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NOS220 Review 1-14a
Linux Study Guide - Alphabetical
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| AIX | A version of UNIX developed by IBM. |
| *sum commands | Commands that can be used to verify the checksum on a file where * represents the checksum algorithm. For example, to verify a SHA-1 checksum, you could use the sha1sum command. |
| .dmrc (display manager runtime configuration) file | A file that is stored within each user’s home directory to list the preferred desktop environment for use by the GNOME Display Manager. |
| .xinitrc (X initialization runtime configuration) file | A file that is stored within each user’s home directory to list the preferred desktop environment for use by the startx command. |
| /bin directory | The directory that contains binary commands for use by all users. |
| /boot | The directory that contains the kernel and boot-related files. |
| /boot directory | The directory that contains the Linux kernel and files used by the boot loader data block. |
| /boot/grub/grub.conf | The GRUB configuration file. |
| /dev directory | The directory that contains device files. |
| /dev directory | The directory off the root where device files are typically stored. |
| /dev/MAKEDEV command | The command used to re-create a device file if one or more of the following pieces of device information is unknown major number, minor number, or type (character or block). |
| /etc directory | The directory that contains system-specific configuration files. |
| /etc/at.allow | A file listing all users who can use the at command. |
| /etc/at.deny | A file listing all users who cannot access the at command. |
| /etc/cron.allow | A file listing all users who can use the cron command. |
| /etc/cron.d | A directory that contains additional system cron tables. |
| /etc/cron.deny | A file listing all users who cannot access the cron command. |
| /etc/crontab | The default system cron table. |
| /etc/cups/cupsd.conf | A file that holds daemon configuration for the cups daemon. |
| /etc/cups/printers.conf | A file that holds printer configuration for the cups daemon. |
| /etc/default/useradd | A file that contains default values for user creation. |
| /etc/dumpdates | The file used to store information about incremental and full backups for use by the dump/restore utility. |
| /etc/fstab | A file used to specify which filesystems to mount automatically at boot time and queried by the mount command if an insufficient number of arguments are specified. |
| /etc/group | The file that contains group definitions and memberships. |
| /etc/inittab | The configuration file for the init daemon that specifies the default runlevel. |
| /etc/ld.so.cache | The file that contains the location of shared library files. |
| /etc/ld.so.conf | The file that contains a list of directories that contain shared libraries. |
| /etc/lilo.conf | The LILO configuration file. |
| /etc/login.defs | A file that contains default values for user creation. |
| /etc/logrotate.conf | The file used by the logrotate utility to specify rotation parameters for log files. |
| /etc/mtab | A file that stores a list of currently mounted filesystems. |
| /etc/passwd | The file that contains user account information. |
| /etc/rc.d/init.d | The directory in which most daemons’and startup/shutdown scripts are located. |
| /etc/rc.d/rc*.d | The directories used to start and kill daemons in each runlevel. |
| /etc/rc.d/rc.local | The final script executed during system startup. |
| /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit | The first script executed during system startup. |
| /etc/shadow | The file that contains the encrypted password as well as password and account expiry parameters for each user account. |
| /etc/skel | A directory that contains files that are copied to all new users’ home directories upon creation. |
| /etc/syslog.conf | The file that specifies the events for which the System Log Daemon listens and the log files to which it saves the events. |
| /etc/X11/XF86Config | The configuration file used by the XFree86 implementation of X Windows. |
| /etc/X11/xorg.conf | The configuration file used by the X.Org implementation of X Windows. |
| /home directory | The default location for user home directories. |
| /lib directory | The directory that contains shared program libraries (used by the commands in /bin and /sbin) as well as kernel modules. |
| /media directory | A directory typically used for mounting removable media devices. |
| /mnt directory | An empty directory used for temporarily mounting media. |
| /opt directory | The directory that stores additional software programs. |
| /proc directory | The directory that contains process and kernel information. |
| /proc/devices | A file that contains currently used device information. |
| /root directory | The root user’s home directory. |
| /sbin directory | The directory that contains system binary commands (used for administration). |
| /tmp directory | The directory that holds temporary files created by programs. |
| /usr directory | The directory that contains most system commands and utilities. |
| /usr/local directory | The location for most additional programs. |
| /var directory | The directory that contains log files and spools. |
| /var/log | A directory that contains most log files on a Linux system. |
