util-linux
The util-linux suite contains userspace utilities for Linux-specific system management, including device control, terminal logins, process management, and tty messaging. It is a fundamental block of userspace utilities for Linux systems.
Gentoo includes the util-linux package in the @system set.
Installation
USE flags
Some of these USE flags provide core system functionality, and may be relied upon by users, or software. Some of these USE flags install commands that may conflict with commands provided by other packages. For example disabling the su USE flag could leave a system without the su command, and kill could conflict with sys-process/procps.
USE flags for sys-apps/util-linux Various useful Linux utilities
+cramfs
|
build mkfs/fsck helpers for cramfs filesystems |
+hardlink
|
build hardlink program |
+logger
|
build the logger program |
+readline
|
Enable support for libreadline, a GNU line-editing library that almost everyone wants |
+su
|
build the su program |
+suid
|
Install some programs with suid bit set to provide additional functionality. mount/umount: non-root users may mount/umount devices wall/write: non-root users can notify other users su: non-root users may become root |
audit
|
Use sys-process/audit to emit audit messages about system changes |
build
|
!!internal use only!! DO NOT SET THIS FLAG YOURSELF!, used for creating build images and the first half of bootstrapping [make stage1] |
caps
|
build setpriv helper (run programs with diff capabilities) |
cryptsetup
|
Use sys-fs/cryptsetup to have built-in dm-verity in libmount |
fdformat
|
build fdformat (floppy disk format) |
kill
|
build the kill program |
magic
|
Add support for file type detection via magic bytes (usually via libmagic from sys-apps/file) |
ncurses
|
Add ncurses support (console display library) |
nls
|
Add Native Language Support (using gettext - GNU locale utilities) |
pam
|
build runuser helper |
python
|
Add optional support/bindings for the Python language |
rtas
|
Add support for the Run Time Abstraction Services (RTAS) |
selinux
|
!!internal use only!! Security Enhanced Linux support, this must be set by the selinux profile or breakage will occur |
slang
|
Add support for the slang text display library (it's like ncurses, but different) |
static-libs
|
Build static versions of dynamic libraries as well |
systemd
|
Enable use of systemd-specific libraries and features like socket activation or session tracking |
test
|
Enable dependencies and/or preparations necessary to run tests (usually controlled by FEATURES=test but can be toggled independently) |
tty-helpers
|
install the mesg/wall/write tools for talking to local users |
udev
|
Enable virtual/udev integration (device discovery, power and storage device support, etc) |
unicode
|
Add support for Unicode |
uuidd
|
build uuidd daemon |
verify-sig
|
Verify upstream signatures on distfiles |
kill
Enabling the kill
USE flag will typically creates a conflict between the sys-process/procps and sys-apps/util-linux packages. Both packages include the kill command, and both packages are capable of conditionally building the kill utility by setting the kill
USE flag (in fact, sys-apps/coreutils also includes support for a kill command).
Gentoo toolchain developers have decided the sys-process/procps package will be the default provider of the kill utility for the @system set.
tty-helpers
The mesg, wall, and write utilities are installed using the tty-helpers
USE flag. This can be viewed by scrolling down in USE flags section above.
For security reasons, these utilities are disabled by default.
Emerge
root #
emerge --ask --oneshot sys-apps/util-linux
--oneshot
is used in the above command because util-linux is included in the @system set, so it should not be added to the @selected set (/var/lib/porage/world file).Usage
There are many utilities included in the util-linux package.
addpart
Tell the kernel about the existence of a specified partition.
user $
addpart --help
Usage: addpart <disk device> <partition number> <start> <length> Tell the kernel about the existence of a specified partition. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see addpart(8).
agetty
Open a tty and prompt for login - acts as an alternative Linux getty.
