Every piece of hardware or software belongs to one of four layers: Hardware, Firmware, Operating System, or Application. Some items may belong to more than one layer — if so, mark them in both and explain why in the last column. There are no trick questions, but there are items that are genuinely in between.
Items to classify
1. The Chrome browser
9. RAM (memory)
2. The CPU (processor)
10. Konsole (terminal emulator)
3. The Wi-Fi driver
11. An NVIDIA GPU
4. The keyboard
12. Bash (the shell)
5. LibreOffice Writer
13. A video file stored on disk
6. The Linux kernel
14. systemd (startup manager)
7. An HDMI port
15. The laptop screen
8. The desktop wallpaper image
Classification table
| # |
Item |
Layer(s) |
Why / notes |
| 1 | Chrome browser | | |
| 2 | CPU | | |
| 3 | Wi-Fi driver | | |
| 4 | Keyboard | | |
| 5 | LibreOffice Writer | | |
| 6 | Linux kernel | | |
| 7 | HDMI port | | |
| 8 | Wallpaper image | | |
| 9 | RAM | | |
| 10 | Konsole (terminal) | | |
| 11 | NVIDIA GPU | | |
| 12 | Bash (shell) | | |
| 13 | Video file on disk | | |
| 14 | systemd | | |
| 15 | Laptop screen | | |
Items that belong to more than one layer — explain the boundary
Final question
When you press the power button, describe what happens layer by layer — from hardware to the desktop appearing on screen. Use the back of this sheet.
Use the filesystem map below to answer the path tasks. Write your answers first, then verify them on the actual machine using cd and pwd. Tick the verify box when you have confirmed each answer.
Filesystem map
/
├── home/
│ ├── anna/
│ │ ├── documents/
│ │ │ ├── essay.txt
│ │ │ └── notes/
│ │ │ └── readme.txt
│ │ ├── pictures/
│ │ │ └── photo.jpg
│ │ └── scripts/
│ │ └── backup.sh
│ └── carlos/
│ ├── documents/
│ │ └── report.txt
│ └── music/
├── etc/
│ ├── hostname
│ ├── passwd
│ └── apt/
│ └── sources.list
├── var/
│ └── log/
│ └── syslog
├── usr/
│ └── bin/
│ └── bash
└── tmp/
└── tempfile.txt
Path tasks
1.
Write the absolute path from / to anna's readme.txt file.
2.
You are currently in /home/anna/documents. Write a relative path to reach /home/anna/pictures.
3.
You are currently in /etc. Write a relative path to reach /var/log.
4.
Write the absolute path to the bash executable.
5.
You are in /usr/bin. Write a relative path to reach the root directory /.
6.
You are in /usr/bin. What directory do you end up in after running cd ../../home/anna? Predict first, then verify.
Your prediction
What pwd shows after running it
Remember: ~ always means your home directory. . means current directory. .. means one level up.
First character — file type
- regular file
d directory
l symbolic link (shortcut)
Permission characters
r read — can see contents / list directory
w write — can modify / create files inside
x execute — can run as program / enter directory
- permission not set
Structure of the full string
- r w x r - x r - -
type owner group others
Decode each permission string
| # |
Permission string |
File or directory? |
What can the owner do? |
What can the group do? |
What can others do? |
| 1 |
drwxr-xr-x |
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
-rw-r--r-- |
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
-rwx------ |
|
|
|
|
| 4 |
drwx--x--x |
|
|
|
|
| 5 |
-rw-rw-r-- |
|
|
|
|
| 6 |
lrwxrwxrwx |
|
|
|
|
| 7 |
---------- |
|
|
|
|
| 8 |
drwxrwxrwx |
|
|
|
|
Think carefully — item 4 and item 8
Item 4 —
drwx--x--x: group and others have execute but NOT read on this directory. What does that actually mean they can and cannot do? Why would anyone set permissions this way?
Item 8 —
drwxrwxrwx: everyone has full access to this directory. Why is this almost always a mistake? Give a specific real-world example of what could go wrong.
Numeric mode — convert without looking at notes
For each term, tick the green box if you can explain it clearly in your own words without looking it up. Tick the red box if you need to review it. Be honest — this is for you, not for a grade.
I can explain this clearly
Week 1 — the operating system
Week 3 — users and permissions
Week 4 — terminal and recovery
After the vocabulary relay — personal reflection
1. Which concept took the longest to understand? What finally made it click?
2. Which concept surprised you most? Why?
3. Complete this sentence: "A Linux filesystem is different from Windows because ___"
4. In one sentence: why does Linux have a permission system at all?