP Session
  17. Postfix
    1. Postfix Features
    2. Postfix Architecture
    3. Postfix Components
    4. Postfix Configuration
    5. master.cf
    6. main.cf
    7. Postfix Map Types
    8. Postfix Pattern Matching
    9. Advanced Postfix Options
    10. Virtual Domains
    11. Postfix Mail Filtering
    12. Configuration Commands
    13. Management Commands
    14. Postfix Logging
    15. Logfile Analysis
    16. Postfix, Relaying and SMTP AUTH
    17. SMTP AUTH Server and Relay Control
    18. SMTP AUTH Clients
    19. Postfix / TLS
    20. TLS Server Configuration
    21. Postfix Client Configuration for TLS
    22. Other TLS Clients
    23. Ensuring TLS Security
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring Postfix
    2. Postfix Virtual Host Configuration
    3. Postfix Network Configuration
    4. Postfix SMTP AUTH Configuration
    5. Postfix STARTTLS Configuration
    6. SUSE Postfix Configuration Cleanup
  18. Mail Services and Retrieval
    1. Filtering Email
    2. Procmail
    3. SpamAssassin
    4. Bogofilter
    5. amavisd-new Mail Filtering
    6. Accessing Email
    7. The IMAP4 Protocol
    8. Dovecot POP3/IMAP Server
    9. Cyrus IMAP/POP3 Server
    10. Cyrus IMAP MTA Integration
    11. Cyrus Mailbox Administration
    12. Fetchmail
    13. Roundcube Webmail
    14. Mailing Lists
    15. GNU Mailman
    16. Mailman Configuration
    Lab Tasks
    1. Configuring Procmail & SpamAssassin
    2. Configuring Cyrus IMAP
    3. Dovecot TLS Configuration
    4. Configuring Roundcube
    5. Base Mailman Configuration
    6. Basic Mailing List
    7. Private Mailing List
  1. NIS
    1. NIS Overview
    2. NIS Limitations and Advantages
    3. NIS Client Configuration
    4. NIS Server Configuration
    5. NIS Troubleshooting Aids
    Lab Tasks
    1. Using NIS for Centralized User Accounts
    2. Configuring NIS
    3. NIS Slave Server
    4. NIS Failover
    5. Troubleshooting Practice: NIS