| /var/spool/at | A directory that stores the information used to schedule commands using the at daemon. |
| /var/spool/cron | A directory that stores user cron tables. |
| ; | A shell metacharacter used to chain multiple commands together for execution. |
| | | A shell metacharacter used to pipe the stdout from one command to the stdin of another command. |
| ~ metacharacter | A metacharacter used to represent a user’s home directory. |
| < | A shell metacharacter used to obtain stdin from a file. |
| > | A shell metacharacter used to redirect stdout and stderr to a file. |
| ab (Apache benchmark) command | A command that can be used to obtain performance benchmarks for a Web server such as Apache. |
| absolute pathname | The full pathname to a certain file or directory, starting from the root directory. |
| accepting printer | A printer that accepts print jobs into the print queue. |
| active partition | The partition searched for by an OS after the MBR. |
| Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) | Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment. |
| alias command | A command used to create special variables that are shortcuts to longer command strings. |
| ANDing | The process by which binary bits are compared to calculate the network and host IDs from an IP address and subnet mask. |
| apachectl command | A command that can be used to start, stop, and restart the Apache Web server as well as check for syntax errors within the Apache configuration file. |
| Application | The software that runs on an operating system and provides the user with specific functionality (such as word processing or financial calculation). |
| archive | The location (file or device) that contains a copy of files; it is typically created by a backup utility. |
| Arguments | The text that appears after a command name, does not start with a dash “-” character, and specifies information the command requires to work properly. |
| artistic license | An open source license that allows source code to be distributed freely but changed only at the discretion of the original author. |
| assistive technologies | Software programs that cater to specific user needs. |
| asymmetric encryption | A type of encryption that uses a key pair to encrypt and decrypt data. |
| at command | The command used to schedule commands and tasks to run at a preset time in the future. |
| at daemon (atd) | The system daemon that executes tasks at a future time; it is configured with the at command. |
| authentication | The process whereby each user must log in with a valid user name and password before gaining access to the user interface of a system. |
| Authentication | The act of verifying a user’s identity by comparing a user name and password with a system database (/etc/passwd and /etc/shadow). |
| Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) | A feature that automatically configures a network interface using an IPv4 address on the 169.254.0.0 network. |
| awk command | A filter command used to search for and display text. |
| background (bg) command | The command used to run a foreground process in the background. |
| background process | A process that does not require the BASH shell to wait for its termination. Upon execution, the user receives the BASH shell prompt immediately. |
| bad blocks | The areas of a storage medium unable to store data properly. |
| Baseline | A measure of normal system activity. |
| BASH shell | The Bourne Again Shell; it is the default command-line interface in Linux. |
| BBC Linux | A small CD/DVD-based Linux distribution. |
| Beowulf clustering | A popular and widespread method of clustering computers together to perform useful tasks using Linux. |
| Berkeley Internet Name Daemon (BIND) | The standard that all DNS servers and DNS configuration files adhere to. |
| binary data file compiled programs. | A file that contains machine language (binary 1s and 0s) and stores information (such as common functions and graphics) used by binary |
| BIND configuration utility | A graphical utility that can be used to generate and modify the files that are used by the DNS name daemon. |
| BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) | The part of a computer system that contains the programs used to initialize hardware components at boot time. |
| block | The unit of data commonly used by filesystem commands; a block can contain several sectors. |
| block devices | The storage devices that transfer data to and from the system in chunks of many data bits by caching the information in RAM; they are represented by block device files. |
| boot loader | A small program started by BIOS that executes the Linux kernel in memory. |
| boot loader | A program used to load an OS. |
| Broadcast | The TCP/IP communication destined for all computers on a network. |
| BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) | A version of UNIX developed out of the original UNIX source code and given free to the University of California at Berkeley by AT&T. |
| buffer overrun | An attack in which a network service is altered in memory. |
| bunzip2 command | The command used to decompress files compressed by the bzip2 command. |
| bus mastering | The process by which peripheral components perform tasks normally executed by the CPU. |
| bzcat command | A command used to view the contents of an archive created with bzip2 to SO. |
