$ run as a normal user# run as root (or with sudo)
Skills in this chapter
- RHCSA (EX200) — months 1–2
Know the goal of phase 1
Be able to run a RHEL server alone: users, storage, network, services, SELinux, firewall, boot repair and scripts.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Exam | EX200 — Red Hat Certified System Administrator, on RHEL 10 |
| Format | Hands-on, about 3 hours, no internet |
| Official courses | RH124 + RH134 (or the fast track RH199) |
| Price | about $500 |
Study with these sources
One book, two course outlines, and the official objectives as the checklist.
| Source | Use it for |
|---|---|
| ★ EX200 objectives | The checklist: tick every item |
| ★ Red Hat RHCSA 10 Cert Guide — Sander van Vugt | Main book, chapter labs, 4 practice exams |
| The Linux Command Line — William Shotts (free) | Strong on the shell and Bash scripts |
| My summaries | RH124 → RH134 → RHCSA book summary |
Practise the right way
Two RHEL 10 VMs, break and fix them, and do every lab with a timer.
- Work through RH124 and RH134 chapter by chapter, with the lab at the end of each.
- Do every RHCSA lab on the Labs page; write notes for each one.
- In the last 2 weeks: the practice exams A and B against the clock, on fresh VMs.
- After every task: reboot and check that it still works.
Exam tip
Most lost points are tasks that do not survive a reboot. enable --now, --permanent, -P, fstab, set-default — make it persistent, then reboot and check.
Automate one real task
Use the new skills at work at once: automate one daily task with Bash or Python.
Ideas from daily IT work:
- A script that checks disk space, failed services and certificate dates on all servers and mails a short report.
- A backup script with
rsync, logs, and a check of the last backup date, run by a systemd timer. - A user-account report: accounts that did not log in for 90 days.
Finish the phase
The phase is done when all of these are true.
- [ ] RHCSA passed.
- [ ] One automation script runs at work, and its code is on GitHub.
- [ ] RH124 and RH134 summaries read, all their labs done with notes.
- [ ] A LinkedIn post about what I learned.