user $
agetty --help
Usage: agetty [options] <line> [<baud_rate>,...] [<termtype>] agetty [options] <baud_rate>,... <line> [<termtype>] Open a terminal and set its mode. Options: -8, --8bits assume 8-bit tty -a, --autologin <user> login the specified user automatically -c, --noreset do not reset control mode -E, --remote use -r <hostname> for login(1) -f, --issue-file <list> display issue files or directories --show-issue display issue file and exit -h, --flow-control enable hardware flow control -H, --host <hostname> specify login host -i, --noissue do not display issue file -I, --init-string <string> set init string -J --noclear do not clear the screen before prompt -l, --login-program <file> specify login program -L, --local-line[=<mode>] control the local line flag -m, --extract-baud extract baud rate during connect -n, --skip-login do not prompt for login -N --nonewline do not print a newline before issue -o, --login-options <opts> options that are passed to login -p, --login-pause wait for any key before the login -r, --chroot <dir> change root to the directory -R, --hangup do virtually hangup on the tty -s, --keep-baud try to keep baud rate after break -t, --timeout <number> login process timeout -U, --detect-case detect uppercase terminal -w, --wait-cr wait carriage-return --nohints do not print hints --nohostname no hostname at all will be shown --long-hostname show full qualified hostname --erase-chars <string> additional backspace chars --kill-chars <string> additional kill chars --chdir <directory> chdir before the login --delay <number> sleep seconds before prompt --nice <number> run login with this priority --reload reload prompts on running agetty instances --list-speeds display supported baud rates --help display this help --version display version For more details see agetty(8).
blkdiscard
Discard the content of sectors on a device.
user $
blkdiscard --help
Usage: blkdiscard [options] <device> Discard the content of sectors on a device. Options: -f, --force disable all checking -o, --offset <num> offset in bytes to discard from -l, --length <num> length of bytes to discard from the offset -p, --step <num> size of the discard iterations within the offset -s, --secure perform secure discard -z, --zeroout zero-fill rather than discard -v, --verbose print aligned length and offset -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <num> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see blkdiscard(8).
blkid
Print block device information.
user $
blkid --help
Usage: blkid --label <label> | --uuid <uuid> blkid [--cache-file <file>] [-ghlLv] [--output <format>] [--match-tag <tag>] [--match-token <token>] [<dev> ...] blkid -p [--match-tag <tag>] [--offset <offset>] [--size <size>] [--output <format>] <dev> ... blkid -i [--match-tag <tag>] [--output <format>] <dev> ... Options: -c, --cache-file <file> read from <file> instead of reading from the default cache file (-c /dev/null means no cache) -d, --no-encoding don't encode non-printing characters -g, --garbage-collect garbage collect the blkid cache -o, --output <format> output format; can be one of: value, device, export or full; (default: full) -k, --list-filesystems list all known filesystems/RAIDs and exit -s, --match-tag <tag> show specified tag(s) (default show all tags) -t, --match-token <token> find device with a specific token (NAME=value pair) -l, --list-one look up only first device with token specified by -t -L, --label <label> convert LABEL to device name -U, --uuid <uuid> convert UUID to device name Low-level probing options: -p, --probe low-level superblocks probing (bypass cache) -i, --info gather information about I/O limits -H, --hint <value> set hint for probing function -S, --size <size> overwrite device size -O, --offset <offset> probe at the given offset -u, --usages <list> filter by "usage" (e.g. -u filesystem,raid) -n, --match-types <list> filter by filesystem type (e.g. -n vfat,ext3) -D, --no-part-details don't print info from partition table -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <size> and <offset> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) <dev> specify device(s) to probe (default: all devices) For more details see blkid(8).
blkzone
Run zone command on the given block device.
user $
blkzone --help
Usage: blkzone <command> [options] <device> Run zone command on the given block device. Commands: report Report zone information about the given device capacity Report sum of zone capacities for the given device reset Reset a range of zones. open Open a range of zones. close Close a range of zones. finish Set a range of zones to Full. Options: -o, --offset <sector> start sector of zone to act (in 512-byte sectors) -l, --length <sectors> maximum sectors to act (in 512-byte sectors) -c, --count <number> maximum number of zones -f, --force enforce on block devices used by the system -v, --verbose display more details -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <sector> and <sectors> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see blkzone(8).
blockdev
Call block device ioctls from the command line.
