INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Linux is no longer an obscure operating system only installed on email servers and tech boffin’s laptops – rather it has become a
flexible and powerful alternative to paid-for operating systems like Windows and macOS.Even IT professionals who routinely use Microsoft and
Apple products in the workplace can benefit from a basic knowledge of Linux commands, given its prevalence on servers and the fact it's
available to download free of charge.In this article, we’re going to list 10 of the best courses offered by various training providers,
all of which are designed to familiarise you with Linux
Some of these are self-guided and can be completed in a few days whereas others can only be undertaken in a classroom, or over a period of
weeks.Wherever possible, we have tried to find courses which are suitable for newcomers to Linux and offer the best possible value-for-money
So forge on and take a look at the various options here – you’ll almost certainly find something suitable which meets your needs in
terms of an introduction to Linux.1
Linux for BeginnersUnderstand the basics of Linux with this course from UdemyDuration: 6 hours | Distributor: Udemy | Price: £10
(TheIndianSubcontinent Exclusive deal)Very inexpensiveGreat setup sectionNo explanation of the history of LinuxDoesn't focus on a specific
distroUdemy is an online learning platform for those willing to develop their professional skills
And what better way to do this than with Jason Cannon's Linux for Beginners course.As the course is offered on the Udemy platform, you
benefit from a detailed course overview and can find out a little bit more about your instructor.The only course requirements are basic IT
literacy and a willingness to learn
Linux for Beginners also covers setting up Linux in a virtual machine, so you can experiment without interfering with your current system
setup. The course is delivered via a series of self-paced online videos which take around six hours to complete
Linux for Beginners covers all the basics and another major boon is that it’s a highly inexpensive option.The course is usually £95 - but
only £10.99 when you click through from this article!2
LPI Linux EssentialsGet to grips with the penguin courtesy of Linux AcademyDuration: 6 hours + exam | Distributor: Linux Academy | Price:
$449 (£315)Make notes on each page as you progressSubscription grants access to dozens of other coursesSubscription fee is high for just
one courseConnecting to Lab servers can be tricky for new usersThe Linux Academy is an online platform offering access to dozens of
Registration requires a valid credit card and will give you a free 7-day trial to take any Linux Academy course including Linux Essentials
After this your card is billed $449 (£330) per year. That’s very expensive if you only want to take this course, although as Linux
Essentials can be completed in around six hours, you could undertake it during the 7-day trial period, then cancel your subscription.The
course is authored and delivered by systems engineer Kenny Armstrong who narrates the 66 videos over five main topic areas
The stated aim is to give you a basic knowledge of Linux-compatible hardware, the concepts behind open source, as well as looking at how to
navigate the Linux desktop and command line. You can even connect to the Linux Academy's servers to do practice exercises, although this
may be tricky for someone with no experience of networking.3
Linux Essential Commands (Ubuntu)Train as an Ubuntu system admin via LyndaDuration: 2 hours | Distributor: Lynda | Price: £23 ($31) per
monthEasy to navigate videosWay cheaper than Linux Foundation admin coursesSubscription cost is high for just one courseSome sections aren't
very detailedThe Lynda.com platform, which is owned by business networking website LinkedIn, hosts dozens of Linux-related courses including
this one, which has the full title of Linux Foundation Certified System: Essential Commands (Ubuntu).The course focuses on mastery of the
basic commands involving administration of the Ubuntu OS, one of the most popular flavours of Linux
Essential Commands (Ubuntu) is authored by Scott Simpson, who has also designed a number of Linux-related courses.To access this course, you
must first subscribe to Lynda
There's a basic and premium price plan – premium subscribers can store course materials offline, as well as download practice materials
Whichever option you choose, there's a 30-day free trial.The course focuses specifically on Ubuntu, which is wise as it's one of the most
popular distributions for beginners, and this focus allows for a greater level of detail than the more generic courses we've looked at
This said, some of the instructions are a little vague in places, such as the part dedicated to setting up Ubuntu in a virtual machine.4
