Linux for Network Engineers: How to get started

Today, Linux runs on many PCs, servers, mobile phones and a wide range of other devices. These tools are not just optional for modern infrastructure—they are essential. By integrating them intelligently, you can deliver a highly available, secure, and optimized networking environment ready to meet enterprise-grade demands. Advanced Linux networking empowers sysadmins and engineers to build scalable, resilient, and performance-tuned infrastructures. Mastering VLAN trunking, interface bonding, and QoS not only enhances the reliability of your network but also enables efficient resource allocation and traffic control. He has years of experience as a network engineer, working on design projects for large and complex network environments.

Enterprise use cases for Linux networking

Discover the tools and benefits of monitoring, and learn how they can improve network reliability, security and operational efficiency. Many advanced enterprises operating today rely on Linux networking and its robust suite of security features to protect their networks from complex cyberattacks. Another benefit of relying on an open source OS like Linux is its robust security capabilities.

• Linux networking relies heavily on the Linux kernel, a computer program that gives a user control over a system’s hardware and software to operate effectively.
• Fedora is the upstream development branch of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which means it tests and proves the viability of software features that may eventually make their way into RHEL.
• Since then, Linux has continued to evolve as open source free software with the cooperation of many developers around the world.
• If you have other Linux command line utilities in your toolbox, please feel free to share them in the comment section below.

Network switches can be managed more effectively from a policy level with automation and orchestration tools like Puppet and Chef. Having the ability to access the native Linux operating system gives us great flexibility and opens the door to many new possibilities. Open sourceThe most important feature is that it is free open source and the source code is publicly available. It also has the advantage that it is easy to collect information because of active community activities. Out of the box, with YaST (Yet another Setup Tool), you won’t have any problems configuring basic network settings. OpenSUSE comes pre-installed with many packages that provide you with incredible utilities.

Specifically, I noticed that linux for network engineers applications using the entire IP payload and also enabling the DF (don’t fragment) setting, would fail. Hping3 is a utility command very similar to ping, with the difference that it can use TCP, UDP, and RAW-IP as transport protocols. So as you can see, there are a variety of reasons to learn more about Linux as a whole.

Ubuntu documentation is available online, and the CommunityHelpWiki provides helpful tips and hacks. There are also Ubuntu mailing lists, Ubuntu Forums, Ask Ubuntu, and a bug tracker. The operating system comes with a host-based firewall (netfilter) installed with iptables and ip6tables, and it is enabled by default. However, there aren’t any iptables or ip6tables rules installed by default. CentOS is a fully dual-protocol OS with IPv6 installed and enabled by default. When CentOS was on a network using IPv6 SLAAC, RDNSS, and DNSSL, it uses a stable-privacy address and RDNSS and DNSSL furnish the DNS info.

Windows Server 2012 Active Directory: Management and Implementation

It is the extremely popular, de facto OS for network engineers, and has a broad application package to choose from. I would recommend it to those interested in learning about Linux, on a budget, but want a simple, yet modern, GNOME desktop experience. Licensing and support—RHEL is available via subscription that entitles the user to support, with several different options available. Self-support gives users access to download and run RHEL and access to the Red Hat knowledge base. Standard support adds daytime access to Red Hat engineers for technical support, and premium support provides 24-hour technical support for the most severe issues.

Tcpdump

You won’t have any trouble installing the right tool for a job with openSUSE’s Zypper package manager. As one of the most popular enterprise distributions, RHEL is a great option because it is robust and reinforced. Each version of RHEL has a 10-year lifecycle, meaning that you’ll be able to use your chosen version of RHEL (and enjoy little to no compatibility issues) for years. Linux is commonly preferred among network engineers—so if you’ve thought about installing it for your work, you’re not alone. IBM SevOne Network Performance Management is monitoring and analytics software that provides real-time visibility and insights into complex networks. Network monitoring ensures the ongoing health and performance of your IT infrastructure.

The role of a Linux engineer may vary depending on the organization, but overall, it is the same. They’re typically more needed and involved within a tech company than other organizations. Those with Linux skills are sought after in the industry, which is why Linux jobs are currently on the rise. Being a Linux engineer allows you to fully support and improve an organization while operating and troubleshooting multiple systems. For instance, Docker is able to deliver container network isolation by leveraging network namespaces along with basic Linux interfaces and bridging. Network engineers looking to understand these open source projects should make sure they understand the Linux networking primitives that these tools leverage.

• Command-line tools like netstat, ifconfig, traceroute and tcpdump are text-based interfaces that allow users to interact directly with the network through the OS.
• Tcpdump is a great utility to troubleshoot network and application issues.
• Ubuntu comes with a wide range of networking tools and utilities, making it easy to configure and manage network settings.

Recent in Infrastructure

This meant that being able to configure a Cisco switch didn’t imply I could configure a Juniper switch. If we consider that most network switches are built off of a Linux base, and provide similar functionality, the CLI becomes an abstraction of the underlying Linux system. While I think this is a fair generalization, it’s also fair to say that most vendors don’t run a completely vanilla version of Linux or the Linux kernel. Download and install—To obtain installation software for RHEL, you need to a subscription-support account.

Current trends are pushing the skillset of the network engineer and the server administrator closer together. On the physical network side, the ability to access the native Linux shell enables us to install tools and application once reserved for Linux servers. On the Linux server side, the days of simple host networking are quickly evaporating as more of the network logic moves down into the Linux host.

The Linux community is full of cybersecurity experts, reviewing all Linux distributions with an eye toward protecting Linux networks from the latest attacks. Linux networks are widely used by some of the most successful businesses in the world to connect and enable their core business applications and processes. Linux networks are well suited to virtualization because of their open source nature. They also use Kernel-based Virtual Machines (KVMs), a virtualization module built into the Linux kernel that enables it to function like a hypervisor. As the world’s most popular open source operating system (OS), Linux plays a key role in the way these networks, network connections and network devices are configured, managed and secured.

Best Bash Courses for 2025: Automate Tasks and Save Time

This article introduces Linux, an essential technology for infrastructure engineers. Windows and Mac are the most common desktop computers we use in our daily lives, and those who use Linux are in the minority. However, Linux has a dominant presence in servers that support commercial services.

CentOS (Community Enterprise Linux Operating System) is a community-supported open-source operating system based on RHEL. While Red Hat is the major sponsor of the OS, it is free to use and has a GNU GPLv2 license model. There is not a significant amount of default software included in the RHEL distro other than the Firefox web browser. Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL), created by Fedora, are also available for download. I would recommend it if you need RHEL compatibility and want the newest Linux kernel and the latest innovative features.

Categorised in: Education

This post was written by SPORTSERVE ADMIN