Automation & Reliability for Sysadmins

What you will be able to do

• You will be able to automate repetitive Windows and Linux administration with reusable PowerShell and Bash scripts that fail safely instead of silently.
• You will be able to schedule and orchestrate jobs reliably with Task Scheduler and cron using idempotent scripts that are safe to rerun.
• You will be able to run a patch management lifecycle with inventory, test rings, staged rollout, and a tested rollback path.
• You will be able to harden Windows and Linux to recognized baselines such as the CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs, and detect configuration drift over time.
• You will be able to design a backup strategy on the 3-2-1 rule with immutable copies that hold up against ransomware.
• You will be able to write a disaster recovery plan with defined RTO and RPO targets and prove it by testing restores.
• You will be able to instrument systems with metrics, logs, and health checks so failures surface before users report them.
• You will be able to build low-noise, actionable alerts tied to service level objectives and a clear on-call response.

What is inside

4 modules, 8 lessons. Each module ends in a graded quiz and most carry an assignment.

1. 01

   Automation Foundations with PowerShell and Bash

   Automation starts with fluency in the two shells sysadmins actually live in: PowerShell on Windows and Bash on Linux. This module builds both from the ground up, moving from cmdlets, objects, and text streams to reusable functions, loops, scheduled jobs, and error handling that fails loudly instead of silently. You leave able to replace repetitive manual clicks with scripts you and your team can trust to run unattended.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

2. 02

   Patch Management and System Hardening

   Unpatched and misconfigured systems remain the most common way fleets get breached. This module builds a repeatable patch management lifecycle (inventory, test rings, staged rollout, and rollback) and hardens Windows and Linux against recognized baselines like the CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs. You also learn to detect configuration drift so a hardened system stays hardened.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment

3. 03

   Backup and Disaster Recovery

   When prevention fails, recovery is what saves the organization. This module builds a backup strategy that actually survives disaster, then turns it into a disaster recovery plan you can execute under pressure. You will work through the 3-2-1 rule and its modern extension to 3-2-1-1-0, immutable and offline copies that resist ransomware, and the difference between a real backup and a mirror that just copies your mistakes. Then you will set RTO and RPO from business impact, pick a DR tier and write a runbook to match, and internalize the rule that decides real outcomes: a backup you have never restored is only a hope, so you test, measure, and fix your restores before a disaster does it for you.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions

4. 04

   Monitoring, Alerting, and On-Call

   You cannot keep systems reliable if you cannot see them. This module teaches what to instrument (metrics, logs, and health checks), how to turn raw signals into actionable alerts tied to service level objectives, and how to run a calm, repeatable on-call and incident-response routine that catches problems before users report them.

   2 lessons · 5 quiz questions · assignment