LPI · 2026 Edition
A complete preparation guide written by LPI-certified engineers. Covers the exam format,all 7 blueprint domains, a week-by-week study plan, and proven tips for passing first time.
3–5 months
Prep time
Advanced
Difficulty
60
Exam questions
500/1000
Pass mark
Exam code
LPIC-2
Full name
LPIC-2
Vendor
LPI
Duration
90 minutes
Questions
60 items
Passing score
500/1000 (scaled)
Domains covered
7 blueprint domains
Recommended experience
Active LPIC-1 certification required; 2+ years of Linux administration experience recommended
Typical prep time
3–5 months
LPIC-2 is the advanced Linux administration credential from LPI. It validates sysadmin skills at the level required for senior roles: kernel management, network services (DNS, DHCP, web, mail), file sharing, and security — all vendor-neutral.
Job roles this opens
Domain percentage weights are not currently available for this exam. The checklist below is still useful for planning your study.
Weeks 1–3
LPIC-2 201: Linux Kernel, System Startup, Filesystem and Storage
Tip: LPIC-2 consists of two exams: 201-450 and 202-450. Both must be passed within 5 years of each other. Study for 201 first: it covers kernel compilation/modules, GRUB2/systemd advanced configuration, and storage management including RAID and LVM.
Weeks 4–5
LPIC-2 201: Networking Configuration and Advanced Storage
Tip: Advanced networking on LPIC-2 201: know how to configure bonding (multiple NICs as one logical interface for redundancy and throughput), bridging (connect network segments — used in virtualisation), VLANs (802.1Q tagging with ip link add link eth0 name eth0.100 type vlan id 100), and tunnel interfaces.
Weeks 6–8
LPIC-2 202: DNS (BIND), Web Services (Apache/Nginx), File Sharing (NFS/Samba)
Tip: BIND DNS configuration is heavily tested on LPIC-2 202. Know the named.conf structure: options (global settings), zone declarations (forward and reverse zones), zone files (SOA record, NS records, A records, CNAME records, MX records). Know what an SOA record contains and the meaning of serial, refresh, retry, expire, and minimum TTL fields.
Weeks 9–13
LPIC-2 202: Mail Services (Postfix), SSH, Security, System Monitoring
Tip: Postfix configuration is tested at the administrator level: know main.cf key parameters (myhostname, mydomain, myorigin, mydestination, relayhost, inet_interfaces), how to configure a smarthost relay, how to view the mail queue (mailq), and how to troubleshoot mail delivery using Postfix logs (/var/log/mail.log).
LPIC-2 requires an active LPIC-1. If your LPIC-1 expired, you must recertify at LPIC-1 before earning LPIC-2. Check your certification status at lpi.org before registering for the LPIC-2 exams.
Apache virtual hosting is a common LPIC-2 exam topic: know how to configure name-based virtual hosts in /etc/apache2/sites-available/, enable them with a2ensite, and verify the configuration with apache2ctl configtest. Know the difference between name-based (multiple sites on one IP) and IP-based (one IP per site) virtual hosting.
NFS (Network File System) and Samba are both tested. NFS: exports defined in /etc/exports, shared using exportfs -a, mounted on clients with mount -t nfs. Samba: shares defined in /etc/samba/smb.conf, service name is smb/nmb, tested with testparm. Know the difference between NFSv3 (stateless) and NFSv4 (stateful, uses a single port).
OpenVPN and IPsec VPN configuration basics are in scope for LPIC-2 security objectives. Know the difference: OpenVPN uses SSL/TLS and operates at layer 3 over UDP/TCP; IPsec operates at layer 3 natively and is often hardware-accelerated. Know how to configure a basic OpenVPN server (server.conf, client.conf, certificates).
LPIC-2 certification expires after 5 years. Passing LPIC-3 automatically renews LPIC-2. Alternatively, retake the LPIC-2 exams to renew.
Apply everything in this guide with adaptive practice questions, detailed answer explanations, and domain analytics.
Deep-dive explanations of the key topics tested on LPIC-2 — with exam key points and common misconceptions.