Module 8: Basic Shell Scripting & Automation
Automation through shell scripting represents a crucial skill that separates junior administrators from those ready for senior responsibilities. This module teaches you practical bash scripting focused on real system administration tasks rather than theoretical programming concepts. You’ll begin with scripting fundamentals including proper script structure, variable handling, and debugging techniques. This builds confidence with command-line automation that underlies much of modern system administration.
Control structures and logic receive ample coverage and teach you to create scripts that make decisions, process data iteratively, and organize code effectively using functions. The emphasis remains on practical applications throughout, with you learning to write robust scripts that handle errors gracefully and provide useful feedback. Real-world examples demonstrate how control structures solve common automation challenges in system administration workflows.
Text processing and data manipulation skills build upon earlier modules and teach you to create powerful scripts for log analysis, configuration file processing, and system reporting. You’ll learn to combine grep, sed, and awk effectively within scripts and process structured data to generate automated reports. These skills prove invaluable for administrators who need to extract meaningful information from large volumes of system data.
The hands-on development component focuses on creating practical automation solutions for common system administration tasks. You’ll build backup scripts, log analysis tools, system health checkers, and maintenance automation. Security considerations receive appropriate attention as poorly written scripts can create significant security vulnerabilities. Advanced automation concepts prepare you for infrastructure-as-code approaches increasingly common in modern IT environments.