RHCSA/RHCE Red Hat Linux Certification Study Guide by Michael Jang

January 2017 I started a position as a Linux/UNIX system administrator. I was accepted for aptitude I suppose and in spite of being a Windows/Mac guy for years. My Linux experience prior to this was roughly 10 years old and not at a super high level. I’m offering this background to emphasize the quality of this training. In 5 months of study, practice and work I passed the RHCSA. So, Windows guy to Linux guy in 5 months. I was impressed, if no one else.
Now this book was not my only source. I never use a single source for training when I really want to know the content and not simply pass a test. I used an online academy of linux (search it), then got this book on kindle, then purchased this book on paper, built the labs, lived it at work and at home, and finally, my employer graciously sent me to Red Hat for the rapid RHCSA course. Every bit helped for sure, but this book really helped guide me in the right direction and fill in gaps that I would have missed or dismissed as unimportant.

I personally find the writing style engaging and the examples and labs practical. I was dubious on a few points until I took the exam and understood why. I perceive the authors truly know the material both academically and practically. If I’m just looking for a negative; I find the layout of the first couple of chapters, which handle lab setup, confusing. I would prefer a simple list of all the configuration options and then a further explanation after. Instead, I find I have to read all of it and take notes. I did read it, all of it, but I still had to flip back and forth a lot.

I love it when I find good, thorough and engaging technical material. I bought this book based on the other customer reviews and I have not been disappointed. I will use this same book the study for the RHCE also. It has really been money well spent and FAR cheaper, and in many ways more comprehensive than classroom training.

By the way, every resource I used missed something I needed to know. It is vital to use multiple resources because they all miss something.

Invaluable resource. It is divided in chapters that finally makes sense and it guides through every step. It is detailed but it is not gigantic. I finally find some answers to some unsolved questions. I can really recommend.

It’s a good reference book with good explanation of topics. I just started getting into Linux and I will say that this book is not exactly beginner friendly. I mainly used this book for the practice exams. I passed my RHCSA exam but I would say I used this book only for about 20% of my studying.

Another negative I would add is that I wish the practice exam answer key went in more depth of explaining where it came up with some of the answers it did.

The book is great (I have not taken the RHCSA 7 test since I started using this book). I have read other RHCSA 7 books and feel this is the superior book. The information for the different tasks is concise. I really appreciate this fact. I’m not a super smart person so I need things to be explained clearly. My only complain would be the fact that the author provides the minimal amount of information on the different subjects. In order to get a deep dive of certain things, I had to do some self study on the matter. However, the author makes this fact clear from the very beginning. He advises that the book will not cover everything you need to know on a topic and that RHCSA 7 attempts are not for Linux beginners. He also suggests additional study material if you’re a newbie or alternate certifications that would be more appropriate for a less experienced Linux user/administrator. If you have a decent Linux background (regardless of distribution) and can move around in the command line and do simple stuff, or have a little bit of Red Hat experience, this book is for you. If you lack an overall understanding of Linux, the command line, directory tree structure, configuration files, etc. this book will certainly teach you things but you’ll have to fill the knowledge gap with more “beginner” level study material.