TOPICs

In no specific order, just a list of things to write about. Crossed out items, thing that I have completed to write about.


  • Virtual machines

  • Operating systems (Windows, Ubuntu and Debian Linux, closed vs open source)

  • How I became a system engineer

  • Password complexity

  • Development lifecycle - dev/qa/prod, code reviews

  • Microsoft software vs open source

  • Interviews

  • Past experience is important

  • Build your network

  • Dreamers vs doers

  • apt-get / aptitude - getting software and updates

  • sudo as root in Linux

  • install software in virtual environment (VirtualBox by oracle)

  • code reviews

  • installing software in linux

  • aptitude in ubuntu linux

  • Starting and stopping services in linux (etc init.d location)

  • runlevels in linux

  • Magento now owned by adobe vs opemage (if I have time for that)

  • ssh/services in linux

  • running windows unprotected

  • patching software (especially windows)

  • virtualbox and other virtualization software (my employment at pf)

  • Starting services (and getting status of the services) in linux

  • Different run levels (single user vs multi user vs shutdown)

  • Connecting with ssh - putty

  • listing running processes in linux - top command

  • status of running services

  • net tools package in ubuntu linux

  • password strengths and complexity

  • good antivirus software

  • ms windows vs open source

  • ifconfig in linux

  • sshd in linux

  • 'good' antivirus software (good practices - limit your exposure, don't download and open suspicious packages and files, love you virus)

  • running services in linux (and listing them)

  • services in windows

  • registry in windows

  • top command in linux

  • /etc directory in linux

  • top command in linux

  • /etc directory in linux (need to additional research)

  • sshd and terminal (and security of telnet)

  • services in Linux vs Windows

  • paying for software (especially microsoft software)

  • Antivirus software (especially their location)

  • Copy / Paste

  • OpenMage installation (difficulties for me)

  • virtualization software (virtualbox vs vmware) now owned by oracle corporation

  • Shutting down Linux

  • services in linux (different run levels)

  • services in windows

  • sshd in linux (security or lack of security with terminal)

  • password complexity

  • being root in linux (dangers of becoming root)

  • services in windows and linux (different levels)

  • certification - cissp as an example

  • different professional organizations

  • building your network on linkedin

  • winscp? ftp services

  • interview process

  • different network modes in virtual machines (bridged mode vs nat)

  • network address translation (ipfilter ?)

  • antivirus software

  • low privilege mode (continuation of av software)

  • sudo command in linux

  • logging of the commands (what people can do)

  • chat applications (low priority)

  • ssh (terminal) vs telnet (secure communication vs plain text)

  • certification vs formal education in the us (difficult one for me)

  • nat

  • virtualization software

  • sniffing traffic (mainly http and mail communication)

  • secure communication - windows , ssh in linux

  • logging

  • least privileges (ACL) in Linux

  • sudo in Linux

  • run as in windows

  • editors in Linux and Windows

  • special directories ( . - current dir, .. - one before)

  • using vi (writing new files)

  • antivirus software

  • command line options (describe different command line options)

  • services in windows and linux

  • different run levels in linux

  • listing open ports (mainly in linux)

  • certification vs formal education

  • sudo command in linux

  • security of ssh vs telnet (clear text operations)

  • crawlers (if i have time for that, build one for yourself)

  • hosting

  • AV software

  • Sniffers ... how they work ... software, spanning ports, hubs...

  • installing magento (openmage) what is it?

