Linux Fundamentals – Level One Course Outline

1. Introduction to Linux

• History and evolution of Linux
• Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, Debian, etc.)
• Open-source philosophy and Linux community
• Differences between Linux and other operating systems (Windows, macOS)

2. Linux Installation & Setup

• Choosing the right distribution
• Installation methods: dual boot, virtual machine, live USB
• Basic system setup and configuration
• Accessing the Linux shell

3. Linux File System & Directory Structure

• Understanding the Linux directory hierarchy (/, /home, /etc, /var, /usr)
• File types: regular files, directories, symbolic links, devices
• File permissions and ownership (chmod, chown, chgrp)
• Navigating directories with pwd, ls, cd, tree

4. Basic Linux Commands

• File management: cp, mv, rm, mkdir, rmdir
• Viewing file contents: cat, less, more, tail, head
• Searching files and directories: find, grep, locate
• System info: uname, df, du, top, uptime

5. Linux Text Editors

• Introduction to vi / vim
• Introduction to nano
• Basic file editing, saving, and exiting

6. Linux Users & Groups

• Creating and managing users: adduser, userdel, usermod
• Group management: groupadd, groupdel, usermod -aG
• Understanding sudo and superuser privileges

7. File Permissions & Ownership

• Understanding read, write, execute permissions
• Changing permissions with chmod
• Changing ownership with chown and chgrp
• Special permissions: SUID, SGID, Sticky bit

8. Linux Package Management

• Package managers overview: apt, yum, dnf, zypper
• Installing, updating, and removing software packages
• Searching for packages and managing repositories

9. Basic Shell Scripting

• Introduction to shell scripting
• Writing simple bash scripts
• Variables, loops, and conditionals
• Executing and debugging scripts

10. Networking Basics in Linux

• Checking network interfaces: ifconfig / ip
• Testing connectivity: ping, traceroute, netstat
• File transfer tools: scp, rsync

11. Linux Process Management

• Viewing running processes: ps, top, htop
• Managing processes: kill, killall, nice, renice
• Background and foreground processes: &, jobs, fg, bg

12. Logging & Monitoring

• System logs: /var/log/ overview
• Viewing logs: journalctl, dmesg
• Basic system monitoring commands

13. Introduction to Linux Security

• Basic firewall: ufw / firewalld
• Understanding Linux users and sudo for security
• Secure SSH access and key-based authentication