Assignment 02: Linux Shell Scripting & Automation

Course: ETCCCP105 - Computer Science Fundamentals & Career Pathways
University: K.R. Mangalam University, School of Engineering & Technology
Author: Ishan Rawat

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1. Project Overview

This repository contains the shell scripts and supporting evidence for Assignment Number 02: Basics of Linux and Open-Source Tools. The project's goal is to demonstrate practical, hands-on experience with Linux shell commands and the use of shell scripting to automate common tasks

This repository specifically fulfills the requirements for Step 3 (Shell Script Development) and Step 4 (GitHub Repository Submission) of the assignment.

The full assignment report, which includes:

• Linux (WSL/VirtualBox) installation documentation
• The detailed table of 20 shell commands
• A reflection on challenges and learnings

...is compiled in the main PDF/DOCX report and submitted separately on the university LMS.

2. Shell Scripts

This repository contains three functional shell scripts as required. Each script includes header comments, meaningful variable names, and explanatory comments for key steps.

Script 1: backup_script.sh (Backup a Directory)

• Description: This script automates the backup of a specified directory. It creates a .tar.gz archive of the source directory and appends a timestamp to the filename to ensure unique backups.
• Usage:

  ./backup_script.sh /path/to/source_directory /path/to/backup_destination

  • Example Output: /path/to/backup_destination/backup_2025-11-16_16-30-00.tar.gz

Script 2: monitor_usage.sh (CPU/Memory Monitoring)

• Description: This script monitors the system's CPU and memory usage.It captures a snapshot of the current usage (using commands like top or free) and appends this information along with a timestamp to a log file (system_usage.log). This script is intended to be run manually for a quick snapshot or as a cron job for regular logging.
• Usage:

  ./monitor_usage.sh

  • Output: Data is appended to system_usage.log in the same directory.

Script 3: download_file.sh (Automated Download Task)

• Description: This script uses wget to download a file from a specified URL and save it to a predefined directory (./downloads/). It checks if the download directory exists and creates it if it doesn't.
• Usage:

  ./download_file.sh <URL_to_download>

  • Example: ./download_file.sh https://example.com/somefile.zip

3. How to Run the Scripts

To run any of the scripts in this repository:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)[Your_Username]/linux-shell-assignment.git
   cd linux-shell-assignment

2. Make the script executable: Before running a script for the first time, you must give it execute permissions using chmod.

   chmod +x backup_script.sh
   chmod +x monitor_usage.sh
   chmod +x download_file.sh

3. Run the script: Follow the usage instructions for each script as detailed above.

   ./script_name.sh [arguments]

4. Evidence of Execution (Screenshots)

This repository also contains screenshots demonstrating the successful execution and output of each script, as required by the assignment.

• backup_output.png: Shows the backup_script.sh being executed and the resulting timestamped .tar.gz file.
• monitor_output.png: Shows the contents of the system_usage.log file after running monitor_usage.sh.
• download_output.png: Shows the download_file.sh successfully downloading a file into the downloads directory.

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