Linux: Organize and Back Up a File
Create a backup directory, copy a report into it, rename the copy, and verify the original remains. Work through it yourself in the live host terminal below.
Symptom
Create a backup directory, copy a report into it, rename the copy, and verify the original remains.
Your mission
Inspect, recover, then verify
Format
Linux shell
Investigate before you configure.
Use the CLI evidence to isolate the fault, make the smallest safe correction, then verify the network state changed.
Observe the symptom and link state.
Diagnose by comparing the protocol evidence.
Verify the expected device state and confirm the original symptom is resolved.
Console access: Linux
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Need a hint?
Reveal the root cause when you're ready.
Try the investigation first, then use this as your escape hatch, not a dead end.
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Lab debrief
Turn the session into a repeatable troubleshooting pattern.
Use this reference after your attempt: first explain the symptom, then verify the evidence, then confirm the repair.
The problem
Before editing a report, keep a dated backup in a separate directory without moving or deleting the original.
What you'll practice
- Inspect existing files with ls
- Create a directory with mkdir
- Copy a file with cp
- Rename the copy with mv
- Verify both paths
The topology
One Linux host has report.txt in /home/labuser/work and no backup directory yet.
Commands to run yourself
The real diagnostic commands for this lab, copy-paste ready. Run these in the same order to reproduce the investigation on your own session.
ls workTopology diagram
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Fact-checked references
The commands and behaviour in this lab were checked against these primary references.
Frequently asked
Why copy before renaming?
Renaming the copied file preserves the original report at its existing path.
Could mv overwrite an existing backup?
Yes. Check the destination first or use `mv -i` when working on a real host.
Ready to run this lab yourself?
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