Online Orientation

Welcome to the Distance Learning UNIX Operating System I course orientation.  I hope you have a profitable and enjoyable learning experience during the semester.  To complete this online orientation you need to follow the following steps:
  1. Study this document and the course syllabus thoroughly.  When you have completely examined both documents then go to step 2.
  1. Complete the online Student Information Form.   Attach the form to an email or send your completed form electronically by selecting submit query (requires a POP mail client) via the Internet to Dr. Ron Bass, your instructor for this course.  Upon receipt of this form your instructor will send you additional course information.
  1. Purchase the textbook.  Examine it and read the first three chapters.
  1. You will be using Blackboard, an instructional website system provided by ACC.  Your username and password can be determined by going to website: http://irt.austincc.edu/blackboard/stlogin.html.  Using your username and password, connect to the Blackboard Website (http://acconline.austincc.edu/index.html).  Login and examine the various links to course materials.

If you have any questions about the course, first check Dr. Bass' website at http://www.austincc.edu/RonBass .  If the information at this site doesn't answer your questions, then send Dr. Bass a detailed e-mail message at: rbass@austincc.edu .

In your e-mail message be sure to identify yourself as a student, your course name, and your section (synonym) number.

 

Lab Facilities

If you do not have access to a computer with the UNIX operating system installed, then you may login to the ACC Linux Server (COIS-Linux.austincc.edu or IP Address:  206.77.144.3) provided for this course.   You may also use a free BSD UNIX server at http://m-net.arbornet.org/free_shell_accounts.php.  If you choose the arbornet server, you will achieve a better connection with telnet or a secure shell client (ssh) than with the web browser connection.  Or, if you choose, you may use the Computer Studies (COIS) Department Computer Labs at any of the major campuses.  In the departmental labs, the IP Address for COIS-Linux is 10.71.26.28.  Of course, you may use any other computer system on which you have an account and which has an operating system such as UNIX System V, BSD UNIX, or Linux.  If you are doing the course at work and have access to a UNIX system using AIX, SunOS, or HP UNIX this will also work.

You may use the COIS computer labs at all the campuses - CYP, EVC, NRG, PIN, NRG, and RVS.  At each of these COIS computer labs ask the lab technician for a guest logon number.  You may then start Putty and connect to COIS-Linux.austincc.edu or to the Blackboard Website (http://acconline.austincc.edu/index.html).  You must have an account id and password for both systems.  Your instructor will provide you an account id and password for the COIS-Linux system.

Please read the COIS Computer Lab Policies and Rules available from the lab staff at any campus.

RGC Lab

The COIS computer lab at the RGC campus is in room 115.  This lab is available during the following times. 


Monday to Friday - 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Saturday – 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Labs on other campuses will have different hours of operation.  Check at each campus for the lab schedules.

Course and Internet Policies

Course Policies

Course Withdrawal

If you withdraw from the course and complete the appropriate withdrawal form, then you will receive a "W" grade.  However, DO NOT rely on Dr. Bass to withdraw you from the course.  It is your responsibility to administratively withdraw from the course to receive a "W" grade.  You will receive a "W" grade, if you initiate a withdrawal through the Admissions and Records Office prior to the withdrawal deadline date.  After this date, you may NOT withdraw and you will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or F depending on your level of achievement.  If you miss the withdraw deadline, your instructor will NOT request a waiver of the College policy and will NOT request a retroactive withdrawal.  Dr. Bass reserves the right, but not the duty, to withdraw you from the course for missed exams, or lack of progress.

Missed Exam Deadline

If you do not take an exam by the scheduled deadline and have not made prior arrangements with your instructor, your grade for the exam will be penalized by 20% when you do take it.  Even if completing an exam late and accepting the penalty, you must complete exam 1 before the initial due date for exam 2.  And, you must complete exam2 prior to taking the final exam.  The final exam cannot be taken late under any circumstance. There will be no retests or make-up exams in this course.

In order to waive the 20% score reduction for taking a late exam, you will need to meet the following conditions.
  • You must have experienced an unforeseen and sudden emergency.  Note: Getting behind in the course is not an unforeseen emergency.
  • You must present to Dr. Bass documented proof of your emergency.
  • You must contact Dr. Bass in person, by phone, or by e-mail of your emergency ON or BEFORE the initial due date of the exam.

Missed Final Exam Deadline

If you miss taking the last exam of the semester, you will receive a zero (0%) grade for the exam. 

Academic Dishonesty
Exams

Cheating on an exam results in a zero (0%) grade for the exam.  The Director of Student Services will be informed of the incident and disciplinary action taken.
Projects

You must complete all work required for this course without assistance.   All lab projects, exercise sets, and quizzes are preparation for exams and it will not benefit you to have others complete them for you.  If you are not certain what kind of assistance is permissible then ask Dr. Bass for his opinion before accepting any assistance.

