% Week 01 Notes for CST8207 - Winter 2012
% Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca - www.idallen.com
% Winter 2012 - January to April 2012
CST8207 - Introduction to GNU/Linux I
=====================================
Course Description, Course Outline, Timetable
---------------------------------------------
From the [Course Outline]:
> This course introduces students to the basic concepts and core functions
> of the Linux operating system in a stand-alone environment. Students
> learn basic command structures and capabilities of the Linux operating
> system, along with the skills required to perform common basic system
> configuration and management tasks. Typical tasks covered include, but
> are not limited to installing the operating system, working the command
> line shell, managing/mounting/creating file systems, file permissions
> overview, managing and troubleshooting the boot process, task automation,
> software management and customizing the operating system environment.
* 3 hours in classroom / 2 hours in laboratory / 4 hours homework (per week)
* The [Timetable](../schedule.html) page has the full class schedule for
all classes and sections.
* Midterm and Exam dates will be posted on the [Course Home Page].
Put them in your own personal calendar and agenda!
Course Home Page
----------------
The [Course Home Page] is located off-campus. You can link to it via
the Algonquin [Blackboard] system or via either link below:
* - *.COM domain*
* - *.ORG domain*
Make sure you find the page for this term, not previous terms!
Bookmark both the **`.com`** and the **`.org`** page locations.
Read the [Course Home Page] carefully, including the parts about
plagiarism and course notes. Note the important dates. Write down
*on paper* the location of the Alternate Web Notes.
Course Documents on Blackboard
------------------------------
* [Blackboard] will contain links to all online course materials.
* Most links lead to content on public web servers and these public
materials will remain available forever in the Internet archives.
* Material that is **only** available on [Blackboard] will become
**inaccessible** when the course ends. Keep copies of anything you need
for future use.
* Google indexes all public materials but not anything on [Blackboard].
Laboratory work and equipment
-----------------------------
You must have the following equipment for every laboratory period,
including the first. Pick up your CST8207 hardware kit from the campus
store before your first lab (you already paid for this kit with your
student fees):
* A 500GB (or larger) hard disk and ESATA drive enclosure
* A blank CD-R or CD-RW (for the first lab)
* A binder for labs & lab notes
Labs are hands-on opportunities to experiment with the theoretical
material that you have learned through reading and lectures.
Laboratory assignments will be closely integrated with the theoretical
material.
Students are expected to perform initial reading, analysis, and design
before their scheduled lab, to take advantage of the limited lab time.
You will not have enough time to do all the reading and the lab work in
the same lab period. Some lab work will require additional time outside
of scheduled lab hours.
The students’ ability to successfully complete the assigned exercises
will directly correlate with their level of success on tests and the
final exam.
Much of the Test and Exam material will be based on the skills developed
doing the lab work.
NOTE: Knowing the specific answers to lab questions is never as important
as knowing how to generate the answers. Copying answers will not enable
you to pass the tests and exams. You need to know how things work!
Course Textbook and Readings
----------------------------
There is no required textbook for this course.
We have selected some recommended (not required) textbooks for this
course; the titles and purchase information are given in the [Course
Outline]. The recommended textbooks are a reliable, comprehensive
sources of accurate GNU/Linux information. Motivated students may
choose instead to discover and use free Internet resources instead of a
purchased textbook. Additional web-based notes will be provided on-line.
You are expected to follow the course outline and keep up-to-date with
the reading in the web notes even when specific reading assignments are
not provided in class. Ideally, to optimize your understanding of the
lecture material, corresponding material should be read prior to the
class in which it is covered.
Note that just printing the class notes on paper is no substitute for
actually reading and understanding them. Print less and read more!
Course Handouts
---------------
* In general, in-class handouts are not common in this class since all
such material will normally be posted to the web; students are expected
to download and read such materials on their own.
* Some course files with publisher-restricted distribution may be stored only
on the Algonquin [Blackboard] server. Make sure you get copies of these
files before the course ends, otherwise you will lose access to them.
* Other than these restricted files, everything else is stored on a public
web server and will remain available forever in the Internet archives.
