The linux command line and shell scripting bible

This is my summary of the Linux Command line and Shell scripting Bible, by Richard Blum and Christine Bresnahan. This book is considered a great introduction to linux adminstartion with practical exercises as found in the real-world projects. Contributions: Issues, comments and pull requests are super welcome 😃

Table of Contents

Welcome to the fourth edition of Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible. Like all books in the Bible series, you can expect to find both hands on tutorials and real-world information, as well as reference and background information that provides a context for what you are learning. This book is a fairly comprehensive resource on the Linux command line and shell commands. By the time you have completed Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, you will be well prepared to write your own shell scripts that can automate practically any task on your Linux system.

Chapter 1. Starting with Linux Shells

Before we can dive into working with the Linux command line and shells, it’s a good idea to first understand what Linux is, where it came from, and how it works.
Four main parts make up a Linux system
- The Linux kernel
- The GNU utilities
- A graphical desktop environment
- Application software
The Linux Kernel
- The kernel controls all the hardware and software on the computer system, allocating hardware when necessary and executing software when required.
- The kernel is primarily responsible for four main functions:
  - System memory management
    - The Linux Kernel manages the virtual and physical memory be swapping in and out memory pages.
  - Software program management
    - The Linux operating system calls a running program a process.
    - A process can run in the foreground, displaying output on a display, or it can run in the background, behind the scenes.
    - The kernel controls how the Linux system manages all the processes running on the system.
    - The kernel creates the first process, called the init process, to start all other processes on the system. When the kernel starts, it loads the init process into virtual memory.
    - The most popular init implementations are
      - SysVinit
      - Systemd
  - Hardware management
    - Any device that the Linux system must communicate with needs driver code inserted inside the kernel code.
    - The driver code allows the kernel to pass data back and forth to the device, acting as an intermediary between applications and the hardware.
      - Drivers compiled in the kernel
      - Driver modules added to the kernel
    - The Linux system identifies hardware devices as special files, called device files.
      - Character: are for devices that can handle data only one character at a time. For example, modems and terminals.
      - Block: are for devices that can handle data in large blocks at a time, such as disk drives.
      - Network: are used for devices that use packets to send and receive data. This includes network cards and a special loopback device that allows the Linux system to communicate with itself using common network programming protocols.
  - Filesystem management
    - Linux kernel can support different types of filesystems to read and write data to and from hard drives.
    - The Linux kernel interfaces with each filesystem using the Virtual File System (VFS).
    - This provides a standard interface for the kernel to communicate with any type of filesystem.
    - VFS caches information in memory as each filesystem is mounted and used.
    - Linux Filesystems
      - ext: Linux extended filesystem — the original Linux filesystem
      - ext2: Second extended filesystem; provided advanced features over ext
      - ext3: Third extended filesystem; supports journaling
      - ext4: Fourth extended filesystem; supports advanced journaling
      - btrfs: A newer, high-performance filesystem that supports journaling and large files
      - exfat: The extended Windows filesystem, used mainly for SD cards and USB sticks
      - hpfs: OS/2 high-performance filesystem
      - jfs: IBM’s journaling filesystem
      - iso9660: ISO 9660 filesystem (CD-ROMs)
      - minix: MINIX filesystem
      - msdos: Microsoft FAT16
      - ncp: NetWare filesystem
      - nfs: Network File System
      - ntfs: Support for Microsoft NT filesystem
      - proc: Access to system information
      - smb: Samba SMB filesystem for network access
      - sysv: Older Unix filesystem
      - ufs: BSD filesystem
      - umsdos: Unix-like filesystem that resides on top of msdos
      - vfat: Windows 95 filesystem (FAT32)
      - XFS: High-performance 64-bit journaling filesystem
The GNU utilities
- Besides having a kernel to control hardware devices, a computer operating system needs utilities to perform standard functions, such as controlling files and programs.
- The GNU coreutils package consists of three parts:
  - Utilities for handling files
  - Utilities for manipulating text
  - Utilities for managing processes
- The GNU/Linux shell is a special interactive utility. It provides a way for users to start programs, manage files on the filesystem, and manage processes running on the Linux system.
- Linux Shells:
  - ash
  - korn
  - bash
  - tcsh
  - zsh
The Linux desktop environment
- The X Window software
- The KDE Plasma desktop
- The GNOME desktop
A complete Linux system package is called a distribution.
- Full-core Linux distributions
  - Slackware
  - Red Hat Enterprise
  - Gentoo
  - openSUSE
  - Debian
- Specialized distributions
  - Fedora
  - Ubuntu
  - MX Linux
  - Linux Mint
  - Puppy Linux

Chapter 2. Getting to the Shell

Before the days of graphical desktops, the only way to interact with a Unix system was through a text command-line interface (CLI) provided by the shell.
One way to get to a CLI is to access the Linux system via text mode. This provides nothing more than a simple shell CLI on the monitor, just like the days before graphical desktops.
When the Linux system starts, it automatically creates several virtual consoles.
- A virtual console is a terminal session that runs in Linux system memory.
A terminal emulation package simulates working on a console terminal but within a desktop graphical window.
Graphical Interface Elements:
- Client: An application that requests graphical services.
- Display Server: Element that manages the display (screen) and the input devices (keyboard, mouse, touch screen).
- Window Manager: Element that adds borders to windows and provides features to move and manage windows.
- Widgets Library: Element that adds menus and appearance items for desktop environment clients.
tty stands for teletypewriter. Teletypewriter is an old term, indicating a machine used for sending messages.
Within the Linux virtual console, you do not have the ability to run any graphical programs.
GNOME Terminal is the GNOME Shell desktop environment’s default terminal emulator.
- Used by: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), CentOS, and Ubuntu.

