Linux+ VM Labs & Documentation

Status: Completed Origin: Training Material Since: 2025.11

Rocky LinuxFedoraUbuntuProxmoxNETLAB+CompTIA Linux+

Overview

Developed comprehensive lab environments for CompTIA Linux+ (XK0-006) certification preparation. This project involved modernizing severely outdated lab infrastructure, designing 31 hands-on labs across all exam domains, and deploying the complete environment within the NETLAB+ ecosystem on Proxmox virtualization.

The Problem: Outdated Infrastructure

The existing lab environment was built for a deprecated certification exam using end-of-life operating systems. The original labs relied heavily on CentOS, which in December 2020 shifted from being a downstream RHEL clone to CentOS Stream—an upstream development branch. This broke the traditional "free RHEL" model that many organizations depended on. Rocky Linux emerged as the community-driven successor, founded by CentOS co-founder Gregory Kurtzer to fill this gap as the de facto free RHEL clone:

❌ BEFORE

LX0-101/102 Linux+ Powered by LPI

CentOS 6.3 EOL 2020

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS EOL 2017

Fedora 17 EOL 2013

UPGRADE

✓ AFTER

XK0-006 Linux+ V8 (Current)

Rocky Linux Server Current

Fedora Workstation Current

Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS Current

Ubuntu Desktop Latest Current

NETLAB+ Ecosystem Architecture

Labs are deployed via NDG NETLAB+ using virtualized pods on Proxmox infrastructure:

INFRASTRUCTURE

🖥️ Proxmox VE Virtualization Host

VM Management

MANAGEMENT

⚙️ NETLAB+ Server Lab Orchestration

↔

📦 Pod Designer NLX Files

Clone & Deploy

POD TOPOLOGY

🐧 Rocky Linux Server

🎩 Fedora Workstation

🟠 Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS

🟠 Ubuntu Desktop Workstation

Internal Management LAN

Student Access

STUDENTS

👨‍💻 Remote Console

📚 Lab Guides

🔄 Snapshot Reset

Exam Domain Coverage (XK0-006)

The 31 labs provide comprehensive coverage across all five CompTIA Linux+ exam domains:

Domain 1

System Management

23% of Exam

25 Labs

Domain 2

Services & User Management

20% of Exam

17 Labs

Domain 3

Security

18% of Exam

14 Labs

Domain 4

Automation & Scripting

17% of Exam

9 Labs

Domain 5

Troubleshooting

22% of Exam

16 Labs

Lab Series Breakdown

31 labs organized into four progressive phases:

Installation & Foundation Labs 1-4 (4 labs)

1-01 Installation (Rocky, Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server)

1.11.21.31.43.3

1-02 Hardware Information (lspci, lsusb, dmidecode)

1.25.1

1-03 Storage & Partitions (LVM, RAID, fdisk)

1.15.2

1-04 Boot Process & GRUB2

1.23.35.2

Shell & File Management Labs 5-11 (7 labs)

1-05 Shell Navigation & BASH Basics

1.52.25.1

1-06 BASH Features & Customization

1.54.2

1-07 Process Monitoring (ps, top, kill)

1.32.35.15.5

1-08 Permissions & Ownership (chmod, ACLs)

2.23.35.4

1-09 Text Editing (vi/vim)

1.52.24.2

1-10 Package Management (dnf, apt, rpm)

1.32.33.6

1-11 Text Processing (grep, sed, awk)

1.54.2

Administration & Security Labs 12-21 (10 labs)

1-12 User & Group Management

2.13.45.4

1-13 System Time & NTP (chrony)

1.32.45.4

1-14 System Logging (journalctl, rsyslog)

1.32.43.15.1

1-15 Job Scheduling (cron, at)

2.33.34.1

1-16 Locale & Internationalization

1.3

1-17 Network Configuration (ip, nmcli)

1.45.3

1-18 Firewalls (firewalld)

3.25.3

1-19 SSH Configuration & Hardening

1.43.13.33.5

1-20 Encryption (GPG)

3.5

1-21 Firewalls (UFW & iptables)

3.25.3

Advanced Skills Labs 22-31 (10 labs)

1-22 BASH Scripting Fundamentals

1.54.2

1-23 Database Management (MariaDB)

1.32.45.1

1-24 SELinux & AppArmor

3.13.35.4

1-25 Containers (Podman)

1.72.65.1

1-26 Version Control (Git)

4.4

1-27 Backup & Recovery (tar, rsync)

1.63.65.2

1-28 Performance Tuning (sar, vmstat)

1.35.15.5

1-29 Python Basics

4.3

1-30 Ansible Automation

1.34.1

1-31 Desktop Environment

1.3

Custom Pod Development Workflow

Creating a custom lab pod in NETLAB+ follows a structured workflow:

🖥️

Prepare VMs Deploy and configure VMs on Proxmox host

📸

Create Snapshots Golden_Master snapshot for each VM

🎨

Pod Designer Define pod structure in NETLAB+

🎯

Set Hotspots Map topology image to devices

✅

Commit Build Lock and finalize pod design (NLX)

📋

Clone Pods Replicate master to student pods

Pod Design Technical Details

📦 Pod Design File (NLX)

The NLX file acts as "source code" for the pod, containing all VM definitions, network connections, and topology visuals. Can be exported, backed up, and shared between systems.

📸 Golden Master Snapshots

Each VM requires a "Golden_Master" snapshot serving as the foundation for cloning. Students can reset to this state at any time during labs.

🎯 Topology Hotspots

Interactive rectangular areas placed over device icons in the topology image. Clicking opens the VM console for that specific device.

🔗 Linked vs Full Clones

Linked: Share virtual disks with parent (faster, storage efficient). Full: Independent copies (isolated, more storage).

🌐 Network Configuration

VMs connect via internal management LAN. Static MAC addresses persist during cloning for consistent network identity.

📝 Lab Designer

Separate from Pod Designer. Creates specific exercises targeting the pod, attaches PDF instructions and preset configurations.

Skills & Technologies Covered

System Administration

Boot Process GRUB2 LVM RAID Partitioning Package Managers systemd Logging

Shell & Scripting

BASH vi/vim grep sed awk Regular Expressions Python Ansible

Networking & Security

SSH firewalld UFW iptables SELinux AppArmor GPG NTP/chrony

Modern Technologies

Podman Containers Git MariaDB Performance Tuning Backup/Recovery

Project Status

Labs deployed and in active use

✓ Upgraded from deprecated LX0-101/102 to current XK0-006
✓ Replaced EOL CentOS 6.3, Ubuntu 12.04, Fedora 17
✓ Deployed Rocky Linux, Fedora, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
✓ Created 31 comprehensive hands-on labs
✓ 100% coverage of all 5 exam domains
✓ Custom pod design deployed to NETLAB+ on Proxmox
✓ Lab documentation and instructor guides completed
✓ Student pods cloned and accessible