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Linux YouTube Course Syllabus (Step-by-step)

Course positioning

Target audience: beginners → job-ready Linux for DevOps/SRE
Assumption: learner has a laptop/PC; no prior Linux required
Primary distro for demos: Ubuntu (Debian family) + note RHEL equivalents when needed
Lab: VirtualBox + 2 Linux VMs (client/server) + snapshots

How to teach (repeatable structure for every module)

Concept (what/why)
Demo (commands + expected output)
Lab task (do it yourself)
Common mistakes + troubleshooting
Quick recap + interview-style questions

Module 0 — Setup (must be done before anything)

0.1 Choose learning environment

Dual boot vs VM vs WSL (pros/cons)
Why we use VMs for the course

0.2 Install tools

VirtualBox installation
Download ISO (Ubuntu Server) and create VM
Create 2 VMs: linux-client-a + linux-server-a
Snapshots: “fresh install”, “network ready”, etc.

0.3 First boot checklist

Login, sudo access
Update packages
SSH access (if using server image)

Module 1 — Linux overview + distributions

1.1 What is Linux?

Unix-like OS concept
Kernel vs user space (high level)

1.2 Distros and families

Debian family vs Red Hat family
Fixed release vs rolling release
When to pick Ubuntu vs Debian vs CentOS/Alma/Rocky vs Amazon Linux

1.3 Files are different from Windows

No strict “filename.extension” meaning
Everything is a file (high level)

Module 2 — Shell basics + navigating the system

2.1 What is a shell?

Terminal, shell, prompt
PATH, environment basics (intro)

pwd, ls, cd
mkdir, rmdir, rm -r
touch
cat (>, >>), less/more (optional)

2.3 Help system

man pages
—help conventions

2.4 Finding things

find (name/iname/type)
safe delete patterns using -exec

Lab

Create a practice directory tree
Find files by name/type/age and delete safely

Module 3 — Text editors (minimum viable)

3.1 Terminal editors

nano basics (edit, save, exit)
vim basics (insert, save/quit, search)

Lab

Edit config files safely, validate syntax where applicable

Module 4 — Filesystem fundamentals

4.1 Linux directory structure

/, /bin, /sbin, /etc, /home, /var, /tmp, /proc, /usr, /usr/local, /opt

4.2 What is a filesystem?

partitions + filesystems overview

4.3 Inodes

inode metadata vs filename mapping

4.4 Links

hard links vs soft links (symlinks)
what breaks symlinks

4.5 Mounting (intro)

mount, umount
mount points

Lab

Create hard/soft links and observe inode numbers
Mount an ISO / device to a mount point and verify

Module 5 — Users, groups, and ownership

5.1 Accounts model

users vs groups
root vs sudo

5.2 Ownership

user/group ownership model
chown, chgrp (basic + recursive)

Lab

Create users/groups (if allowed)
Practice changing ownership on a project directory

Module 6 — Permissions (rwx) + special bits

6.1 Permission bits

rwx meaning for files vs directories
numeric permissions (7/6/5/4/0)
chmod numeric + symbolic

6.2 Permission evaluation logic

owner → group → others
why “owner can be denied” if owner bits are ---

6.3 umask

why default permissions exist
calculate defaults for files/dirs

6.4 Special permissions

SUID, SGID, sticky bit
common real-world examples (/tmp sticky bit)

Lab

Build shared directory with correct group perms
Demonstrate umask changes
Demonstrate sticky bit behavior

Module 7 — Processes, system resources, and disks

7.1 Process basics

PID concept
foreground vs background (intro)

7.2 Monitoring

disk space: df -h
(optional) du, free, top/htop

7.3 Swap memory

what swap is and why it exists

7.4 LVM basics

PV/VG/LV concepts
create/extend LV
grow filesystem (xfs_growfs/resize2fs)

7.5 Disk quotas

why quotas matter
inode/file count vs block space

Lab

Create a small LVM volume, extend it, verify
Simulate disk-full situations safely (truncate)

Module 8 — Package management

8.1 Package concepts

packages, repos, dependency resolution

8.2 Debian family workflow

apt update/upgrade/install/remove
cleaning cache

8.3 Red Hat family workflow

yum/dnf install/update/remove

Lab

Install and remove a service (nginx/httpd)