user $
blockdev --help
Usage: blockdev [-v|-q] commands devices blockdev --report [devices] blockdev -h|-V Call block device ioctls from the command line. Options: -q quiet mode -v verbose mode --report print report for specified (or all) devices -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available commands: --getsz get size in 512-byte sectors --setro set read-only --setrw set read-write --getro get read-only --getdiscardzeroes get discard zeroes support status --getss get logical block (sector) size --getpbsz get physical block (sector) size --getiomin get minimum I/O size --getioopt get optimal I/O size --getalignoff get alignment offset in bytes --getmaxsect get max sectors per request --getbsz get blocksize --setbsz <bytes> set blocksize on file descriptor opening the block device --getsize get 32-bit sector count (deprecated, use --getsz) --getsize64 get size in bytes --setra <sectors> set readahead --getra get readahead --setfra <sectors> set filesystem readahead --getfra get filesystem readahead --flushbufs flush buffers --rereadpt reread partition table For more details see blockdev(8).
cal
Display a calendar, or some part of it.
user $
cal --help
Usage: cal [options] [[[day] month] year] cal [options] <timestamp|monthname> Display a calendar, or some part of it. Without any arguments, display the current month. Options: -1, --one show only a single month (default) -3, --three show three months spanning the date -n, --months <num> show num months starting with date's month -S, --span span the date when displaying multiple months -s, --sunday Sunday as first day of week -m, --monday Monday as first day of week -j, --julian use day-of-year for all calendars --reform <val> Gregorian reform date (1752|gregorian|iso|julian) --iso alias for --reform=iso -y, --year show the whole year -Y, --twelve show the next twelve months -w, --week[=<num>] show US or ISO-8601 week numbers -v, --vertical show day vertically instead of line --color[=<when>] colorize messages (auto, always or never) colors are enabled by default -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see cal(1).
cfdisk
Display or manipulate a disk partition table.
user $
cfdisk --help
Usage: cfdisk [options] <disk> Display or manipulate a disk partition table. Options: -L, --color[=<when>] colorize output (auto, always or never) colors are enabled by default -z, --zero start with zeroed partition table --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -r, --read-only forced open cfdisk in read-only mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see cfdisk(8).
chcpu
Configure CPUs in a multi-processor system.
user $
chcpu --help
Usage: chcpu [options] Configure CPUs in a multi-processor system. Options: -e, --enable <cpu-list> enable cpus -d, --disable <cpu-list> disable cpus -c, --configure <cpu-list> configure cpus -g, --deconfigure <cpu-list> deconfigure cpus -p, --dispatch <mode> set dispatching mode -r, --rescan trigger rescan of cpus -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see chcpu(8).
chfn
Change finger informaiton.
user $
chfn --help
Usage: chfn [options] [LOGIN] Options: -f, --full-name FULL_NAME change user's full name -h, --home-phone HOME_PHONE change user's home phone number -o, --other OTHER_INFO change user's other GECOS information -r, --room ROOM_NUMBER change user's room number -R, --root CHROOT_DIR directory to chroot into -u, --help display this help message and exit -w, --work-phone WORK_PHONE change user's office phone number
chmem
Set a particular size or range of memory online or offline.
user $
chmem --help
Usage: chmem [options] [SIZE|RANGE|BLOCKRANGE] Set a particular size or range of memory online or offline. Options: -e, --enable enable memory -d, --disable disable memory -b, --blocks use memory blocks -z, --zone <name> select memory zone (see below) -v, --verbose verbose output -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Supported zones: DMA DMA32 Normal Highmem Movable Device For more details see chmem(8).
choom
Display and adjust OOM-killer score.
user $
choom --help
Usage: choom [options] -p pid choom [options] -n number -p pid choom [options] -n number [--] command [args...]] Display and adjust OOM-killer score. Options: -n, --adjust <num> specify the adjust score value -p, --pid <num> process ID -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see choom(1).
chrt
Show or change the real-time scheduling attributes of a process.
