Cloud & Infrastructure Topics
Cloud platform services, infrastructure architecture, Infrastructure as Code, environment provisioning, and infrastructure operations. Covers cloud service selection, infrastructure provisioning patterns, container orchestration (Kubernetes), multi-cloud and hybrid architectures, infrastructure cost optimization, and cloud platform operations. For CI/CD pipeline and deployment automation, see DevOps & Release Engineering. For cloud security implementation, see Security Engineering & Operations. For data infrastructure design, see Data Engineering & Analytics Infrastructure.
Networking Fundamentals and Protocols
The core model of how networks move data: the OSI and TCP/IP layers, the Internet Protocol suite, transport protocols (TCP versus UDP), encapsulation, and TCP behavior including congestion control. Covers the protocol foundations every networking and infrastructure discussion builds on, from link layer through transport. The conceptual bedrock beneath addressing, routing, and switching.
IP Addressing and Subnetting
Working with IP address space: IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, subnetting and CIDR, address planning, NAT's role in address conservation, and static IP configuration. Covers designing an addressing scheme, calculating subnets, and avoiding overlap in interconnected networks. A focused, heavily-tested networking skill.
Network Design and Architecture
Designing networks at the topology level: data-center, campus, branch-office, and WAN architecture, MPLS and traffic engineering, QoS, redundancy and resilience, capacity and growth planning, and equipment selection. Covers building networks that scale, tolerate failure, and meet performance requirements, plus justifying design and vendor choices. The architecture layer above configuration.
Linux System Administration
Operating and maintaining Linux and Unix systems: filesystems and permissions, process and service management, package management and updates, shell and scripting, storage, and network configuration on the host. Covers the day-to-day administration, troubleshooting, and hardening of Linux servers that underpin most infrastructure. The Linux operator's core skill set.
Virtualization and Hypervisor Management
Running workloads on virtualized infrastructure: hypervisors (type 1 and type 2), virtual machine lifecycle and management, resource allocation and overcommit, and the trade-offs between virtualization and containerization. Covers provisioning and operating VMs, capacity on virtual hosts, and how virtualization underlies both on-premises and cloud infrastructure.