System / Network Admin (LAMP) Interview Questions

Tell me what happens, from a technical standpoint, when a user types www.apple.com into their web browser and presses enter.

What do the tools ping, traceroute, and dig do?

Explain the OSI model

What are the eight types of files on the linux filesystem? (e.g. normal files, directories, hard links, symbolic links, sockets, named pipes, character devices, block devices). What is the difference between a hard link and a symbolic link?

What is the difference between a layer 2 switch and one that has layer 3 capabilities?

You've given $100,000 to setup a secure, stable, scalable high-availability web hosting environment. Tell me how you'd do it? E.g. What would your network architecture look like? How would you scale? Where would the pain points be? How about backup/disaster recovery? Deployment of software?

Tell me about how a virtual host works. What are the different types of virtual hosts?