Operating Systems Fundamentals

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Operating Systems Fundamentals

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Shadow Farrell

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22,007 already enrolled

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9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

136 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

136 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

3 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Learners will master basic management of Linux from the command line including file management, operating system management and security.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

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Assessments

31 assignments¹

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Taught in English

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There are 9 modules in this course

The Operating Systems Fundamentals course provides a comprehensive introduction to Linux and equips you with a foundation in this widely used open-source operating system. You will learn about various Linux distributions and the concept of Copyleft, gaining valuable knowledge on different system configurations.

Upon completing this course, you will be able to: ● Understand and use shell commands to extract basic system information and seek help from the operating system ● Mange Linux file systems, manage disks and directories, work with absolute and relative paths, and organize, backup, and restore files effectively ● Work with text files from the shell and employ expressions to search files and directories ● Apply security principles to set permissions and ownership ● Mange jobs, processes, the boot process, and also system settings including SELinux In addition, you will acquire hands-on experience on how to build your own Linux machine using virtualization, which they will use for all the lab assignments given throughout the course. You’ll complete a capstone project, showcasing the skills you have learned throughout the course.

In this module, students will learn basic information about the history of computers and Linux. Then students will explore simple shell commands and learn about virtualization.

What's included

13 videos12 readings3 assignments4 discussion prompts

13 videos Total 73 minutes

Introduction to the ATA Track 5 minutes
Overview of ATA Track 1 minute
Advice for Completing the ATA 6 minutes
Course Syllabus 4 minutes
The Linux Environment 4 minutes
Shell Syntax 9 minutes
Getting Basic Information 4 minutes
Getting Help 7 minutes
Virtualization 6 minutes
Installing VirtualBox Walkthrough 3 minutes
Installing Ubuntu Walkthrough 10 minutes
Using Basic Shell Commands Walkthrough 9 minutes
Performing Basic Linux Tasks Review 5 minutes

12 readings Total 122 minutes

README 5 minutes
History of Computers 5 minutes
History of Operating Systems 3 minutes
Computer Components 3 minutes
Open Source and Copyleft 5 minutes
History of Linux 3 minutes
Linux Distributions 2 minutes
Getting Basic Information Reference 6 minutes
Getting Help Reference 10 minutes
Installing VirtualBox 10 minutes
Installing Ubuntu 35 minutes
Using Basic Shell Commands 35 minutes

3 assignments Total 65 minutes

Performing Basic Linux Tasks Practice Assessment 20 minutes
Enter Shell Commands Practice Assessment 25 minutes
Performing Basic Linux Tasks Graded Assessment 20 minutes

4 discussion prompts Total 40 minutes

What's your favorite operating system? 10 minutes
How do you choose a new computer? 10 minutes
What operating systems have you used? 10 minutes
Do you prefer a GUI or the command line? 10 minutes

In this module, students will learn the structure of the Linux file system including understanding directories, paths, and naming conventions. They will also learn to search and backup content.

What's included

16 videos9 readings5 assignments2 discussion prompts

16 videos Total 79 minutes

Understanding File Systems 5 minutes
Standard Directories 4 minutes
Absolute Paths 5 minutes
Relative Paths 5 minutes
File Browsers 2 minutes
Creating and Removing Directories 4 minutes
Listing Files and Directories 3 minutes
Working with Files 8 minutes
Using grep 5 minutes
whereis Command 2 minutes
find Command 7 minutes
Archiving 6 minutes
Working with Directories Walkthrough 3 minutes
Searching for Files with Find Walkthrough 11 minutes
Performing Backups Walkthrough 4 minutes
Managing the File System in Linux Review 4 minutes

9 readings Total 84 minutes

File Naming Conventions 3 minutes
find Command Reference 6 minutes
dump Command 3 minutes
tar Command 3 minutes
gzip Command 2 minutes
unzip Command 2 minutes
Working with Directories 15 minutes
Searching for Files with Find 40 minutes
Performing Backups 10 minutes

5 assignments Total 62 minutes

The Linux File System Practice Assessment 1 minute
File System Commands Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Locate Files Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Back Up and Restore Files Assessment 15 minutes
Managing the File System in Linux Graded Assessment 16 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

What's your filing system? 10 minutes
What's your recovery plan? 10 minutes

In this module, students will learn how to manage text files from the shell. They will master the cat command and the vim Editor. They will learn how to search and filter text files, and work with text streams.

