Unix Shell Basics, Part 1

Term: Fall 2024

Date: September 13th, 2024

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Online Only

Instructors: Matthew Brown

Presented By: Advanced Research Computing (ARC)

Description:

The Unix shell has been around longer than most of its users have been alive. It has survived because it’s a powerful tool that allows users to perform complex and powerful tasks, often with just a few keystrokes or lines of code. It helps users automate repetitive tasks and easily combine smaller tasks into larger, more powerful workflows. Use of the shell is fundamental to a wide range of advanced computing tasks, including high-performance computing. These lessons will introduce you to this powerful tool.

This half-day workshop will follow the Software Carpentry lesson 'The Unix Shell'. Sections include:

•        Introducing the Shell

•        Navigating Files and Directories

•        Working with Files and Directories

•        Pipes and Filters

•        Loops

•        Shell Scripts

•        Finding Things

and will be conducted as a guided, hands-on experience which includes exercises and example files and datasets for practice. This workshop will be most useful for people who are new to working on computers via a command line interface (CLI). Those with moderate experience are also welcome and may find the material to be a good way to refresh their skills. 

Prerequisite: No prior experience is necessary. To make the best use of workshop time, please make sure you already have access to a Linux or Unix shell environment, preferably the ability to log into ARC systems via Open OnDemand: https://ood.arc.vt.edu which will provide a consistent working environment for all attendees.