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Lesson 1

Introduction to Linux System Administration

Files, Processes, Devices

Welcome to Linux/UNIX System Administration I, the first course in the four-part Linux/UNIX System and Network Administration Series.
This course covers the major components of the UNIX operating system: files, processes, devices, and filesystems. This course is intended to help you understand the following topics:
  1. UNIX files, file types, file modes, and access permissions
  2. UNIX processes, their life cycles, and attributes
  3. UNIX special files and devices

Versions of UNIX covered

The course also covers variations between Solaris, Linux, AIX, and HP-UX operating systems. The examples and exercises focus on using a Linux or a Solaris system, however. In cases where the commands or procedures vary significantly between Linux and Solaris, two versions of examples and exercises are offered—one for Linux and one for Solaris.

Course goals


After completing the course, you will be able to:
  1. Explain what the root account is and how to use it safely
  2. Set user ownership, group ownership, and access permissions of files and directories
  3. Describe the various types of UNIX files, and have a toolbox of useful commands for working with them
  4. Describe the basic process attributes and their role in access control
  5. Describe how new processes come into being
  6. Schedule a periodic process using the cron daemon
  7. Locate the special device files associated to hard disks on a UNIX system
  8. Manipulate hard links on your system and understand the relationship of inodes and directory entries
  9. Mount and unmount partitions