Linux^®:
A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction

Introducing Linux

• The UNIX heritage
• Linux inception
• Linux kernel and GNU tools
• Open source licensing
• Distributions

Accessing the System

The GNOME desktop

• Customising panels, launchers and applets
• Examining graphical applications
• Personalising the terminal window

Starting at the command line

• Switching to console logins
• Performing a SSH login
• Structuring commands

Managing Files and Directories

Naming files and directories

• Contrasting full and relative pathnames
• Unravelling the file system hierarchy
• Handling files with cp and mv

Organising files under directories

• Making and navigating directories
• Listing attributes with ls
• Browsing with GNOME Nautilus

Working with Linux files

• Accelerating command line usage with Bash wildcards
• Scrolling through files with GNU less
• Comparing files with diff

Controlling Access to Linux Resources

Defining access rights to files

• Identifying multiple users and groups
• Interpreting file and directory modes
• Adjusting access permissions: chmod

Collaborating via group membership

• Joining secondary groups
• Inheriting and changing group ownership

Adopting multiple roles

• Knowing who you are to the system
• Switching identity
• Changing passwords
• Raising privilege with su, sudo and setuid

Searching the system

• Locating files with find
• Finding pathnames with slocate

Manipulating streams

• Matching lines with GNU grep
• Selecting lines and fields using head, tail, gawk and cut
• Saving command output into files
• Connecting commands using pipes

Editing files and streams

• Automating stream edits with sed
• Creating and modifying files: vim, gedit

Leveraging Bash Shell Features

Customising Bash behaviour

• Setting options: noclobber, ignoreeof
• Assigning to built-in shell variables
• Aliasing commands

Initialising context

• Exporting variables to the environment
• Extending login and start-up scripts

Enhancing interactivity

• Retrieving and reusing previous commands
• Exploiting file name completion shortcuts

Automating Tasks with Shell Scripts

Invoking shell scripts

• Taking bash input from a file
• Calling scripts as commands
• Running scripts using source
• Passing positional parameters

Testing and controlling execution

• Checking exit status with if
• Verifying file attributes with conditionals

Executing Jobs and Processes

Monitoring processes with ps and top

• Launching multiple jobs
• Signalling with kill

Archiving and retrieving data

• Mounting storage devices
• Measuring free space
• Compressing with bzip and gzip
• Creating tar archives

System administration basics

• Installing Linux software
• Adding user accounts
• Adjusting network connections
• Changing the date and time