Unix Tutorial and Genuse Server Setup

Course: CS2340 - Computer Organization at SMU

This project introduces the Unix operating system and basic Unix commands. The tasks involved working with the Lyle Genuse servers as part of CS2340 coursework at Southern Methodist University.

Project Overview

• Unix Environment Setup:

  • Created a Genuse account to access the Lyle servers.
  • Configured a Console Window on the local PC to access the server via SSH.
  • Set up a file transfer program to transfer files between the local PC and the server.

• Unix Commands Tutorial:

  • Completed sections of the "UNIX Tutorial for Beginners" including Tutorial One and Tutorial Two.
  • Transferred the file science.txt to the server using a file transfer program.

• Basic File Management Tasks:

  • Created a subdirectory named CS2340 in the Parent directory.
  • Changed to the CS2340 directory using the cd command.
  • Used the pwd (print working directory) command to confirm the current working directory.
  • Created additional directories (unixstuff and backups) and navigated between them using cd.
  • Listed files and directories using ls and ls -a to view hidden files.
  • Learned about the directories . (current directory) and .. (parent directory) to navigate efficiently.
  • Practiced pathnames to understand directory structure and relationships between files.

• File Operations:

  • Copying Files: Used cp to create a backup of science.txt as science.bak.
  • Moving Files: Used mv to move science.bak to the backups directory.
  • Removing Files and Directories: Used rm to remove files and rmdir to remove empty directories.
  • Created and removed a temporary directory (tempstuff) to practice directory management.

• File Viewing and Searching:

  • Displayed file contents using cat, less, head, and tail.
  • Searched for keywords in science.txt using grep, including using options like -i for case-insensitive searches.
  • Counted lines and words in files using wc.

Skills Gained

• Unix/Linux Environment: Learned how to navigate and manipulate files and directories in a Unix system.
• Remote Server Access: Gained experience using remote servers and configuring SSH connections.
• File Transfer: Used SCP/SFTP for secure file transfers.
• Basic Unix Commands: Learned commands like mkdir, cd, pwd, ls, cp, mv, rm, rmdir, cat, less, grep, and wc, laying the foundation for further work in Unix-like environments.
• File Viewing and Searching: Gained proficiency in using tools to view and search the contents of files effectively.

Example Commands

• Create Directory:

  mkdir CS2340

• Change Directory:

  cd CS2340

• Print Working Directory:

  pwd

• List Files (including hidden files):

  ls -a

• Copy File:

  cp science.txt science.bak

• Move File:

  mv science.bak backups/.

• Remove File:

  rm tempfile.txt

• Display File Contents:

  cat science.txt

• Search File for Keyword:

  grep -i 'science' science.txt

Exercises Completed

• Exercise 1a: Created a directory named backups inside the unixstuff directory.
• Exercise 1b: Used cd, ls, and pwd to explore the file system and understand directory navigation.
• Exercise 2a: Created a backup of science.txt by copying it to science.bak.
• Exercise 2b: Created and removed a directory named tempstuff to practice directory management.

Screenshots

• Sample Screenshot of Unix Commands:

Summary

The Unix Tutorial exercises provided hands-on experience with essential Unix commands for navigating and managing files and directories. The skills developed through these exercises are foundational for tasks like setting up file structures, managing backups, and navigating complex directory hierarchies in software development and system administration roles.

Notes

• This project is useful for gaining familiarity with Unix systems, which are crucial in software engineering, system administration, and DevOps roles.
• The hands-on exercises covered fundamental commands that are commonly used in daily tasks involving Unix/Linux systems.