Chapter 4: Linux Filesystem Administration

Overview

After installation has completed, you still have work to do. To customize the system to meet your needs, you may need to add partitions, new filesystems, automounted directories, and more. Much of this depends on the security attributes on files and directories.

While it's easier to use Disk Druid during the installation process, the fdisk and parted tools can help you create new partitions. Once created, filesystems can be configured on these partitions with format commands and more. Once created, you can configure mounting during the boot process in /etc/fstab or over a network using the automounter.

What you create can be protected with Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux). To that end, in this chapter you'll examine basic access control lists and set SELinux characteristics from the command line. (If you're interested in controlling SELinux using the SELinux Management Tool, see Chapter 15.)

Inside the Exam

Administrative Skills

As in the real world, it is the results that matter. It doesn't matter whether you use Disk Druid, fdisk, or parted to create partitions. You can create new partitions at the command line or use GUI front ends to these tools such as GParted (if it's ever included with RHEL). Make sure that your partitions meet the requirements of the exam. Just remember Disk Druid is available only during the installation process.

The current Red Hat Exam Prep guide suggests that RHCTs need to know how to Add new partitions, filesystems, and swap to existing systems for the Troubleshooting and System Maintenance part of their exams. It also suggests that RHCTs need to know how to

• Add and manage users, groups, quotas, and File Access Control Lists.

Remember that RHCEs also need to be prepared to do anything from the RHCT requirements.

The Exam Prep guide also suggests that RHCEs need to be prepared, during their Troubleshooting and System Maintenance sections, to

• Add, remove, and resize logical volumes.

As of this writing, SELinux has just been added to the Red Hat Exam Prep guide; in most cases, you'll need to know how to configure services to work while SELinux is running in targeted mode. However, this is a skill associated with RHCEs, not RHCTs. While the services are primarily covered in Chapters 9–15, the basic skills associated with controlling SELinux are covered near the end of this chapter.