Help Desk | FAQ's about Basic Unix Commands

Technical Support Frequently Asked Questions

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FAQ's about Basic Unix Commands: cd; copy; rm; ls; exit; man; less; mkdir; pwd; rmdir; Future additions to this list

Q. change directory ?

A. cd - "change directory". This lets you move up and down around the directories on the systems. Type "cd" and the directory name to move to a directory. For example, you can type "cd /files" to go to the top of the files section, then "cd mac" to go to the "mac" directory in the "files" directory. Or you can type "cd /files/mac" to get there in one step.

Note: "cd" typed by itself always returns you to your home directory.

cd .. - moves you to the directory above the current directory.

Note: This is "cd" followed by a space, then two periods. The space is important.

Q. copy ?

A. copy - copies a file

Go to the directory that contains the file you want to copy.
Type "cp -i", then the file name, then the directory you want to copy the file into.

For example, to copy the file "sweetheart" into the "/home/schmaltz" directory, type "cp -i sweetheart /home/schmaltz".

Note: The "-i" portion of the command ensures that you do not accidentally copy over another file with the same name.

Q. rm ?

A. rm - removes a file.

Go to the directory that contains the file you want to remove.
Type "rm" and the file name, then press return.

Note: Be careful when removing files! You wil NOT be asked "Are you sure?" by the system!

Q. ls ?

A. ls - lists the contents of the current directory.

Q. exit ?

A. exit - The "exit" command closes your connection to the server. This is the command to use to end your telnet session and logout when you are done.

Q. man ?

A. man - the man command lets you access several hundred manual files. These give help and information on various system commands.

Type "man" and the command you want information about, then press return.

Q. less ?

A. less - opens a text file so you can read but not edit it.

Type "less" and the file name, then press return.
Use the space bar to page down.
Type "h" for help.

This is the command you will usually want to use to view files.

Q. creates a new directory ?

A. mkdir - creates a new directory.

Go to the directory you want the new directory to be in.
Type "mkdir" and the directory name then press return.

Q. print working directory ?

A. pwd - Short for "print working directory". Don't know where you are? "pwd" tells you what directory you are in, what directory that is in, and so on.

For example:

/home/users/p/paulc

"paulc" is the current directory, and it is located in the "p" directory, which is located in the "users" directory, etc. This string of directories and sub-directories is called a path.

Q. removes a directory ?

A. rmdir - removes a directory.

Note: The directory must be empty first.

Go to the directory that contains the directory you want to remove.
Type "rmdir" and the directory name, then press return.

Q. Files in progress ?

man

permissions/chmod/umask

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