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Lesson 04 - Linux Filesystem Administration Lab

Estimated time: 60–90 minutes

Module: Module 02 – Linux Filesystem Administration

Prerequisites: - Lesson 01 – Linux Filesystem Hierarchy - Lesson 02 – File Permissions and Ownership - Lesson 03 – Finding Files and Links

Difficulty: Beginner

Overview

This lab brings together everything you have learned in Module 02.

You will create a small project workspace and perform common Linux filesystem administration tasks including creating directories, managing files, changing permissions, searching for files, and creating links.

The goal is to complete the exercises using the commands learned throughout this module.

Learning Objectives

By completing this lab you will be able to:

  • Navigate the Linux filesystem confidently
  • Create and organise directories
  • Create, copy, move and remove files
  • Modify file permissions
  • Locate files using search commands
  • Create symbolic and hard links
  • Apply best practices when managing files

Scenario

You have been asked to prepare a project workspace for a development team.

The workspace should contain directories for documentation, scripts, backups and log files.

Once created, you will populate the workspace, manage permissions and verify everything is working correctly.

Part 1 - Create the Project Structure

Create the following directory structure inside your home directory.

training-lab/
├── documents
├── scripts
├── backups
└── logs

Hint:

mkdir -p ~/training-lab/{documents,scripts,backups,logs}

Verify the structure:

tree ~/training-lab

If the tree command is unavailable, use:

find ~/training-lab

Part 2 - Create Files

Create the following files.

documents/
    notes.txt
    inventory.txt

scripts/
    backup.sh

Example:

touch ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt
touch ~/training-lab/documents/inventory.txt
touch ~/training-lab/scripts/backup.sh

Verify your work:

ls -R ~/training-lab

Part 3 - Add Content

Add some text to the files.

Example:

echo "Linux Filesystem Administration Lab" > ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt

echo "Server Inventory" > ~/training-lab/documents/inventory.txt

echo "#!/bin/bash" > ~/training-lab/scripts/backup.sh

View the contents:

cat ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt

Part 4 - Copy Files

Copy the notes file into the backups directory.

Example:

cp ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt ~/training-lab/backups/

Verify:

ls ~/training-lab/backups

Part 5 - Move and Rename Files

Rename:

inventory.txt

to:

server-inventory.txt

Example:

mv ~/training-lab/documents/inventory.txt \
   ~/training-lab/documents/server-inventory.txt

Verify the change:

ls ~/training-lab/documents

Part 6 - Modify Permissions

Make the backup script executable.

Example:

chmod +x ~/training-lab/scripts/backup.sh

Verify:

ls -l ~/training-lab/scripts

Question:

Which permission changed?

Part 7 - Search for Files

Locate the backup script.

find ~/training-lab -name backup.sh

Find every text file.

find ~/training-lab -name "*.txt"

Find every directory.

find ~/training-lab -type d

Part 8 - Hidden Files

Create a hidden configuration file.

touch ~/training-lab/.training.conf

Display all files, including hidden files.

ls -la ~/training-lab

Question:

Why are hidden files commonly used?

Part 9 - Create a Symbolic Link

Create a symbolic link called:

latest-notes

that points to:

documents/notes.txt

Example:

ln -s ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt \
      ~/training-lab/latest-notes

Verify:

ls -l ~/training-lab

Open the linked file:

cat ~/training-lab/latest-notes

Part 10 - Create a Hard Link

Create a hard link.

Example:

ln ~/training-lab/documents/notes.txt \
   ~/training-lab/documents/notes-hardlink.txt

Compare inode numbers.

ls -li ~/training-lab/documents

Question:

What do you notice about the inode numbers?

Part 11 - Clean Up

Delete the copied backup file.

rm ~/training-lab/backups/notes.txt

Remove the empty backups directory.

rmdir ~/training-lab/backups

Verify the remaining directory structure.

find ~/training-lab

Final Challenge

Without referring back to the lessons, complete the following tasks.

  • Create a new project directory.
  • Create three subdirectories.
  • Create several files.
  • Rename one file.
  • Copy one file.
  • Move one file.
  • Make a script executable.
  • Find all text files.
  • Create both a symbolic link and a hard link.
  • Remove an unwanted file.
  • Display the final directory structure.

Knowledge Check

  1. Which command creates nested directories?

  2. What command changes file permissions?

  3. How do you make a script executable?

  4. Which command searches the filesystem?

  5. What is the difference between a hard link and a symbolic link?

  6. Which command displays inode numbers?

  7. How do you display hidden files?

  8. Which command safely removes an empty directory?

Module Summary

Congratulations!

You have now completed Module 02 – Linux Filesystem Administration.

You should now be able to:

  • ✅ Understand the Linux filesystem hierarchy
  • ✅ Navigate directories confidently
  • ✅ Create, copy, move and remove files
  • ✅ Manage file permissions and ownership
  • ✅ Locate files using search tools
  • ✅ Create and use hard and symbolic links
  • ✅ Apply Linux filesystem administration skills in practical scenarios

These are core skills used by Linux administrators every day.

Next Module

Module 03 – Users and Groups

In the next module you will learn how Linux manages user accounts, groups, passwords, administrative privileges and secure access to systems.