Basic System Administration Course - Module 1

Module 1 Lab: Introduction to System Administration

Module 1 of Basic System Administration Bootcamp

Objective

By the end of this lab, students will:

• Understand the role of a system administrator.
• Differentiate between server and workstation environments.
• Gain a basic understanding of virtualisation concepts.
• Navigate the EVE-NG interface and create simple nodes and networks.

Prerequisites

• Access to an EVE-NG environment (self-installed or Colourfi pre-configured machine).
• A web browser to access EVE-NG.
• Basic knowledge of IP addressing is helpful but not mandatory.

Lab Setup

1. Log in to your EVE-NG environment.
2. Ensure you have access to at least 2 virtual nodes (one Windows VM, one Linux VM recommended for later modules).
3. Have a basic topology area available to create nodes and links.

Module 1 Learning Objectives

Overview of System Administration Roles

Responsibilities of a sysadmin:

• User and group management
• Server and workstation deployment
• Security and patch management
• Network configuration
• Backup and recovery

Understanding Server vs. Workstation Environments

key differences:

• Servers often run headless or minimal GUI, provide services to multiple users.
• Workstations are user-focused with full GUI and productivity apps.

Feature	Server	Workstation
GUI	Minimal/optional	Full
Purpose	Provide services	User productivity
Number of users	Multiple	Single

Introduction to Virtualisation Concepts

Understand the concept of virtual machines and hypervisors:

• Type 1 hypervisor: runs directly on hardware (e.g., ESXi, Hyper-V)
• Type 2 hypervisor: runs on host OS (e.g., VirtualBox, VMware Workstation)

Module 1 Hands On Lab

Step 1: Exploring the EVE-NG Interface

1. Log in to EVE-NG web interface.
2. Navigate the main menu:

• Lab View – shows topology and nodes
• Node Management – add/remove nodes
• Topology Connections – connect nodes via virtual links

Step 2: Creating Basic Nodes and Networks

Create a new lab:

• Lab name: Module1_Lab
• Add Network: for network type select "Management(cloud0)"

• Add Node 1: Linux Server 24.04 VM
• Add Node 2: Windows 11 VM

1. Connect the nodes to the network with virtual links.
2. Start both nodes.
3. Follow the prompts to setup each machine.

IP Addressing and Commands:

• In windows open cmd and type: ipconfig
• In Ubuntu type: ip a
• note down you ipv4 addresses
• from the Windows PC ping the ip address of your ubuntu machine ping [ip of ubuntu machine without squarebrackets]

Step 3: Setup Ubuntu as web server:

On the ubuntu server install apache2

sudo apt update

sudo apt install apache2

On your windows 11 VM open edge and navigate to the ip address of your ubuntu server, you should see the apache page.

Step 4: Windows vs Linux commands:

try out the following commands in your windows machine vs your ubuntu machine and compare their output.

Win 11 CMD	Ubuntu 24.04 Terminal
dir	ls
cd C:\	cd /
dir	ls
tasklist	ps aux
whoami	whoami
echo helloworld	echo helloworld
taskmgr	top

tip to get out of programs like top in ubuntu press control+c.

Step 5: Documentation

Submit this on ColourFi LMS (subscribers only)

1. Take a screenshot of your lab topology with nodes and links.
2. Label which node is server, which is workstation.
3. What is Apache2
4. Submit a short paragraph describing your first experience with EVE-NG and what you learned about sysadmin roles and virtualization.

Expected Outcomes

• Students can identify server vs. workstation roles.
• Students can navigate the EVE-NG interface.
• Students can create at least two nodes and connect them via a virtual network.
• Students understand basic virtualization concepts.