A More Detailled Guide on Linux Command.

Contents:
cd, chmod, cp, df, dir, du, find, head, kill, less, ls, mkdir, more,
mv, ps, pwd, rm, rmdir, tail, top, vi.

cd
This command is used to change the directory and using this command will change your location to
what ever directory you specify
cd hello
will change to the directory named hello located inside the current directory
cd /home/games
will change to the directory called games within the home directory.
As you can see you can specify any directory on the Linux system and change to that directory from
any other directory. There are of course a variety of switches associated with the cd command but
generally it is used pretty much as it is.
Type man cd for more information on the cd command.
See also, ls, dir, vdir

chmod
This command is used to change the mode for files.

cp
The cp command copies files. You can copy a file in within the current directory or you can copy files
to another directory.
cp myfile.html /home/help/mynewname.html
This will copy the file called myfile.html in the current directory to the directory /home/help/ and call it
mynewname.html.
Simply put the cp command has the format of
cp file1 file2 With file1 being the name (including the path if needed) of the file being copied and file2
is the name (including the path if needed) of the new file being created.
Remember with the cp command the original file remains in place.
Type man cp to see more about the cp command.

df
The disk free command shows how much memory is being used and how much is free for every
partition and mounted file system.
Type man df for more information about the df command.

dir
The dir command is similar to the ls command only with less available switches (only about 50
compared to about 80 for ls). By using the dir command you will get a listing of the contents in the
current directory listed in columns.

Type man dir to see more about the dir command.

See also cd, ls, vdir.

du
The disk usage command shows how much memory is being used by each directory below that from
which the command was given. If du is run from the root directory it will show the memory used by
every directory on the system, including any mounted file systems (including other drives) such as any
Windows related drives.
Type man du for more information about the du command.

find
The find command is used to find files and or folders within a Linux system.
To find a file using the find command you type
find /usr/bin -name filename
this will search inside the /usr/bin directory (and any sub directories within the /usr/bin directory) for
the file named filename. To search the entire filing system including any mounted drives use
find / -name filename
and the find command will search every file system beginning in the root directory.
The find command can also be used to find command to find files by date and the find command
happily understand wild characters such as * and ?
Type man find for more information on the find command.

head
The head command list the first lines of a file. By default it will display the first ten lines of a file.
For example head filename
will list the first ten lines of the file named filename.
You can also select how many lines to show
for example
head -5 filename
will list the first 5 lines of the file named filename.
The format for the head command is
head -n filename With the number of lines to be displayed being n and the file name of the file,
including the path if needed, you wish to view being in place of filename.
Type man head for more information on the head command.

kill
The kill command is used to kill a process by using the associated PID (Process ID) number
e.g.
kill 381
This will kill the process with the PID of 381. Be careful using the kill command because it is easy to
accidentally kill an important process.
To see the current list of processes that are running use the ps command. Typing ps au will display
every process that is in operation including background processes and those being conducted by other
users.
See also ps, top.

less
This command allows you to scroll through a file a page at a time. The less command is very similar to
the more command only it is more advanced and has more features associated with it.
less filename
Type man less for more information on the less command.

ls
The ls command lists the contents of a directory. In its simple form typing just ls at the command
prompt will give a listing for the directory you are currently in. The ls command can also give listings
of other directories without having to go to those directories for example typing ls /dev/bin will display
the listing for the directory /dev/bin . The ls command can also be used to list specific files by typing ls
filename this will display the file filename (of course you can use any file name here). The ls command
can also handle wild characters such as the * and ? . For example ls a* will list all files starting with
lower case a ls [aA]* will list files starting with either lower or upper case a (a or A remember linux is
case sensitive) or ls a? will list all two character file names beginning with lower case a . There are
many switches (over 70) associated with the ls command that perform specific functions. Some of the
more common switches are listed here.

ls -a This will list all file including those beginning with the'.' that would normally be hidden
from view.
ls -l This gives a long listing showing file attributes and file permissions.
ls -s Will display the listing showing the size of each file rounded up to the nearest kilobyte.
ls -S This will list the files according to file size.
ls -C Gives the listing display in columns.
ls -F Gives a symbol next to each file in the listing showing the file type. The / means it is a
directory, the * means an executable file, the @ means a symbolic link.
ls -r Gives the listing in reverse order.
ls -R This gives a recursive listing of all directories below that where the command was issued.
ls -t Lists the directory according to time stamps.

