Preface
Background
I began writing this book when I started a new position as a Posit System Administrator with CDC’s Enterprise Data, Analytics, and Visualization (EDAV) platform.1 EDAV houses multiple enterprise data science products (Databricks, Power BI, Tableau, SAS Viya, etc.), including Posit Workbench, Connect, and Package Manager.
I’d been an R programmer for over ten years and spent the last five years working primarily on Shiny apps. My new responsibilities included (but were not limited to) maintaining, updating, monitoring and improving the Posit services for CDC users.
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison
I wrote the book I wish I had when transitioning from an R Developer to a System Administrator.
Outline
The first half of this book gradually introduces the Linux environment, starting with some history and operating system basics before moving into more complex concepts. These sections (Set-Ups, Basics, Syntax, Text, and Shell Scripts) cover concepts and topics for users new to Linux.
The second half of the book covers case studies (or common tasks). If you’re familiar with Linux/Unix, command-line tools, and regular expressions, skip to these sections.
A field manual (FM) is an educational tool that provides information, instructions, and techniques for various concepts and practices.
Fiels Manuals function as both reference material and living documentation, encouraging updates and adaptations based on the given situation, available technology, or broader environment.2
Part One: Introduction
The Part 1: Introduction acquaints you with some background that formed the landscape of Unix systems. It explains the shell, a command-line interface (CLI), which is the gateway to leveraging the full potential of Linux.
Set-Ups
Setting up your Linux environment is crucial before diving into writing commands and scripts. Set-ups guide you through various options for setting up Virtual Machines, Shells, and Terminals.3
The Basics
Navigating and managing files and folders are daily tasks for Linux users. Directories cover essential commands such as cd for changing directories, pwd to print the current directory, ls for listing files, and mkdir for making directories.
The Files chapter covers file manipulation commands like cp (copy), mv (move), rm (remove), and less for viewing file content, ensuring you can organize and manage your file system effectively. These commands are the building blocks for more complex operations in Linux.
System goes over common system commands like top for monitoring processes in real-time, ps for listing currently running processes, kill to stop a process, df (Disk Free) to display disk space usage on all mounted filesystems, and du (Disk Usage) to estimate file space usage. These commands help efficiently manage the system’s processes and resources, ensuring a clear view of resource allocation and consumption.
Syntax
Understanding the shell syntax is vital for effectively communicating with a Linux system. The Syntax section demystifies the structure of commands, including how to differentiate between Commands, Arguments, and Options and manage inputs and outputs. This knowledge is critical to executing tasks reliably at the command line.
Pipes are a cornerstone of Linux productivity, enabling the output of one command to serve as the input to another. Syntax also covers how to combine commands using stdout and stdin, allowing for robust command chains that can perform complex tasks. Understanding pipes unlocks a higher level of command-line efficiency.
Manipulating Text
Linux systems are renowned for their powerful text manipulation capabilities. The Text section covers using Symbols & Patterns to build regular expressions (regex). Manipulating Text introduces commands such as cat for displaying file contents, grep for searching within files, sorting data, sorting data, uniq for filtering unique lines, and cutting, pasting, and joining for editing files. Mastering these commands will allow you to handle and process text data efficiently. Text Editors cover Nano, vim, and Emacs.
Shell Scripts
Shell scripting is a powerful tool for automating repetitive tasks in Linux. This section introduces writing shell scripts, covering the basics of script creation, execution, and debugging. We’ll discuss how to automate simple tasks, making Linux tasks productive and enjoyable.
The Format chapter delves into the differences between these formats, guiding you on writing compatible scripts that can run across different Linux systems. Permissions explains how Linux permissions work and teaches you how to set and modify permissions to protect your data and system from unauthorized access.
Part Two: Use Cases
The data files used in this book are documented in the data appendix.
Recap
By the end of this book, you’ll have a solid understanding of the Linux operating system. You’ll be equipped to navigate, manage files, write scripts, and set permissions confidently. Whether you’re looking to enhance your career prospects, manage a new system, or simply satisfy your curiosity, this book will be your companion on a fascinating journey into the world of Linux.
Read more about EDAV and the Data Modernization Initiative here.↩︎
This definition is based on the U.S. Army Field Manuals (FMs).↩︎
Most of these commands will work on any Shell (Zsh, Bash, etc.) program.↩︎