Updated: 2015-11-30 06:11 EST

1 Unix/Linux Command List You Should Know (Weekly Cumulative)Indexup to index

This is a list of basic Unix/Linux command names used in this course and (eventually) the week number in which they were first introduced and described. A missing week number means the command hasn’t been formally introduced yet. This page is updated weekly as new commands are introduced.

Almost all these command names have manual pages. Command names that are built-in to the shell (e.g. cd, exit, pwd, history, etc.) are described somewhere in the man page for the bash shell and you can also use the BASH shell built-in help command to get information about built-in commands, e.g. help help and help pwd, etc.

This list only gives the names of the commands, not what the commands do or how to use them. As each command is introduced, you must keep your own notebook with these command names in it and a short description of what each command does; you will be required to learn and remember at least some of what each of these commands can do.

Solutions to assignments in this course use only these command names. If you want to use other command names, clear it with your instructor first.

WK  Topic covered
--  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
01  How the course works; submitting to Blackboard; course information.
02  Remote Login to the Course Linux Server and simple commands
02  Recall terminal command line history using UpArrow DownArrow keys
02  Using Copy and Paste in PuTTY via mouse drag and right-click
02  Basic Terminal Control Characters: ^C ^L ^W ^U ^R
02  Simple command line Output Redirection using >file.txt
02  File Transfer to/from the CLS
02  More Terminal Control Characters: ^D ^Z
02  RTFM Manual Pages
03  Absolute and Relative pathnames
03  Setting the BASH shell prompt:  PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '
03  Finding files and basic commands
03  GLOB characters: * ? [...], aliases
03  Text Editors: basic VIM, nano
04  I/O Redirection: stdin, stdout, stderr, < > | 2>&1, Pipes
05  Midterm Test #1 45 min Friday October 9
06  Midterm Test #1 analysis (marks)
06  Start-up files (.bashrc .bash_profile)
06  Shell local and environment variables, export, printenv
07  Search $PATH
07  Quoting
07  Linux File System
07  Inodes and hard links, ln
07  Disk Usage, du, quota, symbolic links
08  Permissions: whoami, id, groups, chmod
09  Midterm #1 review, Midterm #2 preparation
09  Midterm #2 45 min Friday November 6
10  Midterm #2 analysis (marks)
10  *** Final Withdrawal Date Friday November 13 ***
10  Permissions: chmod, umask
10  system logs, dmesg, syslog, scheduling with crontab, at
10  Processes, Jobs, Background, Foreground, Kill, Signals
11  Shell scripts, control statements, the test helper command
11  Command Substitution
13  Regular Expressions and POSIX character classes
14  Midterm #1 and #2 review ; review for Final Exam
15  Final Exam 3 hrs Saturday December 19 08h00 (8am to 11am) -- T117/119

WK  Command name first introduced (read the course notes)
--  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
13  &&    (shell built-in)
13  ||    (shell built-in)
12  $((   (shell built-in)
12  :     (shell built-in)
03  alias (shell built-in)
02  apropos (synonym for: man -k)
10  at
10  atq
10  atop
10  atrm
05  awk '{print $1}'  (also $2, $NF, etc.)
06  bash
10  bg (shell built-in)
02  cal (9 1752)
12  case (shell built-in)
02  cat
03  cd (shell built-in)
08  chmod ( -R ugo[-+=]rwx octal_number )
03  clear  (see also ^L)
03  cp ( -a -r -p )
10  crontab
05  cut
02  date
07  df
11  diff
10  dmesg
12  do (shell built-in)
07  du
02  echo (shell built-in and external)
12  elif (shell built-in)
04  elinks ( -dump -no-numbering -no-references )
11  else (shell built-in)
12  esac (shell built-in)
02  exit (shell built-in)
06  export (shell built-in)
12  expr (shell built-in)
12  false (shell built-in)
02  fg (shell built-ini: use after ^Z stops a process)
03  fgrep (same as grep -F) ( -i -v -w )
11  fi (shell built-in)
02  figlet
02  file
03  find ( -name -user -inum -size -print -ls )
12  for (shell built-in)
13  function (shell built-in)
03  grep ( -i -v -w )   (but use fgrep in this course)
08  groups
03  head
06  help (shell built-in)
02  history (shell built-in)
07  hostname
08  id
11  if (shell built-in)
10  jobs (shell built-in)
10  kill (shell built-in)
10  killall
02  less (similar to "more"; used by "man")
12  let (shell built-in)
07  ln ( -s )
03  locate ( see slocate )
02  ls ( -l -i -a -d -L )
10  mail ( -s )
02  man ( -k )
03  mkdir ( -p )
03  more (similar to "less")
03  mv
04  nano [*** USE VIM INSTEAD ***]
04  nl (same as "cat -n")
03  passwd ( username )
06  printenv
10  ps ( uaxww -efww )
10  pstree
03  pwd (shell built-in and also external)
08  quota -v
03  rm ( -r -f )
03  rmdir
06  set (shell built-in)
12  shift (shell built-in)
06  shopt (shell built-in)
03  sleep (60)
03  slocate
04  sort ( -f -n -r )  (see the weekly notes)
03  sum
03  tail
11  test (shell built-in and also external) also known as [
11  then (shell built-in)
02  toilet ( --gay )
03  touch
04  tr
12  true (shell built-in)
03  tree
10  umask ( octal_number ) (shell built-in)
03  unalias  ( -a ) (shell built-in)
04  uniq ( -c )  (see the weekly notes)
02  users
03  vi / vim / vimtutor
02  wc ( -l -w -c )
07  whereis
07  which
12  while (shell built-in)
02  who
08  whoami
03  whois (see the weekly notes)

Keep a notebook with these command names in it and a short description of what each command does; you will be required to learn and remember at least some of what each of these commands can do.

Remember

Remember

Author: 
| Ian! D. Allen  -  idallen@idallen.ca  -  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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