COMP SCI 370 Linux Systems Programming

Fall 2007

Course web site: [http://www.uwgb.edu/shayw/courses/370]

Meeting times: TR 2:00-3:15 in MAC 122

Professor: Bill Shay Office: MAC C308

Phone: 465-2316/5038 email: shayw@uwgb.edu

Office Hours: MWF: 9:00-10:00; TR: 3:30-4:30; or by appointment.

Prerequisites: COMP SCI 241 Discrete Mathematics I; COMP SCI 371 Advanced Object Design in C++ (Concurrent enrollment is sufficient)

Required Texts: Beginning Linux Programming (3^rd edition) by Matthew and Stones.

PHP & MySQL by Vikram Vaswani

Course: The primary focus on this course is to learn how to work within a Linux environment and to explore a few of the productivity tools that run on a Linux system. Specifically we will spend some time on the following:

• Linux vi editor to build and edit files.
• Linux bash shell. The bash shell defines the commands through which users interact with the Linux Operating Systems. Though some of the commands resemble the old DOS commands the similarity ends there. Linux is a powerful Operating System and the commands allow a wide range of activities.
• Development of bash shell scripts. Scripts define a collection of shell commands that interact with the operating system. Designing scripts allows a user to define his or her working environment and to automate frequent activities. It's analogous to a windows environment where right-clicking allows various actions to be taken.
• PHP. This is another scripting language but is frequently used in setting up web applications. We will see that PHP scripts can be run from the command line or, with proper setup, from an Internet browser.
• MySQL. This is a database management system. You will learn how to query tables from within Linux and from browser-accessible PHP scripts. Together, these provide a popular choice for interactive web pages.
• CGI programming. This is Common Gateway Interface programming and defines protocols by which information can be exchanged between web browsers and CGI programs run on a server. CGI programs may be written in a variety of languages but we will use PHP and C to illustrate some of the functionality that lies behind search engines, web form, and database access.
• C language, process creation, interprocess communication. Here we will focus on lower level operations, pointers, bit level operations, and dynamic storage allocation. You will also learn how to design processes that create and track the activities of other processes (A fundamental ability in any Operating System and many web applications) which can also communicate with each other.
• Client/Server technology and cross-platform computing. You will learn the fundamentals of client/server applications and how to transfer information between distinct programs running on different platforms such as Linux and Windows. This represents the basic technology behind Instant Messenger type applications.
• Exploration of Cygwin, a client-side gui interface front-end to Linux.

Linux is a popular choice of many, especially those in the area of systems development & maintenance and network programming. It is a powerful operating system with a cryptic shell allowing its users to perform complex tasks not easily done in other systems. Linux is a very different environment from what you are likely used to. Window’s GUI environments were designed to make windows resources available to a wide range of users, including those with little or no computing experience. Though there are GUI front ends to Linux, it is traditionally a command driven system requiring knowledge of its commands to make things happen. There are fewer computer resources devoted to a friendly interface and more devoted to performing tasks. As a result, Linux has evolved into a powerful operating environment capable of performing complex tasks with minimal input from the user. However, that user must know the system well to use it to its maximum potential and also to avoid costly problems. With power comes responsibility and Linux users can perform tasks that adversely affect others on the system if appropriate measures are not taken.

The class will be a mix of lecture, demonstration, and hands-on exercises. I will demonstrate many programs and I will make them available on the course web site. I recommend getting copies of these programs and downloading them into your Linux account, as we will use some of these programs for the hands-on portion of the class.

The workload for this class will consist primarily of designing and writing programs to demonstrate knowledge of the items above (You have all been given accounts on the UW-Green Bay Linux server, icsd). You can expect to write about 8-9 programs/scripts during the semester. This averages about two programs every three weeks.

Grading: Programs: 40%; Exam 1: 20%; Exam 2: 20%; Final exam: 20%.

According to the registrar the final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18, 2007 from 1:00-3:00. This date is known months in advance and any plans such as work schedules must be planned around this date.

Syllabus (approximate): MS represents the Matthew/Stone book and V represents the Vaswani book. Each topic is supplemented by demo programs found on the course web site. Since I will make frequent references to the textbook I encourage you to bring the books to class each day.

Week	Topics
1	Intro to Linux. Files, directories, permissions, shell commands, and vi editor (Notes. MS Chapter 1 & 2, & 19)
2-3	Shell scripts: environment variables, loops, decision making, file and directory processing, recursive scripts (demos, MS Chapter 2).
4-5	Introduction to web applications, html, forms, and CGI programming. PHP and simple web-based interaction (V Chapter 1, 3, and 4)
5-6	PHP Arrays, custom functions, file access, session-based web applications. Analysis of a shopping cart program (V Chapters 5-7). EXAM.
7-8	Relational databases, SQL, and MySQL. PHP and database access in a web environment (V Chapter 8-10, 13; MS Chapter 8)
8-9	Introduction to GNU C, C I/O, formatting, loops and ifs, header files, functions and function arguments, file I/O, makefiles, debugging in C (Notes; MS: Parts of chapters 3, 4).
9	Bit level operations, bit flags, logical operations, status checking, bucket sort, binary representations, and encryption. Debugging tools (Class notes).
10	Dynamic memory management: pointers, memory allocation, relationship to arrays, casting, arrays of pointers, dynamic arrays, linked lists. Debugging tools (MS: Parts of chapters 7 and 10)
11	C-style strings, string operations (Class demos).
12	CGI programming in C, implementing a search engine (Class demos). EXAM.
13	Process management, fork, exec, pipe commands, client/server models (MS: Chapter 11 & 13).
14	Client/server programming, sockets, Establishing communication between a C++ .NET program and a Linux C program (MS: Chapter 15; Class notes).
15 (If time)	Screen Management with the curses library or POSIX Threads (MS: Chapter 6 or 12).