CBLX3103 – Introduction to Linux

This course is intended to be a practical course. Get you Linux installed and run
the command. Run it, experience it, feel it and understand how it works.
Objectives
The general aims of this course are to:
1. Introduce to the Linux Operating System (OS) that can be used daily;
2. Introduce to the attributes and main features of Linux
3. Familiarize with basic Linux command to enable them to further the power
behind the Linux operating system.
What Is Linux?
• a clone of the Unix OS that has been popular in academic and business environments
• Linux consists of
o Kernel - the core control software
o libraries & utilities – provide features which users interact.
• available in many different distributions (distro) - specific kernel with specific support
programs
• popular Linux distro - Arch, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Mandriva, openSUSE,
Red Hat, Slackware, SUSE Enterprise, and Ubuntu
• Linux has several characteristics
o Linux is open source software (OSS) - meaning that the files used to create the
working programs that make up Linux are freely available and may be modified
and redistributed
o Linux is available free of charge.
o Linux has inherited a great deal of Unix software, including many very important
Internet server programs, databases, programming languages
o Linux is highly scalable - it runs on everything from cell phones to
supercomputers
o Many businesses and non-profit organizations rely on Linux. Linux is often used
to run the organizations' Web sites, route their Internet traffic, and do other
critical behind-the-scenes tasks
• You can install Linux on almost any PC on which you normally run Windows or Mac OS
X
• You can install Linux by itself or side by side with another OS (Dual-Boot)

Linux Certification?
• Linux Professional Institute (LPI) - https://www.lpi.org/
o Linux Essentials, LPIC-1, LPIC-2, LPIC-3
• RedHat (RH) - https://www.redhat.com/
o RH Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) – old name – RH Certified
Technician (RHCT)
o RH Certified Engineer (RHCE)

Linux Installation:
• VirtualBox
• Linux ISO (Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS)
• https://www.distrowatch.com/
Chapter 1: Selecting Operating System (OS)

What Is an OS?
• operating system (OS) –
o provides all the most fundamental features of a computer, at least from a
software point of view
o enables you to use the computer's hardware devices
o defines the user interface standards
o it provides basic tools that begin to make the computer useful
• these features trace their way back to the OS's kernel
• OS Kernel - a software component that's responsible for managing various low-level
features of the computer, including:
o Interfacing with hardware devices (network adapters, hard disks, and so on)
o Allocating memory to individual programs
o Allocating CPU time to individual programs
o Enabling programs to interact with each other
• the kernel is the software "glue" that holds the computer together.
• the Linux kernel is different from the Mac OS X kernel or the Windows kernel
• kernels uses a different internal design and provides different software interfaces for
programs to use
• Linux uses a kernel called Linux
• Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel in 1991
• The kernel is at the core of any OS, but it's a component that most users don't directly
manipulate
• most users interact with a number of other software components, many of which are
closely associated with particular Oss
o Command-line: users interacted with computers exclusively by typing
commands in a program (known as a shell) that accepted such command
o Graphical user interfaces (GUI): an improvement on a text-mode shell, at least
from the perspective of a beginning user. GUIs rely on icons, menus, and a
mouse pointer. Windows and Mac OS both have their own OS-specific GUIs
o Utility Program – variety of simple utility program – calculator, calendars, text
editors, disk maintenance tools
o Libraries - collections of programming functions that can be used by a variety of
programs (mostly usable for the programmer to work with). in Linux most
programs rely on a library called libc. Other libraries provide features associated
with the GUI or that help programs parse options passed to them on the
command line
o Productivity programs: Web browsers, word processors, graphics editors

Investigating User Interfaces

• Using a Text-mode User Interface (Terminal)
o SSH / Login terminal
 o $ - normal user command
o # - super user / administrative users
o command –
 ls – file listing
 cp – copy
 mv – move / rename
 rm – remove / delete file
 vi or nano – file editor
• Using a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
o common choice – GNOME , KDE, Xfce and Unity
o Linux desktop environments can look quite different from one another, but they
all provide similar functionality
o Program launchers, File Manager, Window Controls, Multiple Desktops, Logout
options

Where Does Linux Fit in the OS World?

