A Complete Network Engineer Roadmap for 2025

Nmap allows you to quickly verify that; just run the Nmap command followed by the hostname or fully qualified domain name. A good DevOps-focused Linux distribution should have robust security, optimized networking, and long-term support for reliability in production environments. The ability to integrate seamlessly with cloud platforms and automation tools ensures efficient infrastructure management and deployment cycles.

What kinds of career advancement opportunities are available for Linux engineers?

OVS is a prime example of how a Linux host can be extended to provide more than basic level of network attachment. It’s also a good example of the direction things are heading and the skillset that will be required to effectively work and troubleshoot Linux host networking. Secondly, we can’t ignore the proliferation of Linux-based projects such as OpenStack, Docker, and Kubernetes and the impact they are having in the IT space. Having the ability to effectively troubleshoot basic Linux networking constructs is quickly becoming a must-have. When Linux became well-known, it was viewed as a drop-in replacement for expensive Unix servers. As such, Linux quickly rose to prominence as a top-tier server operating system.

A system administrator does not just hope for everything to work or wait for expensive monitoring software to solve issues. They act decisively, identifying, diagnosing, and resolving network problems before they escalate into critical failures. Wicked is a powerful network configuration framework, for example, while Samba is perfect for enabling file-sharing between Linux and Windows systems. You won’t have any trouble installing the right tool for a job with openSUSE’s Zypper package manager. In our on-line courses, the practical labs are performed as live demonstrations by the trainer.

ping

The tool remains popular due to its many flags and options, which allow users to gather detailed network information. The iftop utility displays real-time bandwidth usage for a specific network interface. It provides a dynamic view of network traffic, showing which IP addresses are consuming the most bandwidth at any given moment. The most common use of the command is to find out domain ownership information, such as the name of the owner and the expiration date. It is often embedded in web interfaces that provide a user-friendly experience for domain queries. Many users begin network troubleshooting with the mtr command to observe real-time network performance.

A space to discuss and keep up software development and manage your software career Use ifplugstatus to check a network’s physical link, especially after changes to the network interface. The command shows all information on wireless interfaces on the system. Use the command to view or change a wireless network’s name, power management settings, and other wireless configurations. The arp command shows and configures the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache.

• David has designed, implemented, and managed networks ranging from single sites to those that span 50 countries.
• Note that you can further modify the behavior of these subcommands with additional options and flags.
• As in most jobs, a readiness to learn and adapt as technology evolves is crucial.
• Commands such as nmcli device wifi list and nmcli device connect wlan0 are invaluable for CLI network setup.

Skills you’ll gain

The rise of the Internet further cemented the importance of Linux in IT. Yes, these professionals frequently collaborate with different teams within a company. Regularly, they interact with infrastructure teams, cybersecurity staff, application teams, and sometimes executive management, depending on the project’s scope.

ip Command Flags

Note that this command is considered deprecated in modern distributions. The traceroute command is a diagnostic tool that traces the path packets take from your system to a specified destination, typically a domain name or IP address. Its output displays each intermediate server (referred to as a hop) that the packet passes through on its way to the destination. Here, the command sends exactly 4 ICMP Echo Request packets to redswitches.com and then stops, providing a summary of the response times and packet loss.

• As a distribution designed for penetration testing, Kali Linux comes with a massive variety of preinstalled tools that network engineers are certain to find useful.
• Subcommands have additional options and allow targeting specific interfaces.
• CCNA is enough to become a network engineer; however, if you want to become a sound network engineer, you should at least learn CCNP ENCOR and ENARSI.
• This week will also review the lab environment and introduce some useful tools for troubleshooting.
• The demand for Linux networking professionals continues to rise, with an array of career paths available for those with the necessary skills and qualifications.

The ip route command is used to view, add, delete, and modify entries in the IP routing table of a Linux system. This command helps define how network traffic is directed, including default gateways and static routes. The subcommands listed here add to the standard functionality of the ip link command. This command will turn on a disabled network interface, where it can receive or send network traffic. Once an interface is set down, it will no longer allow any data in or out, terminate any active sessions, and be considered inactive.

Debian is commonly used in web hosting, cloud environments, and even embedded systems. Its stability makes it a preferred choice for servers, although it’s less commonly seen in enterprise IT than Ubuntu or RHEL. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a top choice for enterprise environments. It offers stability and security, with CentOS Stream being its free, community-supported upstream version. Learning CentOS Stream gives you hands-on experience with the RHEL ecosystem without the need for a paid subscription. No matter your IT career focus—whether in system administration, cybersecurity, or cloud computing—Linux skills will form the backbone of your technical expertise.

The Best Linux Distribution to Learn for a Career

The ARP protocol maps IP addresses to physical Media Access Control (MAC) addresses in a local network. The cache stores these mappings for all devices on the local network. The route command in Linux is a specialized command for displaying and configuring the routing table.

The command shows the default DNS resolver information and query statistics without additional options. The command prints a shortlist with crucial information about active interfaces. The destination parameter determines where the network traffic is directed. Although net-tools is deemed as outdated, it is still widely used by legacy scripts and configurations. _OS include an intuitive desktop, tons of tools, and a powerful search bar. If you are looking for a Linux distro for computer science stuff, then Pop!

First off, it’s becoming more and more apparent that most network operating systems are based on some linux for network engineers variation of Linux. Different vendors offer varying degrees of access to the underlying Linux operating system with the trend being to give the user more and more access into system internals. This course is designed specifically to introduce both new and experienced professional network engineers to the Linux operating system and environment. This course will fully prepare attendees to continue on to the Shell Scripting Fundamentals for Network Engineers course.

Overall, the Linux Mint provides a solid Linux experience without trying to over-do anything. Technically, Ubuntu is Debian-based, and it also comes with Long Team Support(LTS). There are other versions of Ubuntu that you can try including Ubuntu Core for securely building IoT devices, enterprise edition for enterprise needs, and the Ubuntu Server for server needs. This is important while debugging problems with connectivity on the local network or sniffing out spoofing attacks.

This week we expand the scope and see how to build a gateway using the capabilities inherent in Linux. Here, a gateway functions at the network’s edge, executing tasks such as filtering, address translation, load balancing, and enforcement of quality of service policies. We’ll learn some background for each topic, followed by an exploration of relevant Linux utilities that can achieve that functionality. This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world’s technology buyers and sellers.

This week, we examine Linux’s robust support for Virtual Networking, aligning with the trend of containerization. We begin by unraveling the core construct in Linux—the network namespace—and subsequently explore tools for effective network namespace management. Practical application of earlier concepts will illustrate the networking of containerized applications.

As Linux continues to dominate server infrastructure, cloud environments, and even desktops, the demand for Linux professionals is growing rapidly. If you’re looking to pursue a career in Linux, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right Linux distribution to learn. With hundreds of distributions (distros) available, this choice of best Linux distro can seem overwhelming. This article will guide you in selecting the best Linux distro based on industry relevance, ease of learning, community support, and career opportunities. David was qualified as a Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI #22787) many years ago! He has been conducting Cisco courses for over 15 years and has delivered instructor-led courses in various countries around the world covering a wide range of Cisco topics from CCNA to CCIE.