LPIC-1 Junior Level Linux CertificationBecome a certified admin with Firebrand's intensive courseDuration: 6 days | Distributor: Firebrand |
Price: £4,890 ($6,620)Excellent training with a dedicated instructorIntensive course at an exam centreVery high fee compared to online
coursesWebsite does not list instructors’ qualificationsThe Linux Professional Institute (LPI) provides accredited certification for IT
professionals who want to master Linux
The LPIC-1 course is the first step to proving you can administer Linux systems.Firebrand’s course is different in that unlike other Linux
training, you pay to stay at an exam centre for an intense six day period, at the end of which you’ll take the exam
Learning is classroom-based with a dedicated instructor and lessons which last 12 hours a day.Your accommodation, meals, tuition, study
materials and certificates are included in the fee, which explains why it's so high
Firebrand also offers a chance to resit the course free of charge if you fail the first time round, though you need to cover accommodation
and other expenses. Although the Firebrand website doesn't detail the exact LPIC-1 syllabus, you can find details of this on the LPI
The course itself is divided into three parts, covering system architecture, the Linux boot process, and finally booting to the console.5
Ubuntu LinuxSet up and run your own Ubuntu ServerDuration: 8.5 hours | Distributor: CBT Nuggets | Price: £62 ($84) per monthWeb interface
is easy-to-useMobile apps let you watch training videos on the moveSome sections don't have specific how-to instructionsNo accredited
certificationCBT Nuggets is an online learning platform hosting dozens of training courses from big players like Cisco
Payment of a monthly fee gives you access to all CBT courses – plus there's also a free 7-day trial to give the system a whirl.There are
no prerequisites for tackling the Ubuntu Linux course, although if you're entirely unfamiliar with Linux, you're probably best off doing the
Linux Essentials course which can also be accessed on the CBT platform.Unlike other training providers CBT also allows you to watch training
videos on its mobile app, which is available for Apple, Amazon and Android devices.Topic areas include initial setup, some basic Linux
commands, and a look at networking
There's even a dedicated section on securing Linux.The instructor has a wonderful flair for making boring concepts entertaining
On one occasion he uses his video lecture tool to draw a picture of a puppy as he launches into a detailed diatribe on software
repositories.If you are willing to pay the subscription fee for CBT Nuggets, there are further training courses you can take for Linux and
Red Hat System Administration IBecome a Linux admin with the good people at Red HatDuration: 90 days | Distributor: Red Hat | Price: £1,862
($2,525)Excellent training options – online or in a classroomPreconfigured virtual machinesHigh course feesNo certification for this
introductory courseRed Hat Enterprise Linux (often shortened to RHEL) is a commercially developed version of Linux mainly used in big
Red Hat offers comprehensive training courses for those interested in becoming a Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator.Red Hat System
Administration part one is the initial step in this journey and is designed for those who may be familiar with Linux, but haven't used it in
Unlike other training providers, Red Hat offers a variety of ways to undertake the course at different costs.For instance, you can opt to
take it online over 90 days for £1,862 ($2,525)
Alternatively you can train via a remote classroom for £2,190 ($2,970)
Red Hat even hosts on-site training over five days if you're near one of its centres.The training is regularly punctuated with practical
exercises which test your knowledge
Each exercise will tell you whether to access your 'server' or 'desktop' virtual machine, both of which are set up for you, so you can start
training right away. This training course has been devised by the very same company that developed Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an obvious
strong point because it means that all course materials come straight from the horse's mouth.7
Introduction to Linux (Linux Foundation)An online course which is free to takeDuration: 40-50 hours | Distributor: Linux Foundation | Price:
FreeCourse is freeRecord your progress to resume where you left offFee for completion certificateFew colourful pictures or diagrams
providedThe Linux Foundation offers a number of online courses via the edX platform including this Introduction to Linux
One very attractive feature of these courses is that they are free to take, although there is an additional fee of $99 (£73) if you want a
