Skip to content

richard-skerritt/tryhackme-linux-fundamentals

Repository files navigation

TryHackMe Linux Fundamentals - Complete Series

Complete documentation of TryHackMe Linux Fundamentals Parts 1, 2, and 3. All three rooms finished with comprehensive notes, command cheatsheets, and hands-on lab evidence.

Status: ✅ All 3 Rooms Complete


Series Overview

Linux Fundamentals is a three-part beginner-to-intermediate course covering essential Linux system administration skills. This repository documents the complete series with detailed notes, practical command references, and screenshot evidence from hands-on labs.

Room 1: Basic Navigation

  • Terminal basics and Linux file system structure
  • Navigation commands (cd, ls, pwd)
  • File searching (find, locate, grep)
  • Shell operators and wildcards
  • Skills: Comfortable navigating Linux systems from command line

Room 2: File System & Permissions

  • File operations (cp, mv, rm, mkdir)
  • File permissions (symbolic and numeric)
  • File ownership (chown, chgrp)
  • Understanding permission security implications
  • Skills: Managing file access control and troubleshooting permission issues

Room 3: System Operations & Automation

  • Command line text editors (nano, vim)
  • Web content download (wget, curl)
  • Process management (ps, fg, bg, kill)
  • Task automation with cron
  • Package management with apt
  • Log monitoring and troubleshooting
  • Skills: Operating Linux systems, automating tasks, diagnosing problems

Repository Structure

tryhackme-linux-fundamentals/
├── README.md (this file)
├── LEARNING-LOG.md (progress tracker across all 3 rooms)
│
├── room-01-notes.md
├── room-01-commands-cheatsheet.md
└── room-01-screenshots/
    ├── 01-basic-navigation.png
    ├── 02-file-navigation.png
    └── ... (quiz completion evidence)
│
├── room-02-notes.md
├── room-02-commands-cheatsheet.md
└── room-02-screenshots/
    ├── 01-file-operations.png
    ├── 02-file-permissions.png
    └── ... (quiz completion evidence)
│
├── room-03-README.md
├── room-03-notes.md
├── room-03-commands-cheatsheet.md
└── room-03-screenshots/
    ├── 01-command-line-text-editors.png
    ├── 02-accessing-web-content.png
    ├── 03-running-processes.png
    ├── 04-automating-system-automation.png
    ├── 05-introducing-packages-and-software-repos.png
    └── 06-monitoring-your-system-logs.png

Quick Start

New to Linux? Start here:

  1. Read LEARNING-LOG.md for series overview
  2. Start with room-01-notes.md (navigation)
  3. Move to room-02-notes.md (permissions)
  4. Finish with room-03-README.md (operations)

Need command reference?

  • room-01-commands-cheatsheet.md - Navigation commands
  • room-02-commands-cheatsheet.md - Permission & file commands
  • room-03-commands-cheatsheet.md - Process, cron, apt, log commands

Studying for sysadmin role? Focus on Room 2 (permissions) and Room 3 (automation + logs). These are daily sysadmin work.


Key Concepts by Room

Room 1: Navigation & Exploration

Master these commands:

  • cd - Change directory
  • ls - List files
  • pwd - Print working directory
  • find - Search for files
  • grep - Search file contents

Why it matters: Can't work with a system you can't navigate.

Room 2: Access Control & Security

Master these commands:

  • chmod - Change file permissions
  • chown - Change file owner
  • chgrp - Change file group
  • ls -l - See permissions and ownership

Why it matters: Permissions are core Linux security. Misconfigured permissions cause security issues.

Room 3: System Operations

Master these commands:

  • nano/vim - Edit config files
  • wget/curl - Download files
  • ps aux - List processes
  • crontab -e - Schedule tasks
  • apt install - Install software
  • tail -f - Watch logs
  • grep - Search logs

Why it matters: Sysadmins automate repetitive tasks, install software, and diagnose problems using logs.


