Lab – File System Commands (Linux Version)
Introduction
In this lab, you will use Command Line Interface (CLI) commands to manage
files and directories in Linux.
Recommended Equipment
A computer running Linux (Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution)
Access to the terminal
Instructions
Step 1: Access the Linux Terminal
1. Log into your Linux machine.
2. Open a terminal by searching for "Terminal" in your application menu
or pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.
Step 2: Create and Change Directories
1. Type pwd in the terminal.
Question:
a. What is the current directory?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
2. Use the ls command to list the files and directories in the current
directory.
ls
3. Create three new directories: ITEfolder1, ITEfolder2, and ITEfolder3
using the mkdir command:
mkdir ITEfolder1 ITEfolder2 ITEfolder3
4. Verify the directories have been created:
ls
5. Change into the ITEfolder3 directory:
cd ITEfolder3
Question:
a. Which directory are you in now?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
Step 3: Create Nested Directories
1. Create a nested folder structure: ITEfolder4/ITEfolder5 inside
ITEfolder3.
mkdir -p ITEfolder4/ITEfolder5
2. Verify the nested folders have been created:
ls -R
Question:
a. What command did you use to create the nested folders?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
3. Navigate to ITEfolder5 using:
cd ITEfolder4/ITEfolder5
4. Move back to the parent directory using:
cd ..
Question:
a. After issuing the cd .. command, what is your current directory?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
Step 4: Create Text Files
1. Navigate to the ITEfolder1 directory:
cd ~/ITEfolder1
2. Create text files doc1.txt, doc2.txt, file1.txt, and file2.txt using the
echo command:
echo "This is doc1.txt" > doc1.txt
echo "This is doc2.txt" > doc2.txt
echo "This is file1.txt" > file1.txt
echo "This is file2.txt" > file2.txt
3. Verify the files have been created:
ls
4. View the contents of the files using the cat command:
cat doc1.txt
cat doc2.txt
Step 5: Copy, Delete, and Move Files
1. Move doc2.txt to ITEfolder2:
mv doc2.txt ~/ITEfolder2/
2. Navigate to ITEfolder2 and verify the file has been moved:
cd ~/ITEfolder2
ls
3. Create a copy of doc2.txt named doc2_copy.txt:
cp doc2.txt doc2_copy.txt
4. Move doc2_copy.txt back to ITEfolder1:
mv doc2_copy.txt ~/ITEfolder1/
5. Rename doc2_copy.txt to doc2_renamed.txt:
mv ~/ITEfolder1/doc2_copy.txt ~/ITEfolder1/doc2_renamed.txt
6. Delete doc2_renamed.txt:
rm ~/ITEfolder1/doc2_renamed.txt
Question:
a. What single command would you use to delete all files with
"doc2" in the filename?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
7. Use a wildcard (*) to move file1.txt and file2.txt into ITEfolder3:
mv ~/ITEfolder1/file* ~/ITEfolder3/
Step 6: Use the cp Command to Copy Directories
1. Copy all contents of ITEfolder3 to ITEfolder1:
cp -r ~/ITEfolder3/* ~/ITEfolder1/
2. Verify the contents were copied:
ls ~/ITEfolder1
3. Use the cp --help or man cp command to determine how to copy
directories, including empty ones.
Step 7: Use the rm Command to Delete Files and Directories
1. Delete the empty ITEfolder2 directory:
rmdir ~/ITEfolder2
2. Attempt to delete ITEfolder1:
rmdir ~/ITEfolder1
Question:
a. Were you able to delete the directory? Why or why not?
b. Answer: Type your answers here.
3. Delete ITEfolder1 and all its contents using:
rm -r ~/ITEfolder1
Reflection Question
What are the advantages of using CLI vs. GUI?
o Type your answers here.
End of Lab.