user $
chrt --help
Show or change the real-time scheduling attributes of a process. Set policy: chrt [options] <priority> <command> [<arg>...] chrt [options] --pid <priority> <pid> Get policy: chrt [options] -p <pid> Policy options: -b, --batch set policy to SCHED_BATCH -d, --deadline set policy to SCHED_DEADLINE -f, --fifo set policy to SCHED_FIFO -i, --idle set policy to SCHED_IDLE -o, --other set policy to SCHED_OTHER -r, --rr set policy to SCHED_RR (default) Scheduling options: -R, --reset-on-fork set reset-on-fork flag -T, --sched-runtime <ns> runtime parameter for DEADLINE -P, --sched-period <ns> period parameter for DEADLINE -D, --sched-deadline <ns> deadline parameter for DEADLINE Other options: -a, --all-tasks operate on all the tasks (threads) for a given pid -m, --max show min and max valid priorities -p, --pid operate on existing given pid -v, --verbose display status information -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see chrt(1).
chsh
Change login shell for a user.
user $
chsh --help
Usage: chsh [options] [LOGIN] Options: -h, --help display this help message and exit -R, --root CHROOT_DIR directory to chroot into -s, --shell SHELL new login shell for the user account
col
Filter out reverse line feeds from standard input.
user $
col --help
Usage: col [options] Filter out reverse line feeds from standard input. Options: -b, --no-backspaces do not output backspaces -f, --fine permit forward half line feeds -p, --pass pass unknown control sequences -h, --tabs convert spaces to tabs -x, --spaces convert tabs to spaces -l, --lines NUM buffer at least NUM lines -H, --help display this help -v, --version display version For more details see col(1).
colcrt
Filter nroff output for CRT previewing.
user $
colcrt --help
Usage: colcrt [options] [<file>...] Filter nroff output for CRT previewing. Options: -, --no-underlining suppress all underlining -2, --half-lines print all half-lines -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see colcrt(1).
colrm
Filter out the specified columns.
user $
colrm --help
Usage: colrm [startcol [endcol]] Filter out the specified columns. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version colrm reads from standard input and writes to standard output For more details see colrm(1).
column
Columnate lists.
user $
column --help
Usage: column [options] [<file>...] Columnate lists. Options: -t, --table create a table -n, --table-name <name> table name for JSON output -O, --table-order <columns> specify order of output columns -N, --table-columns <names> comma separated columns names -l, --table-columns-limit <num> maximal number of input columns -E, --table-noextreme <columns> don't count long text from the columns to column width -d, --table-noheadings don't print header -e, --table-header-repeat repeat header for each page -H, --table-hide <columns> don't print the columns -R, --table-right <columns> right align text in these columns -T, --table-truncate <columns> truncate text in the columns when necessary -W, --table-wrap <columns> wrap text in the columns when necessary -L, --keep-empty-lines don't ignore empty lines -J, --json use JSON output format for table -r, --tree <column> column to use tree-like output for the table -i, --tree-id <column> line ID to specify child-parent relation -p, --tree-parent <column> parent to specify child-parent relation -c, --output-width <width> width of output in number of characters -o, --output-separator <string> columns separator for table output (default is two spaces) -s, --separator <string> possible table delimiters -x, --fillrows fill rows before columns -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see column(1).
ctrlaltdel
Set the function of the Ctrl-Alt-Del combination.
user $
ctrlaltdel --help
Usage: ctrlaltdel hard|soft Set the function of the Ctrl-Alt-Del combination. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see ctrlaltdel(8).
date
Display the current time in the given FORMAT, or set the system date.
