16. About System Commands

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Before You Begin

13 Access the Command Line


There are also shell commands that can quickly provide you with information related to your computer system. For example, you can use the df command to view statistics related to your hard drive including the total amount of disk space and the free space available. Other system shell commands can list information related to your computer's memory and swap space and provide a list of processes (programs) that are currently running. Table 3.2 provides a list of some of the shell system commands.

Table 3.2. System Commands

COMMAND

PURPOSE

df

Lists the total disk space, space currently in use, and the free space (df stands for disk free).

du

Shows the total amount of disk space in use in the current folder.

free

Shows statistics on current memory and swap file use.

date

Shows the current system time.

ps

Displays a list of currently running processes (programs).

kill

Used to terminate a process. This is a sort of last-ditch effort to kill a program that won't shut down. The syntax is kill process ID.


The system commands provided in Table 3.2 are used to view information about the system. The only "dangerous" command is kill. kill should be used only in cases where you cannot get an application to close in NLD after you have tried all other possibilities. To use kill you must find the process ID for the offending application using the ps command.

Tip

Again, you may wonder why you need to know anything about the command line. It actually provides one of your recourses for troubleshooting when you are having problems with your system. If you are still feeling squeamish about the command line and system commands, check out the System Monitor. This desktop tool allows you to view running processes and usage statistics related to the computer's memory and processor. Select Programs, System Tools, and then System Monitor.


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    Novell Linux Desktop 9. User's Handbook
    Novell Linux Desktop 9 Users Handbook
    ISBN: 0672327295
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2003
    Pages: 244
    Authors: Joe Habraken

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