1 Unix Command Summary

1 Unix Command Summary:
This is a brief description of the unix commands you should find most useful.
The commands you will probably need most immediately are marked with
a plus (+). The others are useful and/or illustrate how employing different
options (called flags) can extend or change a command.
Not all unix commands have the exactly same function on different com-
puters, so if you have a question about a command please consult the man
pages (use man commandname) where there is a complete description
for the command and its options for your computer. You can also obtain
hints for the names of commands that you might be interested in by using
man -k keyword, where keyword is a word you think might be associated
with the command you are interested in... doesnt always work, but it is the
best first step to finding what you want.
For moving around directories, and finding files:
Command Syntax Description/Usage
+ cd Change directory to $HOME

cd directory Change to directory named directory
find . -name file-a -print Find a file named file-a in any subdirectory,
and print the location.
+ ls Displays all files in directory.
+ ls -l Displays all files in directory with files at-
tributes (date created, read/write permis-
sions, etc.)
ls -t Displays all files in directory in time order
(most recent file first)
+ ls -l file-a Displays attributes of ALL files that begin
with file-a.
+ pwd Displays present working directory.
1
For reading and writing files, creating and removing directories:
cat filename Displays data in named file.

cat file-a file-b > file-c Copies file-a and file-b to file-c.
+ cp file-a file-b Copies file-a to file-b
+ grep value filename Search for value in named file and displays
lines of data containing value.
+ lpr filename Prints named file to default printer.
lpq Lists files printing on default printer.
lprm - Removes ALL your files from print que.
+ mkdir Make a directory.
+ more filename Displays named file. If the entire screen is
full, hit enter and additional lines will be
displayed along with the percent value of
the program displayed. Hit h for more
commands.
+ mv file-a file-b Moves file-a to file-b. Will replace file-b, if
it currently exists.
+ rm filename Removes named file.
+ rmdir directory Removes named directory. Cannot remove
a directory until all files in that directory
are removed.
tail filename Displays last 10 lines of named file.
tail -1 filename Displays last line of named file.
tail -r filename Display file in reverse order (NOT available
for Linux, try tac). Pipe it to more to
read a file backwards (ie. tail -r filename
| more)
2
Various applications for editing files and reading email:
+ emacs filename Edits named file using GNU editor called

emacs. Very powerful and popular.
emacs -nw filename Edits a file using emacs in the same win-
dow that the program is started in. This
is very useful if you are NOT on an
xterminal.
mail Provides access to mail, and allows the user
to compose and send email.
+ pine A menu-driven email program that is con-
figurable and probably the easiest to use;
recommended.
vi filename Edits named file using VI editor. Found
on nearly every unix platform, but not as
nice as emacs.
Commands for monitoring computer performance and other users:
top Prints out a list of the heaviest users of

CPU time. This should NOT be run
continuously.
+ w Shows a list of all the users currently
logged in.
ps Prints a list of your running processess.
finger username Gives a list of username processes, or al-
ternatively, the time of their last login.
3
Commands for modifying your account and your shell (tcsh) environment:
+ passwd Used to change passwords. The program

prompts you to enter your old password.
After you enter it, the program will prompt
you to enter your new password. The
password must be at least six characters
and contain at least two alpha characters
and 1 numeric value. After keying in the
new password, the program will ask you to
re-enter the new password for verification
purposes.
+ printenv Actually, a tcsh shell command (the most
common shell for new users). Prints all
environment variables. Good for checking
what a variable like PATH (which is a list
of directories your shell searches for exe-
cutable programs) is set to.
4
2 Printer Usage:
Most applications have print options, and should be used before trying to
print from a commandline. In the following table, a description of the Unix
commands you should find most useful in viewing files, and printing those
files when you must. Unfortunately, for various reasons, not all programs
are available on all computers. Please ask for assistance if youre uncertain
about your application.
If you wish to abort a print job already in progress (in most cases be-
cause it is taking an excessive amount of time), you must issue the cancel
command from your terminal. You may also have to reset the printer. On
the LaserJet III, this is done by taking the printer offline (by pushing the
button on the printer marked OnLine) and then pushing, and holding for
about 5-10 sec the button marked Reset. If this fails to clear the problem,
seek assistance.
For viewing and printing Postscript and PDF files from an Xterminal:
+ acroread filename.pdf A fully featured PDF file viewing program.

latex filename.tex LaTeX program for processing tex docu-
ment and creates an output file named
filename.dvi
dvips filename.dvi Converts a dvi file to postscript.
dvips -pp 1-5,10 filename.dvi Converts pages 1-5 and page 10 from the
the dvi file to a postscript file... This is
particularly good for printing out a partial
document.
+ gv filename.ps A postscript file previewer.
lpr filename.ps Prints named file to default printer. DO
NOT send files directly to the printer, un-
less you know they are postscript files!
Other files will probably not print, and
cause alot of printer errors.
lpq Lists files printing on default printer.
cancel Removes your printjob from print queue.

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1 Unix Command Summary:

For moving around directories, and finding files:

Command Syntax Description/Usage

+ cd Change directory to $HOME

Command Syntax Description/Usage

cat filename Displays data in named file.

Command Syntax Description/Usage

+ emacs filename Edits named file using GNU editor called

Commands for monitoring computer performance and other users:

Command Syntax Description/Usage

top Prints out a list of the heaviest users of

Command Syntax Description/Usage

+ passwd Used to change passwords. The program

Command Syntax Description/Usage

+ acroread filename.pdf A fully featured PDF file viewing program.

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