RHCSA (23): Lab Setup Part 1: Deploying Your Rocky 9 Linode
Executive Summary
Episode 23 marks the official transition from planning to practice. All theoretical discussions are complete, and this session is the first hands on step in building our RHCSA lab. The episode provides a clear, step by step guide to deploying our foundational lab server from scratch using Linode. You will be walked through the entire process within the Linode Cloud Manager, from selecting the correct operating system image, which is the stable and reliable Rocky Linux 9, to choosing an appropriate server plan. We will specifically use the affordable Nanode 1GB plan, which is perfect for our command line objectives.
The walkthrough covers critical setup details, including selecting a server region close to your physical location for optimal performance and setting a strong, secure root password. After the server is created, the episode demonstrates the essential post deployment verification steps. You will learn how to locate your server's public IP address and confirm that it is online and accessible over the network with a simple ping test. By the end of this session, you will have a live, running, and clean Linux environment. This successful deployment perfectly sets the stage for the next critical episode, where we will learn how to securely access and log into our new cloud server using SSH.
Keywords: RHCSA, RHEL 10, Rocky Linux 9, Linode, Lab Setup, EX200, Cloud Server, System Administration, Hands on Labs, IT Training, Linux Podcast, Deploy Linux, Cloud Hosting, Ping Test, IP Address, SSH
```
+-- Episode 23 Abbreviations
|
|-- EX200: Red Hat Certified System Administrator Exam Code
|-- GB: Gigabyte
|-- IP: Internet Protocol
|-- IT: Information Technology
|-- ping: Packet InterNet Groper
|-- RHEL: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
|-- RHCSA: Red Hat Certified System Administrator
\-- SSH: Secure Shell
```
```
+-- Episode 23: Lab Setup Part 1: Deploying Your Rocky 9 Linode
|
|-- 1. The Planning is Over: It's Time to Build
| |-- 1.1 Recap of E18-E22: The theory, tools, and game plan are set
| \-- 1.2 Today's Mission: Go from zero to a live Linux server in the cloud
|
|-- 2. Prerequisites for Deployment
| |-- 2.1 An active Linode account
| \-- 2.2 A payment method on file (even for the smallest server)
|
|-- 3. The Deployment Walkthrough: Step-by-Step
| |-- 3.1 Logging into the Linode Cloud Manager
| |-- 3.2 The "Create Linode" Workflow
| | |-- Selecting Image: **Rocky Linux 9**
| | |-- Selecting Region: Choose a data center close to you
| | |-- Selecting Plan: The Nanode 1GB is perfect and affordable for our labs
| | |-- Setting the Root Password: Make it strong and secure!
| | \-- Optional: Add SSH Keys (We'll cover this in detail next episode)
| \-- 3.3 Clicking "Create" and watching the provisioning process
|
|-- 4. Post-Deployment Check: Is It Alive?
| |-- 4.1 Waiting for the server to boot up and report as 'Running'
| |-- 4.2 Locating the most important piece of info: The public IP address
| \-- 4.3 A quick `ping` test from your computer to confirm network connectivity
|
\-- 5. Wrap-Up & Next Steps
|-- 5.1 Success! We have a clean, ready-to-use lab environment
\-- 5.2 The Bridge to E24: The server is running, now we need the keys to get in
\-- Next Episode: Mastering SSH to access our new Linode
```