(5)Server Installation and Network Services Setup Exam
     The Server Installation and Network Services Setup Exam is the last of the three exams required for RHCE certification. You are allowed 2.5 hours to install Red Hat Linux and configure it. Most of your time will probably be used to configure different network services. Unlike in the debug exam, partial credit is allowed. You have access to the Red Hat Linux installation files, from the CDs or through a network server. Once Red Hat Linux is installed, you also have access to the Red Hat Linux man pages as well as any other documentation that you may have installed.

     No specific techniques or commands are required. For example, if you need to limit access to a specific service with iptables or /etc/hosts.deny, you can use either system. If successful, either setup can get you full credit for that part of the exam.

     You may need to limit access to network servers to specific users or other computers. However, this is a certification exam. Do not expect to have physical access to any other computer to test your settings. You will not have access to any outside networks such as the Internet. However, you can use any documents that you can find through the Red Hat Linux installation files.

(6)Server Installation Problem
     Install Red Hat Linux. The following conditions specify a network server, configured with some very specific partitions. You’ll also need to limit access to some or all of your network servers to specific users, computers, entire networks, or more.

     Install Linux with the following partitions shown in Table 1. The sizes shown are minimums.

Table 1: Required Partitions

     Assume this computer gets its IP addressing information from a DHCP server. Let users start at a virtual console. Do not add any X Window information. Enable Telnet access from the local network only, 192.168.0.0/24. Install but block all access to a local NFS server, which shares the /etc directory. Configure an FTP server to point users on your server to their home directories. Create an Apache server that is visible from the local network only. Set up cups as the print daemon, and allow administrative access to one other computer on the 192.168.0.0/24 network.

     When you reboot your computer, all of the services that you’ve created and settings that you’ve made should be enabled automatically. Edit the kickstart file that is created; set it up to be usable for other computers with an identical hardware configuration. The kickstart file should automatically create the same partitions.

(6)Installation Discussion
     Since there is no one way to set up a Red Hat Linux configuration, there is no one right answer for the listed requirements. But there are some general things to remember. First, make sure that the services that you set up are active at the appropriate runlevels. For example, NFS should be active for runlevels 3 and 5.

     You can set up DHCP addressing through the Red Hat installation program, or in /etc/sysconfig/network. You can block Telnet access as specified through /etc/xinetd.d/telnet, in /etc/hosts.deny, or through the appropriate iptables firewall chain. NFS shares are set up in /etc/exports; they can be blocked by specifying the appropriate ports in iptables. The wu-ftpd server automatically points users who log in through FTP to their home directories. The cups daemon is the alternative to lpd; you may need to deactivate lpd first. Apache access can be controlled through /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf or the appropriate iptables command. Access to the cups administrative tool depends on the associated /etc/xinetd.d configuration file.

     When you install Linux in this configuration, you may want to repeat the process on other computers. The Red Hat Linux kickstart tool deactivates some settings such as disk partitioning that you may want to modify and activate in /root/anaconda-ks.cfg, before copying it to ks.cfg on a boot floppy.