| bzip2 command | The command used to compress files using a Burrows-Wheeler Block Sorting Huffman Coding compression algorithm. |
| bzless command | A command used to view the contents of an archive created with bzip2 to SO in a page-by-page fashion. |
| bzmore command | A command used to view the contents of an archive created with bzip2 to SO in a page-by-page fashion. |
| cancel command | The command used to remove print jobs from the print queue in the CUPS print system. |
| cat command | A Linux command used to display (or concatenate) the entire contents of a text file to the screen. |
| cd (change directory) command | A Linux command used to change the current directory in the directory tree. |
| cfdisk command | A command used to partition hard disks; it displays a graphical interface in which the user can select partitioning options. |
| chage command | The command used to modify password expiry information for user accounts. |
| chains | The components of a firewall that specify the general type of network traffic to which rules apply. |
| character devices | The storage devices that transfer data to and from the system one data bit at a time; they are represented by character device files. |
| checksum | A calculated value that is unique to a file’s size and contents. |
| chfn command | The command used to change the GECOS for a user. |
| chgrp (change group) command | The command used to change the group owner of a file or directory. |
| child process | A process that was started by another process (parent process). |
| chkconfig command | A command that can be used to configure daemon startup by runlevel. |
| chmod (change mode) command | The command used to change the mode (permissions) of a file or directory. |
| chown (change owner) command | The command used to change the owner and group owner of a file or directory. |
| chsh command | The command used to change a valid shell to an invalid shell. |
| Classless Interdomain Routing (CIDR) notation | A notation that is often used to represent an IP address and its subnet mask. |
| closed source software | The software whose source code is not freely available from the original author; Windows 7, for example. |
| Cluster | A grouping of several smaller computers that function as one large supercomputer. |
| Clustering | The act of making a cluster; see also cluster. |
| command | A program that exists on the hard disk and is executed when typed on the command line. |
| command mode | One of the two modes in vi; it allows a user to perform any available text editing task that is not related to inserting text into the document. |
| Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) | The printing system commonly used on Linux computers. |
| compiz | A window manager that is commonly used within the KDE and GNOME desktops to provide 3D effects. |
| compress command | The command used to compress files using a Lempel-Ziv compression algorithm. |
| compression | The process in which files are reduced in size by a compression algorithm. |
| compression algorithm | The set of instructions used to reduce the contents of a file systematically. |
| compression ratio | The amount of compression that occurred during compression. |
| Concatenation | The joining of text to make one larger whole. In Linux, words and strings of text are joined together to form a displayed file. |
| counter variable | A variable that is altered by loop constructs to ensure that commands are not executed indefinitely. |
| cp (copy) command | The command used to create copies of files and directories. |
| cpio (copy in/out) command | A command used to run a common backup utility. |
| Cracker | A person who uses computer software maliciously for personal profit. |
| cron daemon (crond) | The system daemon that executes tasks repetitively in the future and that is configured using cron tables. |
| cron table | A file specifying tasks to be run by the cron daemon; there are user cron tables and system cron tables. |
| crontab command | The command used to view and edit user cron tables. |
| cups daemon (cupsd) | The daemon responsible for printing in the CUPS printing system. |
| cupsaccept command | The command used to allow a printer to accept jobs into the print queue. |
| cupsdisable command | The command used to prevent print jobs from leaving the print queue. |
| cupsenable command | The command used to allow print jobs to leave the print queue. |
| cupsreject command | The command used to force a printer to reject jobs from entering the print queue. |
| curl command | A command that can be used to obtain a Web page from a Web server. |
| cylinder | A series of tracks on a hard disk that are written to simultaneously by the magnetic heads in a hard disk drive. |
| Daemon | A Linux system process that provides a certain service. |
| daemon process | A system process that is not associated with a terminal. |
| data blocks | A filesystem allocation unit in which the data that makes up the contents of the file as well as the filename are stored. |
| Database | An organized set of data. |
| database | A file that contains data that is organized into tables. |
| database management system (DBMS) | Software that manages databases. |
| dd command | A Linux command that can be used to write image files to a device such as a USB flash memory drive or hard disk. |