  • installing packages in linux vs software in windows

  • "top" command in linux

  • where services live in linux

  • different start levels of linux

  • vi vs nano

  • terminal vs ssh (where services live in linux)

  • sudo

  • installing software in Linux (apt vs aptitude)

  • different network settings in virtualbox

  • vpn

  • av software

  • composer (research)

  • Debian vs Ubuntu Linux

  • different flavors of linux (debian, ubuntu, redhat, centos)

  • licencing models - research

  • installing software in linux (yum, apt-get, aptitude)

  • switch user - sudo vs su commands

  • software (different licencing models)

  • proxy software

  • av software

  • tenet vs ssh

  • Researching the traffic

  • sshd

  • apache vs iis vs nginex

  • sudo commands

  • different compression software (rar, zip, ha)

  • different av software

  • (linux logging vs av software)

  • compiled software vs runtime execution

  • passwords (complexity)

  • Virtualization

  • partitioning

  • AV software

  • least privileges

  • sudo vs su

  • ssh vs telnet (secure communication vs sniffers)

  • open source software (debian, ubuntu, centos, redhat)

  • how do they make money

  • different flavors and licencing

  • apache vs nginx vs iis

  • different editors

  • nano vs vi

  • secure communication ssh vs telnet

  • vpn (is it secure)

  • your ip address

  • virtualization

  • windows vs open source software

  • debian, ubuntu, centos, redhat

  • failover (hardware and software)

  • grub menu and system loaders

  • permissions linux vs windows

  • programming languages

  • (compilation vs interpreted langs)

  • su/sudo commands

  • package management

  • virtualization

  • different shels

  • startup order

  • av software

  • logging

  • software installation

  • Database - MySQL vs Mariadb vs custom patches

  • Web servers - IIS vs Apache vs Nginex

  • Antivirus software- Kaspersky lab is my choice, there is Symantec Antivirus as well

  • Weaknesses in the software (check input, top 10 weaknesses)

  • AV software

  • Logging - who is checking logs

  • Web servers - iis, vs Apache vs nginex

  • Databases- oracle, db2? MySQL, mariadb

  • Editors (maybe I wrote about this before: nano vs vi)

  • Editors in windows

  • Buffer allocation (memory management)

  • Boot process

  • AV software

  • Logging (what to write in the log files)

  • Interview process (many opinions)

  • Protocols (pop3, smtp, http vs https)

  • Encryption of the data

  • Data exchange xml vs json format

  • About me

  • And csv (comma separated values)

  • Interview process (at different companies)

  • Value of whom you know (unproven, later)

  • Performance measuring

  • Programming languages

  • Compiled vs interpreted

  • (Performance vs ease of use)

  • Databases (MySQL, Postgres db) different files. Innodb and others

  • Regular expressions

  • Csv vs tab delimited files

  • Cell phones are also mini computers.

  • Measuring performance (cpu, memory, disk)

  • Status of the services, starting a service, different runlevels

  • Different users (root user - all access, but dangerous)

  • Virtualization

  • Measuring performance (cpu, memory, disk)

  • Status and start of the services

  • Secure connection to a machine

  • ssh vs telnet

  • http vs https

  • Sniffers

  • Switches vs hubs

  • Antiviruses

  • Different runlevels in Linux

  • Secure vs unsecure connection (ssh/scp vs telnet/ftp vs http/https)

  • What do sniffers see (description of a sniffer)

  • Editors _ if i have time for that. vi vs nano, basics how to use

  • Databases (mysql/mariadb/postgress/oracle/ms sql)

  • No sql databases

  • More about databases (statements such as select/insert, and different type of files myisam/innodb/ custom)

  • testing the connection with ping and telnet

  • view listening ports on a machine

  • Continuation of secure connections (http vs https, certificates - how to get them, expiration time, insurance, etc)

  • Share and file permissions

  • Sniffers (wireshark)

  • Antiviruses (where their offices located) hear/say evidence.

  • unreliable connections (due to wifi issues on internet weather)

  • image files (iso vs zip/rar etc)

  • Archiver software

  • compression files (winrar vs winzip), solid archives, compression ratio

  • protocols - definition (smtp,http,https,ftp)

  • these are common protocols

  • software to look at the traffic, is possible to look at the encrypted traffic?

