UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I have some familiarity with Linux, but I want to start learning it, in more detail, now. I will install something like VirtualBox from Oracle, with Centos, as distro, I think. I've been already testing something like this, end I ended up picking Centos for this.

I have some time that I can invest in this, and I want to do it very good. I will be getting up to 10 separate books from Amazon (the best), if needed, and going over all of them. In general, I am a webmaster, and I want to learn Linux and server administration, in order to be able to do everything that is needed on unmanaged hosting plans. I want to get any plan that may be needed (unmanaged, and at a good price), install everything that is needed there, make sure it is secure, be able to fix anything that comes up (like support tickets with managed hosting), and so on.

I dont want to be learning unnecessary things, as I am not a programmer or anything like that, even though I am familiar with php and mysql. I would like to know Linux and command line, and server administration (Apache and Nginx) would be the most important part. Whatever may be needed for running websites, is what I want to learn, but not necessarily like Linux programming, lets say.

Please let me know, what would be the best way to go, with this, and if you know about any good books for it, please let me know too.

Thanks.

You have, already, made a great choice selecting the Community Enterprise Operating System. You have made some choices of concepts you want to learn (Apache, Nginx) and concepts that you don't want to learn. You have made your mind and invested some money purchasing a selection of books on the topic.

Now, just do it!
That's where the magic is.

"Programming" is nothing but the process of making a computer do what you want it to instead of vice versa.