ALRIGHT!

LINUX TUTORIAL

100 LINUX
QUESTIONS
 1
Q: What is Linux and what are its main features?

Linux is a free and open-source operating system based on

Unix. Its main features include its stability, security, flexibility,
free of cost, and support for a wide range of hardware.
2
Q: What is the difference between Linux and UNIX?

The primary difference is that Linux is open source and free,

while UNIX is proprietary. Additionally, Linux is widely used
for a variety of applications, whereas UNIX is primarily used in
large enterprises.
3
Q: What is the Linux Kernel?
The Linux kernel is the core of the Linux operating system. It
acts as an interface between the computer's hardware and the
software running on it.
It manages hardware resources, enables process control, file
management, and system security.
 4
Q: What is a shell in Linux?
A shell in Linux is an interface that allows users to interact
with the operating system by running commands.
5
Q: What are some common shells in Linux?

Common Linux shells include Bash (Bourne-Again Shell), Tcsh,

Zsh, and Ksh (Korn Shell).
6
Q: How do you create a new user in Linux?
You can create a new user in Linux using the useradd or
adduser command.

sudo useradd -m -d /home/newuser -s /bin/bash -c "New

User" -u 1001 -g users -G sudo,adm -e 2025-01-01 newuser
7
Q: What is the root user in Linux?

The root user is the superuser in Linux, with full administrative

privileges to the entire system.

root user
/root home dir
/ root dir
8
Q: Explain the file permissions in Linux.
Linux file permissions include read (r), write (w), and execute
(x) for three categories: owner, group, and others.
9
Q: How do you change file permissions in Linux?

File permissions are changed using the chmod command.

chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o= file.txt

10
Q: What is a process in Linux?

A process is an running instance of a program in Linux.

Each process in Linux has a unique identifier called a Process
ID (PID).
11
Q: How do you view active processes in Linux?

You can view active processes using commands like ps, top, or
htop.
 12
Q: How do you kill a process in Linux?

A process can be killed using the kill command followed by

the process ID.

kill PID
13
Q: What is a daemon in Linux?

A daemon is a background process that runs continuously and

typically starts at boot.
 14
Q: What is the difference between soft link and hard
link in Linux?
A soft link is a pointer to a file, while a hard link is a direct
mirror of the file. Deleting the original file affects a soft link
but not a hard link.
15
Q: What is the use of the df command in Linux?

The df command is used to display disk space usage of file

systems.
16
Q: What does the free command do in Linux?

The free command displays the total amount of free and used
physical RAM and swap memory in the system.
17
Q: Explain the purpose of the grep command.

grep is used to search text or searches the given file for lines
containing a match to the given strings or words.

grep “string” file.txt

 18
Q: How do you compress and extract files in Linux?

Files can be compressed using tools like gzip, bzip2, and

extracted using gunzip, bunzip2.
 19
Q: What is a symbolic link in Linux?

A symbolic link, or symlink, is a file that points to another file

or directory. It’s a reference that can be used to access the
target file.
 20
Q: What are inodes in Linux?

An inode is a data structure on a filesystem that stores

information about a file except its name or actual data.

Every file or directory is associated with an inode, which is

identified by an inode number in the filesystem. This inode
number is a unique identifier within the filesystem.
21
Q: What is the purpose of the crontab in Linux?

crontab is used to schedule commands to be executed

periodically. It holds the list of scheduled tasks.
22
Q: How can you find the IP address of a Linux server?
You can find the IP address using commands like ifconfig or ip
addr show.
23
Q: Explain the purpose of the sshd service.

sshd is the SSH daemon that allows secure remote

connections to the server.
 24
Q: How do you check the status of a service in Linux?

The status of a service can be checked using

systemctl status servicename.
 25
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/passwd file?

The /etc/passwd file contains user account information.

 26
Q: Explain the use of the vi editor.

vi is a text editor in Linux, used for creating and editing files.