user $
date --help
Usage: date [OPTION]... [+FORMAT] or: date [-u|--utc|--universal] [MMDDhhmm[[CC]YY][.ss]] Display the current time in the given FORMAT, or set the system date. Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. -d, --date=STRING display time described by STRING, not 'now' --debug annotate the parsed date, and warn about questionable usage to stderr -f, --file=DATEFILE like --date; once for each line of DATEFILE -I[FMT], --iso-8601[=FMT] output date/time in ISO 8601 format. FMT='date' for date only (the default), 'hours', 'minutes', 'seconds', or 'ns' for date and time to the indicated precision. Example: 2006-08-14T02:34:56-06:00 -R, --rfc-email output date and time in RFC 5322 format. Example: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 02:34:56 -0600 --rfc-3339=FMT output date/time in RFC 3339 format. FMT='date', 'seconds', or 'ns' for date and time to the indicated precision. Example: 2006-08-14 02:34:56-06:00 -r, --reference=FILE display the last modification time of FILE -s, --set=STRING set time described by STRING -u, --utc, --universal print or set Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) --help display this help and exit --version output version information and exit FORMAT controls the output. Interpreted sequences are: %% a literal % %a locale's abbreviated weekday name (e.g., Sun) %A locale's full weekday name (e.g., Sunday) %b locale's abbreviated month name (e.g., Jan) %B locale's full month name (e.g., January) %c locale's date and time (e.g., Thu Mar 3 23:05:25 2005) %C century; like %Y, except omit last two digits (e.g., 20) %d day of month (e.g., 01) %D date; same as %m/%d/%y %e day of month, space padded; same as %_d %F full date; like %+4Y-%m-%d %g last two digits of year of ISO week number (see %G) %G year of ISO week number (see %V); normally useful only with %V %h same as %b %H hour (00..23) %I hour (01..12) %j day of year (001..366) %k hour, space padded ( 0..23); same as %_H %l hour, space padded ( 1..12); same as %_I %m month (01..12) %M minute (00..59) %n a newline %N nanoseconds (000000000..999999999) %p locale's equivalent of either AM or PM; blank if not known %P like %p, but lower case %q quarter of year (1..4) %r locale's 12-hour clock time (e.g., 11:11:04 PM) %R 24-hour hour and minute; same as %H:%M %s seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC %S second (00..60) %t a tab %T time; same as %H:%M:%S %u day of week (1..7); 1 is Monday %U week number of year, with Sunday as first day of week (00..53) %V ISO week number, with Monday as first day of week (01..53) %w day of week (0..6); 0 is Sunday %W week number of year, with Monday as first day of week (00..53) %x locale's date representation (e.g., 12/31/99) %X locale's time representation (e.g., 23:13:48) %y last two digits of year (00..99) %Y year %z +hhmm numeric time zone (e.g., -0400) %:z +hh:mm numeric time zone (e.g., -04:00) %::z +hh:mm:ss numeric time zone (e.g., -04:00:00) %:::z numeric time zone with : to necessary precision (e.g., -04, +05:30) %Z alphabetic time zone abbreviation (e.g., EDT) By default, date pads numeric fields with zeroes. The following optional flags may follow '%': - (hyphen) do not pad the field _ (underscore) pad with spaces 0 (zero) pad with zeros + pad with zeros, and put '+' before future years with >4 digits ^ use upper case if possible # use opposite case if possible After any flags comes an optional field width, as a decimal number; then an optional modifier, which is either E to use the locale's alternate representations if available, or O to use the locale's alternate numeric symbols if available. Examples: Convert seconds since the epoch (1970-01-01 UTC) to a date $ date --date='@2147483647' Show the time on the west coast of the US (use tzselect(1) to find TZ) $ TZ='America/Los_Angeles' date Show the local time for 9AM next Friday on the west coast of the US $ date --date='TZ="America/Los_Angeles" 09:00 next Fri' GNU coreutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/> Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/date> or available locally via: info '(coreutils) date invocation'
delpart
Tell the kernel to forget about a specified partition.
user $
delpart --help
Usage: delpart <disk device> <partition number> Tell the kernel to forget about a specified partition. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see delpart(8).
dmesg
Print or control the kernel messaging buffer.
