Lecture #1 An Overview of the UNIX/Linux Operating System

Learner Outcomes

• Find assignments, lecture notes, review questions, and the variety of resources on the pages of the CIS 191A website.
• Define the major components of the Linux Operating System and describe at least one major function of each component.
• Describe the terminology used in the UNIX directory structure, and identify the principle directories and their contents.
• Use the root system administrator's account to perform privileged tasks on the system.
• Create representative files for each of the UNIX/Linux file types.

Activities

• Demonstration of the Visible Computer.
• Tour a minimal Linux Distribution.
• Compare the root directoies of major UNIX operating systems.
• Create files representing each of the four different categories of UNIX file types, and
  outline on the board how each file type is created within a file system.

Assignment:

1. What does an operating system do?
2. What separates one distribution of Linux from another? What is common among them?
3. What does Richard Stallman mean when he says that software should be free, and why does he think it should be free?
4. What does GNU and GPL stand for?
5. Which is more restrictive, the GPL or the BSD License?
6. Name five ways that the UNIX OS differs from Microsoft Operating Systems
7. Name a good resource for Linux Documentation.
8. What does the su command do?
9. Name the four different types of files in UNIX/Linux and what utility is used to create each type.
10. What is the point of having i-nodes?
11. What is a superblock?
12. What feature distinguishes the ext2 and ext3 file systems?

UNIX/Linux Installation and Configuration

1. Introductions
   1. Course Content
      1. An Overview of the Unix/Linux Operating Systems
      2. Storage Devices and File Systems
      3. Disk Layout and Booting
      4. System Startup and Shutdown
      5. Communications and the Network Layer
      6. X Windows and the Graphic Desktop
      7. System Installation
      8. Package Managers
      9. Runlevels
      10. System Administration - CIS191B
   2. Instructor, (Background)
   3. Resources
      • Web site: www.cabrillo.edu/~jgriffin/CIS191A
      • Classroom machines
      • CTC and Room 2504 Labs
2. A History of Linux
   1. GNU and FSF => Open Source => GPL (copyleft)
   2. Overview
   3. How do you make money selling something that is free?
3. Overview of the Unix/Linux Operating Systems
   1. Virtual Terminals
   2. The root account and super-user
   3. The Shell
   4. The Kernel: (vmlinux vs. vmlinuz)
   5. System commands, Servers and CLients
   6. Toplevel Directories:
      1. bin
      2. boot
      3. dev
      4. etc
      5. lib
      6. tmp
      7. usr
      8. proc
   7. File types:
      1. directories
      2. regular files
      3. device files (special files)
      4. symbolic links
4. Evaluation
   1. Complete the Student Information sheet
   2. Email jimg@instructor a message describing something that you learned today.

Relevant Commands and Files