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Mission Brief: Teach the Server to Help Itself 🤖
The server is bored of repeated manual commands. Your job is to become a Linux Automation Cadet and give the server small scripts it can run again and again.
- Write commands in a file.
- Add a shebang:
#!/bin/bash. - Make the file executable using
chmod +x. - Run it using
./script_name.sh.
By the end, learners can read and create beginner shell scripts using variables, input, conditions, loops, and exit status.
Concept Cards: Shell Scripting Made Simple
📜 Recipe for Linux
A script is like a recipe. Each line is one instruction for the shell to follow.
Example: backup filesExample: check disk📦 Storage box
A variable stores a value so the script can reuse it later.
name="JP" echo "Hello $name"
📢 Speaker
echo prints text or variable values on screen.
echo "Welcome to shell scripting"
🎙️ Microphone
read takes input from the user and stores it in a variable.
read -p "Enter name: " name echo "Hello $name"
🚦 Decision gate
if lets a script choose what to do depending on a condition.
if [ "$user" = "root" ]; then echo "Admin user" else echo "Normal user" fi
🔁 Repeat machine
for repeats commands for each item in a list.
for item in disk memory users do echo "Checking $item" done
✅ Result checker
$? stores whether the previous command succeeded. 0 usually means success. Non-zero usually means failure.
df -h if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then echo "Success" else echo "Failed" fi
🛠️ Why scripting matters
Automation is useful when the same task is done many times: checking disk space, collecting logs, backing up files, validating services, or generating reports.
| Manual work | Scripted work |
|---|---|
| Type commands every time. | Run one script whenever needed. |
| Easy to forget steps. | Same steps run consistently. |
| Hard to repeat for many servers. | Can be reused and scheduled. |
Animated Flow: What Happens When a Script Runs?
Click the button and watch the script travel from text file to command output.
Script file
check_disk.shShebang
#!/bin/bashBash reads lines
df -h runsDisk output appears
Command Playground: Predict, Run, Understand
Try the name box
Enter a name and see how a variable is reused inside echo.
Disk warning simulator
Set disk usage and let the script decide whether to warn you.
Loop through services
Click to simulate a loop checking common Linux services.
Success or failure?
Choose a command result and watch $? decide the next message.
Interactive Terminal Simulator
This does not change your computer. It simulates the training lab so learners can understand the sequence before running it on Linux.
$ Ready. Click a mission command below.
Main Lab: Create Your First Disk Check Script 🧪
Run these commands on Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, RHEL, or most Linux distributions with Bash available.
cat > check_disk.sh <<'EOF' #!/bin/bash df -h EOF chmod +x check_disk.sh ./check_disk.sh
./check_disk.sh? The current directory is usually not searched automatically for commands. ./ means “run the script from this directory.”Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on /dev/sda1 40G 18G 22G 45% / tmpfs 3.9G 0 3.9G 0% /dev/shm ...
The exact filesystem names and sizes will differ on every machine.
Script Evolution: From Tiny Script to Useful Automation
Beginners often understand single commands but struggle to combine them. This section shows the same script growing step-by-step.
Version 1: Basic disk check
#!/bin/bash df -h
Version 2: Add a heading
#!/bin/bash echo "Disk usage report:" df -h
Version 3: Save report to a file
#!/bin/bash df -h > disk_report.txt echo "Report saved to disk_report.txt"
Version 4: Check exit status
#!/bin/bash df -h > disk_report.txt if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then echo "Disk report created successfully." else echo "Disk report failed." fi
Version 5: Ask user before running
#!/bin/bash read -p "Do you want to check disk usage? yes/no: " answer if [ "$answer" = "yes" ]; then df -h else echo "Okay, skipping disk check." fi
Common Beginner Errors and Fixes 🧯
| Error / Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Permission denied | Script is not executable. | chmod +x check_disk.sh |
command not found | Wrong script path or missing ./. | ./check_disk.sh |
| Variable does not expand | Used single quotes around variable. | Use "Hello $name", not 'Hello $name'. |
[: missing `]' | Missing spaces inside test brackets. | Use [ "$x" -gt 10 ]. |
| Script uses wrong shell | Missing or incorrect shebang. | Add #!/bin/bash as the first line. |
Boss Lab: Server Health Checker 🐲
This final challenge combines echo, commands, simple structure, and automation thinking.
cat > health_check.sh <<'EOF' #!/bin/bash echo "==============================" echo " Simple Server Health Checker " echo "==============================" echo echo "Disk Usage:" df -h echo echo "Memory Usage:" free -h echo echo "Logged-in Users:" who echo echo "System Uptime:" uptime EOF chmod +x health_check.sh ./health_check.sh
- Which command checks disk usage?
- Which command checks memory?
- Which command shows logged-in users?
- How can we save this report to a file?
Knowledge Check Quiz 🎯
#!/bin/bash do?chmod +x script.sh do?0 usually mean?Trainer Notes: Make the Session Fun and Sticky
Ask this first
“Which Linux task do you repeat often?” Then show how a script can turn that repeated task into one file.
Use mistakes deliberately
Run the script before chmod +x so learners see Permission denied, then fix it. This makes troubleshooting memorable.
Driver and navigator
One learner types, the other explains each command. Swap roles after the first script.
Take-home task
Ask learners to create my_report.sh that prints date, hostname, disk usage, memory usage, and uptime.