How to study administration?

Question

System administration

Good afternoon. Now I've been working with enikey for a couple of months, I want to start studying the real administration more or less comprehensively, for now just install the software, install Windows, in short, a typical enikey. I would love to hear your advice on the best way to do this. For example, how to study Active Directory? I understand that you can read a book, since there are a lot of them, but how much software does an admin need to know, what about 400 pages to read for each book? Somehow time consuming. There is a second option, to study the documentation. Which way is better? How did you study and study now?

Answer 1

If you do not have AD in the office, then optimize what you are currently doing with your hands.
Install the same software - learn how you can install it automatically. There are portable versions, there is https://chocolatey.org/, there are console installers.
The same goes for installing Windows - figure out how to make a prepared Windows image with the necessary drivers.
Is the way better? There is no secret ingredient. You are unlikely to be able to repeat someone else's path. Times are different, people are different. Study both documentation and books, but without practice you will have a very superficial understanding. Therefore, see what you can do on the spot in practice and embody.

Answer 2

In short...
For Windows . Start simple, download the courses (we all know where to look) and go through them, following all the steps that the course leader describes:
Course 20410D: Installing and configuring Windows Server 2012 R2
Course 20411D: Administering Windows Server 2012 R2
Course 20412D: Configuring additional Windows services Server 2012 R2
If you have any questions along the way - pause and google, delving into the topic. Try in your test environment to raise the CD, domain, create users, connect the host to the domain, play around with group policies (disable updates)), install a Terminal Server, forward ports behind NAT to this server, try to connect from outside via RDP, install Exchange, etc.
Be sure to try to put this knowledge into practice in order to consolidate ... Take small notes in files / notes - it helps.
Be sure to learn PowerShell, ( Powershell Learning Resources? ). Helps to automate administration processes.
If you want to touch Linux , then I started with this:
wacky-tobaccy.blogspot.com/2013/04/blog-post.html
I copied all the questions into Word and outlined how I did it all (later, when I worked in the linux infrastructure, I really needed these records). I did not solve all the problems, but the experience was invaluable. Along the way, you need to dive into bash (there are excellent courses on stepik, upon completion of which you can get a certificate). By the way, regarding video courses, the best, in my opinion, is from Kirill Semaev:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCu-tfL730&list=P...
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=aRcRAA1Gj_4&list=P...
It seemed to be on the trackers too.
Later, I would dive into DevOps tools - Docker, Ansible, Git, Jenkins, Kubernetes, etc...
something like that.

Answer 3

If your own car allows - raise VBox and start WinSrv in it - you can download a trial image without cracks. Without workstations on the network, of course, AD will not be of any use, but it will be possible, for example, to drive your own car (where VBox is) there :)