Retesting & Extra Credit

Dr. Bass does not allow retesting nor extra credit work to raise your grade.

Incomplete Grades

Department Guidelines for Incomplete Grades - You may receive a temporary grade of "I" (Incomplete) at the end of the semester only if you meet the following conditions:
  • You are unable to complete the course during the semester due to circumstances beyond your control.
  • You must have earned at least half of the grade points needed for a "C" grade by the end of the semester.  That means you must have at least a "C" grade before the Final Exam.
  • You must make the request for the "I" grade in person at the instructor's office and complete the necessary documents.  You must also bring to the instructor supporting documentation such as a physician's statement.
  • To remove an "I" grade, you must complete the course by two weeks before the end of the following semester.  Failure to do so will result in the grade automatically reverting to an "F".

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with disabilities, and you want any instructional adjustments or accommodations, then you must meet with a counselor at the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD).  The OSD will complete the Approved Accommodations & Academic Adjustments form.  You must present this completed form to the instructor so he knows what accommodations and adjustments to make to accommodate your disabilities.  You must do this at the beginning of the semester.  You should expect a reasonable amount of time to elapse before the required changes to the course to accommodate you.

Internet Policies

The instructor has informed me of the following information:

  • This course will require use of the Internet.
  • The Internet contains some Web pages with text, graphic, animation, and video content that is of an adult nature. Some Web pages contain nudity, sexually oriented text information, and profanity.
  • The course does not require you to access any information on the Internet that contains sexually oriented material or material that displays profanity.
  • You are advised NOT to view any Internet material that may be offensive.
  • You are warned that you could accidentally or inadvertently encounter offensive material on the Internet.  If this happens, you are advised NOT to view this material on any computer in any ACC computer lab.

 

Course Goals

This course is an introduction to the UNIX Operating System.  It covers topics including: shells, editors, electronic mail, file systems, file processing, redirection and piping, processes, networking, and shell programming. At the end of this course you should be able to:
  • discuss elementary UNIX OS concepts and history.
  • execute a variety of shell commands.
  • demonstrate knowledge of file systems, shells and processes.
  • write elementary Bourne shell scripts.
  • use e-mail to send and receive messages.
  • use Telnet of SSH to connect to another computer.
  • use File Transfer Protocol (ftp or sftp) to perform file downloading and uploading.
  • use compression and decompression software.
  • write simple C shell scripts.
  • demonstrate knowledge of UNIX networking concepts and related shell commands.

You may use your own computer, if you have the following resources:
  • Internet connection service with an e-mail account; and 
  • An installed UNIX operating system such as LINUX,  SCO UNIX, or Free BSD UNIX, or
  • Windows operating system with the telnet utility.

 

ITSC 1307 UNIX Operating System I

Course Schedule

Spring 2012

 (16 weeks)

Completion Date

Activity

01/20

Online Course Orientation

01/31

Exercise Set 1, Problem Set 1 and Exam Review 1, Part A

02/08

Exercise Set 2,  Problem Set 2 and Exam Review 1, Part B

02/16

Exercise Set 3, Problem Set 3 and Exam Review 1, Part C

02/17

Exam 1

02/29

Exercise Set 4, Problem Set 4 and Exam Review 2, Part A

03/19

Exercise Set 5, Problem Set 5 and Exam Review 2, Part B

03/29

Exercise Set 6, Problem Set 6 and Exam Review 2, Part C

03/30

Exam 2

04/09

Exercise Set 7, Problem Set 7 and Exam Review 3, Part A

04/18

Exercise Set 8, Problem Set 8 and Exam Review 3, Part B

04/27

Exercise Set 9, Problem Set 9 and Exam Review 3, Part C

05/09

Exercise Set 10, Problem Set 10 and Exam Review 3, Part D

05/10

Exam 3

 

Course Prerequisite

To be successful in the ITSC 1307 UNIX Operating System I course you must have successfully completed EITHER of the following courses:

COSC 1315 - Fundamentals of Programming

ITSE 1331 - Visual BASIC Programming

Or a suitable equivalent course from another college.

In these courses you should have learned the following prerequisite skills:

  • Variable declaration and assignments.
  • Selection logic.
  • Repetition logic.
  • Use of procedures and/or functions.

If you have not completed the COSC 1315, ITSE 1331, or a suitable equivalent, then you should withdraw from the course.