  • antivirus and dangerous programs

  • hardware (switches vs hubs), their performance, and impact on sniffing the traffic

  • span ports on the switches

  • a way to resolve hostnames (dns, computers are good with numbers)

  • tcp ip protocol - private networks, what netmask means

  • dealing with unreliable connections

  • blind spots for the wifi (i dont know that one, may need some research)

  • image files such as iso

  • encryption and certificates (verification of what the website is)

  • http vs https (how the traffic is encrypted and verified)

  • permissions of the files (windows vs linux)

  • span ports on the switches( one of the ways i know how the traffic can be monitored)

  • unreliable connections (how to deal with them)

  • encrypted traffic (http vs https)

  • hosting on the internet (get close to the users, know where they are)

  • continuation of the previous - researching at the traffic

  • wireless networks - need to research

  • encrypted connections such as https - maybe i mentioned before

  • Do the most good - go to church, organize events for the next generation

  • need to research this one - build you network - people that you know, building a resume (generally people don't have time for reading resumes)

  • Editors (what is available for Windows/Mac/Linux)

  • AV software and where its located

  • Compression software (built in, zip, rar)

  • Software to inspect the traffic

  • Remote installation and management of the computers

  • Encryption, only good for for people that use it as consumers

  • Software languages: compiled vs interpreted

  • Parsing the log files, what if the log files are located on multiple computers?

  • Databases. Oracle, MS SQL, Mysql, MariaDB. SQL language and types of the files

  • Weaknesses in the software, how to apply updates, and how to detect the weaknesses

  • RAID leves

  • SAN vs NAS

  • Load balancing

  • DNS and the order of the hosts lookup

  • Boot order

  • Clusters

  • Ports

  • IP addresses and masks (how to override host names)

    • Private IP spaces, local loopback addresses

  • Patching (installing updates to various software)

  • POP3 and SMTP protocols

  • Load balancing

  • Clusters

  • Host lookup using dns

  • IP addresses / network masks (private IP addresses)

  • Overriding dns using hosts file

  • Utilities such as ping and telnet

  • Secure connections using SSH and SSL

  • Port numbers

  • Databases (MySQL, Postgres, oracle, db2, MS SQL)

  • Tools to edit sql

  • Telnet/SSH

  • Network trouble shooting using ping and telnet utilities

  • (I don’t know if I wrote about it or not) - private IP addresses and network masks

  • Port numbers

  • HTTP vs HTTPS

  • Secure connections (ssh vs telnet, http vs https)

  • Tools to inspect the network traffic

  • Common port numbers (http, https, smtp, pop3, secure connections, telnet, ssh, database ports)

  • Utilities such as ping

  • Hosts file (overriding host names)

  • Common port numbers (DNS)

  • Weaknesses in the software, and how to fix/detect them

  • automation

  • Caching

  • Load balancing

  • Private IP spaces

  • IPv6 / IPv4

  • Connections (http vs https, telnet vs ssh)

  • Order of dns lookups (hosts file)

  • Private IP addressed (loopback interfaces)

  • Redundancy (RAID levels) is it possible to make redundant hosts?

  • Load balancing and clusters

  • Similar to the above: multiple servers and redundancy/load balancing

  • Performance measurements(CPU/Disk (IO)/Memory)

  • Deployments to multiple servers (QA and rollbacks)

  • Automation

  • Similar to the above - logging (and is it possible to check automatically for the errors, severity of the errors)

  • Similar to the above - location of the errors in Windows and Linux (eventviewer and log aggregation)

  • Special cables to inspect the traffic

  • (I don’t know if I wrote it or not) special ports at the switch level to imspect the traffic (Span ports)

  • Interpreted and compiled programming languages

  • Net stat command

  • Ping command

  • Traceroute command

  • DNS

  • SSH vs telnet

  • Run levels in Linux

  • Encrypted data at checkout using SSL

  • HTTP vs HTTPS

  • IP addresses and netmask (loop back interfaces, private ip addresses)

  • Encrypting the data (similar to the https)

  • (I don’t know if I have written about it or no) - databases (MySQL, Postgres, mssql, db2)

  • SQL language

  • Registry in Windows

  • Port numbers

  • Load balancing and server farms

  • RAID levels

  • How raid applies to servers?

