Linux Interview Questions

== Users and permissions practicum ==
* Rig it so everything in the folder gets deleted tonight at 10pm. Every night at 10pm.

== Local security ==
* How do you feel about `sudo`?
* What's the difference between `telnet` and `ssh`? What's a good use for each?
* How do you ensure your users have hard-to-guess passwords?

== Filesystem ==
* What is the difference between a symbolic and hard link? When would you use each?
* I have a file named `-fr`. How do I get rid of it?
* Why did I just ask that question?
* To partition or not? How?
* What are RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1? What level would you use for a web server and why? A database server?

== `/etc` ==
* `ls -l /etc`. What is all this stuff?
* You added a line to `/etc/aliases`, but it doesn't seem to be working. Why?
* You've created a `zope` user to run Zope under. How do you secure it so someone doesn't guess its password, log in with it, and mess with stuff?
* Bring up `/etc/passwd`. What is all this junk?
* What are shadow passwords?

== Processes ==
* How many processes are running on your machine right now?

== Shells ==
* Name as many shells as you can.
* What's your favorite shell? Why?
* Write a shell script to append "snork" to the file "test" but only if "test" already exists.
* A user performed a `cd; chmod 644 .` before logging out. What problem occurs when he logs in the next time, and what level of privilege is required to correct the problem?

== Startup ==
* Describe the boot process of your favorite Linux in as much detail as you can.
* What are runlevels?

== Social ==
* Describe an experience you had with a difficult user.
* How do you keep up with current tools and practices?
* How did you document your work at your last job so someone else could pick up where you left off?

== Totally miscellaneous ==
* When debugging a core in gdb, what does the command `bt` give: core memory, heap usage, or calling stack?
* A user complains the web site is slow. What do you do?

== Apache ==
* How do you rig Apache to start up on boot?
* Apache doesn't start up on boot, and the thing above checks out okay. How do you track down the problem?
* http://weblion.psu.edu/stuff.html used to exist, but now it's moved to http://weblion.psu.edu/junk.html. Name as many ways as you can to get the old URL to still work. Which way is your favorite?
* These URLs used to exist: http://weblion.psu.edu/a.html, http://weblion.psu.edu/b.html, ..., http://weblion.psu.edu/z.html. But we want to access them from URLs like these: http://weblion.psu.edu/alphabet/a, http://weblion.psu.edu/alphabet/b, ..., http://weblion.psu.edu/alphabet/z. How can we pull that off without renaming the files?
* How do I tell if the web site is busy right now?

Questions by shanthiavari

 

This Question is not yet answered!

 
 

Related Answered Questions

 

Related Open Questions