Linux - The Choice of IT Pros Who Know

Web application development is more than just building a web site; it requires a set of tools and techniques tailored for each project, sometimes referred to as the development stack. The de facto standard development stack is known as LAMP, which stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. These four technologies interact with one another to provide utility to the end application.

Linux is the foundation of the LAMP development stack, the operating system in which Apache, MySQL and PHP will run, and a thorough knowledge of Linux system administration knowledge is necessary to obtain the full potential of LAMP for your applications.

System administration is a broad term used to describe the management and maintenance of a system, such as a computer, network or server; these duties range from installation to removal of software or hardware, including upgrades, troubleshooting, monitoring and configuration.

System administration in a Linux environment requires an understanding of complex systems and their interconnected components, such as how access control lists might affect output from the web server or how to increase the performance of a system while maintaining security and stability.

Without proper system administration your Linux installation may be insecure by being vulnerable to known exploits, unstable by being configured in such a way that it does not produce reliable results or rendered unusable until it is completely reinstalled.