Unix Tools: Data, Software and Production Engineering

About

Processing information is the hallmark of all modern organizations, which are increasingly digital: absorbing, processing and generating information is a key element of their business.
Being able to interact flexibly and efficiently with the underlying data and software systems is an indispensable skill. Knowledge of the Unix shell and its command-line tools boosts the effectiveness and productivity of software developers, IT professionals, and data analysts.

The Unix tools were designed, written, actively used and refined by the team that defined the modern computing landscape. They allow the performance of almost any imaginable computing task quickly and efficiently by judiciously combining key powerful concepts. The power of Unix tools for exploring, prototyping and implementing big data processing workflows, and software engineering tasks remains unmatched. Unix tools, running on hardware ranging from tiny IoT platforms to supercomputers, uniquely allow an interactive, explorative programming style, which is ideal for the efficient solution of many of the engineering and business analytics problems that we face every day.

Through the use of Unix tools:

• Software developers can quickly explore and modify code, data, and tests.
• IT professionals can scrutinize log files, network traces, performance figures, filesystems and the behavior of processes.
• Data analysts can extract, transform, filter, process, load, and summarize huge data sets.

The course is uniquely based on carefully-selected, interactive walk-through examples that demonstrate how each command operates in practice. The examples that we use involve problems that engineers and analysts face every day.

_ ___ Class Central: Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 edition)

What you will learn

After completing the course you’ll be able to

• Enter and combine commands in the Unix command line
• Use files, data pipelines, variables and control structures
• Select the most useful tools and commands for fetching, selecting, generating, processing, summarizing and reporting data
• Obtain data from databases, cloud-based hosts, version control systems, object files, archives and your desktop files
• Accomplish diverse processing tasks by putting together suitable commands and configuring their execution parameters

Skills you learn

• Software Systems
• Prototyping
• Business Analytics
• Software Development
• Unix Shell
• Big Data
• Software Analysis
• Command-Line Interface
• Workflow Management
• File Systems
• Unix
• Internet Of Things (IoT)
• DevOps
• Log Files
• Unix Tools
• Supercomputing
• Production Engineering
• Software Engineering

Syllabus

We start by introducing the key ideas and advantages of Unix tools. We then build many one-liners around the tools that follow a sequence of fetching, selection, processing, summarization and reporting. We demonstrate the tools for each phase: the plumbing that joins the parts into a whole, more specialized commands for handling software development and system administration tasks, sound and images and even graph-structures. We end with a discussion of common use patterns to follow and anti-patterns to avoid.

Week 1 Introduction — Getting to the Command Line; The command-line interface; Input and output redirection; Files and directories; Command-line arguments; Command grouping; Scripting
Week 2 Execution control; Data processing flow; Data fetching: Remote services, archives, remote hosts, and the file system
Week 3 Data fetching: Version control systems, compiled code, graphical desktop systems, and system administration; Data generation; Regular expressions and data selection with grep, egrep, and fgrep
Week 4 Other data selection tools; Processing: Sorting, working with sorted data, sed, awk
Week 5 Processing: File differences, testing, and expressions dealing with characters, lines, and graphs
Week 6 Processing images and sound; Summarizing; Reporting: Email and text formatting; Good shell practices; Improving your shell style

Throughout the course you’ll be monitoring your progress through more than 110 knowledge checks. Furthermore, five progress assessments interspersed throughout the course will allow you to demonstrate in practice how you deploy your newly acquired skills by completing about 20 carefully selected tasks modeled after real-life scenarios. Many of the questions will set you off on a virtual treasure hunt, providing you with the opportunity to experiment with what you’ve learned in order to derive the right answer.

Auto Summary

Embark on a journey through the digital landscape with the "Unix Tools: Data, Software and Production Engineering" course, specifically tailored for IT professionals, software developers, and data analysts. This comprehensive course, developed by edX, delves into the realm of Unix tools, empowering you to handle and process data with unparalleled efficiency. Under the expert guidance of seasoned instructors, you will gain hands-on experience with Unix shell and command-line tools, essential for enhancing productivity and effectiveness in your field. The course is designed to help you unlock the full potential of Unix tools, enabling quick exploration, modification, and manipulation of code, data, and tests. Spanning 32 hours of engaging content, the course utilizes interactive walk-through examples that mirror real-world engineering and analytical challenges. Whether you're scrutinizing log files, network traces, or processing massive datasets, this course equips you with the skills needed to tackle everyday problems with confidence. With a subscription option available at the Starter level, this course is accessible to anyone looking to elevate their technical prowess and become adept at using Unix tools across various hardware platforms, from IoT devices to supercomputers. Join the ranks of top professionals who have already benefited from this highly-rated course, recognized in the Class Central: Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 edition). Enhance your capabilities and advance your career with the practical knowledge and powerful skills offered in this essential Unix tools course.