Linux formation

[Ratatapa]

Been working on my it skills lately and I think I should focus more on Linux but sadly I have no idea where to start

My Linux skills are really basic so I have no idea where to start to enhance my Linux skills

Been thinking about bind dhcp FTP Smb

What else?

[Meresgi]

Wanna improve your linux skills? Download something like OpenBSD or Puppylinux/DamnSmallLinux and then try to set up an ftp server and a web server with SSL certs. Samba shares are fairly easy to set up so you can do that as well. If you're really rusty, start with something like Centos and then downgrade to a smaller distro and then downgrade to openbsd which basically comes with jack shit and requires you to even have to install a compiler and such.

[Niya]

If you want to start the "hard way" and have a really tough start that teaches you everything from the basics up, try Arch linux or Gentoo. Both are meant for "advanced users" that want full control over their system, so you'll find (almost) no fancy mouse klicking GUI stuff but will have to learn your ways around the console.
Both are rolling releases, means you have no "versions" like with Ubuntu but only snapshots of the current state. You don't upgrade the whole distro but each packet for itself, that reduces incompatibility problems.
Gentoo goes a special way because it's not mainly based on binary installer packages (RPM/DEB, similar to .exe for windows) but compiles and installs everything from source. Might take longer to install stuff depending on hardware, but again, more control.

If you want to try something crazy yet useful, try to setup a windows domain with a linux DC using Samba 4. That includes DNS, LDAP, SMB and some other stuff needed for a domain.

[Franzer]

Every time someone asks me about wanting to learn linux, i suggest Arch Linux. Arch is the most well documented distro in my opinion, and their wiki is unmatched. I would suggest snagging an iso, and follow this https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide. You will learn more following that guide and finishing the install then you could anywhere else. If you have any questions, just PM me and i'll be glad to help, i've been an arch user for many years. Their forums are nice, but if its an install question, make sure you put it in the correct subforum, as the general can get pretty elitist with easy questions. As said above, its a rolling release, and Arch is bleeding edge, meaning things will break, but such is the fun sometimes.

Also, when it comes to Linux, learn to love the terminal. Learn the commands, and how it works, and it will become your best friend. The "friendly" distros seem to shy away from it anymore, which is sad, but a necessary evil for the masses I guess.

[Wesleydimble]

I also love Arch Linux. It is definitely not too difficult as a first linux installation if you are diligent at following instructions. Should you decide to play with it, it might be helpful to remember that there is a text-based web browser named "elinks" if you need to look up things in the middle of installation.

[Meresgi]

Is Arch debian or redhat based? or its own offshoot?

[Franzer]

Its neither. It is its own distro, with some BSD type things.

[octopus]

tbh, if you want to improve your linux knowledge, there's no way around it: use it as your primary OS. Force yourself to use only linux for a week without touching Windows or OSX.

[quannum]

Learn the OS with Gentoo or Arch (kernel compile, /etc/fstab and basic package manager shit)
Set up a fileserver
Compile a helloworld.c
Set up qemu and cross-compile helloworld.c to arm
Profit!

If you want more of a sysadmin feel then start learning how to install and configure server apps, manage users with some security, back up, start/stop services.
If you want to do some coding, get a http://www.raspberrypi.org/ and start playing around with it.

[Meresgi]

tbh, if you want to improve your linux knowledge, there's no way around it: use it as your primary OS. Force yourself to use only linux for a week without touching Windows or OSX.

And you don't even have to uninstall your current OS, just make a VB image of any linux distro you want, and then do a ton of shit from there for a month. Try to run your games on it, etc etc. Even more fun, install a random linux distro on your laptop and try to get it to recognize a usb adapter (I had to do this over the weekend and was "fun" trying to track down the right bits and pieces for it, Ubuntu recognized it easily but Centos and BT R3 refused to recognize it was there even though fusb showed it plugged in)

I don't know how much into cyber security and shit you are Rat, but a really fun way to learn Linux is just to run tools from Backtrack and try to break into your systems and what not. I set up a virtual network with a few different systems to fuck around with and try to compromise, you can install all the backtrack tools on a regular Linux distro, so doing that provides valuable learning as well. Look up how to install Metasploit onto your system and it forces you to install sql,rubylite and a ton of other crap and configure.

[Ratatapa]

Sorry for the bump, just saying at work boss wants to implement Bacula, and I'm making tests right now

It'S fucking hard, but it's linux so yay practice!