Command Line Basics

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Command Line Basics

In this hands-on lab we will try out some command line basics. Becoming comfortable with the command line is an important step in a career using and managing Linux systems, and in this excersize we will review the currently logged in users, as well as users that have logged in previously.

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Lab Info

Level

Beginner

Last updated

Sep 25, 2025

Duration

15m

Challenge

Determine the Current Working Directory
1. The command prompt provides very little information upon login to the system. Use the following command to determine your current working directory:
```
pwd
```
1. Change your working directory to your user's home directory.
```
cd ~
```
Challenge

Determine Which Users Are Currently on the System and the Last Users to Log In
1. Verify that you are the only user logged in to the system with the following command:
```
w
```
1. Determine which users last logged in to the system, as well as the last time the system was booted by running the following command:
```
last
```
Challenge

Record Your Findings in `/home/cloud_user`
1. Create a record of your findings by writing the output of the previous commands into a new file in the cloud_user home directory. From the /home/cloud_user directory, run the following commands:
```
w > log.txt
last >> log.txt
```
1. View the contents of the file you created using the following command:
```
cat log.txt
```

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