SMGR201v4 - SUSE Manager 4 Basic Operations

Generally, the major topics that are discussed in detail are:

• Exploring the SUSE Manager (SUMA) Web UI Management Console
• Implementing Channel Management
• Delegating Management Authority in SUMA
• Managing Minions using Salt commands
• Performing common administrative activities.

This course prepares students for the SUSE Certified Administrator (SCA) in SUSE Manager 4 certification exam. 

Attendees should have the following experience and skills before attending this class:

• Installing and configuring SUMA Servers and Proxy Servers is only reviewed in this training. The attendee is assumed to be responsible day-to-day management. However, detailed information on installation and initial configuration of SUMA is presented in course SMGR211v4: SUSE Manager 4 Deployment and Initial Configuration. Attendance in SMGR211v4 is helpful, not required to be successful in this class
• Have at least one year’s experience managing Linux operating systems
• Be able to work at the Linux command-line and use the vi editor
• Understand how to manually install packages on SUSE Linux Enterprise servers.

• Server System Administrators who are tasked with day-to-day server management and support.
• Senior System Administrators who are typically 2nd or 3rd level support within their company and act as “team leads” for Server System Administrators.
• Consultants that need to understand how SUSE Manager can significantly lessen the administrative burden of managing hundreds or even thousands of servers.

Section 1: Course Overview
Section 2: Review SUSE Manager (SUMA) 4 Architecture and Configuration

• Review SUMA Architectural Components
• Review the SUMA 4 Initial Setup process

Section 3: Using the Web UI to Explore your SUSE Manager Environment

• Introduction to the SUMA Web UI
• Visualizing your entire SUMA System at a glance
• Locating and viewing information about managed clients

Section 4: Understanding the Registration Process

• Understanding the importance of Registration
• Managing Registration-related Objects
• Planning for Registration
• Introduction to Registration Methods
• Using the Registration Methods to register target servers

Section 5: Implementing Channel Management

• Understanding Channel Related Terminology
• Cloning Channel Content
• Implementing Custom Channels
• Understanding Content Lifecycle Management

Section 6: Delegating Management Authority in SUSE Manager

• Defining SUSE Manager “Organization”
• Understanding the Administrative Roles in SUMA
• Understanding Permission Roles and their capabilities
• Using the Web UI to manage Users and Grant Permissions

Section 7: Managing Salt Minions in SUMA

• Understanding Salt and its Architecture
• Configuration Files used by Salt and SUMA
• Understanding the types of Salt Commands
• Using the salt command
• Using the salt-run command
• Using the salt-call command
• Using the salt-key command

Section 8: Performing other Common Administrative Tasks in SUMA

• Using the Web UI to execute Remote Commands
• Leveraging the System Set Manager (SSM) to affect many managed servers at once
• Implementing Action Chains
• Using Configuration File Management in SUMA
• Scheduling Highstate enforcement

The exam fee is not included in the price of the course.

Materials are in electronic form from SUSE.

Attendees will be taught the following concepts and skills:

• Review the SUMA Architectural Components (SUMA Server, SUMA Proxy Server, and Managed Clients)
• Understand the parts of the SUMA Web UI and how to access it
• Using the SUMA Web UI 
• Understand the Registration Process and what occurs during Registration
• Create, configure, and manage Registration related object such as Activation Keys, Channels, System Groups, and Salt Keys
• Plan for, and implement Registration using the Web UI and bootstrap scripts
• Implement Channel Management
• Learn how to delegate management authority in SUMA
• Manage client servers using Salt
• Perform common administrative tasks