Linux Administration
Presented by
Vemareddy Harika
Agenda
• Introduction
• Overview of Linux
• Key Features
• Linux file system
• Basic commands
• File and Directory management
• User Permissions
• Monitoring
• Expected Outcomes
Introduction & Objectives
• What is Linux?
• Why is it important in IT infrastructure?
• Roles of a Linux Administrator
Linux Overview, History & Distributions
• Linux = Kernel + GNU OS (together form a complete operating system).
• Origin from UNIX (1969) — created by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at AT&T Bell Labs.
• Richard Stallman’s GNU Project (1980s): Started the Free Software Movement to promote open-
source development.
• 1991: Linus Torvalds developed the Linux Kernel, shared it online, and combined it with GNU →
GNU/Linux.
• Linux became the developer’s favorite OS, widely used in servers, DevOps, and cloud systems.
Popular Linux Distributions
• Ubuntu – Beginner-friendly, great for desktops and servers
• Debian – Very stable, used for servers
• Fedora – Cutting-edge features, popular with developers
• CentOS / Rocky Linux – Enterprise servers
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) – Paid, used in big companies
• Arch Linux – For advanced users who want full control
Key Features
•Simplified Updates For All Installed S/W
•Free Software Licensing
•Access To Source Code
•Multiple Distributions
•Better Malware Protection
Linux File System
• Everything starts from the root /
• Folders like /home, /bin, /etc, /var, /usr
• Comparison with Windows drives (C:, D:)
• Hierarchical structure (Tree-based)
Linux-Commands
pwd, clear, ls & cd commands
cat, grep, sort, pipe commands
cp, mv, mkdir, rm, rmdir & user permissions
Processes, adding users
Basic Commands
Command Description
pwd Print current working directory
ls -l List files in long format
cd Change directory
echo Print text or variable value
su / sudo Switch or execute as superuser
Listing Directories – ls Command
Command Description
Lists all files and folders in the current
ls
directory
ls [path] Lists contents of a specific path
Long format (shows owner, permissions,
ls -l
size, time)
ls -a Shows all hidden files
ls --author Displays file author
ls -S Sorts by file size
Working Directory and Navigation – pwd and cd
Command Description
pwd Displays current working directory
cd [directory] Moves into the specified directory
cd Moves to the home directory
cd / Goes to root directory
cd .. Moves up to parent directory
cd - Returns to previous directory
cd "folder name" Use quotes if folder name contains spaces
User Switching and Permissions – su and sudo
Command Description
su Switches to root user
su [username] Switches to another specific user
Executes a command with root privileges
sudo [command]
temporarily
Clear Screen and Display Text – clear and echo
Command Description
Clears terminal output (scrolls
clear
it up)
echo [text] Prints text or variable value
echo $USER Displays current username
Searching Text – grep Command
Command Description
grep "word" [Link] Searches for word in file
grep -i "word" [Link] Case insensitive search
grep -n "word" [Link] Displays line numbers
grep -v "word" [Link] Excludes matching lines
Counts number of matching
grep -c "word" [Link]
lines
Sorting Results – sort Command
Command Description
sort [Link] Sorts alphabetically
sort -r [Link] Sorts in reverse order
sort -f [Link] Ignores case while sorting
sort -n [Link] Sorts numerically
sort [Link] [Link] Sorts combined files
Combining Commands – Pipe |
Command Description Usage Example
Sends output of one
grep "dh" [Link] |
[cmd1] | [cmd2] command as input to sort
another
[cmd1] | [cmd2] | Combines multiple grep "dh" [Link] |
[cmd3] commands sort -r | less
File Management Commands
• cat Display file contents
• cp Copy files/directories
• mv Move or rename
• rm Delete files
• mkdir / rmdir Create or remove directories
Working with Files – cat Command
Command Description
cat [file] Displays contents of a file
cat [file1 file2] Displays and joins multiple files
cat -n Adds line numbers to all lines
Adds line numbers only to non-
cat -b
blank lines
cat -s Suppresses multiple blank lines
cat -E Shows $ at end of each line
cat > [Link] Creates new file and adds text
cat >> [Link] Appends text to existing file
Working with Files – cp Command
Command Description
cp Used to copy files and directories
cp -i Interactive mode; asks before overwriting files
cp -n Does not overwrite the file
cp -u Updates destination only if source file is different
Recursive copy for directories; copies even hidden
cp -R
files
cp -v Verbose mode; prints informative messages
Working with Files – mv Command
Command Description
mv Used to move files and directories
mv -i Interactive mode; asks before overwriting files
mv -u Updates destination only if source file is different
mv -v Verbose mode; shows source and destination files
Working with Files & Directories-mkdir Command
Command Description
mkdir Used to create a new directory
Creates both a new parent directory and a
mkdir -p
sub-directory
mkdir --parents Same as -p option
Creates multiple subdirectories inside the
mkdir -p file1/{f2,f3,f4}
new parent directory
Working with Files & Directories-rmdir Command
Command Description
rmdir Removes the specified empty directory
rmdir -p Removes both the parent and child directory
Removes all parent and subdirectories along with verbose
rmdir -pv
output
rm -r Removes directories even if they are not empty
Removes non-empty directories including parent and
rm -rp
subdirectories
File Management Commands
• Types: Read (r), Write (w), Execute (x)
• Permission Sets: User, Group, Others
• Commands:
• chmod → Change permissions
• chown → Change ownership
• chgrp → Change group
Working with user permissions : ’r’, ‘w’ & ‘x’
Command Explanation
Gives write and execute permission to
chmod g+wx filename
group members
Gives read, write, and execute permission
chmod u=rwx,o-wx filename to owners; removes write/execute from
others
chown username filename Changes the owner of the specified file
Changes both owner and group ownership
chown username:groupname filename
of the file
Changes the group ownership of the
chgrp groupname filename
specified file
Monitoring
Task Command(s)
Check running processes ps, top, htop
Memory usage free -m
Disk usage df -h, du -sh
System uptime uptime
Log files location /var/log/
Summary
•Linux is a free, open-source OS.
•It has a secure, flexible file system.
•Common commands: ls, cd, pwd, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, cat, grep, sort.
•Manage files, directories, and users.
•Set permissions with chmod, chown, chgrp.
•Monitor system with ps, top, df, free.
Thank you