Course Marking Scheme
---------------------
Tests and exams will be based largely on modified lab assignment
questions. A majority of the material for each test will come from
material covered in the immediately preceding weeks, but material is
**cumulative** and many questions (especially on the final exam) will
be based on material covered earlier in the course.
Midterm and Exam dates will be posted on the [Course Home Page].
Put these dates in your own personal calendar and agenda!
Quizzes - 10%
: In-class short quizzes based on previous lecture and lab material.
Labs and Homework - 15%
: Laboratory work is assigned weekly. It will be made available online
and you will submit your finished work electronically. Assignments
that are not submitted by their due dates may not be marked.
Two Mid-Term Tests - 15% + 25% = 40%
: Each Mid-Term Test is cumulative, with emphasis on material covered after
the previous Midterm Test.
For full mark credit, read the [Test Instructions] for important
directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
Final Exam - 35%
: The Final Exam is cumulative, with emphasis on material covered after
the last Midterm Test.
For full mark credit, read the [Test Instructions] for important
directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
Instructor Contact Info and Timetable
=====================================
* Ian! D. Allen - - [www.idallen.com](http://idallen.com/)
* Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may not
receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in it.
Whitelist me now!
* The [Timetable](../schedule.html) page has Contact Information,
Office Hours, and my full Class Schedule. Know how to set up an office
appointment with me by email.
* The fastest way to email me is via the address.
I forward my Algonquin **`alleni`** email to the above address, but the
forwarding doesn't work well. Email *idallen* directly.
* Did you remember to whitelist my two email addresses?
* Use your Algonquin College email address to contact me, otherwise your
email may be thrown away as unsolicited email spam.
Attendance, Attention, and Success Factors
==========================================
Attendance is critical to course success (and to job success). If you
know the material and don't need to come to classes, ask for a Prior
Learning Assessment. If you paid to be here, please be here.
If you are in class, shut your laptop, turn off your phone, and pay
attention to your lecturer. The person at the front of the room cannot
compete with the entire Internet and your personal phonebook for your
attention - he doesn't have the budget. If you're bored or falling
asleep, take notes.
Take Notes in Class
-------------------
You will need to take notes in class. Not everything I say ends up
in these online files. Passing the information through your body onto
paper or into a computer helps you remember it, even if you never read
the notes later. If you have a question about course content, the first
thing I will ask is to see your notes, to see what you wrote down about
the topic. Often the answer is there!
Plan your Workload
------------------
The overall term workload usually overwhelms students who try to leave
everything to the last minute. You need to put in approximately an
extra hour per day, per course, to keep up. There aren't enough hours
in a day to catch up in mid-term.
Submit on Time
---------------
Late assignments are penalized, usually resulting in a mark of zero.
The due date for an assignment is given in the assignment. Read each
assignment to know the due date. Not every assignment is due on the same
weekday or at the same time; pay attention and record each due date in
your weekly calendars.
Read your EMail
---------------
You must read your course email regularly.
EMail is a critical component of course delivery for this course.
If you don't read your Algonquin College email account daily, make sure
that your forward your College email to an account that you do read.
See the link on the [Course Home Page].
Test to make sure that your forwarded Algonquin email works! Send
yourself a test message. You must have a working Algonquin EMail address
for this course (that you can forward elsewhere).
Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may not
receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in it.
Whitelist me now!
Use your Algonquin College email address to contact me, otherwise your
email may be thrown away as unsolicited email spam.
Find the Answers
----------------
My job is to help you find answers, not to give you answers. Many answers
I give you now will be obsolete by the time you graduate. Helping you
find the answer is my job; I do it for you as part of the salary paid
me by the College. *Actually giving you answers is called "consulting",
and my fee is $250/hr. See me after you graduate.*
Right the First Time
--------------------
**Assignments are only marked once.** You don't get a second chance.
In the real world, if you don't get it right the first time, your business
(or your employer's business) suffers. You try not to make the same
mistakes again, but you can't take back the fact that you made them in
the first place. Do your best the first time.
My job (your boss' job) is not to find and correct all your mistakes
for you. Finding and learning from your mistakes is your job. The better
you do it, the more useful you are as an employee.
