Day 0 - Get Your Own Server
INTRO
First, you need a server. You can’t learn about administering a remote Linux server without having one of your own - so today we’re going to get one - completely free!
Through the magic of Linux and virtualization, it’s now possible to get a small Internet server setup almost instantly - and at a very low cost. Technically, what you’ll be doing is creating and renting a VPS (“Virtual Private Server”). In a data center somewhere, a single physical server running Linux will be split into a dozen or more Virtual servers, using the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) feature that’s been part of Linux since early 2007.
In addition to a hosting provider, we also need to choose which “flavor” of Linux to install on our server. If you’re new to Linux then the range of “distributions” available can be confusing - but the latest LTS (“Long Term Support”) version of Ubuntu Server is a popular choice, and what you’ll need for this course.
Do you have a free server I can use?
Well, not quite yet.
SadServers has a beta scenario - “Resumable Server”: Linux Upskill Challenge
This is a Debian 11 server without a challenge; it’s for you to do as you please. Please be mindful that it still has some limitations (there’s still no outgoing Internet access) and there can be some issues.
So, what are the options?
- In a Local Server
- In the Cloud (with providers like DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr)
- In the Cloud (with providers like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud)
Check your options, see what fits you best. Take a minute to watch the video, it will answer most of your questions. When you have your server ready, you can start the challenge.
Day 1, here we go!