Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By : James Kent Lewis
Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By: James Kent Lewis

Overview of this book

<p>Linux is a stable, reliable and extremely powerful operating system. It has been around for many years, however, most people still don't know what it can do and the ways it is superior to other operating systems. Many people want to get started with Linux for greater control and security, but getting started can be time consuming and complicated. <br /><br />A practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear step-by-step examples to help you solve many of the questions that crop up when using an operating system you may not be familiar with.</p> <p>Presenting solutions to the most common Linux problems in a clear and concise way, this helpful guide starts with spicing up the terminal sessions by command retrieval and line editing, and shell prompt variables. We will then get to know the different desktops (GUIs) available for Linux systems and which is the best fit for you. We will then explore the world of managing files and directories, connectivity, and what to do when it goes wrong. We will also learn a range of skills, from creating and managing user accounts to securing your system, managing and limiting processes, and letting information flow from one process to another using pipes. Later, we will master disk management, working with scripts and automating tasks quickly, and finally, understand the need for a custom kernel and tips on how to build one.</p> <p><br />Based on the author's extensive experience, there is a section on best practices that every Linux user should be familiar with.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Linux Utilities Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Introduction


Knowing how to write scripts will allow you to run your system(s) much more efficiently. Script writing is easy; you don't need a degree in Computer Science or anything like that. Even better, everything you need to create and run scripts is already available on your Linux system.

The main thing to remember while programming is to think like the computer does. Try to understand what each step does. If you run into a problem, look at the line in question carefully. The computer will do exactly what you tell it to do, every time.

We will be writing Bash shell scripts in these examples. It is good programming practice to begin each script with a line indicating which shell is being used. This is done with a line that starts in the first column such as the following:

#!/bin/sh

Use a text editor to create scripts. I have seen people attempting to use a word processor for script writing but I don't recommend it. Word processors are cumbersome and always seem to insert bad characters...