Course Grade

Your final course grade is the average of the following grades:
  • 10 Quizzes (Exam Reviews 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D) 1% for each part, 10% total.
  • Exam 1, Exam 2, and Exam 3 - 30% of your final average for each exam.
  • Grading Scale: 90% and above is an A, 80 to 89% is a B, 70 to 79% is a C, 60 to 69% is a D, below 60% is an F.

All Exams are objective.  All exams have a time limit of 1 hour 45 minutes.  All exams are closed-book exams with no notes.

 

See the Course Schedule for the exam dates.

Course Materials

Textbook

Sarwar, Syed Mansoor, Koretsky, Robert and Sarwar, Syed Aqeel, "UNIX: The Textbook", 2nd Edition, Addison Wesley Publishers, 2004. 
ISBN: 0-321-22731-X  

Software

If you want to use your own computer, then you will need the following software on your computer:

  • Windows or another GUI type operating system such as MAC OS, Linux or UNIX.
  • Web Browser
  • Internet Connection and Email account
  • SSH Utility

 

Linux

Linux is a variant of UNIX.  You may elect to install Linux on a computer of your own so that you may practice the skills and concepts presented in this course.  If you do so, be aware that Linux is an operating system and can be installed in a number of ways.  HOWEVER!  It will under most installations overwrite or make inoperable any other operating systems on your computer such as Windows.  If you install it, it is best to install it on a second computer and leave your Windows computer set up as you currently have it.  You may need your current computer for access to the instructor's Blackboard Web Site anyway.  An expert Linux technician can install it to operate on your Windows computer so that Windows is unaffected, but you may not have access to such an expert.  Neither your instructor nor ACC lab technicians will assist you in making any installation of Linux on your own computer.  Another Linux alternative is Knoppix Linux.  Knoppix is a Linux variation which boots from a CD and does not store or use any files on your computer.

Other UNIX Operating Systems

If you want to use another variation of UNIX, several are available for PCs.

  • SCO UNIX
  • Free BSD UNIX
  • Solaris (SunOS)

The same warning as issued for Linux applies to these operating systems as well.

Internet Access to the ACC Linux Server

ACC has set up a Linux Server that may be accessed from your home PC with SSH (such as Putty).  Putty is an SSH client available for download on Windows computers.  If you use ACC’s COIS-Linux server, you will be able to connect to it directly from your home PC using an SSH client without the necessity of installing any additional software on your system.

Management:

This course will be managed using ACC's online instructional support system: Blackboard (Bb). Under the Bb system all course materials are available online through an Internet connection and the World Wide Web. As a result, each student must have access to the Internet through a private Internet service provider. ACC does not provide ISP service to students. The URL for the online system is: http://acconline.austincc.edu. All assignments, announcements, chat sessions, discussion boards, Problem Sets and Exercise Sets, exam reviews and other instructional materials will be available through the Bb system. Each student will be provided a login name and a password for accessing the system upon completing the mandatory orientation session at the beginning of the semester. When logged in, all grading information is protected by system security features; thus assuring each student's privacy.

 

Exams

Open Campus (PCM)

 Exams 1 and 2

Exams contain multiple-choice question and other objective style questions.  You may take the Exams at any of the following ACC Testing Centers, Northridge, Rio Grande, Riverside, Pinnacle, Eastview, and Cypress.  The exam covers material from the textbook.
  1. Read the Student Guide To Use Of The Testing Center at the following URL: http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/
  1. Be sure to follow the Testing Center guidelines.  The Testing Center staff will score your exam and tell you the score.

You will need to bring your ACC ID card with you to the testing center.  If you did not receive your ACC student ID and need to take the test, then:
1) get one copy of your fee receipt from the Bursar's Office and bring it to the testing center.
PLUS
2) bring a picture ID (driver's license).

YOU MUST COMPLETE EXAMS BY THE DEADLINE DATE AS SHOWN IN THE COURSE SCHEDULE.

If you take either Exam 1 or Exam 2 after the deadline, then Dr. Bass will deduct 20% of your grade from the each exam grade as appropriate.

Exam 3

Exam 3's format is the same (multiple choice questions and objective style) as Exams 1 and 2.  Exam 3 covers the entire textbook through chapter 17.  Be sure to follow the Testing Center guidelines.  The Testing Center staff will score your exam and give you your score.

YOU MUST COMPLETE EXAM 3 BY THE DEADLINE DATE.

If you do not take Exam 3 on this date, then Dr. Bass must assign a grade of zero (0%).   There is no late testing period for exam 3.  There are no makeup exams.

Exam Property

The exams you take in this course are the property of Dr. Bass.  He uses the exams to evaluate your performance.  After you complete each exam, the Testing Center will grade the exam and tell you your grade.  Dr. Bass will keep your exam on file.  If you would like to view the exam, then you may come to his office during his office hours and view it.