This course is Linux distribution independent and by the end of it, you’ll know how to use any Linux distribution.

However, I’d recommend you to use Ubuntu and/or CentOS because these are the most used Linux distributions out there.

For some labs, you will need two Linux VMs, as well.

I’d recommend you to install it by yourself so that you can also learn how to do it and understand better what happens during the installation process.

But, if you are in a hurry or get stuck, I've exported two VMs (Ubuntu 20.20 and CentOS 8) as OVA files. All you have to do is download the files and import them (by double-clicking on the file) in VirtualBox.

Ubuntu 20.04 OVA file (username student and password student). Big file: 5 GB.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1If8iVzlvbv7I8H9eAnJBQhPCTcZzyZb1/view?usp=sharing

CentOS 8 OVA file (username student and password student). Big file: 3.5 GB.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PTsdBqIlGJOqn7U68Crnmyg0UnVdjNaJ/view?usp=sharing

If you want to enable USB support in your VM you also have to install on your host OS (Windows, Linux, or Mac) Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack: https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/6.1.12/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.1.12.vbox-extpack

Alternatively, you can run one for more Linux VMs in the DigitalOcean cloud. You can create one or more droplets (the DigitalOcean name for VM) with a running Linux distro in seconds. They will have their own public IP address and you will connect to the droplets using SSH.

Use my referral link below to create your account on DigitalOcean and you’ll get $100 in credit over 60 days: https://m.do.co/c/f1d4debf213f