| Debian Package Manager (DPM) | A package manager used on Debian and Debian-based Linux distributions. |
| decision construct | A special construct used in a shell script to alter the flow of the program based on the outcome of a command or contents of a variable. Common decision constructs include if, case, &&, and ||. |
| default gateway | The IP address of the router on the network used to send packets to remote networks. |
| default runlevel | The runlevel that is entered when the Linux system is initialized at boot time. |
| desktop environment | The software that works with a window manager to provide a standard GUI environment that uses standard programs and development tools. |
| developmental kernel | A Linux kernel whose minor number is odd and has been recently developed yet not thoroughly tested. |
| device driver | A piece of software containing instructions that the kernel of an operating system uses to control and interact with a specific type of computer hardware. |
| device file | A file used by Linux commands that represents a specific device on the system; these files do not have a data section and use major and minor numbers to reference the proper driver and specific device on the system, respectively. |
| df (disk free space) command | A command that displays disk free space by filesystem. |
| digital signature | Information that has been encrypted using a private key. |
| Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) | A common asymmetric encryption algorithm that is primarily used for creating digital signatures. |
| directive | A line within a configuration file. |
| Directory | A special file on the filesystem used to organize other files into a logical tree structure. |
| disabled printer | A printer that does not send print jobs from the print queue to a printer. |
| disk imaging software | Software used to copy sectors between devices. For example, you can use disk imaging software to copy an ISO image to a disk device sector-by-sector, preserving the image’s boot sector. An ISO image copied in this way can be used to start the system BIOS. |
| disk mirroring | A RAID configuration consisting of two identical hard disks to which identical data is written in parallel, thus ensuring fault tolerance. Also known as RAID 1. |
| disk striping | A RAID configuration in which a single file is divided into sections, which are then written to different hard disks concurrently to speed up access time; this type of RAID is not fault tolerant. Also known as RAID 0. |
| disk striping with parity | A RAID configuration that incorporates disk striping for faster file access, as well as parity information to ensure fault tolerance. Also known as RAID 5. |
| disk-burning software | Software that can be used to record data to CD-RW or DVD-RW media. |
| Display Settings utility | A graphical utility that can be used to configure the video card and monitor settings for use by X Windows. |
| Distribution | A complete set of operating system software, including the Linux kernel, supporting function libraries and a variety of OSS packages; these OSS packages are what differentiate the various distributions of Linux. |
| dmesg command | A command that displays hardware-related messages generated by the Linux kernel. |
| DNS cache file | A file that contains the IP addresses of top-level DNS servers. |
| document root | The directory on a Web server that stores Web content for distribution to Web browsers. |
| documentation | The system information that is stored in a log book for future reference. |
| domain name space (DNS) | A hierarchical namespace used for host names. |
| du (directory usage) command | A command that displays directory usage. |
| dual boot | A configuration in which two or more OSs exist on the hard disk of a computer; a boot loader allows the user to choose which OS to load at boot time. |
| dual booting | The process of installing more than one operating system on a computer. The user can then choose the operating system to load at system startup. |
| dump command | A command used to run a utility that creates full and incremental backups. |
| EasyBCD | A free Windows utility that can be used to modify and configure the Windows boot loader so that it can dual boot a Linux OS. |
| echo command | A command used to display or echo output to the terminal screen. It might utilize escape sequences. |
| edquota command | A command used to specify quota limits for users and groups. |
| egrep command | A variant of the grep command, used to search files for patterns using extended regular expressions. |
| ELILO | A boot loader used with computers that support Intel Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) technology. |
| Emacs (Editor MACroS) editor | A popular and widespread text editor more conducive to word processing than vi. It was originally developed by Richard Stallman. |
| enabled printer | A printer that sends print jobs from the print queue to a printer. |
| env command | A command used to display a list of exported variables present in the current shell, except special variables. |
| environment files | The files used immediately after login to execute commands; they are typically used to load variables into memory. |
| environment variables | The variables that store information commonly accessed by the system or programs executing on the system—together, these variables form the user environment. |
