Learn Linux in 1 Day

By Krishna Rungta

Copyright 2019 - All Rights Reserved – Krishna Rungta

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval
system without express written, dated and signed permission from the
author.
Table Of Content
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Linux Operating System

1. What is an Operating System?

2. What is Linux?
3. The Lone Kernel & the early days
4. Linux gets its due attention
5. The benefits of using Linux

Chapter 2: How to Download & Install Linux (Ubuntu) in Windows

1. What is a Linux Distribution?

2. How many distributions are out there?
3. The Best Linux Distribution!
4. Installing Linux using USB stick
5. Installing Linux using CD-ROM
6. Installing Linux using Virtual Machine

Chapter 3: Linux vs Windows: What's the Difference?

1. Windows Vs. Linux: File System

2. Linux Types of Files
3. Windows Vs. Linux: Users
4. Windows Vs. Linux: File Name Convention
5. Windows Vs. Linux: HOME Directory
6. Windows Vs. Linux: Other Directories
7. Windows Vs. Linux: Key Differences
Chapter 4: Linux Command Line Tutorial: Manipulate Terminal with CD
Commands

1. Why learn Command Line Interface?

2. Launching the CLI on Ubuntu
3. Present working Directory (pwd)
4. Changing Directories (cd)
5. Navigating to home directory (cd ~)
6. Moving to root directory (cd /)
7. Navigating through multiple directories
8. Moving up one directory level (cd ..)
9. Relative and Absolute Paths

Chapter 5: Basic Linux/Unix Commands with Examples

1. Listing files (ls)

2. Listing Hidden Files
3. Creating & Viewing Files
4. Deleting Files
5. Moving and Re-naming files
6. Directory Manipulations
7. Removing Directories
8. Renaming Directory
9. The 'Man' command

Chapter 6: File Permissions in Linux/Unix with Example

1. Ownership of Linux files

2. Permissions
3. Changing file/directory permissions with 'chmod' command
4. Absolute(Numeric) Mode
 5. Symbolic Mode
6. Changing Ownership and Group

Chapter 7: Input Output Redirection in Linux/Unix Examples

1. Output Redirection
2. Input redirection
3. File Descriptors (FD)
4. Error Redirection
5. Why Error Redirection?

Chapter 8: Pipe, Grep and Sort Command in Linux/Unix with Examples

1. What is a Pipe in Linux?

2. 'pg' and 'more' commands
3. The 'grep' command
4. The 'sort' command
5. What is a Filter?

Chapter 9: Linux Regular Expression Tutorial: Grep Regex Example

1. Basic Regular expressions

2. Interval Regular expressions
3. Extended regular expressions

Chapter 10: List of Environment Variables in Linux/Unix

1. What is a Computing Environment?

 2. What is a Variable?
3. What are Environment variables?
4. Accessing Variable values
5. Set New Environment Variables

Chapter 11: Linux/Unix SSH, Ping, FTP, Telnet Communication Commands

1. SSH
2. Ping
3. FTP
4. Telnet

Chapter 12: Linux/Unix Process Management: ps, kill, top, df, free, nice
Commands

1. What is a Process?
2. Running a Foreground Process
3. Running a Background process
4. Fg
5. Top
6. PS
7. Kill
8. NICE
9. DF
10. Free

Chapter 13: VI Text Editor with Commands: Linux/Unix Tutorial

1. What is the VI editor?

 2. Command mode
3. Insert mode
4. Starting the vi editor
5. vi Editing commands
6. Moving within a file
7. Saving and Closing the file

Chapter 14: Shell Scripting Tutorial for Linux/Unix Beginners

1. What is a Shell?
2. Types of Shell
3. What is Shell Scripting?
4. Adding shell comments
5. What are Shell Variables?

Chapter 15: Linux/Unix Virtual Terminal

1. What are Virtual Terminals?

2. Starting a Virtual Terminal
3. Navigating through Virtual Terminals
4. Virtual Terminal shortcuts

Chapter 16: Linux/Unix User Administration Tutorial: adduser, usermod,

userdel

1. Creating a User
2. Deleting, disabling account
3. Adding users to the usergroups
4. Finger
5. Linux/Unix User Management Commands
Chapter 17: Unix Vs. Linux: What’s the Difference?

