What is Reddit's opinion of RHCSA Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Training and Exam Preparation Guide (EX200), First Edition?

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Hi, I'm a Unix/Linux Admin. (Solaris / RHEL, focus on RHEL)

Notes on that guide you mentioned: read the top comment. Personally I would go with CentOS8.

The RHSCA is the way to go for any Red Hat shop you're applying to. If you are applying to shops that don't use Red Hat, the RHSCA is still valuable to show you know the basics, but it's not worth as much as it would be at a Red Hat shop.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1775062120/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_mssbGbEASJJ5T?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I skimmed through this a few months ago, it was dry but got the job done. The book assumes you have minimal Linux knowledge in general, great for just starting out.

Some may recommend the Linux+. Personally I found the Linux+ material to be a bit out-dated (init.d in 2019? 'cmon, systemd is life). If the material has been updated with more systemd info since 2019, it may be worth a bit more.

One of the major components of being a Unix/Linux admin is working with users. If you've got a good personality and a bit of personal experience + you show enthusiasm, a shop may take you in before you get your certs if you're lucky.

It sounds like you're already on a help desk. Are there Unix/Linux machines in the env you're currently in? If so, it's worth reaching out to one of the admins if they're friendly. Might be a nice way to slide into the group, ask for tips, become more knowledgeable about your environment, and perhaps ask if they've got an opening. I've had help desk fellas reach out to me with a "hey remember ticket xyz? How'd you end up fixing that?" a few days after escalating. Shows that they care, and want to learn more about the Linux/Unix env.

Good luck, feel free to ask any questions you have.

I passed the RHCSA last night. I used the O'Reilly RHCSA courses exclusively. You can get an O'Reilly subscription for $50/mo and if you really buckle down you can easily finish the material more than once in a month. I watch everything at 1.5-2x speed and take notes, then repeat. It has practice labs in each section as well as a full practice exam at the end. I also read the Ghori book but that was >1 year ago so I don't know how much it directly helped in passing the exam. I have been using Linux since the 90s, but everything you need to know to pass the test is in the videos.

I passed the RHCSA with only this book: https://www.amazon.com/RHCSA-Red-Hat-Enterprise-Linux/dp/1775062120/ref=sr_1_2. Everything here is very useful and most of it is relevant across most Linux distributions. Go through this and when you have the $400 or so to take the exam you'll be ready. Good luck!

Hi! I'm a RHEL admin currently. You didn't provide specifics about the position, so these are things I think you should know in general:

• Study for an RHCSA. Ideally you would study specifically for the RHEL9 RHCSA, but since RHEL9 was just released... the content isn't particularly mature. I read this book shortly after RHEL8 was released. You want to get up to speed on current standards for RHEL. If you can get your new employer to pay for it, RH-124 and RH-134 would be a great idea. (But don't go asking for training immediately obvs... read the room. If they expect you to be more than a jr... maybe don't ask for training immediately, or wait a few months and ask for RHEL9 specific training to 'get up to speed on new standards' wink wink)
• Learn how to automate 'stuff'. For RHEL, the tool to do so is Ansible (unless your org has already invested in a different tool). Jeff Geerling offers a book + series on youtube that you can start with. But make sure your org is actually using Ansible before diving in.
• You are baby. You will fuck something up. Probably something important. Don't hide it. Tell your team immediately so you can start working on a resolution together. If you try to hide or or deny whatever you fucked up, you will almost definitely be fired. Trust is important.
• You are still baby. When you don't know something, don't feel bad asking for help. This really depends on your team dynamic, but personally I'd rather have a jr. ping me for a quick text chat than slam their head on a wall for hours on something.
• You'll probably have a lot of downtime when you start. Make documentation while you're bored. Your team will love you for it.

If I had to condense it down into "what the heck should you do for the next 2 weeks", I'd tell ya to speedrun the RHCSA content. That's what will get you up to speed the fastest. Use a developer subscription to get some free RHEL licenses, then spin up some VMs and put the knowledge your cramming into your noggin to use immediately.

No, but you need to at least do a self-study to make sure you know all the topics at hand before taking the exam.

I used this book, read through it, and practiced the two/four practice test over and over until I knew them like the back of my hand.

https://www.amazon.com/RHCSA-Red-Hat-Enterprise-Linux/dp/1775062120/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=1775062120&psc=1

I would advise you read a recent book before taking the exam. Even if you have prior knowledge and experience with RHEL, they are always updating the exams.

For example, they updated the RHEL 8 exam to include stuff with contains, podman, and launching containers as services. That's only included in the recent versions of the book I read.

I used https://www.amazon.com/RHCSA-Red-Hat-Enterprise-Linux/dp/1775062120/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=1775062120&psc=1 to pass my exam.

Has anyone used this book, what did you think?

RHCSA Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Training and Exam Preparation Guide (EX200), First Edition Paperback – January 10, 2020

by Asghar Ghori (Author)