Labs

Lab 4.1: Using Linux Command-Line Basics

What is the purpose?

This lab demonstrates how to redirect data from a process and how to identify and kill a process.
What are the steps?
• Task 1: Redirecting and piping standard output
Procedure
1. Obtain a list of files from the home directory, including the hidden files. Redirect the output to a file named Listing by using the ls -a > listing command.
2. Obtain a long list of files, including the hidden files, and append the output to the same file.
3. Use the cat listing | less command to view the file and pipe the output to less.
4. Use the cat command to view the file again. However, this time, pipe the output to lpr to print the file.
5. Redirect the output of ls to the special file /dev/null.
What happens?
It’s redirected to dev/null
Why?
It’s null.

• Task 2: Putting tasks in the background and terminating the job
Procedure
1. Use the tail –f command to view your listing file from the previous task. The –f option tells tail to follow changes; therefore, the file will continue to run this command until you cancel the command by pressing Ctrl+C. Put the file in the background using the tail -f listing & command. You may need to press Enter again to view the command prompt.
2. Put the process in the background and display the prompt again. Run the top command in the foreground. This will provide you a list of your top 20 processes by CPU usage. Put this list in the background and stop it by pressing Ctrl+Z.
3. Run Nautilus from the command line and in the background by using the nautilus & command.
4. Start Firefox from the command line by typing firefox in the background.
5. Use the jobs command to see a list of background jobs by their job numbers, statuses, and names. Kill the tail job using the percent sign with the job number, for example kill %1.
6. Obtain the process identification number (PID) for top using ps -ef and pipe that to grep using the ps -ef | grep top command. Use this PID to kill the process. The PID for each process will vary.
7. Use kill and the job number to kill Nautilus.
8. Obtain the process id for Firefox and kill it using the process id.
9. Show your completed setup to your instructor.

Did it work? o Did the data end up in the listing file that you expected? Yes o Were you able to kill the process as expected? Yes o Did the processes go into the background as expected? Yes

Lab 4.2: Using bash Features
What is the purpose?
This lab demonstrates how to redirect error messages, how to recall and reuse previous commands, how to autocomplete directory and file names, and how to create aliases for Linux commands.
What is present in the file? /bin/bash
Task 2: Using Bash History
1. Press the up arrow key on your keyboard when you are at the bash prompt. What happens? The last command typed appears.
4.
6. cat find.out

Task 3: Using the bash command-line completion
2. cd /usr/ sbin
Did it work?
Were you successful in filtering the error output from standard output? Yes
Were you successful in using the Up Arrow key and the bang to recall previous commands? Yes
Were you able to use the Tab key to autocomplete directory names? Yes
Lab 4.3: Using vi/vim
What is the purpose?
In this lab, you will practice working on the vimtutor
What are the steps?
Task 1: Learning vim Procedure
1. Run the vimtutor from the command prompt and follow the directions to create a new directory.
2. Complete all the steps as directed.
3. Save your work in your home directory so that your instructor can review it.

Task 2: Creating aliases
Procedure
1. In your home directory, open the .bashrc file in vim.
2. To the last line of the file, add the line alias ll=’ls –l’. This will create an alias to the command ls –l.
3. Type 11 and press enter.
4. Create three other aliases of your choice. Select the aliases that will make it easier for you to work with the commands or easier names for existing commands, such as an alias mapping the word “search” to grep.
5. Show your completed .bashrc file to your instructor.

Did it work? o Was the file saved in your home directory?
 Yes o Does the file contain all your changes from the tutorial?
 Yes o Did your aliases work?
 Yes