So, I Want to Get a Linux+ ...

examseeker

Greetings:

I would like to get Linux+ certified sometime this year. I am somehow fascinated with the idea of running an open source OS that many people seem to love. I have VMWare at work and will be installing Ubuntu probably Monday. Right now, I am working on the CCNA and am preparing to apply to grad school.

However, I am new to this subject. Should I try to buy a cheap computer to mess with different flavors of Linux? What book(s) should I use to study? I will of course, use this site's study materials, but I thought I would ask here as well.

How could I use an emulator for Linux? Is it free and legal?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Dingdongbubble

Instead of getting a computer, you can just get another cheap HDD and put it in your computer. Then you can mess around with Linmux on that HDD as much as you like without touching your main operating system.

examseeker

Without sounding dumb-- should I use a SATA drive with the drivers installed and just swap the Windows drive out with the Linux one? How can both run at the same time?

Thanks

Dingdongbubble

What you do is install both drives in your computer at once. Put your current OS drive as master and the linux drive as slave. By default boot into your current Os. But when you want to boot into the linux drive, go to the boot menu of your BIOS at startup and choose your linux drive. In this way your current Os will be safe and you can put new linux distros without any problems.

examseeker

cool..

Would I need to format the new drive in any fashion?

Or just start the BIOS and boot to the new drive, then pop in a DVD with the iso and follow the instructions?

Thanks

dynamik

If you're familiar with VMWare, just get their free VMWare Server product and use that.

You can also snag a lot of linux distributions and other open source software as VMWare Player appliances, which are also free. There's no need to mess around with hardware.

If you do want to use virtualization, you could also just partition your hard drive if you have enough free space and want to avoid buying another drive. Also note that SATA drives do not use master/slave like IDE drives, but you can adjust their boot order in your BIOS.

BeaverC32

Even if you aren't familiar with VMWare, now is a good time to get acquainted with it. Using a VM is easier than monkeying with dual boot configs/multiple drives anyway. I also like VMs because if you mess something up in your VM, you can always just start from scratch.

For Linux+ I suggest you get a copy of CentOS and Ubuntu. The better Linux+ books will walk you through exactly what you need to do to find the right distribution, download it, and install it.

A nice tutorial on installing CentOS 5.1: http://www.howtoforge.com/installation-guide-centos5.1-desktop

For free VMWare Images, check out:
http://www.thoughtpolice.co.uk/

watcher69b

Good Luck, I too am trying for the Linux+

examseeker

Hello:

Now that I have Ubuntu -- what do I do to study for the Linux+? Are there labs to do or can anyone give suggestions of things to pay attention to?

I really love how it comes with a free DVD player, gimp, and openoffice.

Thanks in advance for your help..

es

vwtech

Use VMware and install Fedora or Red Hat.

The Linux+ in Depth (book) is what I'm using at its been very helpful.
You'll soon see that Microsoft Windows is over rated.
Ubuntu 7.10 destroys Vista.

examseeker

Thanks for the responses. Now, I plan to use the free VM Server software to download and install Fedora. Just don't know when, but soon..

es

AlanJames

I just installed fedora on the weekend, it was my 1st linux install. Trust me it is dead easy! I just need to figure out how to get my blue tooth mouse working

I purchased a new laptop hdd for it