1. What is UNIX?
2. What is LINUX?
3. Features of Unix OS
4. Features of Linux Operating System
5. Difference between Unix and Linux
6. Limitation of Linux
7. Limitations of Unix
 Chapter 1: Introduction to the Linux
Operating System
Before we learn Linux, let’s understand-

What is an Operating System?

Every time you switch on your computer, you see a screen where you can
perform different activities like write, browse the internet or watch a video.
What is it that makes the computer hardware work like that?
How does the processor on your computer know that you are asking it to run
a mp3 file?

Well, it is the operating system or the kernel which does this work. A kernel
is a program at the heart of any operating system that takes care of
fundamental stuff, like letting hardware communicate with software.

So, to work on your computer, you need an Operating System(OS). In fact,

you are using one as you read this on your computer. Now, you may have
used popular OS's like Windows, Apple OS X but here we will learn what
Linux is and what benefits it offers over other OS choices.
What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system or a kernel. It is distributed under an open
source license. Its functionality list is quite like UNIX.

Who created Linux?

Linux is an operating system or a kernel which germinated as an idea in the

mind of young and bright Linus Torvalds when he was a computer science
student. He used to work on the UNIX OS (proprietary software) and
thought that it needed improvements.

However, when his suggestions were rejected by the designers of UNIX, he

thought of launching an OS which will be receptive to
changes, modifications suggested by its users.

The Lone Kernel & the early days

So Linus devised a Kernel named Linux in 1991. Though he would need
programs like File Manager, Document Editors, Audio -Video programs to run
on it. Something as you have a cone but no ice-cream on top.

As time passed by, he collaborated with other programmers in places like

MIT and applications for Linux started to appear. So around 1991, a working
Linux operating system with some applications was officially launched, and
this was the start of one of the most loved and open-source OS options
available today.

The earlier versions of Linux were not so user-friendly as they were in use by
computer programmers and Linus Torvalds never had it in mind to
commercialize his product.

This definitely curbed the Linux's popularity as other commercially

oriented Operating System Windows got famous. Nonetheless, the
open-source aspect of the Linux operating system made it more robust.

Linux gets its due attention

The main advantage of Linux was that programmers were able to use the
Linux Kernel to design their own custom operating systems. With time, a
new range of user-friendly OS's stormed the computer world. Now, Linux is
one of the most popular and widely used Kernel, and it is the backbone of
popular operating systems like Debian, Knoppix, Ubuntu, and Fedora.
Nevertheless, the list does not end here as there are thousands of OS's
based on Linux which offer a variety of functions to the users.

Linux Kernel is normally used in combination of GNU project by Dr. Richard

Stallman. All mordern distributions of Linux are actually distributions of
Linux/GNU

The benefits of using Linux

Linux now enjoys popularity at its prime, and it's famous among
programmers as well as regular computer users around the world. Its main
benefits are -

It offers a free operating system. You do not have to shell hundreds

of dollars to get the OS like Windows!

Being open-source, anyone with programming knowledge can modify it.

The Linux operating systems now offer millions of
programs/applications to choose from, most of them free! Once you
have Linux installed you no longer need an antivirus! Linux is a highly
secure system. More so, there is a global development community
constantly looking at ways to enhance its security. With each upgrade,
the OS becomes more secure and robust
Linux is the OS of choice for Server environments due to its stability
and reliability (Mega-companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google
use Linux for their Servers). A Linux based server could run non-stop
without a reboot for years on end.

Is it for me?
Users, who are new to Linux, usually shun it by falsely considering it as a
difficult and technical OS to operate but, to state the truth, in the last few
years Linux operating systems have become a lot more user- friendly than
their counterparts like Windows, so trying them is the best way to know
whether Linux suits you or not.

There are thousands of Linux based operating systems; most of them offer
state-of-the-art security and applications, all of it for free!

This is what Linux is all about, and now we will move on to how to install
Linux and which Distribution you should choose.

I am asked to Learn Unix? Then why Linux?

