01Introduction to System Administration
Learn system admin responsibilities, infrastructure architecture, server roles, client-server design, production environments, change management, and IT documentation.
- Understand enterprise IT architecture
- Design a small company infrastructure
- Create infrastructure documentation templates
02Computer Hardware for System Administrators
Master CPU, RAM, storage, RAID, motherboard, NIC, BIOS/UEFI, hot-swap components, IPMI/BMC, and server boot processes.
- Install RAM, SSD, and NVMe storage
- Configure RAID arrays
- Access and troubleshoot hardware via BIOS and IPMI
03Networking Fundamentals
Work with OSI/TCP-IP models, IPv4/IPv6, subnetting, routing, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, NAT, firewalls, VPN, MTU, and common network protocols.
- Create IP addressing plans
- Configure DHCP and VLANs
- Test connectivity with ping, traceroute, and Wireshark
04Windows Client Administration
Install and configure Windows 11, local users, groups, NTFS permissions, services, Windows Defender, Event Viewer, Task Manager, and remote desktop.
- Create local users and groups
- Configure NTFS permissions
- Enable remote administration and troubleshooting
05Windows Server Administration
Deploy Windows Server, manage roles/features, local services, firewall, PowerShell, server performance, and secure remote administration.
- Build a Windows Server environment
- Work with Server Manager and PowerShell
- Monitor and secure Windows infrastructure
06Active Directory & Domain Services
Understand domains, forests, OU design, user and computer objects, group strategy, GCS, FSMO roles, AD replication, Kerberos, and authentication.
- Create a complete AD structure
- Manage users, groups, and OUs
- Join clients to a domain and troubleshoot login issues
07Group Policy Administration
Use GPOs for password policy, security restrictions, software deployment, drive mapping, folder redirection, firewall hardening, and login scripts.
- Create and troubleshoot GPOs
- Use gpupdate and gpresult
- Enforce security settings across the domain
08DNS & DHCP Administration
Configure forward and reverse lookup zones, A/AAAA/CNAME records, DNS forwarding, DHCP scopes, reservations, options, and failover.
- Deploy internal DNS services
- Set up DHCP for multiple VLANs
- Troubleshoot failed name resolution and IP assignment
09Linux System Administration
Install and configure Debian/Ubuntu/Rocky Linux, manage users, groups, permissions, services, packages, logs, systemctl, and package management.
- Configure static IP and hostname
- Create users and configure SSH
- Analyze logs and manage system services
10Linux Network & Storage Administration
Handle network interfaces, bonding, VLANs, bridges, routing, DNS resolver, LVM, partitioning, filesystems, mount points, and storage monitoring.
- Configure Linux networking
- Set up LVM and ext4/XFS filesystems
- Mount and manage storage with /etc/fstab
11File Server Administration
Deploy SMB shares, NTFS permissions, share permissions, DFS, Samba, NFS, ACL, and department-level access control.
- Build shared folders for HR, IT, and Accounts
- Apply least-privilege access control
- Manage quota and file-level security
12PowerShell & Bash Automation
Use PowerShell and Bash to automate user creation, service checks, inventory reporting, backups, disk monitoring, and health reporting.
- Write scripts for system operations
- Create scheduled tasks and cron jobs
- Automate server administration workflows
13Virtualization
Deploy VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, or Proxmox VE, create VMs, allocate vCPU/vRAM, virtual networking, snapshots, templates, and HA concepts.
- Build a hypervisor-based lab
- Create and manage virtual machines
- Use snapshots and templates for rapid deployment
14Storage & RAID
Compare RAID levels, HBA, SAN/NAS, SSD/HDD/NVMe performance, IOPS, throughput, latency, and storage redundancy design.
- Understand RAID 1, 5, 6, and 10
- Compare hardware and software RAID
- Design storage for business continuity
15Backup & Disaster Recovery
Plan backups with full, incremental, and differential strategies, 3-2-1 model, retention, verification, VM recovery, and bare-metal restore.
- Configure backup policies
- Test recovery procedures
- Document and validate disaster recovery readiness
16System Security
Apply MFA, patching, least privilege, hardening, firewall rules, account lockout, SSH/RDP security, and audit logging for Windows and Linux servers.
- Harden Windows and Linux servers
- Apply security baselines
- Reduce exposure to common attacks
17Firewall & Network Security
Work with firewalls, ACLs, NAT, DMZ, site-to-site VPN, remote access VPN, network segmentation, IDS/IPS fundamentals, and secure architecture.
- Design a segmented network
- Control access between VLANs
- Secure internet-facing services
18Web, Database & Applications
Deploy Nginx/Apache, PHP, MariaDB, SSL/TLS, certificate deployment, and basic database administration for production environments.
- Deploy a web stack with HTTPS
- Create and protect databases
- Diagnose application access issues
19Monitoring, Logging & Troubleshooting
Monitor CPU, RAM, disk, network, services, availability, logs, and performance with Windows and Linux tools, then apply structured troubleshooting.
- Use Event Viewer, journalctl, top, htop, and Prometheus/Grafana concepts
- Investigate service, DNS, network, and storage failures
- Follow Identify → Isolate → Test → Resolve → Verify → Document
20Certificate Services & PKI
Create public/private keys, CSRs, internal CAs, certificates, HTTPS, certificate renewal, and secure service communication.
- Deploy internal PKI
- Generate certificates for internal services
- Configure secure HTTPS
21Cloud & Automation Fundamentals
Introduce cloud computing, IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, virtual machines, VNet/VPC, security groups, IAM, hybrid infrastructure, and configuration automation.
- Deploy a basic cloud VM
- Apply cloud security basics
- Understand hybrid infrastructure design
22Final Enterprise Project
Design and implement a complete enterprise IT infrastructure with AD, DNS, DHCP, file services, web, backup, monitoring, firewall, and centralized logging.
- Build a realistic core network
- Configure services across Windows and Linux
- Deliver documentation and disaster recovery planning