Shimonski R SAMS Teach Yourself Unix in 10 Minutes / Even More Help

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SAMS Teach Yourself Unix in 10 Minutes
Authors: Shimonski R
Published year: 2005
Pages: 31-33/170

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Even More Help!

Just when you thought you couldn't find any more help, there is more…there is even a built-in help system for specific commands. Why would you use this if you already know how to use the man pages? Well, the man pages aren't as easy to use as the built-in help system because they take more time to load and aren't as quick to reference. For many Unix-based commands if you need to find help, --help provides the information you need. In some cases, it might even be as simple as just typing h , or -? . Remember, Unix distributions can have small differences, and you may be able to abbreviate in one distribution whereas in another, you may not. In addition, this method may not work if the help system is damaged or unavailable.

To view the built-in help for the date command, type the following:


>date --help


Usage: date [OPTION]... [+FORMAT]


or:  date [OPTION] [MMDDhhmm[[CC]YY][.ss]]


Display the current time in the given FORMAT, or set the


system date.


-d, --date=STRING        display time described by STRING,


not 'now'


-f, --file=DATEFILE      like --date once for each line of


DATEFILE


-r, --reference=FILE     display the last modification time


of FILE


-R, --rfc-822            output RFC-822 compliant date


string


-s, --set=STRING         set time described by STRING


-u, --utc, --universal   print or set Coordinated Universal


Time


--help               display this help and exit


--version            output version information and


exit


...

This information is much easier to read and utilize, but it does not contain the depth of information that the man pages contain.

Graphical Help (Using KDE)

SuSE is one of few software companies that still provide printed manuals that try to help users once they move beyond installing the product. Buying the boxed version of SuSE Linux Professional gives you two thick books: the Administration Guide and the User Guide , which can both also be found online. These books have a fairly easy-to-read style that will have you using the product in short order. These books can also help you learn Unix/Linux.

The SuSE Help Center (covered in the following section) is basically a copy of the same documentation built within the system and found by simply clicking an icon on your desktop.

Searching the Help Center

Open the Help Center by typing susehelp from the shell, or click the life-preserver icon in either the KDE or GNOME. Both will open the Help Center for you to peruse.

Once in the Help Center, take a look around to see whether the help there resembles the help you would expect to see in the man pages. You will find that both the graphical and text-based versions of help are useful in assisting you to work with and learn Unix.

Additional Documentation

When using Unix in the workplace, you should have a system administrator who is in charge of the Unix system and who may operate it. This staff member should already have documentation set up for the Unix system he or she cares for. This includes disaster recovery and security logs and other forms of documentation, such as maps or logs.

Another handy source of information that many systems administrators have exists in the form of a handbook that is usually given to new users on the network. Ask whether one exists for the Unix system you are working on. This handbook may provide you with another source of information that you can learn with and utilize.

When working with Unix at home, you may want to keep this book and several Web links available for more information if needed.

Do Your Documentation ! Documentation is extremely important. It is critical to know how your systems are designed and interconnected , what operating system (OS) they use, and so on. This may not be your area of expertise or experience, so it's important to have these things written down and to update them when necessary.

There are also other forms of documentation that you may encounter on a local intranet or on the Internet, where online information can be found and used quickly. The next section takes a look at a few of these resources.

Unix and Linux Resources Online

Unix resources can be found online quickly if you use a search engine to locate them. Using your favorite Web browser, run a search for "unix help" or "unix commands." You can even be more specific. The results should keep you busy for quite some time. In addition, some of the most helpful Unix- and Linux-based sites on the Web as of the printing of this publication include the following:

http://www.unix.org/link_list.html This is a massive list of links that will help you find more information if needed.
http://www.suse.com/ This is the English-language home of SuSE Linux. News, downloads, and support are all available.
http://www.tldp.org/ The Linux Documentation Project home page is a great place to go for general Linux questions and to learn about many of the applications included in your SuSE Linux distribution.
http://glue.linuxgazette.com/ This is the home page of GLUE, or Groups of Linux Users Everywhere. Use this site to find your nearest Linux Users Group (LUG).
http://linuxgazette.net/ The goal of the Linux Gazette is "making Linux just a little more fun." This electronic magazine is oriented toward new Linux users. Send your question to The Answer Guy.
http://www.google.com/linux This link takes you to the Linux-specific Google search page.
http://www.x.org This is the home page of X.org, the hub of X Window System development activity.
http://www.kde.org This is the online home of the K Desktop Environment. It's a well-organized site with links to nearly everything relevant to KDE.
http://dot.kde.org The KDE News site has links to online articles about KDE and its applications and also connects you to press releases and the like.