Train for real Linux operations, incidents, and recovery.
Linux Administration Challenge Lab is a public, Git-based training lab project for realistic Linux administration practice.
The project is built around environment packs.
- It is not one scenario = one environment.
- It is one environment pack = multiple related scenarios in one prepared environment.
Each pack is a reusable Linux lab state with its own setup, validation, reset, and checkpoint behavior. Learners and testers work through multiple scenarios in that shared environment instead of rebuilding the lab after every task.
Many Linux exercises teach command syntax in clean, isolated setups. Real administration work is messier: bad handovers, layered symptoms, partial failures, confusing permissions, noisy logs, and recovery pressure.
This project exists to close that gap with portable challenge environments that feel closer to real operations work and that reward careful inspection, validation, and recovery discipline.
This repository is being prepared for an early public push centered on Pack 01 QA and contributor feedback.
- Current implementation focus: Pack 01
- Current Pack 01 state: implemented to a usable baseline and ready for QA/testing
- Current release posture: early testing and review, not broad release-hardening yet
- Next planned pack: Pack 02
Outside testers and contributors are welcome, especially people who can help validate Pack 01 behavior, clarity, portability, and documentation quality.
Current distro-family policy for pack design and QA:
- Debian family: Ubuntu LTS, Debian stable
- Red Hat family: RHEL current major, CentOS Stream current major
Packs should remain family-portable where practical. Exact tested distro versions should be pinned in pack metadata and verified during pack QA.
Pack 01: Linux Foundations Under Pressure is the current public testing target.
It is a single-VM environment pack that covers:
- filesystem navigation and file management
- command-line utilities and text handling
- users and groups
- permissions and ownership
- sudo basics
- POSIX ACLs
- archives and compression
- basic storage and mount symptoms
- basic process/runtime investigation
- troubleshooting method
Pack 01 is meant to be one coherent shared environment with multiple linked scenarios, not a directory of disconnected mini-labs.
Start here:
Early public QA help is most useful in these areas:
- validate Pack 01 setup, validation, and reset behavior
- test Pack 01 on supported distro families
- review scenario wording for clarity and realism
- identify portability issues between Debian-family and Red Hat-family targets
- check that validators reject lazy or over-broad fixes
- flag documentation gaps for first-time learners and contributors
Pack 01 scenario README files are still maturing.
For now, contributors and testers should treat these as more authoritative:
pack.yaml- scenario
scenario.yamlfiles - Pack 01 pack-level docs such as the learner guide and operator notes
- Project Charter
- Project Status
- Linux Training Roadmap v2
- Contributing
- Environment pack framework
- Repository architecture
- Pack catalog
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
environment-packs/ |
Pack implementations and pack-local docs |
docs/project/ |
Project charter and current status |
docs/roadmap/ |
Roadmap and planning references |
docs/architecture/ |
Pack-first and portability design docs |
docs/standards/ |
Pack/scenario/review standards |
ansible/ |
Shared automation entry points |
scripts/ |
Shared shell helpers and entry points |
tests/ |
Repository-level checks and smoke coverage |
- Pack 01 is the current review target.
- Pack 02 is planned next, but it is not the focus of this public QA pass.
- This project is environment-pack-first by design; avoid proposing one-scenario-per-environment rewrites.
- Keep durable changes Git-tracked and portable across supported distro families.
This repository is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0.
Noncommercial use, modification, and sharing are governed by the LICENSE file.
Commercial use is not permitted under the public license.
Commercial use inquiries should be directed to the repository owner.