formal 'certificate of completion'.Introduction to Linux has been prepared by Jerry Cooperstein, the Training Program Director for the Linux
Foundation, and there's even a short welcome message from the creator of the Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds himself; so it's safe to say
you're in good hands.The course is designed as a series of learning videos to help people who have basic IT skills to become familiar with
Linux, both using a graphical interface and the command line.Introduction to Linux is more than just text and videos, however
There are a number of ‘try it yourself’ activities, too, which allow you to perform tasks such as working with files.Although the images
and diagrams used in the videos are rather simplistic, this course is very popular on edX (being rated at 4/5 stars) and is an excellent way
to familiarise yourself with the essentials of Linux.8
Linux System FundamentalsGet to grips with Linux using this course from QADuration: 5 days | Distributor: QA | Price: £3,397
($4,602)Learning is in a real or remote classroomTruly cross-platform with emphasis on command lineCourse is expensiveWebsite doesn’t list
instructors’ qualificationsQA has been around for 30 years and offers a tremendous amount of courses for professionals to gain
certification and new skills
Its website includes eight Linux courses, including Linux System Fundamentals, which is aimed at IT pros with little or no experience of the
OS.All training is guided by an instructor at one of the QA training centres around the UK, or alternatively you can remotely attend a
After contacting QA for clarification, we found the course fee is the same, regardless of which method you choose
At the time of writing, however, the 'Attend from Anywhere' option is currently unavailable for this course.Linux System Fundamentals lives
up to its name in that the course focuses strongly on helping you master the Linux command line
The desktop environment and graphical editors are discussed towards the end of the training, however
This means it's truly cross-platform, as you can use whichever Linux distribution you prefer to train with.9
Ubuntu Linux for BeginnersLearn the basics of Ubuntu with Skill SuccessDuration: 6 hours | Distributor: Skill Success | Price: £29
($39)Topics are logically laid out and well explainedFocus on Ubuntu Linux is ideal for beginnersSome sections are overly lengthy or
detailedIt's unclear who the course instructor isReed.co.uk is best known as a recruitment website, but it also hosts a number of online
courses including Ubuntu Linux for Beginners
These are in fact designed by third parties, as is the case with this course which comes from the good people at Skill Success.Ubuntu Linux
for Beginners is available as a series of video lectures, allowing you to learn at your own pace
The training itself is divided into 11 topics, covering areas such as installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine, getting started with the
Ubuntu desktop and command line, setting up your own web server, basic programming and connecting via SSH.Some of the sections are overly
detailed and not really suitable for beginners to Linux, but you can always skip past these and return to them at a later date
The course currently offers excellent value-for-money, although note that the heavy discount seen at the time of writing isn’t always
available (although the good news is it seems to be a recurring affair).10
Introduction to Linux (VTC)Get familiar with Linux courtesy of VTCDuration: 6.5 hours | Distributor: VTC | Price: £30 ($39)Very reasonable
price for a self-paced courseVideos are easy to understandVideos use Linux emulator rather than Linux itselfVery little support for initial
Linux setupVTC is an online learning platform specifically geared to help trainees improve their software skills
The Introduction to Linux course is designed to welcome newcomers to Linux and provide them with some basic knowledge of the operating
system. Unlike many of the other courses we’ve looked at, this one offers the first three chapters free of charge to visitors
This represents an excellent sneak preview and allows you to become accustomed to navigating the course outline.After the third chapter, you
can choose to pay a one-time fee of $39 (£29) to access the rest of the course online, or for an additional $39, you can download the
entire course for offline viewing.Introduction to Linux covers basic knowledge such as using the command line, hardware, networking and the
X Window manager. The course overview itself is easy to navigate and you can go back and replay videos as you wish
There's no section provided on the web page for taking notes, though, so you'll need your own text editor for
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