Introduction to Unix Shell Programming and Makefiles

Description

Introduction to Unix Shell Programming

This class serves as an introduction to Linux, the UNIX-like operating system that runs on almost all High-Performance and Advanced-Computing systems. It is intended for users who have little or no experience with Unix or Linux. The focus is on the common bash shell. We cover material that helps the user to develop an understanding of the Linux command-line environment, which is necessary for successful use of Unix. We will cover the following topics:

  • Moving around and looking at things
  • Writing and reading files
  • Wildcards and piping
  • Shell scripts, variables, and loops
  • Working remotely on an HPC cluster

We are taking a hands-on tutorial approach where practical applications are integrated in the lecture. This course is based on the Software Carpentry set of lectures and is conducted by a SWC certified instructor.

Introduction to make and makefiles

make is a tool for managing the building of software and databases. It uses a simple syntax to describe a "dependence graph", which allows the automatic execution of a sequence of commands that rebuild all files of interest. If you are tasked with building and rebuilding a software package that includes many source files, this facility saves you from typing yourself silly. It is included in virtually every Unix system, and is used by almost all software distributions that need re-compilation when installing on a new system. It is no exaggeration to call it one of the most useful Unix tools. Course content include:

  • Makefiles
  • Automatic variables
  • Dependencies
  • Pattern rules
  • Variables
  • Functions

This course is also based on the Software Carpentry lectures, and includes continuous exercises and live coding.

Instructor: Hartmut Schmider, Centre for Advanced Computing, Queen's University.

Prerequisites: None.