Lab 1: Introduction to Linux


Environment Preparation

  1. Download and Install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on your workstation as a virtual machine. It is recommended to use Virtualbox but you can use alternate solutions of your choice. You can use your host operating system if you have Ubuntu installed.
  2. Keep the instance of virtual machine for future labs

Grading requirements for all labs


Exercise 1 - Finding your way around Linux

A shell is a program that provides an interface for the user to interact with the operating system. It gathers input (commands) from the user, executes them, and return the output when necessary. The terminal where you type your command is a shell.

Questions to answer

  1. What is your machine hostname? How did you check it?
  2. What distribution of Linux did you install, and what is the version?
  3. What is the root directory on your machine?
  4. What is the difference between /bin/bash and /bin/sh?
  5. Read the manual for bash. List three options and describe what they do.

    Hint: RTFM

  6. Write five (5) Linux distributions you want to try. Write short notes on their purposes.
  7. What is the POSIX standard?
  8. What are the advantages of the POSIX standard?
  9. Write the differences between Slackware and Debian.
  10. Explain all the details of the output from the command uname -a.