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Exam Information
Official specifications published by LPI
Exam Format
90 min
60
500
Associate
Registration
$200 USD
Pearson VUE, OnVUE (Online Proctored), or online proctoring
Validity
5 years
Pass the current LPIC-1 exams again; Pass any higher-level LPI certification exam (LPIC-2, LPIC-3); Accumulate sufficient Continuing Education (CE) points
102-500 Exam Topics and Domains
102-500 is organized into 6 weighted domains.
1
Shells and Shell Scripting
8%
Customize and use the shell environment
Shell variables and environment
- Set up shell environment to meet users' needs
- Modify global and user profiles
- Use variables to control shell behavior
- Export variables to make them available to child processes
Customize or write simple scripts
Basic shell scripting
- Create simple Bash scripts
- Use standard sh syntax (loops, tests)
- Use command substitution
- Test return values for success or failure
- Send signals to processes
2
User Interfaces and Desktops
4%
Install and configure X11
X Window System configuration
- Verify X11 installation and configuration
- Understand X Window configuration file
- Configure and troubleshoot X fonts
- Install and configure X font server
Graphical Desktops
Desktop environments
- Awareness of major desktop environments
- Awareness of protocols used by desktop environments
Accessibility
Assistive technologies
- Demonstrate knowledge of accessibility technologies
- Basic knowledge of visual settings and themes
- Basic knowledge of assistive technology
3
Administrative Tasks
12%
Manage user and group accounts and related system files
User and group management
- Add, remove, suspend and change user accounts
- Manage user/group info in password/group databases
- Create and manage special purpose and limited accounts
Automate system administration tasks by scheduling jobs
Job scheduling
- Manage cron and at jobs
- Configure user access to cron and at services
- Configure anacron
Localisation and internationalisation
Locale and timezone configuration
- Configure locale settings and environment variables
- Configure timezone settings and environment variables
4
Essential System Services
12%
Maintain system time
System time and NTP
- Set the system date and time
- Set the hardware clock to the correct time in UTC
- Configure the correct timezone
- Basic NTP configuration using ntpd and chrony
- Knowledge of using the pool.ntp.org service
System logging
Syslog and journal
- Basic configuration of rsyslog
- Understanding of standard facilities, priorities and actions
- Query the systemd journal
- Filter syslog data by priority and facility
- Configure log file rotation
Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) basics
Email system basics
- Create email aliases
- Configure email forwarding
- Knowledge of commonly available MTA programs
Manage printers and printing
CUPS printing system
- Basic CUPS configuration
- Manage user print queues
- Troubleshoot general printing problems
- Add and remove jobs from print queues
5
Networking Fundamentals
14%
Fundamentals of internet protocols
TCP/IP networking
- Demonstrate understanding of network masks and CIDR notation
- Knowledge of differences between private and public IP addresses
- Knowledge of common TCP and UDP ports and services
- Knowledge of differences and features of UDP, TCP and ICMP
- Knowledge of major differences between IPv4 and IPv6
Persistent network configuration
Network interface configuration
- Manage persistent network configuration
- Configure network interfaces using NetworkManager
- Configure network interfaces using systemd-networkd
- Awareness of legacy net-tools commands
Basic network troubleshooting
Network diagnostic tools
- Manually configure network interfaces and routing tables
- Manually configure routing tables to add and delete routes
- Debug problems associated with network configuration
Configure client side DNS
DNS client configuration
- Query remote DNS servers
- Configure local name resolution
- Modify the order in which name resolution is done
- Debug errors related to name resolution
6
Security
10%
Perform security administration tasks
System security administration
- Find files with the SUID/SGID bit set
- Set or change user passwords and password aging information
- Use nmap and netstat to discover open ports
- Configure limits on user logins, processes and memory usage
- Determine which users have logged in or are currently logged in
- Configure and use sudo
Setup host security
Host-based security
- Awareness of shadow passwords and how they work
- Turn off unnecessary network services
- Understand the role of TCP wrappers
Securing data with encryption
SSH and GPG
- Perform basic OpenSSH client configuration and usage
- Understand the role of OpenSSH server host keys
- Perform basic GnuPG configuration, usage and revocation
- Use GPG to encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files
- Understand SSH port tunnels
How do I earn this certification?
Passing 102-500 earns the LPIC-1: Linux Administrator certification. It sits in the Linux System Administration track.
Current Level Exams
Next Level Options
Alternative Paths
- BSD-100 - BSD SpecialistUnix-like systems expertise
- DevOps-701 - DevOps Tools Engineer Automation and modern practices
- Security-701 - Security Essentials Foundation in cybersecurity
Practice with Precision
The PlanetCert Simulator mirrors the real exam environment with authentic questions and timed pressure.
How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for 102-500 is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2019-07-01
- Announcement date: 2019-03-01
Updates
- NetworkManager 1.44 Topic 109.2 - Persistent network configuration • Release date: 2024-03-01
- systemd 255 Topics 107.2, 108.1, 108.2 - Service management and logging • Release date: 2024-01-01
- Bash 5.2 Topic 105 - Shell scripting • Release date: 2022-09-26
- OpenSSH 9.8 Topic 110.3 - SSH security and encryption • Release date: 2024-07-01
Who should take this exam?
This exam is typically taken by Linux system administrators and Junior DevOps engineers.
- Basic Linux command line experience
- 6-12 months of Linux system administration experience
- Completion of LPIC-1 Exam 101 (101-500) recommended but not required