Module 9 — systemd: services and logs

9.1 Boot concept + PID 1

init.d vs systemd

9.2 systemd units

unit types overview (.service, .timer, .mount, .socket)
unit file locations and priority
anatomy of a service unit: [Unit]/[Service]/[Install]

9.3 Service management

start/stop/restart/status
enable/disable
mask/unmask
dependencies

9.4 Logging

journald basics
journalctl filters
SyslogIdentifier and filtering by tag (-t)
common log files in /var/log

Lab

Create a simple custom systemd service
Debug it using journalctl

Module 10 — Networking fundamentals on Linux

10.1 Core config files

/etc/hosts
/etc/resolv.conf
/etc/sysconfig/network (RHEL)
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-* (RHEL)

10.2 IP and interfaces

ip addr, ip link, ip route (conceptual + basic usage)

10.3 NetworkManager + nmcli (practical)

create connection, set static IP, bring up/down

10.4 DNS basics (Linux viewpoint)

name resolution order (hosts vs DNS)

Lab

Configure static IP on a VM
Set hostname + hosts entries
Verify connectivity and DNS resolution

Module 11 — Routing, NAT, and troubleshooting

11.1 Routing basics

default gateway
enabling routing on Linux

11.2 NAT basics

when/why NAT exists

11.3 Troubleshooting workflow

ss/netstat checks (listening ports)
tcpdump basics (capture, filters, save pcap)
common checklist for “can’t reach host”

Lab

Routing + NAT lab in VirtualBox networks
Capture traffic with tcpdump and verify

Module 12 — SSH (remote administration)

12.1 SSH essentials

key-based auth
ssh config file (~/.ssh/config)

12.2 Secure practices

permissions on keys
disabling password auth (conceptual)

Lab

Set up SSH keys between client and server VM
Use SSH config aliases

Module 13 — Firewalling (firewalld/iptables)

13.1 Firewall concepts

stateful firewall idea

13.2 firewalld basics

zones, services, ports

13.3 iptables mental model

chains (INPUT/OUTPUT/FORWARD)
rules order and matching

Lab

Allow only SSH and HTTP
Validate with ss/curl

Module 14 — Scheduling jobs

14.1 Cron

crontab format
common pitfalls (PATH, environment)

Lab

Schedule a backup/archive job and verify logs

Module 15 — Archives and backups

15.1 tar fundamentals

bundle vs compress
common tar flags

Lab

Create tar archives and restore them

Module 16 — Search, xargs, and automation mindset

16.1 Find + xargs safely

whitespace-safe patterns (null terminators)

16.2 Mini projects

log cleanup
bulk permission fixes

Lab

Build 3 small automation one-liners

Module 17 — Boot process (awareness level)

17.1 Boot loaders and runlevels/targets

what happens from power-on to login
runlevels vs systemd targets

Lab

Inspect current target, change default (demo)

Module 18 — Security: SELinux (intro)

18.1 Why SELinux exists

MAC vs DAC (high level)

18.2 Common operations

check status
permissive vs enforcing
troubleshooting mindset

Capstone Labs (YouTube playlist ending)

Capstone 1 — Build a “small server”

Install packages
Configure SSH
Create users/groups
Set permissions on /srv/app
Create a systemd service
Open firewall for required ports
Validate with logs and network checks

Capstone 2 — Networking practical

Static IP + routing
NAT
tcpdump capture + analysis

Suggested playlist structure

One playlist: “Linux for DevOps (Complete)”
Each module: 1–4 videos
Every 5–6 modules: a revision + Q&A + interview questions episode

Mapping to your existing notes (source pages)

Linux overview + distros: Linux
Commands: Basic Commands, Shell
Text editors: Text Editors
Filesystem: Files & File System, Xargs & Searching File System
Users & security: Users & Groups, Files Permissions, Sticky Bits (SUID/SGID), UMASK, SELinux
Processes/disks: Process & Disk Commands, Swap Memory, LVM, Disk Quotas
Services/logs: systemctl & journelctl
Networking: IPs & Interfaces, Networking in Linux, DHCP, Routing, NAT, Linux N/w Troubleshooting, Tasks: Linux Networking
Remote access: SSH
Firewalling: Firewalld & Iptables
Boot: Boot Loaders & Run Levels
Scheduling: Cron Jobs
Archives: Archives in Linux