27
Q: How do you search for a file in Linux?
You can search for a file using commands like find or locate.
28
Q: What is the purpose of the iptables?

iptables is a command-line utility in Linux used for

configuring network packet filtering rules.

With iptables, you can define rules for how incoming,

outgoing, and forwarding network packets should be handled
and manipulated.
29
Q: What are environment variables in Linux?

An environment variable is a named value that can affect the

way running processes behave on a computer.
They are part of the environment in which a process runs.

printenv
30
Q: How do you set an environment variable in Linux?

Environment variables can be set using the export command,

e.g., export VARNAME=value.
31
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/shadow file?

The /etc/shadow file stores actual password data in an

encrypted format for user’s accounts with additional
properties related to user password.
32
Q: Explain the use of the ping command.

ping is used to test the reachability of a host on an IP network

and to measure the round-trip time for messages sent to the
destination computer.
 33
Q: What is the difference between wget and curl?

Both are command-line tools for transferring data over the network.
wget is simpler and designed to download files, whereas curl offers more
protocols and features.

protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP, TFTP, LDAP,
LDAPS, DICT, TELNET, FILE, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, and SMB.
34
Q: How do you check disk usage in Linux?

Disk usage can be checked using the df and du commands.

 35
Q: Explain the use of the tail command.

tail displays the last part of files. It’s commonly used to view
the end of log files.
 36
Q: What is the purpose of the xargs command?
xargs is used to build and execute command lines from
standard input. It's useful for combining commands in a
pipeline.

find . -name "*.txt" | xargs rm

 37
Q: How do you schedule a task in Linux?

Tasks can be scheduled using cron jobs, which are defined in

crontab files.

*/15 * * * * /path/to/command
 38
Q: What is a package manager in Linux?

A package manager is a collection of tools that automates the

process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing
software packages in a consistent manner.
 39
Q: Name some common package managers in Linux.

Common package managers include apt (for Debian/Ubuntu),

yum (for RHEL/CentOS), and zypper (for openSUSE).
 40
Q: What is the difference between yum and rpm?
yum is a front-end tool for package management that
automatically resolves dependencies,

while rpm is a lower-level tool that manages individual

packages without automatically handling dependencies.
41
Q: How do you list all installed packages in Linux?

This can be done using the package manager's list command,

like

apt list --installed in Debian/Ubuntu or

rpm -qa in RHEL/CentOS.
 42
Q: What is a Linux service?

A service in Linux is a program that runs in the background,

typically initiated at system startup.
43
Q: How do you start, stop, and restart services in Linux?

Services are managed using the systemctl command, e.g.,

systemctl start servicename, systemctl stop servicename, and
systemctl restart servicename.
44
Q: Explain the purpose of the /etc/fstab file.

/etc/fstab is a system configuration file that contains

information about different file systems and how they are
mounted.
 45
Q: What is LVM and what are its advantages?

LVM stands for Logical Volume Manager. It allows for flexible

disk management by creating, resizing, and deleting logical
volumes.
 46
Q: How do you create a simple script in Linux?

A simple script can be created using a text editor, starting with

the shebang line (#!/bin/bash for a bash script), followed by
shell commands. The script file should be made executable
with chmod +x scriptname.
 47
Q: What is the use of the nohup command?

nohup is used to run a command/script in the background

even after logging out from the shell.
 48
Q: Explain the use of the sed command.

sed (stream editor) is used for parsing and transforming text,

typically used in pipelines.

sed 's/Linux/UNIX/g' example.txt

 49
Q: What is the purpose of the /var directory?

The /var directory contains variable data like system logs

(/var/log), mail (/var/mail), and temporary files required for
running applications.
 50
Q: How do you monitor system performance in Linux?

System performance can be monitored using tools like

top,
htop,
vmstat,
iostat, and sar.
 51
Q: Explain the purpose of the ssh command.

ssh (Secure Shell) is a protocol used to securely access and

manage systems remotely.
 52
Q: How do you secure an SSH server?

