Linux - Online Course

This series provides a general overview of the Linux operating system. Topics include partitioning and the boot process, basic system configuration, file management, and text stream processing. The series also covers user management, group management, and file permissions. Administrative tasks covered in this series include basic job scheduling utilities, as well as system backup strategies and strategies for system documentation and user support.

This series is for anyone who is interested in learning the fundamentals of the Linux operating system. This online course contains 9 lessons and should take approximately 27 hours to complete.

Lesson 1: Partitions and the Boot Process (3.0) hours

Partitions and the Boot Process teaches you how to identify the types of partitions that exist on a Linux system, explain the capabilities of the disk formatting utilities fips and fdisk, create primary partitions, swap partitions, and extended partitions with fdisk, describe the Linux boot process, identify and describe the contents of the /etc/inittab file, describe the function of LILO, and safely shut down a Linux system. This course introduces users to the process of preparing a hard drive for use with the Linux operating system and explains the Linux boot process. Topics include Understanding Partitions, Understanding fdisk, Creating a Primary Partition, Creating a Swap Partition, Creating an Extended Partition, Formatting Partitions, Understanding File System Organization, Booting Linux, Understanding Runlevels, Understanding the init Daemon, Understanding LILO, and Shutting Down Linux.

Lesson 2: File Management (3.0) hours

File Management teaches you how to view man page documentation for Linux commands, navigate through the directory structure, list directory contents, view file contents, create, copy, move, and delete files and directories, search file content, and compress and uncompress files. This course introduces users to the commands necessary to create, view, copy, move, and delete files on a Linux system. Topics include Using Manual Pages, Changing Directories, Listing Directory Contents, Identifying File Types, Creating, Viewing, and Appending Files, Paging Through Files, Modifying Access and Modification Data, Copying Files and Directories, Moving Files and Directories, Creating Directories, Deleting Files and Directories, Understanding Regular Expressions, Searching File Content with grep, Archiving Files with tar, Compressing and Uncompressing Files with gzip, and Using gzip with tar.

Lesson 3: GNU and Linux Commands (3.0) hours

GNU and Linux Commands teaches you how to define a shell, explain how commands entered at the Linux command line are interpreted, customize user and environment variables, describe and view the history file, list running processes, modify process priority, and stop processes, and list and control jobs. This course introduces users to shells and shows users how to configure user and environment variables and how to manage processes on a Linux system. Topics include Understanding Shells, Typing at the Command Line, Editing and the Command Line, Understanding Variables, Customizing Environment Variables, Working with the PATH Variable, Working with the PROMPT Variable, Working with the HOME Variable, Understanding the HISTORY File, Viewing the HISTORY File with fc, Understanding Processes, Listing Processes with ps and top, Editing Process Priority with nice, Managing Jobs, and Sending Signals to Processes.

Lesson 4: File System Maintenance (4.0) hours

File System Maintenance teaches you how to mount and unmount file systems, identify and describe the files controlling filesystem configuration, verify filesystem integrity, perform disk maintenance, manage disk quotas, create hard and symbolic links to files, and locate important system files. This course shows users how to mount and unmount file systems, verify file system integrity, perform disk maintenance tasks, manage disk quotas, create links to files, and locate files. Topics include Mounting Filesystems, Unmounting Filesystems, Filesystem Configuration Files, Using fsck, Checking Disk Usage, Disk Maintenance, Understanding Disk Quotas, Enabling Disk Quotas, Setting Disk Quotas, Verifying Disk Quotas, Understanding Links, Creating Hard Links, Creating Symbolic Links, Understanding the System File Hierarchy, Locating Files with find, Locating Files with locate, and Locating Commands with which.

Lesson 5: Users and Groups (3.0) hours

Users and Groups teaches you how to describe the purpose of the root account, create and delete user accounts, manage user passwords, and create, modify, and delete user groups. This course shows users how to create and manage user accounts and how to manage groups. Topics include Using root, Understanding the /etc/passwd File, Managing User Passwords, Creating Users by Editing /etc/passwd, Creating Users with useradd, Modifying Users with usermod, Deleting Users, Special User Accounts, Understanding Groups, Creating Groups, Identifying Default Groups, Modifying and Deleting Groups, Understanding Systems Groups, Working with Shadow Passwords, and Understanding User Startup Files.

Lesson 6: Text Streams (3.0) hours

Text Streams teaches you how to use the sed command to filter text, use the sort utility, cut and paste text, divide files using pr and split, and direct output using pipes, tee, and xargs. This course shows users basic Linux commands for editing, filtering, and manipulating text. Topics include Filtering Text with sed, Sorting Text with sort, Selecting Characters with cut and paste, Viewing Partial Files, Editing Text with fmt, Using join, Modifying Tabs and Line Numbers, Dividing Files with pr and split, Editing File Contents with tr, Counting Words, Understanding Input and Output, Redirecting Output, Directing Output Using Pipes, and Using tee and xargs.

Lesson 7: Permissions (2.0) hours

Permissions teaches you how to change the owner and group associated with a file, define read, write, and execute permissions as applied to files and directories, change permissions using symbols, change permissions using numbers, and change the default permissions set for newly created files and directories. This course shows users how to manage user and group permissions for files and directories. Topics include Changing the Owner of a File, Changing the Group for a File, Understanding File and Directory Access, Understanding File Access, Understanding Directory Access, Changing Permissions with Symbols, Changing Permissions with Numbers, Special Permissions, and Setting Default Permissions.

Lesson 8: Administration and Documentation (4.0) hours

Administration and Documentation teaches you how to schedule and manage jobs using the at command, schedule jobs using the batch command, schedule and manage jobs using cron, configure and manage system logging, document a Linux system, and identify key documentation resources. This course shows users how to schedule jobs, manage system logging, and document their own Linux systems. Topics include Scheduling Jobs with at, Managing Jobs scheduled with at, Scheduling Jobs with batch, Scheduling Jobs with crontab, Managing cron Jobs, Managing System Logging with syslogd, Configuring syslogd, Managing Logs, Rotating Logs, Archiving Logs, Using Logs for Troubleshooting, Documenting and Supporting Your System, Using Documentation, and Managing Documentation Support.

Lesson 9: Backup and Restore (2.0) hours

Backup and Restore teaches you how to create a backup and restoration strategy based on business requirements, differentiate between full backups, partial backups, incremental backups, and copies, plan for backup storage and retention, create a backup using the tar utility, restore a backup that was created using the tar utility, and create and restore backups using cpio. This course introduces users to the process of planning a backup strategy and shows them how to create and restore a backup. Topics include Identifying Backup Requirements, Choosing a Backup Strategy, Planning a Backup, Choosing a Backup Type, Backup Storage and Retention, Restoring Files from Backup, Creating Backups with tar, Restoring Files with tar, and Creating and Restoring Backups with cpio.