As a tech, you’ll no doubt come in contact with Linux. This post has a few basic Linux commands you should know.
If you want more information on various commands you can enter man <command>
.
Table of Contents
Basic Usage
Command | Function | Example Usage |
---|---|---|
man | view manual entry | man mount |
ls | list directory content | ls /home/user |
mkdir | make directory | mkdir /home/user/new |
rmdir | remove directory | rmdir /home/user/deleteme |
cd | change current directory | cd /home/user/new |
pwd | print current directory | pwd |
rm | remove (delete) file | rm todelete |
cat | output file to std out (screen) | cat /home/user/file.txt |
grep | regex search | grep strtofind /home/user/file.txt (see man page); use grep -i for case insensitive |
tail | output last lines of file | cat /home/user/log.txt | tail |
more | by-page view of file | cat /home/user/log.txt | more |
dmesg | prints message buffer of kernel | dmesg | more |
top | display process information | top |
mv | moves the specified files | mv -i originalfile newfile |
cp | copies the specified files | cp -R sourcedestination |
Basic Diagnostics
Command | Function | Example Usage |
---|---|---|
lspci | list PCI devices | lspci -v |
lsusb | list USB devices | lsusb -v |
df -h | display free space on disks | df -h |
sudo fdisk -l | list connected devices | sudo fdisk -l |
tail -f | watch a log live | tail -f /var/log/messages |
Basic Networking and Processing
Command | Function |
---|---|
ifconfig -a | show net adapter information |
ifconfig -a | grep HWaddr | print MAC addresses |
ps -A | grep <program name> | kill processes by name |
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart | restart networking |
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart | restart graphics system (gnome) |
sudo dexconf | reset graphics configuration |
sudo ufw status | get firewall status |
sudo ufw enable | turn on the firewall |
ufw allow port | allow port |
ufw deny port | block port |
sudo apt-get -f install | try to fix broken packages |
sudo apt-get upgrade | upgrade all packages |