SSH security can be enhanced by disabling root login,

changing the default port, using key-based authentication,
and configuring firewalls.
 53
Q: What is the purpose of the /home directory?

The /home directory contains the personal directories of all

users.
54
Q: Explain the use of the awk command.

awk is a powerful programming language and tool used for

pattern scanning and processing.

awk '{print $2}' data.txt

55
Q: How do you find the amount of free memory in the
system?
Free memory can be checked using the free command or by
examining the contents of /proc/meminfo.
 56
Q: What is swap space in Linux?

Swap space is a portion of a hard disk drive (HDD) that is used

for virtual memory when the physical memory (RAM) is full.
 57
Q: How do you create a swap file in Linux?

A swap file can be created using

dd to allocate space,
mkswap to set up a Linux swap area, and
swapon to enable the swap file.
 58
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/hosts file?

The /etc/hosts file is used to map hostnames to IP addresses.

 59
Q: How do you set a static IP address in Linux?

A static IP address is set by editing network configuration files

or using network management tools or commands, depending
on the distribution.

Ex: nmcli
60
Q: Explain the purpose of the nslookup command.

nslookup is a network administration command-line tool used

for querying the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain
domain name or IP address mapping.
 61
Q: What is the difference between iptables and
firewalld?
iptables is a traditional form of Linux firewall, and firewalld is
a more dynamic, front-end friendly tool that interfaces with
iptables configurations.
 62
Q: What is dmidecode command used for?

The dmidecode command in Linux is used to retrieve detailed

information about the system's hardware from the BIOS/DMI
table in a human-readable format.
 63
Q: What are runlevels in Linux?
Runlevels are predefined modes that a Linux system can run
in, each with a specific purpose, like single-user mode, multi-
user mode, GUI mode, etc. check using runlevel command

0: Halt/Shut down the system

5: Full multi-user mode (with graphical user interface)
64
Q: How do you change runlevels?

Runlevels can be changed using the init/telinit command or

systemctl in systemd-based systems.
 65
Q: What is the purpose of the /boot directory?

The /boot directory contains essential files needed to boot

the system, including the Linux kernel, initial RAM disk images,
and the bootloader configuration.
 66
Q: Explain the purpose of the rsync command.

rsync is used for fast and versatile file copying, both locally
and remotely. It's commonly used for backups and mirroring.
 67
Q: What is a Linux distribution?

A Linux distribution is a version of the operating system that

includes the Linux kernel, a package management system and
other supporting software and libraries.
 68
Q: Name some popular Linux distributions.

Popular distributions include Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS,

Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and openSUSE.
69
Q: How do you change the hostname of a Linux system?

The hostname can be changed using the hostnamectl

command or by editing /etc/hostname.
70
Q: What are system logs and where are they located?

System logs record various activities of the operating system.

They are typically located in the /var/log directory.
71
Q: Explain the purpose of the netstat command.
netstat is used to display network connections, routing tables,
interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast
memberships.
72
Q: How do you add a new disk to a Linux system
without rebooting?
Scan the SCSI bus using commands like
echo "- - -" > /sys/class/scsi_host/host0/scan
Partitioning (ex /dev/sdb using fdisk)
Formatting the new disk (using mkfs)
Mount.
73
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/sysconfig directory?
/etc/sysconfig contains scripts and configuration files that
manage the startup of services and configure aspects of
system behavior.
74
Q: How do you update all packages in Linux?
This can be done using the package manager,
e.g., apt-get update && apt-get upgrade for Debian/Ubuntu or
yum update for RHEL/CentOS.
75
Q: What are the common network configuration files in
Linux?
Common files include /etc/network/interfaces
(Debian/Ubuntu), /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0
(RHEL/CentOS), and /etc/netplan/*.yaml (newer Ubuntu
versions).
76
Q: How do you change the default runlevel?