Switches can be combined to produce any output you desire.

e.g.
ls -la
This will list all the files in long format showing full file details.
Type man ls for more details about the ls command.
See also cd, dir, vdir.

mkdir
The mkdir command is used to create a new directory.
mkdir mydir
This will make a directory (actually a sub directory) within the current directory called mydir.
Type man mkdir to see more about the mkdir command.

more
This command allows you too scroll through a file one screen at a time allowing you to more easily

read the files contents. Some files are very big and using this command allows you to view the contents
of large files more efficiently. To go forward one screen use the space bar and to go back one screen
use the B key
more filename
Type man more for more information about the more command.

mv
The mv command moves files from one location to another. With the mv command the file will be
moved an no longer exist in its former location prior to the mv. The mv command can also be used to
rename files. You can move files within the current directory or another directory.
cp myfile.html /home/help/mynewname.html
This will move the file called myfile.html in the current directory to the directory /home/help/ and call
it mynewname.html.
Simply put the mv command has the format of
mv file1 file2 With file1 being the name (including the path if needed) of the file being moved and
file2 is the name (including the path if needed) of the new file being created.
Type man mv to see more about the mv command.

ps
The ps (process status) will by default only show the processes that you as a user have started.
However Linux is always running background tasks so you may want to use some of the common
switches associated with the ps such as ps au to display the processes running for all users and in the
user format hence we get to see every process that is running on the system.
When a process is started it is given among other things a PID number that is unique to it. This PID
number can be seen by using the ps command or top command. By knowing a Process ID number you
may opt to kill the process if you choose.
See also kill, top.

pwd
The pwd command (print working directory) will display the current directory.
e.g.
typing
pwd
will display something similar to this /home/games/help
being the details of the current directory.
To get help with the pwd type /bin/pwd --help and a short help file will be displayed. Type man pwd
to get more information about the pwd command.

rm
The rm command is used to delete files. Some very powerful switches can be used with the rm
command so be sure to check the man rm file before placing extra switches on the rm command.
rm myfile
This will delete the file called mydir. You can include a path to delete a file in another directory for
example rm /home/hello/goodbye.htm will delete the file named goodbye.htm in the directory
/home/hello/.
Some of the common switches for the rm command are

rm -i this operates the rm command in interactive mode meaning it will prompt you before

deleting a file. This gives you a second chance to say no do not delete the file or yes delete the
file. Remember Linux is merciless and once something is deleted it is gone for good so the -i
flag (switch) is a good one to get into the habit of using.
rm -f will force bypassing any safeguards that may be in place such as prompting. Again this
command is handy to know but care should be taken with its use.
rm -r will delete every file and sub directory below that in which the command was given. Be
very careful with this command as no prompt will be given in most linux systems and it will
mean instant good bye to your files if misused.

Type man rm to see more about the rm command.

rmdir
The rmdir command is used to delete a directory.
rmdir mydir
This will delete the directory (actually a sub directory) called mydir.
Type man rmdir to see more about the rmdir command.

tail
The tail command list the last lines of a file. By default it will display the last ten lines of a file.
For example tail filename
will list the last ten lines of the file named filename.
You can also select how many lines to show
for example
tail -5 filename
will list the last 5 lines of the file named filename.
The format for the tail command is
tail -n filename With the number of lines to be displayed being n and the file name of the file you wish
to view, including the path if needed, being in place of filename.
Type man tail for more information on the tail command.

top
Either typing top at the command prompt or selecting top from the xwindows menu will activate the
top application. Top simply lists all the operations in progress showing memory usage by each process.
You have the option to kill any process if you want to but be careful if you kill a vital system you will
run into trouble and may at the very least have to reboot to fix it.
Typically top is run in a spare xterm or x11 window while doing other tasks. To access the help in top
use the ? or H key. To kill a task use the K key or change the priority of the task by using the R key.
Type man top to see more detailed information about the top command.

vi
The vi command is actually a text editor that comes as standard with most Linux packages.
Type man vi for more information on vi.