The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use: The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use: Table of Contents The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use.....................................................................1 Preface ................................................................................................................................................................3 1.0 Format of Recipes ............................................................................................................................4 1.1 Assumptions, Scope, and Exclusions ..............................................................................................5 1.2 Typographical Conventions .............................................................................................................6 1.3 Versions, Latest Edition, and Errata ................................................................................................7 1.4 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................8 PART ONE: Working with Linux .................................................................................................................10 2. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................11 2.1 Background and History ................................................................................................................11 2.1.1 What's Unix? ..................................................................................................................11 2.1.2 What's Free Software? ...................................................................................................12 2.1.3 What's Open Source? .....................................................................................................13 2.1.4 What's Linux? ................................................................................................................14 2.1.5 What's Debian? ..............................................................................................................14 2.1.6 Unix and the Tools Philosophy ......................................................................................15 2.2 What to Try First ............................................................................................................................17 2.3 If You Need More Help .................................................................................................................18 3. What Every Linux User Knows .................................................................................................................20 3.1 Controlling Power to the System ...................................................................................................20 3.1.1 Powering Up the System ................................................................................................21 3.1.2 Turning Off the System .................................................................................................21 3.2 Accounts and Privileges .................................................................................................................21 3.2.1 Logging In to the System ...............................................................................................22 3.2.2 Logging Out of the System ............................................................................................24 3.3 Console Basics ...............................................................................................................................24 3.3.1 Switching between Consoles .........................................................................................25 3.3.2 Scrolling the Console Text ............................................................................................26 3.3.3 Keys for Console Manipulation .....................................................................................26 3.4 Running a Command .....................................................................................................................27 3.5 Changing Your Password ..............................................................................................................28 3.6 Listing User Activity .....................................................................................................................29 3.6.1 Listing Your Username ..................................................................................................29 3.6.2 Listing Who Is on the System ........................................................................................30 3.6.3 Listing Who Is on and What They're Doing ..................................................................30 3.6.4 Listing the Last Times a User Logged In ......................................................................31 3.7 Listing System Activity .................................................................................................................32 3.7.1 Listing Your Current Processes .....................................................................................32 3.7.2 Listing All of a User's Processes ...................................................................................33 3.7.3 Listing All Processes on the System ..............................................................................33 3.7.4 Listing Processes by Name or Number ..........................................................................34 3.8 Help Facilities ................................................................................................................................34 3.8.1 Finding the Right Tool for the Job .................................................................................35 i The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use: Table of Contents 3.8.2 Listing a Description of a Program ................................................................................36 3.8.3 Listing the Usage of a Tool ............................................................................................36 3.8.4 Reading a Page from the System Manual ......................................................................37 3.8.5 Using the GNU Info System ..........................................................................................38 3.8.6 Reading System Documentation and Help Files ...........................................................40 4. The Shell ......................................................................................................................................................42 4.1 Keys for Command Line Editing ...................................................................................................42 4.1.1 Passing Special Characters to Commands .....................................................................44 4.1.2 Letting the Shell Complete What You Type .................................................................45 4.1.3 Repeating the Last Command You Typed .....................................................................46 4.1.4 Running a List of Commands ........................................................................................47 4.2 Redirecting Input and Output .........................................................................................................47 4.2.1 Redirecting Input to a File .............................................................................................48 4.2.2 Redirecting Output to a File ...........................................................................................48 4.2.3 Redirecting Error Messages to a File .............................................................................49 4.2.4 Redirecting Output to Another Command's Input .........................................................49 4.3 Managing Jobs ...............................................................................................................................50 4.3.1 Suspending a Job ...........................................................................................................50 4.3.2 Putting a Job in the Background ....................................................................................51 4.3.3 Putting a Job in the Foreground .....................................................................................52 4.3.4 Listing Your Jobs ...........................................................................................................52 4.3.5 Stopping a Job ................................................................................................................53 4.4 Command History ..........................................................................................................................53 4.4.1 Viewing Your Command History ..................................................................................54 4.4.2 Specifying a Command from Your History ...................................................................55 4.5 Recording a Shell Session ..............................................................................................................55 4.6 Customizing Your Shell .................................................................................................................56 4.6.1 Changing the Shell Prompt ............................................................................................57