I'm in a college course right now which focuses mainly on setting up and administering a windows network (Windows Server and Windows Client). I would also like to learn, on the side, how to setup a comparable Linux server solution. Something that would have all the standard amenities that a Windows server would have, that would also be able to serve Windows clients on the network. Does anybody know of any good reference material (preferably in print textbooks) that help with this? Keep in mind that I have very minimal experience with Linux, so I would need to have something that caters to new Linux admins. I know a bit about how Linux works in comparison to Windows, but not enough to try to learn on my own using the web.
Also, are there any certifications that I may want to look into for professional credibility?
Thanks.