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This is my summary of the Linux Command line and Shell scripting Bible, by Richard Blum and Christine Bresnahan.

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Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Edition

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Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Edition

ISBN: 978-1-119-70093-7 December 2020 832 Pages

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Description

Advance your understanding of the Linux command line with this invaluable resource

Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Edition is the newest installment in the indispensable series known to Linux developers all over the world. Packed with concrete strategies and practical tips, the latest edition includes brand-new content covering:

Understanding the Shell
Writing Simple Script Utilities
Producing Database, Web & Email Scripts
Creating Fun Little Shell Scripts

Written by accomplished Linux professionals Christine Bresnahan and Richard Blum, Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Edition teaches readers the fundamentals and advanced topics necessary for a comprehensive understanding of shell scripting in Linux. The book is filled with real-world examples and usable scripts, helping readers navigate the challenging Linux environment with ease and convenience.

The book is perfect for anyone who uses Linux at home or in the office and will quickly find a place on every Linux enthusiast’s bookshelf.

About the Author

RICHARD BLUM has over three decades of experience working as a system and network administrator. He is the author of several Linux books and is an accomplished online Linux instructor.

CHRISTINE BRESNAHAN is an Adjunct Professor at Ivy Tech Community College where she teaches Linux certification and Python classes. She is the author of several Linux books, including the CompTIA Linux+ Study Guide, Fourth Edition.

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Источник

Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible

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This book has 25 chapters.

Chapters 1 and 2 wasted too much space for very simple things like:

* How to open an application by searching its name in the main menu
* previous step listed also in multiple desktops like KDE plasma, gnome, .
* multiple large pictures for steps listed above
* multiple tables that list shortcuts of software that all of those listed in the main menu .

I use Debian with KDE a lot of the listed shortcuts are wrong.

Chapters 3 to 10 for various shell commands. These chapter This book has 25 chapters.

Chapters 1 and 2 wasted too much space for very simple things like:

I use Debian with KDE a lot of the listed shortcuts are wrong.

Chapters 3 to 10 for various shell commands. These chapters are like Linux man pages with much much lower depth. It can’t use as a reference. It’s basic for advanced users and at the same time too much info that does not concern new users of Linux. author waste space for many tables that list switches for selective commands

Chapters 11 to 18 focused on shell programming.

chapters 19, 21, and 22 are cover sed and awk. (very basic)

chapters 20 regular expression. (too basic)

chapter 23 overview of alternative shells like dash and zsh.

chapter 25 is about git. This one is lower depth than most free tutorials online.

in one of the chapters, it talks about text editor and wastes a lot of pages with pictures for very simple GUI apps like kwrite, kate, and gedit.

It does not clear what the audience for the book is. the topics covered are too broad and not anything covered in depth.
I strongly recommended using the below list instead of this book(all free):

https://www.gnu.org/manual/manual.html
look for manual of coreutils, findutils, diffutils, bash, tar, grep, sed, awk

Understanding Linux can be difficult, but this book makes it a piece of cake! I really love the entire script and details on using Linux, from start to finish are included. The most recent edition and full of so many details that if a beginner has no idea how to set it up or just start using the program, this book is a true hero!

I love the setup of the program, makes it easy to begin and continue learning about Linux and how to use it correctly. The way to troubleshoot issues, use the terminal f Understanding Linux can be difficult, but this book makes it a piece of cake! I really love the entire script and details on using Linux, from start to finish are included. The most recent edition and full of so many details that if a beginner has no idea how to set it up or just start using the program, this book is a true hero!

I love the setup of the program, makes it easy to begin and continue learning about Linux and how to use it correctly. The way to troubleshoot issues, use the terminal for scripting and setting up other programs within the terminal or just on the operation system, well that is all included too! It keeps me from searching online for the information I need. The index is perfect for finding specific things which might have been forgotten or need a quick remembrance of what it does or how to use it and set it up. Plus, the context allows you to take each chapter and work out the exercises that end them to recall and practice what is going on and how to actually work with these functions of Linux.

It’s basically the best way to understand a program of any type! This bible to me is the golden book for Linux, plus the updated version. It’s got so much covered and new things that the recent don’t provide. I love trying new programs and sometimes it’s hard to get used to something new. However, having this book beside my computer, well it isn’t a problem anymore!

Lastly, I’d like to say that if I ever needed a way to recover my lost memory on Linux and its wonderful subparts, well this book is here and is able to remind me of what I need or should know when using it. Nothing but a great way to have everything from the program right in front of you without having to search for it through many other books or online services. Totally an awesome guide!
«I have been given a free copy of Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible, 4th Ed. in exchange for my honest opinion» . more

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Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible

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