The default runlevel can be changed by editing the

/etc/inittab file in SysVinit systems or by using
systemctl set-default in systemd systems.
Runlevel 0 (Halt): Mapped to poweroff.target
Runlevel 1 (Single User Mode): Mapped to rescue.target
Runlevel 2 (Multi-user Mode without Networking): Mapped to
multi-user.target (but in most modern distributions, networking
is generally started at all multi-user runlevels)
Runlevel 3 (Multi-user Mode with Networking): Mapped to multi-
user.target
Runlevel 4 (User-Defined/Spare): Mapped to multi-user.target as
well, typically not used and available for custom configurations
Runlevel 5 (Multi-user Mode with Networking and GUI): Mapped
to graphical.target
Runlevel 6 (Reboot): Mapped to reboot.target
 77
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/resolv.conf file?

/etc/resolv.conf contains information about DNS servers and

search domains for the host.
78
Q: How do you find which process is using a particular
file?
This can be found using the lsof command, which lists open
files and the processes using them.
79
Q: What is the purpose of the dmesg command?
dmesg displays the kernel-related messages and helps in
troubleshooting hardware and driver related issues.
80
Q: Explain the purpose of the usermod command.

usermod is used to modify a user's system properties, such as

username, home directory, and group.
81
Q: How do you find the size of a directory in Linux?

The size of a directory can be found using the du command.

82
Q: What is the purpose of the /etc/cron.* directories?

These directories contain scripts that are run periodically at

fixed times, dates, or intervals by the cron daemon.
83
Q: How do you change the priority of a process in
Linux?
The priority of a process can be changed using the renice
command.
84
Q: What is the purpose of the mount command?

mount is used to attach a filesystem to a directory in the

filesystem tree.
85
Q: Explain the purpose of the umask command.

umask sets the default file creation permissions for new files
and directories.
86
Q: What is the purpose of the /opt directory?

/opt is used for storing optional software and packages that

are not part of the default installation.
87
Q: How do you find out which processes are listening
on a specific port?

This can be found using netstat -tuln or ss -tuln.

88
Q: Explain the purpose of the dig command.

dig (Domain Information Groper) is a network administration

command-line tool for querying DNS name servers.
89
Q: What is quota in Linux?
A quota is a system feature used to limit the amount of disk
space and/or the number of files (inodes) a user or group can
use.
 90
Q: How do you set a quota for users in Linux?

Quotas are set using the quota and edquota commands, and
by modifying filesystem configuration.
 91
Q: What is the purpose of the /usr directory?

/usr contains user utilities and applications, supporting files

for the operating system.
92
Q: How do you find the hardware details of your
system?

Hardware details can be found using commands like lshw,

lscpu, lsblk, and lspci.
 93
Q: What is the purpose of the sysctl command?

sysctl is used to modify kernel parameters at runtime.

94
Q: How do you check the kernel version of your Linux
system?

The kernel version can be checked using uname -r.

95
Q: What is the difference between a service and a
daemon in Linux?
A daemon is a background process that runs continuously,
often started at boot time. A service is a process that
performs a specific function and may not run continuously.
96
Q: How do you redirect output in Linux?

Output can be redirected using the > for standard output and
2> for standard error.
97
Q: What is the purpose of the /proc directory?

/proc is a virtual filesystem that provides a mechanism to

access kernel and process information in a file-like structure.
 98
Q: Explain the purpose of the tr command.

tr is used for translating or deleting characters from standard

input and writing to standard output.

echo "hello world" | tr 'a-z' 'A-Z'

99
Q: What is the difference between PATH and
LD_LIBRARY_PATH?
PATH is an environment variable specifying a set of
directories where executable programs are located.
LD_LIBRARY_PATH is used to specify a set of directories
where libraries should be searched for first, before the
standard set of directories.
100
Q: How do you create a read-only file in Linux?

A file can be made read-only using the chmod command, for

example, chmod 444 filename.