LPIC-2 201-450 study plan

Configure persistent IPv4/IPv6 addressing, static routes, and a second IP on one interface using ip plus the distribution's native tooling (NetworkManager keyfiles or systemd-networkd .network files).

Create a VLAN-tagged subinterface and an active-backup bond, then prove failover by taking one slave down and reading the bond status.

Attach a namespace or VM to a software bridge and confirm forwarding with ping and bridge link.

Troubleshoot a broken path using ip route get, ss -tulpn, tcpdump on the right interface, and nftables/iptables counters.

Configure name resolution (systemd-resolved or resolv.conf) plus static /etc/hosts entries, and diagnose a deliberate failure with dig and host.

Compile a small program from source (./configure && make) and install it under /usr/local, listing every build dependency you had to add.

Register a custom library directory in /etc/ld.so.conf.d/, run ldconfig, and verify resolution with ldd and ldconfig -p.

Write an rsync backup script using --link-dest, schedule it with a systemd timer, then delete a directory and restore it from the backup.

Route one syslog facility to a dedicated file in rsyslog and make journald persistent (Storage=persistent), proving both survive reboot.

Audit package integrity with rpm -Va or debsums and explain three findings from the output.

Build a RAID 1 or RAID 5 array with mdadm, write a marker file, mark one member faulty, remove and re-add it, and watch the resync in /proc/mdstat.

Create a PV/VG/LV stack, format and mount it, then grow the LV and the filesystem online with lvextend -r (or resize2fs / xfs_growfs).

Take an LVM snapshot, corrupt a test file on the origin, roll back from the snapshot, and compare checksums.

Persist the array and volume group across reboot via mdadm.conf, initramfs regeneration, and /etc/fstab UUID entries.

Inspect a disk with hdparm -I and sdparm and justify one tuning decision (readahead, I/O scheduler, or write cache).

Create ext4 and XFS filesystems, label and tune them (tune2fs -L/-o, xfs_admin), and mount both from /etc/fstab by UUID.

Break a test filesystem on purpose, then repair it from rescue with fsck and xfs_repair without losing the marker files.

Implement on-demand mounting twice: a systemd .mount/.automount pair and an autofs map.

Enable user quotas on ext4 (or project quotas on XFS) and demonstrate a quota being hit.

Create an encrypted volume with cryptsetup and unlock it at boot through /etc/crypttab with a keyfile.

Build a kernel from source using localmodconfig or menuconfig, install modules and an initramfs, and boot it in a VM.

Manage modules with modprobe, depmod, and insmod, blacklist one driver in /etc/modprobe.d, and confirm with lsmod.

Load a module with a non-default parameter, persist it in a modprobe.d options file, and verify after reboot.

Tune kernel runtime parameters with sysctl, persist them in /etc/sysctl.d, and prove the value survives a restart.

Write a udev rule that creates a stable symlink for a device, reload with udevadm control --reload and udevadm trigger, and confirm the link.

Reinstall and regenerate GRUB2 (grub-install, grub-mkconfig), then recover a deliberately destroyed bootloader from rescue media.

Write a custom systemd service unit plus a target that groups it with a second unit, enable it, and check ordering with systemd-analyze.

Change the default boot target and mask one unit to prove it refuses to start.

Regenerate the initramfs with dracut, mkinitcpio, or update-initramfs and confirm a required module is inside the new image.

Profile boot time with systemd-analyze blame and critical-chain, then disable or delay one slow unit.

Enable sysstat logging and collect a full week (or a compressed multi-day sample) read back with sar -u, -r, -d, and -n DEV.

Establish baselines for CPU, memory, disk I/O, and network, and rank the host's top three resource consumers.

Reproduce a bottleneck with fio or a memory hog, then prove the diagnosis with iostat, vmstat, and pidstat evidence.

Forecast 6-12 month growth from the collected data and write a sized upgrade recommendation.

Automate a threshold check with a small systemd timer script that parses sar output and logs an alert.

Re-run every earlier deliverable checklist and close all open items in the review log.

Drill your two lowest-scoring domains in 30-minute timed sets of at least 20 questions each until you clear 85%.

Recall from memory, on a blank VM, the 40 most-used commands across mdadm, LVM, cryptsetup, grub, modprobe, and network setup.

Sit two full-length timed mock exams and log every uncertain answer with the reference that resolves it.