Linux (UNIX) System & Network Administration * Pima Community College * CSC225 -- 4.1 Linux Introduction Topic

4.1 Linux Introduction Topic

4.1 Linux Introduction Topic

The purpose of this section is to introduce, UNIX, Linux and networking concepts. It also should help your understanding as to how free Unix-like operating systems fit into a networked environment. This for some, will be a review, for others new material. It will establish a starting point for the class. At the end of this topic you should at least know what network services can be provided by Linux and FreeBSD systems.

4.1.1 Preparation

Preparation for this section requires you to obtain an overview of how the various parts and pieces of the Linux, Internet services, World Wide Web services, other network services, and how they are tied together through the use of servers and clients. To do this:

Read Running Linux by Welsh, Kaufman, Dalheimer, & Dawson chaper 4, "Basic UNIX commands and Concepts".
Review your UNIX skills. You may want to look at the UNIX Reference Desk.
Review Linux. Look at the results of the command: man 7 heir. This explains the Linux file system hierarchy.
Read John Kirch's paper, Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 versus UNIX. It is available at:
http://unix-vs-nt.org/kirch/.
Look over Running Linux by Welsh, Kaufman, Dalheimer, & Dawson chaper 1, "Preparing to Install Linux". This is really more for the next topic, but it won't hurt to start now.

4.1.2 Group Task

Each member of the group needs to log-on to system gort. All members of the group need to change their password. (Choose a good password, but write it down please!) Verify that you all have the same GID. Look at the password file or use the id command.
Set up your account the way you will like it this semester.
Look "around" on gort. It was running Linux (Kernel 2.2.16)(Debian 2.0). (Is it still?) How well is it set up? Determine how much memory and swap space it has. Look at the output of the df and mount commands to see how the disks are partitioned and used.
On most UNIX systems executables are placed in various directories. Check your path on gort. Does it make sense? Why? What reasoning explains the order of the path? How many executables are in the following directories:
- /bin
- /sbin
- /usr/bin
- /usr/sbin
- /usr/local/bin
- /usr/bin/X11
How do the above directories relate to /etc/fstab? Who need access to what category of files? Why do you think the hard drives are partitioned like they are?
How is gort connected to the local network? Using the ifconfig command, what is its IP address? Assuming that there are some network errors, is there a significant number of them? Take a look at the output of the netstat command? What is this information good for? Can you determine the address of your connecting machine? Can you ping it? What is/the response time?
Look at the output of the top and other commands. How are the gort's system resources being used. Could it handle a larger load? What type of additional load? What is the current "bottle-neck" that the system has. If the system was to be upgraded, where would you put the resources?

4.1.3 Report

e-mail the first part of your group's report (only one copy please) as follows:

To: ltaber@lt.tucson.az.us
Subject: CSC225 Topic: 4.1: Introduction
Message text:
1. Group membership.
2. Group number (from password file).
3. Suggestions on topic.

Handwrite part 2 of your group's report (only one copy please) as follows:

Answers to the above questions. If you find it easier. you can e-mail it, but my guess is that it will be easier to hand write it as you work through the questions. I expect that you may need to update your answers to earlier questions as you think about the later ones.

Instructor: ltaber@pima.edu ** My new Home at GeoApps in Tucson ** The Pima College Site

4.1 Linux Introduction Topic