Key Point: Everything in Linux is a file. Whether it is configuration settings, hardware interfaces, or memory, you can access it all in the Linux filesystem.
Key Point: Most system administration work in a Linux environment is performed on the command line. There are often GUIs for tools to perform the same tasks, but almost everything can be configured by editing text files. These are usually accessed with text editors. This makes Linux a completely different system to work with, as compared with for instance Windows, where the graphical user interface is central to the operating system.
Quiz
Key Point: Linux is not an operating system but a kernel. Contrast this with UNIX which exists in several flavors but where the entire operating system is homogenous. Linux on the other hand uses a kernel but depending on the Linux distribution, different packages (such as programs, utilities, and system features) have been included. That is the case because of the design of the particular Linux distribution.
Key Point: To start and stop the OS properly is rudimentary, as well as monitoring system processes. For these tasks, you need to be able to pinpoint the usage of processor usage by programs, memory usage, disk activity, and network activity. To increase your ability to operate the OS, you need to know where to find log files and interpret what is in them. In addition to this, you should know how to start and stop system services.
Note: Often you will discover that different Linux command line tools can complete the same task. It is a matter of fact that system administrators have their own set of tools (in addition to the standard set of tools). Therefore, do not get stuck with only one tool. Instead, understand the purpose of different commandline tools to properly identify when a command can be substituted by another and to achieve the same result.
True or false?
Key Point: Linux is the work of many individuals working in small teams, sometimes one person for a particular tool, and up to larger companies that have specialized in one particular Linux distribution or one larger software package. The development of Linux is heterogeneous and has its base in the open-source community.
Check your knowledge
Finally, it’s good to know that Linux has become a major player in corporate environments where stability, security and speed are important characteristics of computing systems.
Sectors such as telecommunications, embedded systems, and web hosting all depend on Linux. You are now ready for lesson three, that answers the question why you need the Bash shell?
Do you want to work with Linux professionally?
For those who want a career in Linux system administration, hands-on experience is worth a lot. But how do you measure hands-on experience? There are several ways, ranging from showing your projects and of course, work experience. What you will learn in this course is exclusively command-line skills. It is easier to learn by completing exercises and solving problems that are similar to real-life tasks when working with Linux. This is also referred to as kinesthetic learning or learning by doing.
A final note: Linux system administration is practical work so you need to practice your skills on the command line continuously.
So why do you need the Bash shell? We will look at that question in lesson three, “Why do you need the Bash shell?“.