Chapter 1: What DevOps Engineers Actually Do on Linux
In this chapter, you'll learn what DevOps engineers do on Linux servers, how tools like Docker and cloud-init rely on Linux features, and how to take a quick server health snapshot.
DevOps job listings often mention dozens of tools, from Docker and cloud-init to monitoring and automation platforms.
If you are just getting started, it can be difficult to understand what a DevOps engineer actually does with these tools on a real Linux server.
In practice, much of the work comes back to understanding Linux itself, because DevOps engineers regularly inspect services, check logs, monitor disk space, verify network connections, automate server setup, and troubleshoot problems when something does not work as expected.
This chapter connects common DevOps tools and tasks to the Linux features they depend on. We will also build a simple routine for checking the health of a Linux server and make sure your computer is ready to run the virtual machines used in the course lab.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe what a DevOps engineer does on Linux servers during a normal working day.
- Understand how popular DevOps tools such as Docker and cloud-init depend on Linux features.
- Explain how DevOps practices differ from traditional system administration.
- Take a quick health snapshot of a Linux server using
systemctl,journalctl,ss, anddf. - Confirm that your computer can run the virtual machines used in the course lab.