Unix Quick Reference Guide

General
Information
Commands
calDispays calendar for specified year
Form: cal year
dateDisplays the current date and time
duSummarizes disk usage
Options: -s displays total disk usage
             -a displays disk usage of all files and directories
whoDisplays information about who is logged in
fingerDisplays information about a user
Form: finger user's login
historyLists previous commands
hostnameDisplays name of current host
manDisplays manual information for a command
Form: man command
whatisDescribes a command
Form: whatis command
whoamiDescribes your login name
usersDisplays compact list of users on the system
pqDisplays the printer queue


File
Manipulation
Commands
catDisplays contents of one or more files
Form: cat file#1 file#2 (etc.)
Copy file
Form: catfile > copyfile
Append one file to another file
Form: cat first_file second_file > new_file
chmodChanges file permissions
cpCopies a file to a different filename
Form: cp file copyfile
ftpStarts File Transfer Protocol
grepDisplays all lines matching a specified pattern displays line number
Options: -s displays line number
             -i searches non-case sensitive
Form: grep pattern file


For more information on UNIX one can look at:
  • geek-girl.com -  a complete online reference guide for the UNIX operating system.

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