Course Outline
Day 1
Module 1: Introduction to Python for Unix Users
Topics
Why Python is ideal for scripting and automation
• Key benefits of using Python for scripting
• Applications of Python in system administration and DevOps
Comparison between Bash and Python
• Variables
• Control flow structures (if statements, loops)
• File handling
• Executing system commands
Anatomy of a Python script
• Executing Python scripts
• Utilizing the interpreter
• Handling command line arguments
• Introduction to argparse
Exercises
Exercise 1 – Translating a simple Bash script to Python
A Bash script that:
• Lists files in a directory
• Filters by file extension
• Displays statistics
Participants will rewrite this logic in Python.
Exercise 2 – Python script with CLI arguments
Developing a Python script that:
• Accepts parameters via the command line
• Processes files
• Displays structured output
Module 2: File and Directory Manipulation
Topics
Interacting with the filesystem in Python
• Reading and writing files
• Navigating directories
• Managing paths
Leveraging the pathlib module
• Path management
• File operations
Substituting Unix utilities
• grep
• find
• sed
• awk
using Python equivalents
Exercises
Exercise 1 – Filesystem scanning
A Python script that:
• Locates large files
• Identifies old files
• Generates a report
Exercise 2 – Processing configuration files
A Python script that:
• Reads text files
• Extracts relevant data
• Compiles statistics
Day 2
Module 3: Log Processing and Text Manipulation
Topics
Handling text in Python
• String manipulation
• Filtering and transforming data
Regular expressions (regex)
• Identifying patterns
• Parsing logs
Replacing shell pipelines
Example:
grep | awk | sed | sort
implemented in Python
Exercises
Exercise 1 – Log file analysis
A Python script that:
• Reads system logs
• Identifies errors
• Calculates error frequency
Exercise 2 – Converting a shell pipeline to Python
Transforming a complex Bash pipeline into a Python script
Module 4: Automating System Commands
Topics
Executing shell commands from Python
• The subprocess module
• Capturing output
• Error handling
Automating administrative tasks
• Running system commands
• Integrating with cron jobs
• Scripting for repetitive tasks
Process management
• Monitoring processes
• Basic parallel execution
Exercises
Exercise 1 – Python script for running system commands
A script that:
• Executes Unix commands
• Captures output
• Generates reports
Exercise 2 – Service monitoring
A Python script that:
• Checks service status
• Collects relevant information
• Displays results
Day 3
Module 5: Advanced Automation and Interaction with External Services
Topics
Working with APIs in Python
• Introduction to HTTP requests
• Authentication and tokens
• Processing JSON responses
Python for DevOps automation
• Gathering data from external services
• Integrating with existing tools
• Infrastructure scripting
Exercises
Exercise 1 – Python script consuming an API
A script that:
• Retrieves data from an API
• Processes the information
• Generates a report
Exercise 2 – Automating data collection
A Python script that:
• Collects system information
• Generates a JSON or CSV report
Module 6: Building a CLI Tool for Administration
Topics
Structuring a Python project
• Code organization
• Function reuse
• Modules and packages
Creating a CLI tool
• Command line arguments
• Structured output
• Error handling
Final exercise
Participants will build a CLI automation tool in Python that:
• Analyses log files
• Identifies errors
• Generates statistics
• Can be executed from the command line
Course Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
• Convert shell scripts into Python scripts
• Use Python to automate system tasks
• Process logs and complex data sets
• Build CLI tools for Unix system administration
Requirements
Prerequisites
- Fundamental understanding of Unix/Linux operating systems
- Comfort with command line usage (shell/Bash)
- Experience creating basic shell scripts (e.g., loops, conditionals, file operations)
- A general grasp of system administration concepts is advantageous
- No prior Python knowledge is necessary
Target Audience
- System administrators operating in Unix/Linux environments
- DevOps engineers seeking to enhance their automation proficiency
- Engineers and technical specialists relying on shell scripting for daily operations
- IT professionals looking to shift from Bash to Python
- Developers in Unix environments aiming to automate workflows more effectively
Testimonials (2)
everything was perfect
Florin Vrincianu
Course - Python Programming Fundamentals
Hands-on exercises related to content really helps to understand more about each topic. Also, style of start class with lecture and continue with hands-on exercise is good and helpful to relate with the lecture that presented earlier.
