IITM BS Introduction to the Linux Shell (CS1102): Syllabus and Tips

Introduction to the Linux Shell (CS1102) is a foundation course in the IITM BS in Electronic Systems. It teaches you to work in Linux from the command line: installing software, writing shell scripts, handling text, building projects with make, using git and logging in to other machines with SSH. It has no prerequisite. The handbook lists Introduction to C Programming (CS1101) as a corequisite.

Two things differ between the sources:

• Name. The Sep 2025 syllabus calls it Introduction to the Linux Shell. The handbook tables call CS1102 Introduction to Linux and Programming.
• Credits. The syllabus gives 4-0-1-5, which is 4 lecture credits plus 1 practical credit, 5 in total. The handbook gives 4 credits, and its foundation total of 43 credits uses that number. Confirm the credit value on your registration page.

The syllabus names Prof. Gandham Phanikumar of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Madras, as the instructor.

What you learn in CS1102

The syllabus plan is 7 weeks long.

• Weeks 1 and 2: Linux basics. What Linux is, the difference between the kernel and a distribution, and the command line versus a graphical desktop. Then installing and updating software, users, file permissions and simple admin work.
• Weeks 3 and 4: the shell. Shell scripts, variables, sending input and output to files, pipes and background jobs. Then text processing, file handling and working with other scripting languages.
• Weeks 5 and 6: software projects. Compiling projects, make and managing dependencies. Then version control with git and its web interfaces.
• Week 7: networking. DNS, servers and background services, and secure remote login with SSH.

The syllabus says the course has many practical exercises, including sessions where you code along with the instructors. The suggested books are Introduction to Linux: A Hands On Guide by M. Garrels (The Linux Documentation Project) and An Introduction to Computer Networks by P. Dordal, plus curated online material.

The Linux lab that goes with it

The Linux Systems Laboratory (CS1902) is a separate 1 credit lab. It lists this course as a corequisite, so you take the lab in the same term or later. In all three suggested study plans, the Linux course and the Linux lab fall in the same term.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

Students who have only used Windows or phones find the first weeks strange. Nothing is clickable, and a small typo gives an error. Permissions, pipes and scripts take time to feel natural.

• Get Linux running in week 1. The handbook suggests dual boot, or Ubuntu inside a virtual machine such as VirtualBox. See the laptop requirements.
• Use the terminal every day for small jobs, like moving files or searching inside them.
• Keep a one-page note of the commands you learn each week, with one example each.
• When a command confuses you, read its manual page before searching online.
• Put your C programs from CS1101 in a git repository and commit often. You practise git for week 6 and keep a backup of your code.

What to take before and after

Take CS1101 before this course or in the same term. The C Programming course page covers it. Linux skills return at the degree level in Embedded Linux and FPGAs. The full foundation list is in ES foundation courses.

Common questions

Do I need to know C before the Linux course?

No. C is a corequisite, not a prerequisite, so you can take both in the same term. Week 5 is about compiling software projects, and it is easier if you have written a few C programs by then.

Can I do this course on Windows or a Mac?

The handbook allows Windows, Ubuntu or macOS as your main system. It says dual boot is desirable, and if you cannot dual boot, your system must run Ubuntu in a virtual machine. Plan on a real Linux setup for this course.

Do I have to upload worked-out sheets in this course?

No. The handbook lists worked-out sheet uploads only for ESTC, EEC, Digital Systems and Maths 1 at the foundation level, plus all diploma courses. The Linux course is not on that list.