CS 81.21:  Introduction to UNIX & Linux

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Page last updated 1 May, 2011 .

Syllabus

Santa Rosa Junior College
Spring 2011 Semester, Classroom/Online sections


Instructor:  Eric Skagerberg
Web site:  < http://www.santarosa.edu/cis/eric >
Private e-mail:  e r i c at s k a g e r b e r g dot c o m   (private correspondence only!  See below for course material questions)
Home Office:  (707)573-1460, Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., as available.
CIS Front Desk:  Maggini Hall 2932
CIS Front Desk phone:  527-4778

Schedule
Listings
Section # Days Room Lecture & Lab Office1
CS 81.21 6986 Thursdays
1/14-5/13
SR campus
Maggini 2923
Thursdays
6pm - 10pm
5:30pm-6pm
5395 Online By phone or e-mail

1Office Time by phone or e-mail:

In Brief:

Required Textbook (see Materials below):

Software Required:

Homework and Tests (see Assignments, Exams, and Grading below):

 

Details:

Course Description

Designed for the skilled computer user. This course will introduce the student to the basic concepts of the UNIX operating system. Completion of the course will provide a good basic working knowledge of: essential UNIX commands, login and logout sequences, setting passwords, UNIX E-mail, fundamentals of the vi editor, piping and redirection, security and process control, the Kernel, File System, UNIX shell programming, X Windows, and basic system administration. (CR/NC option)

Prerequisites: Although this course has no administrative prerequisites, it is not designed for beginners, and the instructor  recommends CS 80.13 Microsoft Windows Command Line Basics, or an equivalent familiarity with a command-line oriented operating system. Students will find programming experience helpful as well.

 

Materials

 

SRJC Laboratory

Lab hours: If you enrolled in a classroom section, it assumes you will spend an additional 3.5 hours per week in a computer lab.  However, all of the course material is online, so you can complete the lab exercises from anywhere, if you have the necessary Internet setup.  The actual time you spend on each lab exercise will vary.

TIMEKEEPING: Please keep track of the time you spend in a computer lab by using a TimeKeeper computer. Please ask a lab assistant for instructions.  SRJC receives state funding based on your attendance in class and in the lab.

ASSIGNMENTS: Your instructor posts lab assignments on the course web site.

No printing in the CIS Lab:  Do not print course materials in the CIS lab. You may print them at home or elsewhere, but if you print lab assignments or other course documents in the lab, you may be asked to leave. If you need paper copies of any course material, please ask me.

 

Assignments, Exams, and Grading

When you do a lab, you will have questions to answer, commands to experiment with, scripts to write, and other tasks that will help you learn about UNIX.

How to submit assignments:
You will find your lab assignments in the Assignments & Schedules section of the main UNIX course page.  To reach these materials, enter your CATE user name and CATE password (not your student.santarosa.edu user name or password!).

In the Answer Form for your Lab Exercise, fill out your name, e-mail address, and your CATE user name and CATE password.  Then fill out your answers and click the Submit button.

Late Assignments:  Only complete and correct assignments receive full credit. Late assignments will receive a 20% reduction for each week late, and assignments turned in more than two weeks late will receive NO credit.  Furthermore, Lab Exercises through Lab 6 are not accepted after the mid-term exam, and you must submit all otherwise open exercises before the final exam.  If an emergency arises that will prevent you from completing an assignment on time, contact your instructor before the scheduled due date's time to negotiate a new due date.

EXAMS:  The course will have one Mid-term and one Final exam, both online. The Final exam will be comprehensive, covering material from the entire course. You may take exams with open book and open notes.  Please see your instructor's Assignment Schedule for links to the exams.

Missing a Test: If you find you cannot take a test during the scheduled time, you must make arrangements BEFORE the test with me for a special test, otherwise I will record a score of zero for your grade.

GRADING:

Lab Points
Lab Exercise
Points

#1: Basic commands & E-Mail

30
#2: Editing with Vi
40
#3: Utilities and File Management
40
#4: I/O Redirection
40
#5: Getting Information
40
#6: Controlling your Environment
40
#7: Text File Utilities
40
#8: Shell Scripts I
40
#9A: Shell Scripts II
20
#9B: Shell Scripts III 30
#10: User Account Management
40
#11: File Systems
40
Total Lab Points
440
Optional #12: X Window
60
Minimum Points
Minimum for Grade Percentage of Total Possible Points
Total 100% 640
A over 89.5% 573
B over 79.5% 509
C over 69.5% 445
D over 59.5% 381
F 0 to 59.5% 0 to 381

CREDIT/NO CREDIT: You may apply for a Credit/No Credit option in this course no later than 30% of the course duration; please see the Assignment Schedule for the date. You get Credit (CR) for "C" level work or better, and the units don't affect your grade point average.   To change to Credit/No Credit, visit the SRJC Registration Web Link.

ATTENDANCE: Students have responsibility for all material covered in lectures and labs, in addition to assignments.  However, I base grades on homework and test scores.

WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS: YOU have the responsibility to withdraw from class if you decide to not complete the course. Please see the Assignment Schedule for the withdrawal deadline date. To officially withdraw from a class, you must visit the SRJC Registration Web Link, or submit a drop form to the Admissions and Records Office.  After the withdrawal deadline, I cannot give you a "W" grade, but instead must give you an A, B, C, D, or F, based on the assignments and tests you have completed (normally resulting in an F). Before withdrawing, please contact me; perhaps I can help.

Academic Integrity

CONDUCT: Please follow the SRJC Student Conduct Standards.  Please expect violation of any of these rules to reduce your grade, result in your removal from this course and/or other disciplinary action, which can appear on your record and transcripts.

The system maintenance and administration skills covered in this course require self-reliance and independent effort. Collaboration, on the other hand, is sometimes appropriate in an educational setting.

Communication

Post questions to the Unix-Intro message list only:  Please write all questions and comments you have about the course content, including homework and lecture topics, to the Unix-Intro message list. For directions, please see the Unix-Intro Message List Guide.

Unix-Intro Message Input (For all course content questions and comments)

Please see your instructor's contact information at the top of this syllabus.   Do not send questions privately to me, unless they are personal, such as grading, scoring, or attendance questions.  I will not answer course content questions at my correspondence address.

 

Your UNIX Account

As an Introduction to UNIX student, you must obtain an account on student.santarosa.edu, SRJC's Linux server.

Third Party Providers: You can connect to student.santarosa.edu through your own account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), using secure terminal access.