Real-World Sysadmin Applications

After completing this series, you can:

Task How Commands
Edit Apache config Open in nano nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
Check running services List processes ps aux | grep apache2
Find large log files Search /var/log ls -lh /var/log/*.log | sort -k5 -h
Schedule daily backup Add cron job crontab -e then 0 2 * * * /backup.sh
Install web server Use apt apt update && apt install nginx
Diagnose failed service Check logs tail -50 /var/log/syslog | grep error
Fix permission issue Change permissions chmod 755 /var/www
Download security patch Download file wget https://security.patch.com/patch.tar.gz

Progression & Learning Path

Room 1 → Room 2 → Room 3 = Sysadmin Foundation

Room 1: How do I navigate?
    ↓
Room 2: How do I control access?
    ↓
Room 3: How do I operate the system?
    ↓
Junior Sysadmin Ready (with mentorship)

Each room builds on the previous:

  • Room 1 teaches you the landscape (where files are, how to find them)
  • Room 2 teaches you security (who can access what and why it matters)
  • Room 3 teaches you operations (automate tasks, install software, troubleshoot)

Completion Evidence

Room 1: All quiz questions answered correctly
Room 2: All quiz questions answered correctly
Room 3: All quiz questions answered correctly

Screenshot evidence stored in room-01-screenshots/, room-02-screenshots/, and room-03-screenshots/.


Time Investment

  • Room 1: ~30 minutes
  • Room 2: ~30 minutes
  • Room 3: ~45 minutes
  • Total: ~105 minutes (1h 45m)

Next Steps After This Series

  1. Deepen Linux knowledge: Privilege escalation, networking, services management
  2. Practice on HackTheBox: Real-world Linux systems to compromise
  3. Windows Server: Active Directory, Group Policy, system administration
  4. Cloud platforms: Azure, AWS basics for modern infrastructure
  5. Security certifications: CompTIA Security+, CEH

This series is the foundation. Real Linux administration requires depth in specialized areas (networking, security hardening, service management), but navigation + permissions + automation cover 70% of daily junior sysadmin work.


Files Included

Documentation

  • LEARNING-LOG.md - Progress tracker across all 3 rooms with key learnings
  • room-01-notes.md - Detailed explanations of Room 1 concepts
  • room-02-notes.md - Detailed explanations of Room 2 concepts
  • room-03-notes.md - Detailed explanations of Room 3 concepts
  • room-03-README.md - Room 3 comprehensive overview

Cheatsheets

  • room-01-commands-cheatsheet.md - Quick command reference for Room 1
  • room-02-commands-cheatsheet.md - Quick command reference for Room 2
  • room-03-commands-cheatsheet.md - Quick command reference for Room 3

Evidence

  • room-01-screenshots/ - Quiz completion screenshots
  • room-02-screenshots/ - Quiz completion screenshots
  • room-03-screenshots/ - Task completion screenshots

How to Use This Repository

As a learner:

  1. Read notes for conceptual understanding
  2. Reference cheatsheets while practicing
  3. Review your answers against the screenshots

As interview prep:

  1. Use cheatsheets to refresh commands before interviews
  2. Focus on Room 2 (permissions) and Room 3 (automation, logs)
  3. Be prepared to explain why commands work

As documentation: Keep this repo as future reference. When you're on the job and forget the exact cron syntax or grep command, these cheatsheets will be faster than searching online.


Sysadmin Relevance

These three rooms cover skills you'll use daily as a Linux sysadmin:

Daily Task Skill Room
Troubleshoot permission issues chmod, chown, ls -l 2
Edit config files nano, vim 3
Install updates apt update/upgrade 3
Check running services ps aux 3
Schedule backups crontab 3
Diagnose errors grep, tail, /var/log 3
Manage users/groups File ownership 2

Percentage of real sysadmin work covered by this series: ~70% (foundation level)


Repository Info

TryHackMe Course: Linux Fundamentals (Parts 1, 2, 3)
Course Type: Beginner to Intermediate
Status: ✅ Complete
Last Updated: February 2026

Purpose: Document complete learning of Linux Fundamentals series with comprehensive notes, commands references, and hands-on lab evidence for portfolio/recruitment purposes.


Ready to use. All three rooms complete. All documentation included.

About

Hands-on documentation of TryHackMe Linux Fundamentals pathway. Practical command-line skills for sysadmin roles. Includes lab notes, command references, and learning progress.

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

No releases published

Packages

 
 
 

Contributors