CPSC 1280: UNIX Tools and Scripting

202110
Course Format: Lecture 4.0 h + Seminar 0.0 h + Lab 2.0 h

Credits: 3 Transfer Credit: For information, visit bctransferguide.ca

Course Description
Introduction to concepts and practices in operating systems, software engineering tools, system and
network administration. Scripting languages, utilities, tools and techniques. Topics include: command
line interface; filters; pipelines; file organization; reusable utilities; software configuration management;
simplifying programming tasks; System/Network configuration, administration; and security issues.

Prerequisites
A minimum grade of "C" in CPSC 1150 or 1155; or permission of department. Prerequisites are valid for
only three years.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
● explain the basic concepts of operating systems, such as files, directories, processes, inter-process-
communication (IPC), and their realization in a modern operating system
● use the Unix design philosophy and Unix tools to solve computing problems
● implement scripts in Unix shell, and other languages such as AWK, Perl or Python
● effectively use a command line interface such as Bash
● use regular expressions to search and manipulate text
● explain the use of configuration management tools such as Subversion or Git

Instructor
TBA

Office Hours
TBA

Textbook and Course Materials

● Sumitabha Das. 2013. Your UNIX/Linux: The Ultimate Guide, (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
 provide the pseudonym to me so I can identify you when
Assessments and Weighting reviewing your class work.
Lab Quizzes 10%
Assignments 70% Grading
Final Exam 20% GPA Grade Average Description
No Midterms covid 4.33 A+ 90 – 100
Total 100% Distinguished
4.00 A 85 – 89
● Lowest lab dropped Achievement
3.67 A- 80 – 84
● Lowest assignment dropped 3.33 B+ 76 – 79
● See Departmental & Course policies Above Average
3.00 B 72 – 75
● The instructor may adjust final grades using Achievement
2.67 B- 68 – 71
other fair criteria 2.33 C+ 64 – 67
Note: This course may use an electronic (online) Satisfactory
instructional resource that is located outside of Canada 2.00 C 60 – 63
Achievement
for mandatory graded class work. You may be required to 1.67 C- 55 – 59
enter personal information, such as your name and email 1.00 D 50 – 54 Marginal Performance
address, to log in to this resource. This means that your
personal information could be stored on servers located 0.00 F < 50% Unsatisfactory
outside of Canada and may be accessed by U.S. 0.00 N Did not complete
authorities, subject to federal laws. Where possible, you - W Withdrawal
may log in with an email pseudonym as long as you

Detailed Course Schedule

Unit Lecture Readings Notes
1 Intro to OS, UNIX, & Linux Ch. 1, Ch. 16.5
2 Command Line Interface Ch. 2, 3, 6
3 CLI Utilities Ch. 9
4 Shell Scripting Ch. 13 2 weeks
5 Processes & System Admin Ch. 7, 19
6 REs, grep Ch. 10.1 – 10.5
7 sed Ch. 10.6 – 10.14
8 awk Ch. 12
9 Links and Permissions Ch. 4
10 C & Make? Ch. 15, Ch. 16.1 - 4, 12 if time permits
11 Perl? Ch. 14 "

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As a student at Langara, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself and complying with the
following policies:

College Policies

F1004 – Academic Integrity

E1003 - Student Code of Conduct

E2008 - Academic Standing - Academic Probation and Academic Suspension

E2006 - Appeal of Final Grade

F1002 - Concerns about Instruction

E2011 - Withdrawal from Courses and Deferred Standing

Marks on assignments and exams are based on merit and the quality of a student’s academic work and
are non-negotiable. Personal circumstances are not a factor in determining a mark or final course grade.
Do not approach your instructor at any time to negotiate a mark or final grade, based on personal
reasons. If personal circumstances are affecting your ability to satisfactorily complete your academic
work, please seek help early from support services on campus. Information about services is available on
line at https://langara.ca/student-services/index.html. International students can go to the
International Education Office, Room A107.

Departmental Policies
From https://langara.ca/programs-and-courses/courses/CPSC/, as of January 5th, 2020.

Prerequisites
Prerequisites for courses in Computer Science are valid for only three years. Students wanting to
register in a course for which the prerequisite was taken more than three years ago will require
departmental permission. Students may be required to write a diagnostic test or to “upgrade” the
prerequisite. A course may only be used as a prerequisite if the Computer Science grade is at least "C".

Repeating a course
A Computer Science course may be taken only twice, regardless of the grade earned in the first
enrollment. The Department Chair, or delegate, will decide on exceptions to this rule, usually on the
basis of documented evidence of upgraded prerequisites.

Attendance
Students will receive a failing mark if they miss 20% of the course components including lectures,
seminars, and labs, unless there is verifiable evidence of an acceptable excuse.

Grading
● In order to get a "C" or higher grade in a Computer Science course, a student must achieve at
least 50% average in the exam components of the course.
● In courses which involve programming, students are required to hand in an attempt at solving
every assignment in order to pass a course. In addition, students are required to obtain a
satisfactory programming mark.

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Course Policies
● Collaboration on labs is permitted
● Collaboration on assignments and exams is forbidden
● Assignments
o should take 4 – 8 hours to complete
o are (usually) not meant to be completed in one sitting
o shall be released on Brightspace/D2L
o submissions shall be anonymized and contain no identifying information
o submissions will not be accepted via email
o may be submitted late for up to 24 hours for a 20% flat penalty
o no "make-ups", extra-credit, or further exemptions will be given except under extremely
extenuating circumstances
o should be submitted early & often, but only the last submission shall be considered
o requiring compilation shall include source, header, documentation, data, and build files only
o do not submit object files (e.g.: “.class”, and “.o” files), executable files, or IDE project files
o shall meet all requirements and constraints, and follow best practices
o such constraints may be: programming language, interface, style, resources, licensing, etc
o allow time to package and attach any necessary files before the deadline; submit the right version
o a mark of zero on four or more assignments results in a final grade of “N”
● Plagiarism is not tolerated under any circumstances.
o Plagiarism is falsely presenting another person’s work or ideas as your own, using another
person’s work or ideas without acknowledging the source of the material, or allowing another
person to do the same with your work.
o the work that you submit must be your own
o You must cite your sources
o cite everything except for the course materials and the textbookYou are encouraged to discuss
concepts with classmates
o if you are discussing an assignment with someone, you should not write/type anything about it for
an hour after talking, AND you must acknowledge him or her as a source
o never send your solution file(s) to anyone
o Any plagiarized work automatically receives a grade of zero and is referred to the Office of
Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs, which could result in a reduced overall grade, a failing grade
for the course, or the student being suspended or expelled from the College.

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