As part of your Linux training, you need to learn how to use Linux commands to do Linux administration.

New Linux users often find it difficult to learn how to use Linux commands by using Linux books or other Linux documentation.

Linux video tutorials have recently changed all this - and at last provide a source of easy Linux training materials! 5 Benefits of Using Linux Video Tutorials to Learn Linux Commands

1. You get to actually see a Linux command being run - every step of the way.

The great thing about watching a Linux video tutorial to learn how to use a Linux command is that you can see exactly how everything is done. You can see how to run the command - step-by-step.

Linux Tips: If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Linux video tutorial is worth 300,000 words a minute! - at five frames (pictures) per second.

2. You hear the reason for running the Linux command as well as the description of running the command.

Along with seeing the Linux video, you also hear how everything is done. In a nice, calm and relaxed manner. This is real easy Linux training.

3. You can pause a Linux video tutorial whenever you need more time.

Whenever you need to think about something you’ve just seen and heard, you can just click on the pause button and the Linux video tutorial pauses for as long as you need!

You may want to pause the Linux video because something appears on the screen that you need more time to absorb - or you may need more time to read the output of a Linux command that was just run.

4. You get to see the “full” output of the Linux command.

This is an often overlooked, but extremely important part of learning Linux commands.

The output of a Linux command can be quite long and detailed - far too long to show in a Linux book. But the output of a Linux command is another key item to learn from.

Linux Tips: When you’re reading a Linux book, you rarely see the output of a Linux command. And if some output is shown, it’s usually just a short bit of the output. Partly because of the amount of space required to show the output and partly because it would take more time to clearly show you the output.

5. You get to learn from someone with Linux training experience.

Written by Clyde Boom.

Linux GUI utilities provide an easy “point-and-click” method of doing Linux administration tasks, but they are time-consuming and awkward to use. You can run a simple Linux command to do the equivalent task in a fraction of the time it would take to use a Linux GUI utility.

When you get Linux training, be sure that it is focused on how to use Linux commands. Also, if you are interested in getting Linux certification, you need to know how to use Linux commands to be able to pass, not Linux GUI utilities. Linux Tips - How to Use Linux “Patterns” (Linux Wildcard characters)

Some Linux documentation uses the term “pattern” to refer to Linux wildcard characters.

Wildcard characters are used in a “pattern” to cause a Linux command to work on multiple items, such as multiple directories and files in the Linux file system.

The two Linux wildcard characters are the * (asterisk) and ? (question mark).

Using an * (asterisk) with a Linux Command

An * (asterisk) is used in a pattern to represent “all” characters of an item (directory or file).

The Linux command below shows an example of the using the cp (copy) command to copy all (because of the * without any other letters or numbers) files in the current directory into the directory named memos.

]# cp * memos

Linux Tips: Keep in mind that Linux commands are “case sensitive”. Always type the letters in upper or lower case, as shown.

Linux Tips: Also, be sure to use spaces where they are shown. For example, in the Linux command above, you need a space (just a single space) between cp and the * and you need a single space between the * and memos.

The * (Linux wildcard character) can be combined with one or more letters at the front of it or after it.

The following Linux command is an example of the using the cp (copy) command to copy all files in the current directory beginning with the letter r into the directory named memos.

]# cp r* reports

The Linux command below copies all files ending in “sxw” into the directory named weekly.

]# cp *.sxw weekly

The next Linux command copies all files containing “mem” (anywhere in the file name) into the directory named monthly.

]# cp *mem* monthly

Using a ? (question mark) with a Linux Command

The ? (question mark) is used in a pattern to represent a single character.

The Linux command below shows an example of the using the mv (move) command to move files that have a single character and end in “cfg” into the directory named june.

]# mv ?.cfg june

The following Linux command moves all files beginning with “month”, and having two characters after “month”, and ending in “sxw”, into the folder named years.

]# mv month??.sxw years

Written by Clyde Boom.

Here’s the great news! Linux commands are virtually identical from one Linux distribution (a.k.a.version, distro) to another.

So, when you learn a Linux command in one Linux distribution, you have learned that command for ALL Linux distributions.

Linux Tips: The Linux commands we’re talking about here are the very popular GNU / Linux commands that are common to every Linux distribution. These are the essential Linux commands required for Linux system administration, like the cd, ls, cp, rm, pwd and mkdir commands.

3 Reasons for Learning How to Use Linux Commands in Multiple Linux Distributions

1. Your Company May Change to a Different Linux Distribution

Linux distributions change in popularity constantly.

If you work in a company that is currently using just one Linux distribution, the company may change to a different distribution.

By learning Linux commands, you are learning how to use Linux in all Linux distributions at once!

Linux Tips: Except for a very few differences in the way that a very few commands work, the GNU / Linux commands are identical from one Linux distribution to another.

2. You May Start Working at a Company that is Using Multiple Linux Distributions

If you change jobs, you may be working at a company that uses multiple Linux distributions.

For example, a company may use one Linux distribution for one purpose, such as a web server, and use a different Linux distribution for another purpose, such as a firewall.

Linux Tips: When you get Linux training that focuses on Linux commands, you learn to work with all Linux distributions, regardless of what the Linux distribution is being used for.

3. You Don’t Know What Linux Distribution You’ll Be Using When You Get Hired After School

If you are currently getting Linux training at a college, university or technical school, you don’t know what Linux distribution you’ll be using when you finish. So why not focus on learning Linux commands and then you will be able to use any Linux distribution?

Written by Clyde Boom