UNIX is called the mother of operating systems which laid out the
foundation to Linux. Unix is designed mainly for mainframes and is in
enterprises and universities. While Linux is fast becoming a household name
for computer users, developers, and server environment. You may have to
pay for a Unix kernel while in Linux it is free.
But, the commands used on both the operating systems are usually the
same. There is not much difference between UNIX and Linux. Though they
might seem different, at the core, they are essentially the same. Since Linux
is a clone of UNIX. So learning one is same as learning another.
 Chapter 2: How to Download & Install
Linux (Ubuntu) in Windows
Now that we know what Linux is, it is the time that to learn how we should
install it on the computer and choose which Distribution we should use. Let
us start by understanding what a Linux Distribution is.

What is a Linux Distribution?

Well, now as you know that Linux is open-source, free to use kernel. It is
used by programmers, organizations, profit and non- profit companies
around the world to create Operating systems to suit their individual
requirements.

To prevent hacking attempts, many organizations keep their Linux operating

systems private.

Many others make their variations of Linux available publicly so the whole
world can benefit at large.

These versions/ types /kinds of Linux operating system are called

Distributions.

How many distributions are out there?

There are hundreds of Linux operating systems or Distributions available
these days. Many of them are designed with a specific purpose in mind. For
example, to run a web server or to run on network switches like routers,
modems, etc.

The latest example of one of the most popular smartphone-based

Linux Distribution is Android!

Many of these Distributions are built to offer excellent personal computing.

Here, are a few popular Linux Distributions (also called Linux Distro)

Linux Distribution Name Description

This Linux Distro is popular amongst
Developers. It is an independently developed
Arch
system. It is designed for users who go for a
do-it-yourself approach.
It is one of the most used Linux Distribution for
enterprise and web servers. It is a free
CentOS enterprise class Operating system and is based
heavily on Red Hat enterprise Distro.

Debian is a stable and popular non- commercial

Linux distribution. It is widely
 Debian used as a desktop Linux Distro and is user-
oriented. It strictly acts within the Linux
protocols.

Another Linux kernel based Distro, Fedora is

supported by the Fedora project, an endeavor
Fedora by Red Hat. It is popular among desktop users.
Its versions are known for their short life cycle.

It is a source based Distribution which means

that you need to configure the code on your
Gentoo system before you can install it. It is not for
Linux beginners, but it is sure fun for
experienced users.
It is one of the most popular Desktop
Distributions available out there. It launched in
LinuxMint 2006 and is now considered to be the fourth
most used Operating system in the computing
world.
It is an easy to use and a good alternative to MS
Windows. It can be easily set up and can also
OpenSUSE
run on small computers with obsolete
configurations.
Another popular enterprise based Linux
Distribution is Red Hat Enterprise.It has
RedHat evolved from Red Hat Linux which was
enterprise discontinued in 2004. It is a commercial Distro
and very popular among its clientele.

Slackware is one of the oldest Linux kernel

based OS's. It is another easy desktop
Slackware Distribution. It aims at being a 'Unix like' OS
with minimal changes to its kernel.
This is the third most popular desktop
operating system after Microsoft Windows and
Ubuntu Apple Mac OS. It is based on the Debian Linux
Distribution, and it is known as its desktop
environment.

The Best Linux Distribution!

The term best is relative. Each Linux distribution is built for a specific
purpose-built to meet the demands of its target users.

The desktop Distributions are available for free on their respective websites.
You might want to try them one by one till you get to know which
Distribution you like the most. Each one of them offers its own unique
design, applications, and security.

We will be using Ubuntu for our learning purpose as it's easy for a beginner
to understand.

Installing Linux
Let's look the various methods we can use to install Ubuntu.

Installing Linux using USB stick

This is one of the easiest methods of installing Ubuntu or any distribution on

your computer. Follow the steps.
Step 1) Download the .iso or the OS files on your computer from this link.

Step 2) Download free software like 'Universal USB installer to make a

bootable USB stick.

Step 3) Select an Ubuntu Distribution form the dropdown to put on

your USB

Select your Ubuntu iso file download in step 1.

Select the drive letter of USB to install Ubuntu and Press create button.

Step 4) Click YES to Install Ubuntu in USB.

Step 5) After everything has been installed and configured, a small window
will appear Congratulations! You now have Ubuntu on a USB stick, bootable
and ready to go.