Linux vs Unix

• Linux OS modeled after Unix

• Unix
o created in 1969
o AT&T Bell Labs
o Unix's history is complex and involves multiple forks (splitting of the code into two
or more independent projects)
o Unix Variants
 BSD - University of California, Berkeley
 SunOS / Solaris – Sun Microsystem
 Xenix – Microsoft
 HP-UX – Hewlett Packard (HP / HPE)
 AIX – IBM
• Linux Kernel
o Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel as a hobby programming project in 1991
o Linux kernel was designed to be compatible with other Unix kernels
• The GNU Project
o The GNU's Not Unix (GNU) project - an effort by the Free Software Foundation
(FSF) to develop open source replacements for all the core elements of a Unix
OS
• Xorg-X11
o X Window System - GUI environment for most Unix Oss
o Linux distributions today use the Xorg-X11 variety of X
• Desktop Environments
o GNOME, KDE, Xfce
• Server programs
o Unix & Linux been popular use as server Oss
o Web servers, email server, file server, DNS server
• User Productivity programs
o Linux runs the same software as do other Unix-like Oss
 o Linux runs more programs, or runs them better - because of Linux's popularity
and the vast array of hardware drivers that Linux offers
• Linux offers better hardware support, at least on commodity PC hardware

Linux vs MAC OS X

• MAC OS X
o Mac OS X is a commercial Unix-based OS that borrows heavily from the BSDs
o discards the usual Unix GUI (namely X) - own user interface
o OS X Terminal – can run the same command as in Unix / Linux
o ship with some popular Unix server program.
o OS X differs from Linux in its user interface,
o applications developed for OS X can't be run directly on Linux (or on other Unix-
like OSs)
o Apple makes OS X available for its own computers
o Its license terms forbid installation on non-Apple hardware
o OS X is largely limited to Apple hardware
o A variant of OS X, known as iOS, runs on Apple's iPad and iPhone devices
• Linux, by contrast, runs on a wide variety of hardware, including most PCs
• You can even install Linux on Macintosh computers
Linux vs Windows

• Linux and Windows have similar capabilities, however, there are significant differences
in details. These include the following
Linux Windows
Licensing • Open source OS, • Proprietary commercial OS,
• Some Linux also have • license
subscription fee for update
and supports.
Costs • Free of charge • Cost range (USD 501 –
USD 6,155) Windows
Server 2022 Edition
Hardware • Linux drivers may take a • Most hardware
Compatibility few weeks or even manufacturers provide
months to appear after a Windows drivers for their
device becomes available devices
• Linux also tends to be less
resource-intensive (work
on older hardware)
Software • alternative OpenOffice, • Microsoft Office just for
Availability LibreOffice Windows
• Apache Web server first • many server program
develop for Linux, Unix available on Windows
• same with Windows
server program and run
more efficiently in Linux.
 User • GNOME, KDE, terminal • use it own unique user
Interfaces interface.
Configurability • Linux is a much more • Must follow the standard /
configurable OS than is the Wizard the OS Offer.
Windows
• you can tweak any detail
you want
Security • Viruses are essentially a • Many of the threats to
non-issue for Linux Windows come from
• security threats come viruses, which by and large
mostly from break-ins target Windows and its
involving misconfigured huge installed user base
servers or untrustworthy
local users

• In both homes and offices, users have become familiar with Windows and are used to
popular Windows applications (MS Office)
• Linux can be used in such environments, it's a less popular choice for a variety of
reasons – unfamiliarity
• Windows comes pre-installed on most PCs / Notebook
• Linux in particular, on the other hand, have come to dominate the server market
• Some advantages of Linux / things Linux can do that Windows cannot
Linux Windows
Open Source • One of the best • a closed system
advantages Linux offers • consists of layers and
• source code is available • layers of locked down
for anyone who needs or source code
wants to see, edit, or
modify it
• more secure because
everyone is looking at and
checking others’ work
Less time to • Linux users have • Reboot your computer
Update complete control over every time you perform an
software updates update
• updates take less time • annoying pop up that their
than Windows system will reboot in 10
• no need to reboot the minutes
computer
• Linux takes far less time
to reboot or load after
being powered off
Stability & • Linux can • your computer will freeze if
Reliability technically continue to you are running too many
operate without application or browsers at
rebooting and without any one time.
issues for years
 • rare for a Linux system to • When it freezes, if you
freeze or slow down your haven’t saved what you
computer will freeze have been working on, you
will lose it

Linux on Windows
• further reading –
o https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/9-useful-things-linux-can-do-that-windows-
cant/
o https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/introduction-to-linux-operating-system/
o https://www.guru99.com/introduction-linux.html
o https://training.linuxfoundation.org/training/introduction-to-linux/