🖥️ Born2beroot Project Overview

📝 Introduction

Born2beroot is a fundamental system administration project at 42 School that introduces you to the world of virtualization and Linux system management. It's designed to help you build a secure server environment from scratch using a virtual machine.

🎯 Project Objectives

The main goal of Born2beroot is to set up a minimal, secure Debian or CentOS server with specific security configurations. This project challenges you to:

1. Create and configure a virtual machine
2. Implement a strong partitioning scheme with LVM
3. Set up SSH service on a specific port
4. Configure a firewall with UFW
5. Implement strong password policies
6. Create a monitoring script that displays system information

🛠️ Skills Applied

When completing Born2beroot, you apply numerous system administration skills:

💻 Virtualization

• Setting up and managing virtual machines using VirtualBox or similar software
• Understanding the concept of virtualization and its benefits

🐧 Linux Administration

• Installing a Linux distribution from scratch
• Using the command line interface confidently
• Managing users and groups
• Understanding filesystem hierarchy and permissions
• Configuring system services
• Implementing boot sequences and init systems

🔒 Security Implementation

• Configuring strict password policies with password aging
• Setting up sudo with restricted privileges and logging
• Implementing SSH with key-based authentication
• Configuring and managing a firewall
• Understanding security best practices

🌐 Networking

• Basic network configuration
• Understanding IP addressing and ports
• Configuring SSH for remote access
• Managing network services

📜 Scripting

• Writing a Bash monitoring script
• Using cron for scheduled tasks
• Parsing and displaying system information

📊 System Monitoring

• Tracking system resource usage
• Monitoring user activities
• Implementing logging and auditing

🧪 Evaluation and Defense

During the defense of Born2beroot, you're expected to demonstrate your understanding of:

• The basic functioning of your virtual machine
• The choice of operating system and its advantages
• The difference between aptitude and apt
• The purpose of LVM and your partitioning scheme
• How to implement and manage system services
• The functioning of your firewall, SSH, and security policies
• Your monitoring script and how it works

🌟 Project Significance

Born2beroot is often considered a pivotal project at 42 as it:

• Takes you out of your comfort zone if you're primarily a programmer
• Builds essential DevOps and system administration skills
• Teaches you how modern server infrastructure works
• Provides foundational knowledge applicable to cloud computing
• Reinforces security-first thinking that will benefit all your future projects

This project is particularly valuable as it gives hands-on experience with skills that are highly sought after in the IT industry, especially for roles in system administration, DevOps, and cybersecurity.

---

📈 Project Stats

Metric	Value
Final Score	100/100
Time Spent	~40 hours
OS Used	Debian 11
Evaluation Date	April 2025

📋 Defense Checklist (Click to expand)

✅ VM Creation & Configuration
✅ LVM Partitioning Schema
✅ SSH Configuration on Port 4242
✅ UFW Setup & Rules
✅ Strong Password Policies
✅ Sudo Configuration & Logging
✅ Monitoring Script
✅ Service Management