AlmaLinux Administration Basics - Installation

Welcome to the first installment of our series on running Alma Linux for your home lab server needs! Whether you’re a seasoned Linux user or just starting your journey, a home lab is a fantastic way to experiment, learn new skills, and host your own personal services. Alma Linux, a stable and community-driven Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) fork, provides a robust foundation for building your home lab environment.

Why Alma Linux?

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There are several reasons why Alma Linux is a great choice for home labs:

• Stability: Based on RHEL, Alma Linux inherits its renowned stability and focus on long-term support. This ensures your servers run smoothly and receive security updates for an extended period.
• Familiarity: If you plan to pursue Red Hat certifications or work in RHEL environments, Alma Linux offers a familiar experience that translates directly to those settings.
• Community-Driven: Backed by a strong community, Alma Linux offers ample resources and support to help you navigate any challenges.

Installation with Proxmox

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Since I’m utilizing a Proxmox cluster, I’ll cover its installation on a setup similar to mine.

1. Grab the desired Alma Linux version, I downloaded their ISO from their official downloads site.
2. Within the proxmox web interface, create a new VM. Allocate desired CPU cores, memory, and storage resources.
3. When booting up the new VM, Alma Linux will guide us through its installation on a nice GUI, here you can select the language of the installaton and settings like the root password.
4. During Alma Linux installation, configure settings like language and encryption, then choose additional software based on your preferred base environment. In this guide, we have chosen to go with the Server selection. Feel free to select your preferred environment and select any additional components from the right panel.
5. Once you are happy with your selections, hit the ‘Done’ button to go back.

Basic Administration Essentials

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Once you have Alma Linux installed, let’s explore some fundamental administration tasks:

1. Command Line Interface (CLI): The CLI, also known as the terminal, is your primary tool for interacting with Alma Linux. Familiarize yourself with basic navigation commands like cd (change directory), ls (list directory contents), and man (access manual pages for commands).
2. Package Management: Alma Linux uses the RPM package manager (dnf). Learn how to install, update, and remove packages using commands like dnf install <package_name>, dnf update, and dnf remove <package_name>.
3. User Management: Create and manage user accounts for accessing your server. Use the useradd, passwd, and userdel commands to add, set passwords for, and delete users, respectively. Remember, the root user account is powerful, so exercise caution when using it.
4. Firewall Management: The firewall controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. Tools like firewall-cmd allow you to configure firewall rules to secure your server.

Learning Resources

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This is just a taste of the exciting world of Alma Linux administration. Here are some resources to deepen your knowledge:

• Alma Linux Documentation: https://wiki.almalinux.org/
• Red Hat System Administration Guide: https://www.redhat.com/en/services/certification/rhcsa (While not Alma Linux specific, offers valuable insights into RHEL administration)
• Online Tutorials: Numerous online tutorials and courses cater to all experience levels.

Looking Ahead

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In the next part of our series, we’ll delve into specific server applications you can deploy on your Alma Linux home lab, along with configuration and management details. Stay tuned to explore the potential of your home lab environment!