CST8207 Week 06 Notes
Midterm Analysis, I/O redirection, awk fields, variables, start-up files .bashrc, Search PATH, Quoting

Ian! D. Allen – www.idallen.com

Winter 2018 - January to April 2018 - Updated 2018-02-22 13:04 EST

1 Readings, Assignments, Labs, Tests, and ToDoIndexup to index

1.1 Read (at least) these things (All The Words)Indexup to index

  1. Week 06 Notes HTML – this file – Read All The Words
  2. Shell I/O Redirection – stdin, stdout, stderr, and Pipes
  3. Selecting Fields with awk – extracting fields from input lines and columns from input files
  4. Shell Variables – quoting, local and environment variables, USER HOME SHELL PATH TERM $$
  5. Start-Up Files – Login and Shell Startup Files, aliases, options: .bash_profile and .bashrc
  6. Search PATH – how the shell finds commands
  7. Quoting – hiding characters from the shell
  8. List of Commands – Command names you should know, listed by week
  9. Video Tutorials on Lynda.com – tagged by week number
  10. Linux and Sysadmin News in the World

1.2 Assignments this weekIndexup to index

Check the due date for each assignment and put a reminder in your agenda, calendar, and digital assistant. Just like in the Real World, not all due dates are on the same days or at the same times.

1.3 Lab work this weekIndexup to index

1.3.1 WorksheetsIndexup to index

Worksheets are preparation for your assignments. You can’t do the assignments without having done the worksheets first, and you can’t do the worksheets without having first read the Course Notes:

  1. Read the web notes. (Please: Read All The Words)
  2. Do the relevant Worksheet(s).
  3. Do the relevant Assignment(s).

Make notes from the worksheets on how each command works. What do the options used in the worksheets mean, for each command? (See the weekly List of Commands.)

Form a small study group to do the worksheets. Each person tries the example given, and you make sure you all get the same answers. Worksheets are not for hand-in; they are not worth marks; the assignments test your knowledge of the lectures and worksheets.

The worksheets are available in four formats: Open Office (ODT), PDF, HTML, and Text. Only the Open Office format allows you “fill in the blanks” in the worksheet. The PDF format looks good but doesn’t allow you to type into the blanks in the worksheet. The HTML format is crude but useful for quick for viewing online.

Do NOT open the Worksheet ODT files using any Microsoft products; they will mangle the format and mis-number the questions. Use the free Libre Office or Open Office programs to open these ODT documents. On campus, you can get a copy here: Course Introduction: Install Libre Office.

Worksheets #04 and #05 require you to have read Shell GLOB patterns and Shell I/O Redirection:

Worksheet #06 is for the optional VIM Bonus Assignment (extra credit):

Worksheets prepare you for the upcoming assignments.

2 Final Exam – Saturday April 28 10h30Indexup to index

Final Exam: Saturday April 28 10h30am (10:30am to 1:30pm; 3 hours – 40%) in room T102A,B,C.

3 Midterm Test #1 AnalysisIndexup to index

I spent 90 minutes correcting your errors and omissions on your test papers. Many of you lost marks for that. Before your next test, carefully re-read the posted Test Instructions. Penalties go up for making errors on the next tests.

Here are some statistics for the first midterm test:

The 107 class scores:

100 100 100 97.8 97.8 97.8 97.8 97.8 95.6 95.6 94.8 93.3 93.3 93.3 93.3 91.1 91.1 91.1 88.9 88.9 88.4 88.4 88.4 88 88 87.5 86.7 86.6 84.4 84.1 83.6 82.2 81.9 80 80 80 79.9 79.8 77.8 77.8 77.6 75.6 75.6 75.6 75.6 75.4 73.3 73.3 73.3 71 70.4 69 69 68.9 68.9 68.9 68.3 66.7 66.7 66.7 66 65.3 64.7 64.4 64.4 62.5 62.2 62.2 62.2 60 60 60 57.8 57.8 57.2 55.6 55.6 53.9 53.9 51.7 51.2 51.2 51.1 48.1 45.3 44.8 44.8 44.8 44 44 42.2 41 40 39.7 36.6 35.6 33.3 33.1 31.1 28.9 28.9 28.9 25.9 22 21.3 19.9 18.6

4 Notes from the ClassroomIndexup to index

4.1 Commands UsedIndexup to index

Keep a notebook with a List of Commands in it.

  • You need to write down yourself what each command does.
  • Check the updated list of commands each week.
  • I will check for this list in your lab periods.
  • Bring your notes to class! Stop wasting time looking up commands.

5 Marking Scheme for Assignment #06Indexup to index

Bonus (optional) Assignment #06 HTML may be done after you get your marks email and question sheet back for Midterm #1. You can use this bonus work to optionally improve your mark on the first midterm test. See the assignment for details.

Your question sheet will be brought to the lab section you wrote on the question sheet, if it is a valid lab section. See the Blackboard course Announcements for details (under “bonus Assignment 6 details”).

6 Searching the course notesIndexup to index

I received an email like the text below from a student who was working on a problem for over two hours:

I have spent almost 2 hours on Task 4.6 and I still can’t find the 100 files. […] I think the problem is searching for warez case-insensitive. I know we learned this before, but I just can’t find it in my notes.

This is not good use of student time for two reasons:

  1. Don’t spend more than 15 minutes on a problem! Your time as a student is valuable. See the Course Introduction: fifteen minute rule
  2. I showed you how to search the course notes for keywords in Assignment #05 HTML:

You have a search tool that will find keywords inside the course notes. Please use it and save yourself time.

7 TutoringIndexup to index

Many students find that hiring a personal tutor helps them get through the first term. Financial assistance is available. See the Tutoring heading in the Course Introduction.

8 SSH Attacks on the CLSIndexup to index

You are not paranoid if they really are out to get you! See the Week 03 Notes HTML for command pipelines to count the attacks on the CLS.

9 Locked out of the CLSIndexup to index

When you are locked out, follow the directions in the notes to get your IP address re-enabled.

Take Notes in Class
Author: 
| Ian! D. Allen, BA, MMath  -  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/

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