def connectToLinuxApiServer(self, linuxServerIp, linuxServerIpPort, username='admin', password='admin', verifySslCert=False, timeout=120):
        """
        Description
           Connect to a Linux API server.

        Parameters
           linuxServerIp: (str): The Linux API server IP address.
           username: (str): Login username. Default = admin.
           password: (str): Login password. Default = admin.
           verifySslCert: (str): Default: None.  The SSL Certificate for secure access verification.
           timeout: (int): Default:120.  The timeout to wait for the Linux API server to start up.
                           Problem: In case the linux api server is installed in a chassis and the DNS is misconfigured,
                                    it takes longer to start up.

       Syntax
            POST: /api/v1/auth/session
        """
        self.verifySslCert = verifySslCert

        if self.apiKey is None:
            # 1: Connect to the Linux API server
            url = 'https://{0}:{1}/api/v1/auth/session'.format(linuxServerIp, linuxServerIpPort)
            self.logInfo('connectToLinuxApiServer: %s' % url)
            response = self.post(url, data={'username': username, 'password': password}, ignoreError=True)
            if not str(response.status_code).startswith('2'):
                raise IxNetRestApiException('\nLogin username/password failed\n')
            self.apiKey = response.json()['apiKey']

            url = 'https://{0}:{1}/api/v1/sessions'.format(linuxServerIp, linuxServerIpPort)
            if self.webQuickTest == False:
                data = {'applicationType': 'ixnrest'}
            if self.webQuickTest == True:
                data = {'applicationType': 'ixnetwork'}

            self.jsonHeader = {'content-type': 'application/json', 'x-api-key': self.apiKey}
            self.logInfo('linuxServerCreateSession')
            response = self.post(url, data=data, headers=self.jsonHeader)

            self.sessionIdNumber = response.json()['id']
            response = self.get(url+'/'+str(self.sessionIdNumber))

            # https://192.168.70.108/ixnetworkweb/api/v1/sessions/7
            self.sessionId = response.json()['links'][0]['href']
            # Remove the redirect /ixnetworkweb from the URL. IxNetwork 8.50 will resolve this.
            self.sessionId = self.sessionId.replace('ixnetworkweb/', '')

            # https://10.10.10.1:443
            matchHeader = re.match('(https://[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(:[0-9]+)?)', self.sessionId)
            self.httpHeader = matchHeader.group(1)

            if ':' not in self.httpHeader:
                self.httpHeader + '/' + linuxServerIpPort

            self.sessionUrl = self.sessionId+'/ixnetwork'

            # /api/v1/sessions/4/ixnetwork
            match = re.match('.*(/api.*)', self.sessionId)
            self.apiSessionId = match.group(1) + '/ixnetwork'

            # 3: Start the new session
            response = self.post(self.sessionId+'/operations/start')
            if self.linuxServerWaitForSuccess(response.json()['url'], timeout=timeout) == 1:
                raise IxNetRestApiException

            if self.webQuickTest == True:
                self.sessionId = 'https://{0}/ixnetworkweb/api/v1/sessions/{1}'.format(linuxServerIp, self.sessionIdNumber)
                self.sessionUrl = 'https://{0}/ixnetworkweb/api/v1/sessions/{1}/ixnetwork'.format(linuxServerIp, self.sessionIdNumber)
                self.httpHeader = self.sessionUrl.split('/api')[0]

        # If an API-Key is provided, then verify the session ID connection.
        if self.apiKey:
            self.get(self.sessionId)