What's included

16 videos7 readings4 assignments

16 videos Total 82 minutes

The vim Command 6 minutes
The cat Command 5 minutes
diff, vimdiff and wc 4 minutes
aspell, tr and Redirecting Output 4 minutes
LS with Wildcards 4 minutes
Using grep with Expressions to Find Numbers 3 minutes
Using grep with Expressions to Find Letters 7 minutes
Using grep with Expressions to Find Special Characters 8 minutes
cut Command 7 minutes
sort Command 6 minutes
TextUtil Commands 4 minutes
Creating Text Files Using Vim Walkthrough 4 minutes
Editing Text Files in Command Mode walkthrough 4 minutes
Searching Text Files Walkthrough 6 minutes
Applying textutil Commands to Modify the Output Walkthrough 4 minutes
Working with Text Files Review 5 minutes

7 readings Total 75 minutes

The vim Command Reference 8 minutes
Expressions 7 minutes
Working with Text Streams Reference 10 minutes
Creating Text Files Using Vim 20 minutes
Editing Text Files in Command Mode 10 minutes
Searching Text Files 10 minutes
Applying textutil Commands to Modify the Output 10 minutes

4 assignments Total 60 minutes

Create and Edit Text Files Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Searching Text Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Filtering Text Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Working with Text Files Graded Assessment 15 minutes

In this module, students will learn about the default user and group accounts, and how to create new users and groups as well as manage passwords. Students will learn about user profiles and using the skeleton directory to set up a template for new profiles.

What's included

12 videos9 readings4 assignments

12 videos Total 67 minutes

Creating User Accounts 9 minutes
Modifying User Accounts 7 minutes
Deleting User Accounts 5 minutes
Passwords 6 minutes
Groups 5 minutes
User Profiles 4 minutes
The Skeleton Directory 5 minutes
Creating User and Group Accounts Walkthrough 5 minutes
Configuring User Profiles Walkthrough 8 minutes
Configuring a New User Account Walkthrough 6 minutes
Managing Group Accounts Walkthrough 2 minutes
User and Group Accounts Review 3 minutes

9 readings Total 110 minutes

User Accounts Reference 15 minutes
Default User Accounts 1 minute
Passwords Reference 8 minutes
Groups Reference 5 minutes
Global User Profiles 1 minute
Creating User and Group Accounts 20 minutes
Configuring User Profiles 40 minutes
Configuring a New User Account 10 minutes
Managing Group Accounts 10 minutes

4 assignments Total 60 minutes

User Accounts Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Password and Groups Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Configure User Profiles Practice Assessment 15 minutes
User and Group Accounts Graded Assessment 15 minutes

In this module, students will learn about Linux permissions and ownership. Students will explore the default file and directory permissions, as well as how to change them. They will also master the basics of access control lists and flags.

What's included

11 videos5 readings3 assignments

11 videos Total 66 minutes

Permissions 5 minutes
Effective Permissions 6 minutes
chmod Command 5 minutes
Default File and Directory Permissions 8 minutes
chown Command 3 minutes
Special Permissions 9 minutes
chattr and lsattr Commands 6 minutes
Modifying File and Directory Permissions Walkthrough 6 minutes
Modifying File and Directory Ownership Walkthrough 2 minutes
Setting User Access to Files Walkthrough 12 minutes
Managing Linux Permissions and Ownership Review 4 minutes

5 readings Total 101 minutes

Permissions Reference 23 minutes
Special Permissions Reference 18 minutes
Modifying File and Directory Permissions 20 minutes
Modifying File and Directory Ownership 10 minutes
Setting User Access to Files 30 minutes

3 assignments Total 60 minutes

Modify File and Directory Permissions Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Set Special Permissions and Attributes Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Managing Linux Permissions and Ownership Graded Assessment 30 minutes

In this module students will learn about starting and stopping Linux, and managing services. They will explore processes and jobs, and learn to manage them throughout the lifecycle of the operating system.

