Capstone Project
Objective: Build a functional system from scratch with no guidance.
You've been hired as the sole IT person for a small startup. They have one server (your machine). Build the full environment, document everything, and present the result.
No GUI. Ubuntu Server. No asking for help with implementation. Your README must be clear enough that someone else could rebuild the system from it alone.
This is what a real IT job looks like.
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A clean Ubuntu Server install (no GUI). Wipe your machine again. That's the point.
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A static IP address on the local network.
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SSH configured with key-based authentication only. Password auth disabled.
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A firewall with only necessary ports open.
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Nginx serving a company landing page you write.
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A shared directory accessible by two departments (define the users and groups yourself).
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An automated nightly backup script for critical directories.
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A system monitoring script that logs CPU, memory, and disk usage every hour via cron.
- 1
No GUI. Ubuntu Server. No asking for implementation help. Docs and forums are fair game.
- 2
README.md must be clear enough that someone else could rebuild the system from scratch using only it.
- 3
5-10 minute verbal or recorded presentation walking through the system and explaining every decision. If you can't explain it to a non-technical person, you don't understand it well enough.