Introduction to Linux

Course Description

This three-day hands-on course provides a comprehensive introduction to the full range of Linux user commands and utilities. Students will also develop shell programming and vi editing skills.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Start up and successfully log in to any Linux environment
• Search and display online documentation
• Interact with Linux via the command line interface
• Use links and directories to navigate across the Linux file system
• Create and edit files using vi, plus customize the vi environment
• Protect files and directories from unauthorized access
• Find files, applications and utilities by date, name, owner, type or other criteria
• Customize the shell to efficiently use command substitutions and history
• Process data with filters, pipes and redirection
• Write batch and interactive shell scripts to automate tasks
• Perform simple administration, such as backing up and restoring personal files
• Perform a safe shutdown of any Linux computer

Course Benefits

Students will quickly learn how to efficiently Linux commands in an interactive environment.

Who Should Attend

This course is valuable for anyone who is new to the Linux environment.

Prerequisite

This course assumes students have no previous knowledge of Linux. Basic computer experience at the user level is expected.

Method Of Instruction

Lecture, demonstrations, twelve short interactive quizzes, questions and answers, and numerous hands-on exercises.

Hands-on Exercises

Throughout this course, students perform a series of extensive hands-on exercises including:

• Using the online manual to obtain information about commands
• Copy, delete, move and display files
• Copy, delete, move and navigate across directories
• Simple and sophisticated file editing with vi
• Customizing vi setting by editing the .exrc file
• Finding strings in files with grep
• Manipulaing and comparing file contents with cut, paste, and diff
• Setting and changing permission modes with chmod, and umask
• Finding files
• Obtaining process status and changing status priorities
• Building complex commands with wildcards, pipes and redirection
• Customizing the shell
• Writing shell scripts with for and while loops
• Writing shell scripts with case constructs
• Making, editing, and deleting a crontab entry
• Using tar to back up files

Course Outline

Chapter 1: Getting Started

• Linux operating system features
• Flavors of Linux
• Brief History of Linux
• Logging in and using the system
• User names and passwords
• Command line syntax: commands, arguments, whitespace, options
• Accessing and searching the on-line reference manual
• A Few Commands

Chapter 2: Files

• What is a file
• Wildcards
• File Properties
• The ls Command
• Displaying files
• Copy, move and remove files

Chapter 3: Directories

• The hierarchical Linux directory structure
• File Types
• Directories and their contents
• Relative vs. absolute paths
• Copying Files into Directories

Chapter 4: Editing with vi

• Why Learn vi
• The vi Temporary File
• Command Mode and Insert Mode
• Moving the Cursor
• Scrolling
• Searching
• Copy and Paste
• Reading in external files
• Advanced vi Tricks
• Customizing .exrc File

Chapter 5: Text Handling Utilities

• Word count
• grep
• Sorting files
• File comparison
• Printing

Chapter 6: File System Security

• Basic File Permissions
• Changing Permission Modes
• The umask Command
• Why directories need execute permission

Chapter 7: File System Management

• The find Utility
• Disk Usage
• CPU Usage

Chapter 8: Processes

• What are daemons and processes
• The ps utility
• Background commands (&)
• Killing processes
• Signals

Chapter 9: Redirection

• Filters and Streams
• Standard I/O
• Redirection and pipes
• Appending Output
• The tee Command

Chapter 10: Using the Shell

• Which Shell To Use
• Determining Which Shell Is Running
• Changing finger information with the chfn utility
• Changing The Shell
• Shell Variables
• Environment Variables
• The history Command
• What Is A Shell Script

Chapter 11: Shell Scripting

• Exit Status
• Setting A Variable
• Special Variable
• Test Conditions
• For and While Loops
• The case Construct
• Scripts With Arguments
• Reading In Variables
• Subshells

Chapter 12: Personal System Administration

• Logging In As Root
• Difference between su and su -
• System Start Up
• System Shutdown
• Making your own crontab entry
• Compressing files
• Backing up files with tar
• The cpio Command