What's included

4 videos16 readings5 assignments

4 videos Total 27 minutes

Starting and Stopping Linux Walkthrough 3 minutes
Managing Jobs and Processes Walkthrough 6 minutes
Managing Timing of Jobs and Processes Walkthrough 10 minutes
Managing Jobs and Processes Review 8 minutes

16 readings Total 134 minutes

Services 6 minutes
System Booting and Shutdown 4 minutes
Processes 5 minutes
Multitasking and Jobs 7 minutes
The Process Table 10 minutes
Process States 5 minutes
Process Commands 4 minutes
Delayed and Detached Jobs 6 minutes
Cron 4 minutes
Common Daily Jobs 4 minutes
Crontab Files 6 minutes
System Time 9 minutes
Locale Settings 4 minutes
Starting and Stopping Linux 10 minutes
Managing Jobs and Processes 20 minutes
Managing Timing of Jobs and Processes 30 minutes

5 assignments Total 70 minutes

Start and Stop Linux Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Manage Jobs and Background Processes Practice Assessment 20 minutes
Delay and Detach Jobs Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Maintain the System Time Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Managing Jobs and Processes Graded Assessment 15 minutes

In this module students will learn about file systems, partitions, and the commands and utilities to manage them. Students will learn about mount points, swap space, local storage devices, journaling file systems and file system maintenance.

What's included

4 videos12 readings4 assignments

4 videos Total 29 minutes

Creating Partitions Walkthrough 14 minutes
Mounting File Systems Walkthrough 7 minutes
Maintaining the Linux File System Walkthrough 3 minutes
Managing Partitions and the Linux File System Review 5 minutes

12 readings Total 113 minutes

File Systems 7 minutes
Partitions 4 minutes
Commands and Utilities 8 minutes
Burning Discs 2 minutes
Mount Points 3 minutes
Swap Space 5 minutes
Local Storage Devices 3 minutes
Journaling File Systems 2 minutes
File System Maintenance Commands 9 minutes
Creating Partitions 40 minutes
Mounting File Systems 20 minutes
Maintaining the Linux File System 10 minutes

4 assignments Total 50 minutes

Create Partitions Practice Assessment 15 minutes
Manage the File System Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Maintain the File System Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Managing Partitions and the Linux File System Graded Assessment 15 minutes

In this module students will learn about system initialization, system logs, centralized logging and log file analysis. Students will also learn about Security-Enhanced Linux and security policies.

What's included

3 videos8 readings3 assignments

3 videos Total 14 minutes

Configuring System Log Settings Walkthrough 5 minutes
Configuring rsyslogd as a Central Log Server Walkthrough 3 minutes
Managing System Services Review 7 minutes

8 readings Total 56 minutes

System Initialization 5 minutes
System Logs 4 minutes
Centralized Logging 9 minutes
Log File Analysis 5 minutes
Security-Enhanced Linux 3 minutes
Security Policies 5 minutes
Configuring System Log Settings 15 minutes
Configuring rsyslogd as a Central Log Server 10 minutes

3 assignments Total 35 minutes

Configure System Services and Manage Logs Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Configure Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) Practice Assessment 10 minutes
Managing System Services Graded Assessment 15 minutes

Students will demonstrate mastery of the material by creating and uploading a capstone project.

What's included

2 videos1 peer review

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(54 ratings)

Top Instructor

Shadow Farrell

Akamai Technologies, Inc.

6 Courses 42,918 learners

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Akamai Technologies, Inc.

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Reviewed on Sep 16, 2024

I learned a lot from this. Hope their are more of this free courses to help students

Reviewed on Jan 17, 2026

I did a good job attempting all parts of the assignment and showing my understanding of basic command-line concepts. Its clear that I know how to navigate the system and create files.

Reviewed on Jun 21, 2023

Great course! Learn't a lot!! Shadow Farrell is a great instructor. Thank You.

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