System Configuration and Management Flashcards

What services need to run at boot for NFS (Network File System) to function correctly?

Answer: rpcbind, nfs, and nfslock

For NFS (Network File System) to function correctly, several services must be running and enabled at boot. `rpcbind` handles RPC (Remote Procedure Call) program number-to-port mappings, which is essential for NFS communication. The `nfs` service is the core NFS server, and `nfslock` provides crucial file locking services for data integrity when multiple clients access shared files.

How do you mount an NFS share from the command line?

Answer: mount -t nfs server.example.com:/nfs_share /mnt

To manually mount an NFS share from the command line, the `mount` command is used with the `-t nfs` option to specify the filesystem type. The syntax requires the remote server and export path (`server.example.com:/nfs_share`) followed by the local mount point (`/mnt`). This command temporarily mounts the NFS share for immediate access.

How do you mount an NFS share using fstab?

Answer: nfsserver:/exports /mount-point nfs defaults 0 0

To automatically mount an NFS share at boot, an entry must be added to the `/etc/fstab` file. The correct format specifies the remote NFS share (`nfsserver:/exports`), the local mount point (`/mount-point`), the filesystem type (`nfs`), mount options (`defaults`), and dump/pass values (`0 0`). This ensures the share is available every time the system starts.

How do you add a Samba user?

Answer: smbpasswd -a engineer1

To add a user to Samba, you use the `smbpasswd` command with the `-a` (add) option, followed by the username. This command prompts for a new Samba password for the specified user, which is separate from their system password. This allows users to authenticate specifically with Samba shares.

How do you install the SELinux GUI?

Answer: yum install -y policycoreutils-gui

On Red Hat-based systems, the graphical user interface (GUI) tools for managing SELinux are provided by the `policycoreutils-gui` package. Installing this package via `yum` (or `dnf` on newer systems) provides tools like `sealert` and `system-config-selinux` for easier SELinux configuration and troubleshooting, making policy management more accessible.

(SHELL) How do you tell if a file is of a certain type?

Answer: test -f /var/cache/man/whatis

The `test` command (or its shorthand `[ ]`) is a fundamental shell command used to check file types and other conditions. The `-f` option specifically tests if a given path refers to a regular file that exists. This is commonly used in shell scripts for conditional logic, allowing scripts to behave differently based on file properties.

Which Ansible module is used for creating and editing filesystems?

Answer: mount

In Ansible, the `mount` module is used to manage filesystems, including ensuring they are mounted or unmounted to a desired state. While it doesn't directly create a filesystem (like `mkfs`), it handles the configuration of mount points and ensures the correct state of filesystem mounts. It can also manage entries in `/etc/fstab` for persistent mounts.