1 Unix/Linux Command List You Must Know (Weekly Cumulative)Index

This is a list of Unix/Linux command names used in this course and (eventually) the week number in which they were first introduced and described. A missing week number means the command hasn’t been formally introduced yet. This page is updated weekly as new commands are introduced.

Almost all these command names have manual pages. Command names that are built-in to the shell (e.g. cd, exit, pwd, history, etc.) are described somewhere in the man page for the bash shell and you can also use the BASH shell built-in help command to get information about built-in commands, e.g. help help and help pwd, etc.

This list only gives the names of the commands, not what the commands do or how to use them. As each command is introduced, you must keep your own notebook with these command names in it and a short description of what each command does; you will be required to learn and remember at least some of what each of these commands can do.

Solutions to assignments in this course use only these command names. If you want to use other command names, clear it with your instructor first. Do not use other commands in your assignment solutions.

WK  Topic covered (estimate -- subject to change)
--  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
01  How the course works; submitting to Brightspace; course information.
01  Remote Login to the Course Linux Server and simple commands
02  Recall terminal command line history using UpArrow DownArrow keys
02  Simple command line Output Redirection using >file.txt
02  File Transfer to/from the CLS
02  Terminal Control Characters: ^C ^L
02  Using Copy and Paste in PuTTY via mouse drag and right-click
02  More Terminal Control Characters: ^C ^L ^W ^U ^R
02  More Terminal Control Characters: ^D ^Z
02  RTFM Manual Pages
03  Absolute and Relative pathnames
03  Setting the BASH shell prompt:  PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '
03  Finding files and basic commands
03  GLOB characters: * ? [...], aliases
03  Text Editors: basic VIM, nano (use VIM instead)
04  I/O Redirection: stdin, stdout, stderr, < > | 2>&1, Pipes
05  Start-up files (.bashrc .bash_profile)
05  Selecting fields with awk and cut
05  Shell local and environment variables, export, printenv
05  Search $PATH
05  Quoting
06  *** Midterm Test #1 45 min - in the one-hour lecture class
07  Midterm Test #1 analysis
07  Linux File System
07  Inodes and hard links, ln
07  Disk Usage, du, quota
07  Symbolic links
08  Permissions: whoami, id, groups, chmod
08  Permissions: umask
08  Compression, archives, difference: gzip, tar, diff
09  System logs, dmesg, syslog
09  Processes, Jobs, Background, Foreground, Kill, Signals
09  Scheduling with crontab, at
10  Introduction to Shell Scripts and positional parameters $0, $1, $#, $*, $@
10  *** Midterm Test #2 45 min - in the one-hour lecture class
10  *** Final Withdrawal Date Friday November 9 2018 (Week 10)
11  Midterm Test #2 analysis
11  Shell command Substitution using $(...)
11  Shell Integer Arithmetic using $((...))
11  Command exit status and $?
11  Debugging shell scripts with -v and -x
12  Shell control statements, the "test" helper command
13  Shell control statements; good error and usage messages
13  Shell control statements; shell script problems
15  *** Final Exam - three hours 8am to 11am Thursday December 13


WK  Command name first introduced (read the course notes; subject to change)
--  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
09  &     (shell built-in)
13  &&    (shell built-in)
13  ||    (shell built-in)
10  $((   (shell built-in)
10  $(...) and `...` (shell built-in)
12  :     (shell built-in)
03  alias (shell built-in)
02  apropos  (same as man -k)
09  at ( -c )
09  atq
09  atrm
04  awk '{print $1}'  (also $2, $NF, etc.)
02  bash
09  bg (shell built-in)
08  bunzip2
08  bzip2
08  bzcat, bzless, bzfgrep, bzgrep, bzdiff, etc.
01  cal (9 1752)
12  case (shell built-in)
01  cat
02  cd (shell built-in)
08  chmod ( -R ugo[-+=]rwx octal_number )
03  clear  (see also ^L)
01  cmatrix -s
02  cp ( -a -r -p )
09  crontab ( -l -e -r )
04  cut
01  date
07  df
09  diff
09  dmesg
12  do (shell built-in)
07  du
01  echo (shell built-in and external)
12  elif (shell built-in)
04  elinks ( -dump -no-numbering -no-references )
12  else (shell built-in)
12  esac (shell built-in)
01  exit (shell built-in)
05  export (shell built-in)
12  expr (shell built-in)
12  false (shell built-in)
02  fg (shell built-in: use after ^Z stops a process)
03  fgrep (same as grep -F) ( -i -v -w )
12  fi (shell built-in)
01  figlet
02  file
03  find ( -name -user -inum -size -print -ls )
12  for (shell built-in)
01  fortune
09  from
13  function (shell built-in)
03  grep (use fgrep instead until you learn regular expressions next term)
08  groups
08  gunzip
08  gzip
03  head
03  help (shell built-in)
01  history (shell built-in)
05  hostname
08  id
11  if (shell built-in)
09  jobs (shell built-in)
09  kill (shell built-in)
09  killall
02  less (similar to "more"; used by "man")
10  let (deprecated shell built-in)
07  ln ( -s )
03  locate ( see slocate )
02  ls ( -l -i -a -d -L -t -b )
09  mail ( -s )
02  man ( -k )
03  mkdir ( -p )
03  more (similar to "less")
02  mv
03  nano [*** USE VIM INSTEAD ***]
04  nl (same as "cat -n")
02  passwd
05  printenv
09  ps ( uaxww -efww )
09  pstree
02  pwd (shell built-in and also external)
07  quota -v
13  read (shell built-in)
02  rm ( -r -f )
03  rmdir
05  set (shell built-in)
11  sh ( -u -x -v )   (symlink to "/bin/dash" on Ubuntu CLS)
11  shift (shell built-in)
05  shopt (shell built-in)
01  sl
03  sleep (60)
03  slocate
04  sort ( -f -n -r )  (see the weekly notes)
03  sum
04  tail
08  tar  ( -c -x -t -v -f -z -j )
11  test (shell built-in and also external) also known as [
10  then (shell built-in)
01  toilet ( --gay )
09  top
03  touch
04  tr
11  true (shell built-in)
03  tree
08  umask ( octal_number ) (shell built-in)
03  unalias  ( -a ) (shell built-in)
04  uniq ( -c )  (see the weekly notes and examples of pipes)
08  unzip
01  users
03  vi / vim / vimtutor
02  wc ( -l -w -c )
05  whereis
05  which
12  while (shell built-in)
01  who
08  whoami
03  whois (see the weekly notes on SSH attacks)
08  zip
08  zcat, zless, zfgrep, zgrep, zdiff, etc.

Keep a notebook with these command names in it and a short description of what each command does; you will be required to learn and remember at least some of what each of these commands can do.