Updated: 2017-12-21 10:23 EST

1 Unix/Linux Command List You Must Know (Weekly Cumulative)Indexup to 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.

WK  Topic covered
--  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
01  How the course works; submitting to Blackboard; 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  Midterm Test #1 45 min - in the lecture class
05  Shell local and environment variables, export, printenv
05  Start-up files (.bashrc .bash_profile)
06  Midterm Test #1 analysis
06  Search $PATH
06  Quoting
07  Linux File System
07  Inodes and hard links, ln
08  Disk Usage, du, quota
08  Symbolic links
08  Permissions: whoami, id, groups, chmod
09  Permissions: umask
09  Compression, archives, difference: gzip, tar, diff
09  Midterm Test #2 45 min - in the one-hour lecture class
10  Midterm Test #2 analysis
10  System logs, dmesg, syslog
10  Processes, Jobs, Background, Foreground, Kill, Signals
10  Scheduling with crontab, at
10  *** Final Withdrawal Date Friday December 15 2017 (Week 10) ***
11  Introduction to Shell Scripts and positional parameters $0, $1, $#, $*, $@
11  Shell command Substitution using $(...)
11  Command exit status and $?
11  Debugging shell scripts with -v and -x
12  ** No MONDAY classes in WEEK 12 on January 1 due to holiday **
12  ** No TUESDAY section 020 lecture in WEEK 12 on January 2 (cancelled) **
12  Example Shell Scripts and review for Final Exam
13  Final Exam (1hr 50min in your lecture class Mon Jan 8 or Tue Jan 9)
13  ** No THURSDAY section 020 lecture in WEEK 13 on January 11 (cancelled) **
13  ** No FRIDAY classes in WEEK 13 on January 12 due to term end **

-- (moved to next term:)  Shell control statements, the "test" helper command
-- (moved to next term:)  Shell control statements
-- (moved to next term:)  Shell control statements; shell script problems


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

Commands flagged with a week of “--” were not covered this term (Fall 2017) due to the shortened school term (13 weeks). Look for them next term in CST8177.

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.

Remember

Remember

Author: 
| Ian! D. Allen, BA, MMath  -  idallen@idallen.ca  -  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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| College professor (Free/Libre GNU+Linux) at: http://teaching.idallen.com/
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