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Linux - Introduction

The document discusses the history and features of the Linux operating system. It describes how Linus Torvalds created Linux as a student in 1991 due to limitations of other operating systems. It then explains the core components of Linux including the kernel, shell, utilities and software model. It also covers Linux distributions, files/directories structure and types of users.

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gunarathneisuri11
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8 views

Linux - Introduction

The document discusses the history and features of the Linux operating system. It describes how Linus Torvalds created Linux as a student in 1991 due to limitations of other operating systems. It then explains the core components of Linux including the kernel, shell, utilities and software model. It also covers Linux distributions, files/directories structure and types of users.

Uploaded by

gunarathneisuri11
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LINUX

What is an operating system?

• It is a control program for a computer


– Acts as an interface to the hardware- make
efficient use of the hardware.
– Allocates computer resources and
schedules tasks.
– Helps create and manage your file system.
LINUX Operating System
• The history of Linux began in 1991

• Linus Torvalds created Linux when he was


a student at the University of Helsinki
studying computer science.

• In early 1991 he purchased an IBM-


compatible personal computer that came with
the MS-DOS operating system.

• Linus wasn’t satisfied with MS-DOS and


wanted to use a UNIX operating system like
he was accustomed to at the University.
• He found that the least expensive UNIX he
could buy was about $5,000 USD.

• This driven by the desire to run a UNIX-like


operating system on his personal computer,
he set out to create Linux.

• Next couple of years and in March of 1994,


version 1.0 of the Linux kernel was released.
LINUX Features
• Portable operating system

• Multi tasking operating system

• Multiuser operating system

• Free and Open-Source software

• Hierarchical file structure


Linux Software Components
User

Shell
Kernel

H/W

Shell Shell
User User
• Utilities

The Unix system include a family of several


hundred built-in commands called utilities or
tools. These utilities perform functions that
are universally required by users.

Examples:
Text editing, spell checking, mathematical
calculations, printing etc.
• Shell

An interface to kernel, hiding complexity of


kernel’s functions from the user

A program that reads and interprets the


commands you enter and and passes them to
the kernel for processing. Therefore, the shell
acts as an interface between the user and the
Kernel insulating the user from the
knowledge of the Kernel.
• Kernel

The core of the Linux system is called the


Kernel. It is a collection of programs.
✓ There is only one Kernel for any system

✓ It communicates directly with the system


hardware.

✓ Co-ordinates many functions –allocates memory


and other system resources to the processes
going on at any given time

✓ Decides process priorities

✓ Keeps track of the contents and locations of all the


files in the file systems.
Once the shell has translated the user
commands into instructions, it is the kernel
that carries out these instructions.
• Shell prompt
An indication from the shell that it is ready to
receive the next command from the
command line.

A typical Linux prompt is looks like

[ruwan@mycomputer ruwan]$ _
Linux Distributions

 Fedora Core (Red Hat)  Vector Linux


 Damn Small Linux  Mandriva
 SUSE Linux  PCLinuxOS
 Knoppix  Gentoo
 Ubuntu  SLAX
 Puppy  Debian
 MEPIS  Slackware
Files and Directories
Within Linux, a file is any source from which
data can be read, or any target to which data
can be written. Therefore, a file refers to a
repository of data like a disk file or to a
physical device. (example: keyboard –source
of I/P, display –O/P target, printers - O/P
target)
Note:

Linux makes very little distinction between


the various types of files. Therefore, the
printer or tape drive is treated as a file in
much the same way as a disk file.

Linux mainly has 3 types of files:

✓Ordinary files.
✓Directory files.
✓Device files.
Ordinary file (Regular file)

This is the traditional definition of a file.


Ordinary files contain data and are stored on
disk or tape. These are the files you will be
working with most of the time.
Directory File

A directory is stored on disk and contains no


data, but keeps an account of all the files and
sub directories that it contains.

a directory file contains 2 fields:


✓Name of the files
✓Pointer to separate disk area which
contains the file attributes (creator, read-
only flags etc)
Device files

A device file is an internal


representation of a physical device
(example: printer, hard disk, terminal).
Ie. all the devices on your system can
be accessed as files.
There are two types of users:
▪ Ordinary users
▪ Root (super user/system administrator)

Root
Root is the administrative user account
created during installation and has
complete access to the system.
Home Directory

When you log in to a system, Linux


automatically places you in a directory called
the home directory. This is also known as
login directory
File structure
File names:

✓No two files in the same directory can have


the same name.
✓Files in different directories can have the
same name.
File names can have:
Uppercase letters, lower case letters,
numbers , underscore, period.

A file name can contain up to 256 characters


File name extension

A file can have any number of extensions.


Therefore, you can use extensions freely to
make the file names easy to understand.

Example:
note.4.05.2005
Invisible file names

A file name beginning with a period is called


an invisible file name. ls does not normally
display invisible files.
/

bin dev home usr

<file 1> <file 2>

Nimal Sunil …….


• / – The Root Directory
• /bin – Essential User Binaries
• /boot — Static files of the boot loader
• /dev — Device files
• /home – Home Folders
• /usr – User Binaries & Read-Only Data
The file system in Linux is a collection of all
these files organized in a hierarchical (an
inverted tree) structure.

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