Operating Systems & Systems Programming Topics
Covers operating system fundamentals and systems programming topics, including process management, memory management, file system interfaces, inter-process communication, low-level kernel interactions, and system call interfaces (e.g., fork, exec, opendir, stat) across Unix/Linux and other OS environments.
File Systems & Storage Internals
How file systems organize data on storage: inodes, directories, file descriptors, hard vs. symbolic links, and metadata. Covers on-disk structures, journaling and consistency, the buffer/page cache, mounting and the virtual file system layer, and how block devices and storage stacks sit beneath the file system.
Linux System Administration & Networking
Operating and troubleshooting Linux hosts: users and groups, packages, cron, logging, and the /proc and /sys interfaces, together with host-level networking such as interfaces, routing, DNS resolution, ports, and firewall rules. Covers diagnosing connectivity and configuration issues with standard tooling on a running Linux system.
Operating System & File System Forensics
Recovering and interpreting evidence from operating systems and storage: OS and file system artifacts, deleted-file recovery, timestamps and metadata, memory and disk imaging, and reconstructing user and system activity. Covers where the OS and file system leave traces and how examiners extract and interpret them soundly.
Linux Command Line & Shell
Working effectively at the Linux/Unix shell: core commands, file and text manipulation, pipes and redirection, process control, permissions and ownership, and shell scripting fundamentals. Covers navigating the filesystem, chaining tools, and the everyday command-line workflow expected of anyone operating Linux systems.
Windows Server Internals & Administration
Administering and troubleshooting Windows Server environments: the Windows process and service model, the registry, event logs, Active Directory basics, and performance/diagnostic tooling. Covers how Windows differs from Unix in process, security, and service management, and how to diagnose common server-side failures.
Service & Init System Management
Managing long-running services and the system init layer: systemd units, targets, dependencies, and journald, plus starting, stopping, enabling, and troubleshooting daemons. Covers service lifecycle, restart policies, and how the init system supervises processes on a modern Linux host.