  • Hosts file and overriding the domain names

  • Server naming convention

  • Databases

  • Tools to edit SQL

  • Caching of the data

  • DNS and telnet

  • Network troubleshooting (using ping and telnet)

  • Port numbers

  • Secure connections (ssh vs telnet, http vs https)

  • Virtualization (and server performance)

  • NAS vs SAN

  • Common port numbers (http, https, smtp, pop3, ssh, DNS)

  • Utilities such as ping

  • Hosts file (overriding host names)

  • Inspecting the traffic (is it possible to sniff the traffic without an IP address?)

  • Special ports at the switch level to sniff the traffic - span ports

  • Weaknesses in the software, installing the updates

  • Automation

  • Caching

  • Load balancing / clusters

  • DNS

  • Private IP spaces

  • IPV6 / IPV4

  • Difficult to inspect connections (http vs https, telnet vs ssh)

  • Order of DNS lookups (hosts file)

  • Private IP addresses (loopback interfaces)

  • RAID levels (redundancy, is it possible to make redundant hosts?)

  • Performance measurement (CPU/Disk (IO)/Memory)

  • Storage

  • Deployment to multiple servers (QA and rollbacks)

  • Automation

  • Similar to the above - logging (is it possible to check automatically for the errors)

  • Location of the errors in Windows and Linux (event viewer and log aggregation)

  • Detection of the bad programs by signature and by the behavior

  • Registry in Windows

  • Different run levels in Linux, how the same is accomplished in Windows

  • Common ports

  • Routable and non routable IP addresses

  • Similar to the above (loopback interfaces)

  • What is DNS

  • File and share permissions

  • Ping and netstat commands

  • Encryption using SSL (https port)

  • Permissions, how permissions are different in Windows and Linux

  • Listing of the files in Windows and Linux (file explorer vs ls command)

  • Automation

  • Loopback IP addresses

  • Weaknesses in the software (their detection), installing updates

  • DNS

  • Routable and non routable IP addresses

  • Loopback interfaces

  • Different run levels in Linux

  • Different start options in Windows

  • Complied languages

  • Peer reviews the code changes

  • Interview process

  • Order of operations

  • Algorithms and programming languages

  • Regular expressions

  • Flow charts

  • Compression utilities

  • Licences

  • File names and types

  • Programming languges

  • Regular expressions

  • Order of operations

  • Inheritance and permissions

  • File and share permissions

  • Scheduled events

  • Resolving names via DNS

  • Different type of records in DNS

  • Access to the remote hosts (ssh / telnet)

  • Overwrite DNS names in the hosts file

  • Analytics

  • Licensing

  • Private IP address and loopback interface

  • Building a resume

  • Importance of networking

  • Order of operations - related to programming

  • Compiled and interpreted programming languages

  • Performance bottlenecks (CPU, Memory, disk)

  • Loopback interfaces

  • How to measure a computer performance?

  • Inspecting the network traffic (I don’t know if I have written about it or not)

  • Weaknesses in the software

  • Installing updates

  • Securing environments

  • Virtualization

  • Hosting

  • Licenses

  • Flow charts

  • Programming (variables, loops, conditions and so on)

  • Scanning for weaknesses in the software

  • Antivirus programs

  • Different types of licenses

  • Open source software (I don’t know if had written this topic down)

  • Automation

  • DNS servers

  • Public and private IP addresses

  • Virtualization

  • Network masks

  • Error codes

  • Interpreted and compiled programming languages

  • Databases

  • Caching

  • Showing off skills (personal projects / resume)

  • Building a human network (linkedin, facebook)

  • Public an private IP addresses

  • Network masks

Programming topics

  • Flow charts

  • Interpreted and compiled programming languages

  • Scope

  • Functions

  • Loops

  • Conditions

  • Arithmetic operations

  • Assignment of the variables

  • Order of the operations

I think this the end of the list, I may add more over time (please excuse me if i repeat the items here)