Get ready to take on the UNIX world! UNIX expert Randal K. Michael guides you through every detail of writing shell scripts to automate specific tasks. Each chapter begins with a typical, everyday UNIX challenge, and then shows you how to take basic syntax and turn it into a shell scripting solution. Throughout the book, you'll also find complete shell scripts plus detailed descriptions of each part. You'll be able to modify this information to build tools that monitor for specific system events and situations, building the skills to solve real-world system administration problems.

• Make the most of Bash, Bourne, and Korn shells

• Execute the proper commands for eachUNIX flavor

• Define the correct command syntax to meet a specific shell scripting goal

• Filter the commands' output to strip out unneeded data

• Build options into the shell script to give the end user more flexibility on the command line

• Replicate data using rsync

• Create snapshot-style backups using Dirvish

• Work with records files to parse data

• Prepare for government audits using specific commands

Get ready to take on the UNIX world! UNIX expert Randal K. Michael guides you through every detail of writing shell scripts to automate specific tasks. Each chapter begins with a typical, everyday UNIX challenge, and then shows you how to take basic syntax and turn it into a shell scripting solution. Throughout the book, you'll also find complete shell scripts plus detailed descriptions of eachpart. You'll be able to modify this information to build tools that monitor for specific system events and situations, building the skills to solve real-world system administration problems.

• Make the most of Bash, Bourne, and Korn shells

• Execute the proper commands for eachUNIX flavor

• Define the correct command syntax to meet a specific shell scripting goal

• Filter the commands' output to strip out unneeded data

• Build options into the shell script to give the end user more flexibility on the command line

• Replicate data using rsync

• Create snapshot-style backups using Dirvish

• Work with records files to parse data

• Prepare for government audits using specific commands

Introduction.

Part One: The Basics of Shell Scripting.

Chapter 1: Scripting Quick Start and Review.

Chapter 2: 24 Ways to Process a File Line-by-Line.

Chapter 3: Automated Event Notification.

Chapter 4: Progress Indicators Using a Series of Dots, a Rotating Line, or Elapsed Time.

Part Two: Scripts for Programmers, Testers, and Analysts.

Chapter 5: Working with Record Files.

Chapter 6: Automated FTP Stuff.

Chapter 7: Using rsync to Efficiently Replicate Data.

Chapter 8: Automating Interactive Programs with Expect and Autoexpect.

Chapter 9: Finding Large Files and Files of a Specific Type.

Chapter 10: Process Monitoring and Enabling Pre-Processing, Startup, and Post-Processing Events.

Chapter 11: Pseudo-Random Number and Data Generation.

Chapter 12: Creating Pseudo-Random Passwords.

Chapter 13: Floating-Point Math and the bc Utility.

Chapter 14: Number Base Conversions.

Chapter 15: hgrep: Highlighted grep Script.

Chapter 16: Monitoring Processes and Applications.

Part Three: Scripts for Systems Administrators.

Chapter 17: Filesystem Monitoring.

Chapter 18: Monitoring Paging and Swap Space.

Chapter 19: Monitoring System Load.

Chapter 20: Monitoring for Stale Disk Partitions (AIX-Specific).

Chapter 21: Turning On/Off SSA Identification Lights.

Chapter 22: Automated Hosts Pinging with Notification of Failure.

Chapter 23: Creating a System-Configuration Snapshot.

Chapter 24: Compiling, Installing, Configuring, and Using sudo.

Chapter 25: Print-Queue Hell: Keeping the Printers Printing.

Chapter 26: Those Pesky Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Audits.

Chapter 27: Using Dirvish with rsync to Create Snapshot-Type Backups.

Chapter 28: Monitoring and Auditing User Keystrokes.

Appendix A: What’s on the Web Site.

Index.