[ILUG] Suggestions for Additional Material for Linux Sys Admin Course - LAMP?

[David Golden]

On Monday 11 December 2006 13:45, Cormac McClean wrote:

> 18. Computer/Network Security, firewalls, IDS.
>

Oof. Not sure I like the way that's just tacked on at the end.
I hope you actually weave security concerns all through the course.

> I am thinking of including a section on web application development
> with PHP/MySQL

For sysadminning, the most important point to cover there is
security - how to isolate the damn php shite in its own little hell as 
much as possible (I concede it's likely quite possible to write secure, 
robust code in php, I just wish a few more php coders knew how...)

So it could be argued that some PHP/MySQL web application development 
knowledge is necessary for yer generic jack of all trades "linux" 
sysadmin... but the focus should be on the typical PHP pratfalls
said sysadmin will see made by the web monkeys that he's been ordered to 
let onto the system despite their manifest incompetence...

[And now, no doubt, someone will compromise my personal vanity website,
which of course I used php for...]

> Bear in mind that due
> to network restrictions I cannot include DNS, Mail Server or Web
> Proxy except as theoretical topics, and as much as possible I want
> the students to have practical experience of everything we cover.
>

If this is "pro sysadminning 101", then DNS and mail are more important
than web app stuff.

I'd break with an assumed crowd and say they don't _need_ to know BIND
and Sendmail in particular, but they had better have hands-on work 
experience of *some* real-world industrial-strength DNS and mail 
servers,  I dunno, let's say PowerDNS and Postfix.