Linux Interview Questions: Top 101 Questions and Answers

To configure a DNS server, edit the /etc/named/named.conf.options or /etc/named.conf file. Here, you specify the server zone information and options for name resolution to configure how the server resolves DNS queries. This command offers a comprehensive overview of the system, making it useful for troubleshooting and system management. Here, archive.tar is the name of the tar file you want to create, and directory/ is the path of the directory you want to archive.

How can we reduce the size of the kernel?

So, to enhance the security, the file is made word readable and also, this file is readable only by the root user. Thus security risks are overcome to a great extent by using the shadow password format. If yes, we are presenting 60 must-read Linux interview questions with detailed answers based on various scenarios. SELinux stands for Security-Enhanced Linux, a robust security framework that provides an additional layer of security and enhances access control. Developed to improve security policies, SELinux helps prevent exploitation and unauthorized access to systems. Understanding the /dev directory is important for system-level Linux interview questions.

Linux was first released by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish computer science student, on August 25, 1991. Its flexibility and portability contributed to its popularity in the research and academic communities at the time. In the 1980s, Richard Stallman initiated the GNU project, aiming to create a Unix-like operating system that was open-source and free, adhering to similar design principles. The collaboration between Linux and GNU resulted in a fully functional operating system when Torvalds made his source code freely available under the GNU license.

Creating a new partition on a disk using the fdisk tool involves launching fdisk with the disk identifier, for example, fdisk /dev/sda. Users specify partition type, size, and other parameters as prompted. Fdisk is a powerful tool for disk partitioning, allowing for precise control over partition layout. The traceroute command in Linux is used to diagnose network issues by tracing the path packets take to a destination host. By executing traceroute destination, it identifies each hop along the route to the target. Traceroute helps in pinpointing where delays or losses occur in the network.

Explain the basic features of the Linux OS.

This command is a crucial part of file management and often comes up in Linux interview questions related to file handling. In Linux, mounting and unmounting file systems are essential operations that manage access to device contents. Mounting allows you to access the files and directories on a device while unmounting safely disconnects it.

What is the command to change the ownership of a file or directory in Linux?

So, chmod 751 filename will provide read, write and execute permission to the owner; read and execute permission to the group and only execute permission to the others. Then, three number 751 describes permissions given to the user, group and other in the order. There may be the codes for which the hardware is not present in the system and you have to make your system understand about what are your system’s requirements. Below are some guiding principles by which you can find the codes to be removed.

However, if you run more programs than the RAM can handle, those excess programs are stored in the swap space. The Linux shell, often referred to as a command line shell, is a program that provides a command line interface for interacting with the Linux operating system. Acting as an intermediary between the user and the OS, it enables users to execute commands, run programs, and perform a wide range of tasks through the terminal. One of the key advantages of using LILO is that it facilitates a faster boot process. This understanding of bootloaders and their functions is often addressed in Linux interview questions, reflecting a candidate’s foundational knowledge of the Linux operating system. A zombie process in Linux is a process that has completed execution but still retains a process table entry.

The interviewer generally asks this linux interview question and confuse the candidate by further asking if the mentioned length includes pathname. So, get prepared with the complete answer and explain it before the interviewer asks you more. Therefore, candidates can explore different Linux-based career opportunities in the entire IT industry. These are some of the key responsibilities commonly explored in Linux interview questions for advanced-level roles. Understanding these concepts helps candidates demonstrate their expertise and readiness for complex challenges in managing Linux environments. It plays a critical role in avoiding system slowdowns and crashes due to memory shortages.

What is the tar command used for?

  1. The Secure Shell (SSH) is a protocol in Linux which is used to establish a secure encrypted connection between a local and remote machine.
  2. Understanding BASH is important for Linux users, and it is often discussed in Linux interview questions, as it plays a key role in managing and interacting with Linux systems.
  3. To check the available disk space in Linux, you can use the df command in the terminal.
  4. The chmod command is the command that modifies the permissions of a file or directory.
  5. They provide the functionality to other processes and handle periodic requests and forward them to appropriate applications for execution.

Just go through these questions at the time of last minute interview preparation, and you will be able to crack the Linux interview very easily. Here is a list of kernel-based Linux interview questions and answers that will let you understand what is Linux Kernel, its types and you can do Linux interview preparation. This is one of the top linux interview questions asked in the linux interview.

Learn how to use systems such as Linux, command-line Interface, and binary code. In about six months, you can learn IT Support from Google anytime, anywhere. Programmers and developers from different industries are constantly adding features, fixing bugs and security flaws, and sharing new code ideas. Open source is an excellent way for developers to give back to the community.

Linux is a leading open-source operating system known for its security, flexibility, and community-driven development. Launched in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, it supports multitasking and multi-user operations, making it ideal for various applications, from servers to personal computers. With its wide array of distributions like CentOS, Fedora, and Ubuntu, Linux is widely adopted in cloud infrastructures, supercomputers, and web servers. Rest assured that your email address will remain private and will not be published or shared with anyone.

  1. These questions cover areas such as advanced shell scripting, system performance optimization, security practices, and network configuration.
  2. These challenges are often discussed in Linux interview questions to assess a candidate’s problem-solving skills and familiarity with the system.
  3. This syntax ensures that both types of outputs are captured in the specified file.
  4. RAID in Linux stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a technology that combines multiple physical disk drives into a single logical unit.
  5. Overall, LVM provides a powerful and flexible approach to disk management in Linux, making it an essential tool for system administrators and users with complex storage needs.
  6. RAID is often a topic that appears in Linux interview questions due to its importance in system performance and data protection.

If the swap file you’re looking for is not listed, then it is not enabled. A user-space application is any program that runs outside of the kernel. This includes all of the standard applications that you would use on a daily basis, such as a web browser or database. Want to upskill further through more interview questions and resources? Recovering deleted files in a Linux file system requires using file recovery tools like testdisk or extundelete. These tools scan the file system for remnants of deleted files and attempt to recover them.

After setting the sticky bit, you can verify that it has been applied by checking the permissions. The presence of the t flag in the directory’s permissions confirms that the sticky bit is set. This concept often comes up in Linux interview questions, especially regarding linux networking interview questions file permissions and security in shared environments. This process allows you to log in to the remote server without needing to enter a password. It’s a common practice to enhance security and convenience in SSH connections, and understanding it is important for Linux interview questions.