This coursework is intended to help you develop your understanding of shell scripting in both a Windows and Unix environment.

You should undertake this coursework in groups consisting of two students. (Please note that there are no exceptions to this maximum of TWO, so please do not ask!) You should choose your own group member. You will not be organised into groups by your tutor.

If you do not successfully complete this coursework at the first opportunity and are required to resubmit it at the second opportunity, you may undertake it as an individual exercise if you prefer or if you are  unable to find a group member.

You will have an opportunity to gain some initial experience of shell scripting during the lab sessions of the module. However, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time, outside of lab sessions, conducting additional research in preparation for this coursework. 

 Resources

The following resources are available to you to help you prepare for this coursework:

• The Knoppix CD, which will be given at the first lab session you attend.
• An account on Xena, one of the University's Unix-based systems. If you do not have a Xena account but require one, your module leader can arrange for an account to be created. You can access Xena remotely from any University PC or from home. Your module leader can provide you with details of how to do this.
• Virtualisation software, such as VMWare Server, which is freelyavailable and will enable you to install Unix/Linux alongside Windows on your home machine(s).
• The Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service available at Amazon Web Services. This service allows you to run a variety  of pre-configured Linux systems. You can also create your own systems and upload them to Amazon. Be aware though that you will need  to sign up for EC2 services and you will need to pay for them.
• Any PC running Windows XP or later. Versions of Windows from XP onwards provide support for a number of scripting languages as standard. Additional scripting languages can be installed by downloading them, free of charge, from the Internet.