Tips for New Linux Users: 2024-10-5

Linux Tips

Mastering Linux Management

Basic Shell Navigation Commands

To navigate directories in the shell:

Example: cd Documents will change the current directory to Documents.

Command	Effect
cd ..	Move up one directory
cd ~	Change to the home directory
cd –	Switch to the previous directory
ls -l	List files in long format
ls -a	List all files, including hidden ones

Copying Files and Directories

To copy files or directories:

Example: cp file1.txt file2.txt will copy file1.txt to file2.txt.

Command	Effect
cp source destination	Copy source to destination
cp -r dir1 dir2	Copy directory dir1 and its contents to dir2
cp -i source destination	Prompt before overwriting destination
cp -u source destination	Copy only if source is newer than destination
cp -v source destination	Verbose output showing files being copied

Removing Files and Directories

To delete files or directories:

Example: rm file.txt will remove file.txt from the system.

Command	Effect
rm filename	Remove the specified file
rm -r directory	Remove directory and its contents recursively
rm -f filename	Force removal without prompts
rmdir directory	Remove empty directory
find . -name “*.txt” -exec rm {} \;	Remove all .txt files in the current directory

Downloading Files with wget

To download files from the web:

Example: wget http://example.com/file.zip will download file.zip from the specified URL.

Command	Effect
wget url	Download file from the specified URL
wget -O filename url	Download file and save as filename
wget -c url	Continue a partially downloaded file
wget -r url	Download files recursively from the specified URL
wget -q url	Download file quietly (no output)

Using Git for Version Control

To manage project versions:

Example: git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git will clone the repository to your local machine.

Command	Effect
git init	Initialize a new Git repository
git clone url	Clone a repository from the specified URL
git status	Show the status of changes
git add filename	Add file to staging area
git commit -m “message”	Commit changes with a message

Managing File Permissions

To change file permissions:

Example: chmod 755 script.sh will set the script.sh file to be executable.

Command	Effect
chmod 755 filename	Set permissions to read/write/execute for owner, and read/execute for others
chmod u+x filename	Add execute permission for the file owner
chmod g-w filename	Remove write permission for the group
chown user:group filename	Change the owner and group of the file
ls -l	List files with permissions and ownership details

Searching for Files with find

To locate files on your system:

Example: find /home -name “*.txt” will search for all .txt files in the home directory.

Command	Effect
find path -name filename	Find files by name
find path -type d	Find directories
find path -type f	Find files
find path -size +100M	Find files larger than 100 MB
find path -mtime -7	Find files modified in the last 7 days

System Monitoring with top

To monitor system processes:

Example: top will display running processes in real-time.

Command	Effect
top	Display real-time system processes
htop	Enhanced version of top with more features
ps aux	List all running processes
kill PID	Terminate the process with the specified PID
killall processname	Terminate all processes with the specified name

Network Configuration with ifconfig

To view and configure network interfaces:

Example: ifconfig eth0 will display the configuration of the eth0 interface.

Command	Effect
ifconfig	Display current network interface configurations
ifconfig eth0 up	Activate the eth0 interface
ifconfig eth0 down	Deactivate the eth0 interface
ping host	Check the connectivity to a host
traceroute host	Show the route packets take to a network host

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