| escape sequences | The character sequences that have special meaning inside the echo command. They are prefixed by the \ character. |
| Ethernet | The most common media access method used in networks today. |
| executable program | A file that can be executed by the Linux operating system to run in memory as a process and perform a useful function. |
| export command | A command used to send variables to subshells. |
| exporting | The process used to describe the sharing of a directory using NFS to other computers. |
| ext2 | A nonjournaling Linux filesystem. |
| ext3 | A journaling Linux filesystem. |
| ext4 | An improved version of the ext3 filesystem with an extended feature set and better performance. |
| extended multiuser mode | Also called runlevel 3; the mode that provides most daemons and a full set of networking daemons. |
| extended partition | A partition on a hard disk that can be further subdivided into components called logical drives. |
| Facility | The area of the system from which information is gathered when logging system events. |
| fault tolerant | Term used to describe a device that exhibits a minimum of downtime in the event of a failure. |
| fdisk command | A command used to create, delete, and manipulate partitions on hard disks. |
| fgrep command | A variant of the grep command that does not allow the use of regular expressions. |
| field | An attribute within a record in a database table. |
| file command | A Linux command that displays the file type of a specified filename. |
| file descriptors | The numeric labels used to define command input and command output. |
| file handles | The connections that a program makes to files on a filesystem. |
| File Transfer Protocol (FTP) | The most common protocol used to transfer files across the Internet. |
| File Transfer Protocol (FTP) | The most common protocol used to transfer files across networks such as the Internet. |
| Filename | The user-friendly identifier given to a file. |
| filename extension | At the end of filename, a dot followed by a series of identifiers that denote the file type; the filename extension .txt denotes a text file. |
| filesystem | The way in which a hard disk partition is formatted to allow data to reside on the physical media; common Linux filesystems include ext2, ext3, ext4, REISER, and VFAT. |
| filesystem | The organization imposed on a physical storage medium that is used to manage the storage and retrieval of data. |
| filesystem corruption | The errors in a filesystem structure that prevent the retrieval of stored data. |
| Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) | A standard outlining the location of set files and directories on a Linux system. |
| filter command | A command that can take from stdin and send to stdout. In other words, a filter is a command that can exist in the middle of a pipe. |
| find command | The command used to find files on the filesystem using various criteria. |
| firmware RAID | A RAID system controlled by the computer’s BIOS. |
| firstboot wizard | A configuration utility that is run at system startup immediately following a Fedora Linux installation. |
| Flavor | A specific type of UNIX operating system. For example, Solaris and BSD are two flavors of UNIX. |
| foreground (fg) command | The command used to run a background process in the foreground. |
| foreground process | A process for which the BASH shell that executed it must wait for its termination. |
| Forking | The act of creating a new BASH shell child process from a parent BASH shell process. |
| formatting | The process in which a filesystem is placed on a disk device. |
| forward lookup | A DNS name resolution request whereby an FQDN is resolved to an IP address. |
| free command | A command used to display memory and swap statistics. |
| Free Identity, Policy, and Audit (FreeIPA) | A set of security software that provides secure authentication across a network using several technologies that work together, including LDAP, Kerberos, NTP, and DNS. |
| Free Software Foundation (FSF) | An organization, started by Richard Stallman, that promotes and encourages the collaboration of software developers worldwide to allow the free sharing of source code and software programs. |
| Freeware | Software distributed by the developer at no cost to the user. |
| frequently asked questions (FAQs) | An area on a Web site where answers to commonly posed questions can be found. |
| fsck (filesystem check) command | A command used to check the integrity of a filesystem and repair damaged files. |
| ftp command | A command-line FTP client that is found in most operating systems. |
| full backup | An archive of an entire filesystem. |
| fully qualified domain name (FQDN) | A string of words identifying a server on the Internet. |
| fully qualified domain name (FQDN) | A host name that follows DNS convention. |
| fuser command | A command used to identify any users or processes using a particular file or directory. |
| gedit editor | A common text editor used within GUI environments. |
| General Electric Comprehensive Operating System (GECOS) | The field in the /etc/passwd file that contains a description of the user account. |
| GNOME Display Manager (gdm) | A program that provides a graphical login screen. |
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