Practicing the software and server side of networking

I am curious if anyone has any advice on how I can practice the server or software side of networking without reading bulky books or getting stuck scrolling through hundreds of lines of code in a text file trying to get something like a game server to work. I'm sick of trying to disect text files and feeling like an idiot after I can't get anything to work (mainly the reason why I barely use Linux). Are there any easier projects with tutorials on the web that don't require reading a billion pages or mastering a million protocols. I've played around with configuring Cisco routers and switches so I have a good understanding of hardware, but I still haven't done much with servers and software other than play around with VMware and VNC. If anyone has any suggestions or links to tutorials I would greatly appreciate it. It would mean a lot to me.

Thanks,
Jerry