2.1 Read (at least) these things (All The Words)Index

1. Week 11 Notes HTML – this file – Read All The Words
2. Shell Control Structures – if, then, else, test, [...]
3. Shell Script Problems – arithmetic, syntax, test, boolean, etc.
4. List of Commands You Should Know
5. Linux and Sysadmin News in the World
6. Video Tutorials on Lynda.com – tagged by week number

2.2 Assignments, Quizzes, and Lab work this weekIndex

Reminder: There are now two quizzes that you need to complete on Blackboard as part of your term Quiz mark. A third quiz will be posted before the Final Exam. The Quizzes are not optional; see the Course Outline.

Check the due date for each assignment and put a reminder in your agenda, calendar, and digital assistant. Just like in the Real World, not all due dates are on the same days or at the same times.

• Review last week. Did you do everything assigned last week?
• Do Worksheet #08 HTML and then do Assignment #08 HTML – setting permissions, mode, umask
  • This assignment requires Permissions and Umask
• Do Bonus (optional) Assignment #09 HTML about Midterm #2
  • There is a checking program available to check your file format for this bonus assignment, but only people who Read All These Words will know about it. Wrong format means no marks. Do not redirect or submit the output of this checking program!
• Assignment #10 HTML – tar, processes, syslog, crontab, at, mail, shell script
• Look for the upcoming Assignment #11 HTML – shell scripts
  • The checking program has a feature to check just one of your scripts.
• Practice test #3 is posted under Practice Tests and Answers. The Final Exam is comprehensive of the whole course; you need to do all three practice tests for the Final Exam.

2.3 WorksheetsIndex

Worksheets are preparation for your assignments. You can’t do the assignments without having done the worksheets first, and you can’t do the worksheets without having first read the Course Notes:

1. Read the web notes. (Please: Read All The Words)
2. Do the relevant Worksheet(s).
3. Do the relevant Assignment(s).

Form a small study group to do the worksheets. Each person tries the example given, and you make sure you all get the same answers. Worksheets are not for hand-in; they are not worth marks; the assignments test your knowledge of the lectures and worksheets.

The worksheets are available in four formats: Open Office (ODT), PDF, HTML, and Text. Only the Open Office format allows you “fill in the blanks” in the worksheet. The PDF format looks good but doesn’t allow you to type into the blanks in the worksheet. The HTML format is crude but useful for quick for viewing online.

Do NOT open the Worksheet ODT files using any Microsoft products; they will mangle the format and mis-number the questions. Use the free Libre Office or Open Office programs to open these ODT documents. On campus, you can download Libre Office here.

• Worksheet #08 ODT – Linux file system permissions (modes)
  • This Worksheet is a prerequisite for Assignment #08 HTML
  • Worksheet #08 PDF – PDF version
  • Worksheet #08 HTML – HTML version
  • chmod, ls -lid, umask

Worksheets prepare you for the upcoming assignments.

2.4 Upcoming tests and examsIndex

This course has two midterm tests and one final exam.

• Put these dates below into your phone!
• Read the Test Instructions (all the words) before your tests and exam.
• Use the Name Game link (in the Test Instructions) to test the spelling of your name before the test.
• I don’t answer questions about the instructions during the test. Ask me in a lab period before the test.

3.1 Commands UsedIndex

• Keep a notebook with a List of Commands in it.
  • You need to write down yourself what each command does.
  • I will check for this list in your lab periods.
  • Check the updated list of commands each week.
  • Bring your notes to class! Stop wasting time looking up commands.
• Are you making notes from the worksheets on how each command works?
  • What do the options used in the worksheets mean, for each command?
  • Don’t copy and use options that you don’t understand!

3.2 Finding world-writable files in your accountIndex

The assignment Checking Programs may issue this message:

Number of world-writable pathnames in abcd0001 account: 1
       ERROR: Sysadmin do not create files that anyone can overwrite.
       ERROR:       See "Examples of uses of find" to find these files.
   ERROR(-1): Fix the permissions on these files

Don’t create files or directories that anyone (“other”) can write, except the few required ones in the one Assignment #08 HTML head directory!

You must look at all the files in your account to try to find these files or directories that you have created with “other” write permissions. You can find the files the hard way, using cd and ls, or you can do it the easy way using a recursive command:

• To learn how to find these world-writable files in your account, first use a command to search for the files that contain the text world-writable in all the course notes. The course notes have an example showing what command to use to find world-writable files.
• To search the course notes for a text string, re-read section 4.5 of Assignment #05 HTML, especially item #8 about searching for the text string Filezilla in all the course notes.
• You will be able to identify which course notes web page you should read to find the example showing how to find world-writable files.
• Fix the permissions on these files. Remove write permission for “other”.