Plagiarism
==========
See the [Course Home Page] for information on copying and working together
on assignments.
You may not copy material from **anywhere else** without clearing the
copying with me and identifying the source, in writing or by email, first.
If your submission resembles that of another person, anywhere in the
class or anywhere on the Internet, I am required to inquire whether you
are the actual author. **Cutting-and-pasting from someone else is not
solving a problem.** Do your own thinking and write your own answers.
No cutting-and-pasting.
**If** I authorize copying, and only if, you must attribute the **source**
of copied material that you use that isn't yours. Most coursework does
not permit **copying**, **group work**, or **working together** on a
common answer. Do your own work unless the assignment permits group work.
You earn marks for the new material that you write, not material that
comes from other people and other sources (e.g. from me, your friends,
or from the Internet). **Cutting-and-pasting from an existing answer is
not solving a problem.** Do your own thinking and write your own answers.
No cutting-and-pasting.
A fun tutorial on how to use the Internet to find answers and avoid
plagiarism is here:
See also: [More Students Misunderstand The Fundamentals Of Plagiarism](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/02/more-students-misundersta_n_666997.html)
Your Security and the USA Patriot Act
=====================================
From :
**Users are advised that some of the College Network’s resources are provided by third parties, who may be located in the United States of America or other jurisdictions. By using the College Network, users acknowledge and understand that, any content or information posted or sent through the College Network may be housed in the United States of America or other jurisdictions and therefore subject to the USA Patriot Act and other applicable legislation and that there may be requirements to disclose such content.**
In other words, anything you disclosed to the College - before, during,
and after registration - may be sent to the Government of the United States.
Lecture Notes for This Week
===========================
* For new students:
From the Class Notes link on the Course Home Page
-------------------------------------------------
* [000_Licensing.txt] -
Creative Commons Licenses:
* [000_README.txt] -
Index to this CST8207 directory
* [Test Instructions] -
Important directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
* [Course Outline] -
Course Outline
* [005_this_is_your_brain.txt] -
This is your Brain on the Internet
* [Frequently Asked Questions](007_freqently_asked_questions.html) -
miscellaneous things you might want to know
From the Internet - Education in 2012
-------------------------------------
* Dan Brown on Education
- Don't teach facts? Empower students to change the world?
* Dan's Follow-up:
* Margaret's Summary:
* Jerome Mizon's trailer:
* Algonquin Vision2020
* The College Fast Lane
* What is *my* job, here?
* What is *your* job, here?
From the Classroom Whiteboard/Chalkboard
----------------------------------------
* Your in-class notes go here.
- I gave my definition of an operating system.
- I explained roughly how virtual machines work.
- I handed out the updated first lab (using Fedora 12).
* [Your reply to Dan Brown #1](data/dan_brown_reply1.txt)
* Make sure you add **`idallen@idallen.ca`** and
**`alleni@algonquincollege.com`** to your email white-list, or you may not
receive important email from me, especially email with your marks in it.
Whitelist me now!
* What are you doing with your spare time? Playing with computer
science or playing card and video games? Which will give you better
answers at your next job interview?
* Check the program map in your CST Home Room.
- note the number of hours for each course
* Midterm test dates?
* Register your TurningPoint clickers on [Blackboard].
* Check your email for your MSDNAA and VMWare account access information.
Check your spam/junk folder also, in case the email is there. If you have
no email, contact the coordinator Patrick Ouellette (ouellep).
[Test Instructions]: 000_test_instructions.html
[000_README.txt]: 000_README.txt
[000_Licensing.txt]: 000_Licensing.txt
[005_this_is_your_brain.txt]: 005_this_is_your_brain.txt
[007_freqently_asked_questions.html]: 007_freqently_asked_questions.html
--
| Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| Home Page: http://idallen.com/ Contact Improv: http://contactimprov.ca/
| College professor (Free/Libre GNU+Linux) at: http://teaching.idallen.com/
| Defend digital freedom: http://eff.org/ and have fun: http://fools.ca/
[Plain Text] - plain text version of this page in
[Pandoc Markdown](http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/) format