4 Linux Workstation Learning Platform
The best way to learn Linux is to use it. Use it as your daily driver if you can.
If you’re already running Linux feel free to skip to the next chapter
If you’re required to use Windows as your workstation, see the Windows workstation appendix for notes on tradeoffs and possible paths. The main lab path assumes a Linux workstation.
4.1 Linux Hardware
If you aren’t already running Linux I recommend setting up a Linux Workstation that you can use as an RHCSA learning platform. Immersion is the strategy we’re going for here. It doesn’t have to be your main machine if you’re not ready to commit to that yet. Installing Linux can be a great way to revive old hardware if you have any collecting dust in a closet such as an old laptop or PC. Linux is lightweight and portable enough that it will run on almost anything. Often used hardware can be found for a bargain on sites like eBay.
Make sure whatever hardware you use meets the following requirements:
- Linux-compatible
- CPU contains virtualization extensions: Intel VT or AMD-V
- Minimum of 16GB RAM is recommended, but 24-32GB wouldn’t hurt for running VMs since those can be somewhat memory intensive.
- x86_64 architecture is recommended for running the Vagrant RHEL boxes.
ARM architecture may be workable (e.g. M-series macOS hardware), but hasn’t been tested. If you’re working through this book on ARM-based hardware, feel free to contribute to the discussion with any issues or feedback.
4.2 Choosing a Distro
While preparing for your RHCSA exam I recommend dogfooding a Linux distribution (“distro” for short) from the Red Hat family. The lowest-friction recommendation is Fedora. Fedora is the community-driven Linux project upstream from RHEL1. I’m writing this book from my ThinkPad laptop running Fedora Workstation.
If you just want an easy button for RHCSA prep, install Fedora.
Here’s a short list of workstation options in roughly the order that I would recommend them:
- Red Hat family:
- RHEL-compatible derivatives:
- Other RPM-family distributions:
4.2.1 What About Other Linux Distros?
There are other Linux distros which aren’t part of the RHEL ecosystem that are worth mentioning. Just bear in mind this may increase your learning curve if you’re learning two different flavors of Linux at the same time. But for a Linux Workstation I don’t presume to know what’s best for you. There is no single right answer to “What is the best Linux distro?”.
Nearly all mainstream desktop Linux distributions can support virtualization and run the Vagrant binaries needed for the lab setup in the next chapter. The main tradeoff is that the further you get from the RHEL ecosystem, the more likely you are to run into different package manager syntax, different defaults, and documentation that doesn’t map directly to this book.
Be forewarned that support for distros outside of the Enterprise Linux ecosystem will be limited. This is a guide to the RHCSA after all. Community contributions in the form of discussion threads are encouraged.
Definitely do your own research, but I’ve listed a few recommended Linux OSes that should be more than capable as a platform for spinning up RHEL lab VMs using Vagrant:
- Linux Mint - If you’re used to driving your OS with a GUI such as with Windows, I’ve heard this is a relatively friendly desktop OS to start with.
- Ubuntu Desktop - Mint forked off of Ubuntu Desktop, but before Mint, Canonical’s Ubuntu was usually the go-to recommendation for new Linux users.
- openSUSE Leap - An RPM-based distribution, but not a RHEL derivative.
Vagrant with the libvirt provider can be tricky on openSUSE. See the Vagrant on openSUSE discussion for details.
4.2.2 Advanced Desktop Options
There are a variety of other Linux distributions that might be worth trying out if you’re curious. Debian is upstream from Ubuntu and Mint; the purists among you might prefer this. There’s also Arch Linux, which is great if you want a minimalist distro where you have a lot more control. And in a similar vein there’s Gentoo Linux. Be forewarned these are not for the faint of heart. But if you like troubleshooting and learning about the intricacies of your own system in detail, these might be for you.
If you enjoy this level of tinkering with your own system, this is actually great supplemental training for this type of career. A lot of us found ourselves on this path because we enjoy this (myself included). You will learn quite a lot of transferable skills by installing Arch manually, for instance. This is a worthy side quest if you’re up for it.
Famously Arch Linux has the best wiki in the business. Old habits die hard and the Arch Wiki is still one of my first ports of call when looking something up or troubleshooting.
4.3 Install Linux
I recommend searching for and following the installation documentation for whatever Linux OS you choose to install. Here’s a link to the Fedora Install documentation for convenience.
Fedora uses the same Anaconda installer as RHEL. This has the added benefit of being very similar to how you would install RHEL from an ISO (or other type of bootable image). You won’t need to install RHEL manually on the exam. The Red Hat environment will already be set up for you. But it’s useful background to know how to install RHEL this way. This is another benefit to dogfooding with Fedora.
By the end of the install, you should have:
- A working Linux desktop
- A user account with sudo privileges
- Network access
- At least 16GB RAM available on the host
- CPU virtualization enabled in firmware/BIOS
- Enough free disk space for one or more lab VMs
After you have a working Linux workstation, continue with the Vagrant lab setup.