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Assign 0: UNIX Warm up

Goals for Assignment 0

After the assignment, you should

  1. Know how to use the script and touch commands.
  2. Learn two new commands and how to use them

Objective: Basic UNIX Review/Practice (20 pts)

If you haven't already, create a cs397 directory and a assignments subdirectory. Create an assign0 subdirectory within assignments.

Save the following commands and their output in a script file called practice.out by executing the following command:
script practice.out

Do the following tasks:

  1. Copy the files from /csdept/courses/cs397/handouts/assign0 into your assign0 directory.
  2. Look at the contents of your assign0.
  3. Execute example.sh by executing bash example.sh
  4. Move last_names.txt into the parent directory.
  5. Create a file within your directory, named by your username, using the touch command. In another terminal (so that it doesn't show up in your output script), use the man command to learn what the touch command does.
  6. View the contents of your directory.
  7. Type exit to stop saving the output to the file.

View your practice.out file to make sure that you recorded all the above commands.

Objective: Exploring New UNIX Commands (25 pts)

In another browser tab, go to Wikipedia's List of Unix Commands

Pick out two utilities that you haven't seen before or want to know more about. (Do not choose a utility from the SCCS category because we don't have those installed. There are some others that we don't have on our machines too.)

In a text file (composed in jEdit or Emacs or other text editor), summarize the two commands you learned, their most useful options, and an example of when you would want to use these commands.

Try out the commands, saved in a script file, e.g., new_commands.out, as you did above.

Finishing up: What to turn in for this assignment

Copy your directory assign0 and its contents into your turnin directory.

Verify that your assign0 directory does not contain lastnames.txt but does contain example.sh, two output files from the script command, and your explanation of the commands.

The electronic version should be in the turnin directory before the next class.

Grading (45 pts)