user $
dmesg --help
Usage: dmesg [options] Display or control the kernel ring buffer. Options: -C, --clear clear the kernel ring buffer -c, --read-clear read and clear all messages -D, --console-off disable printing messages to console -E, --console-on enable printing messages to console -F, --file <file> use the file instead of the kernel log buffer -f, --facility <list> restrict output to defined facilities -H, --human human readable output -J, --json use JSON output format -k, --kernel display kernel messages -L, --color[=<when>] colorize messages (auto, always or never) colors are enabled by default -l, --level <list> restrict output to defined levels -n, --console-level <level> set level of messages printed to console -P, --nopager do not pipe output into a pager -p, --force-prefix force timestamp output on each line of multi-line messages -r, --raw print the raw message buffer --noescape don't escape unprintable character -S, --syslog force to use syslog(2) rather than /dev/kmsg -s, --buffer-size <size> buffer size to query the kernel ring buffer -u, --userspace display userspace messages -w, --follow wait for new messages -W, --follow-new wait and print only new messages -x, --decode decode facility and level to readable string -d, --show-delta show time delta between printed messages -e, --reltime show local time and time delta in readable format -T, --ctime show human-readable timestamp (may be inaccurate!) -t, --notime don't show any timestamp with messages --time-format <format> show timestamp using the given format: [delta|reltime|ctime|notime|iso] Suspending/resume will make ctime and iso timestamps inaccurate. --since <time> display the lines since the specified time --until <time> display the lines until the specified time -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Supported log facilities: kern - kernel messages user - random user-level messages mail - mail system daemon - system daemons auth - security/authorization messages syslog - messages generated internally by syslogd lpr - line printer subsystem news - network news subsystem Supported log levels (priorities): emerg - system is unusable alert - action must be taken immediately crit - critical conditions err - error conditions warn - warning conditions notice - normal but significant condition info - informational debug - debug-level messages For more details see dmesg(1).
eject
Eject removable media via software control.
user $
eject --help
Usage: eject [options] [<device>|<mountpoint>] Eject removable media. Options: -a, --auto <on|off> turn auto-eject feature on or off -c, --changerslot <slot> switch discs on a CD-ROM changer -d, --default display default device -f, --floppy eject floppy -F, --force don't care about device type -i, --manualeject <on|off> toggle manual eject protection on/off -m, --no-unmount do not unmount device even if it is mounted -M, --no-partitions-unmount do not unmount another partitions -n, --noop don't eject, just show device found -p, --proc use /proc/mounts instead of /etc/mtab -q, --tape eject tape -r, --cdrom eject CD-ROM -s, --scsi eject SCSI device -t, --trayclose close tray -T, --traytoggle toggle tray -v, --verbose enable verbose output -x, --cdspeed <speed> set CD-ROM max speed -X, --listspeed list CD-ROM available speeds -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version By default tries -r, -s, -f, and -q in order until success. For more details see eject(1).
fallocate
Preallocate space to, or deallocate space from a file.
user $
fallocate --help
Usage: fallocate [options] <filename> Preallocate space to, or deallocate space from a file. Options: -c, --collapse-range remove a range from the file -d, --dig-holes detect zeroes and replace with holes -i, --insert-range insert a hole at range, shifting existing data -l, --length <num> length for range operations, in bytes -n, --keep-size maintain the apparent size of the file -o, --offset <num> offset for range operations, in bytes -p, --punch-hole replace a range with a hole (implies -n) -z, --zero-range zero and ensure allocation of a range -x, --posix use posix_fallocate(3) instead of fallocate(2) -v, --verbose verbose mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <num> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see fallocate(1).
fdformat
Low-level format a floppy disk.
Command only available if the fdformat USE flag is set.
fdisk
Manipulate partition table.
user $
fdisk --help
Usage: fdisk [options] <disk> change partition table fdisk [options] -l [<disk>...] list partition table(s) Display or manipulate a disk partition table. Options: -b, --sector-size <size> physical and logical sector size -B, --protect-boot don't erase bootbits when creating a new label -c, --compatibility[=<mode>] mode is 'dos' or 'nondos' (default) -L, --color[=<when>] colorize output (auto, always or never) colors are enabled by default -l, --list display partitions and exit -x, --list-details like --list but with more details -n, --noauto-pt don't create default partition table on empty devices -o, --output <list> output columns -t, --type <type> recognize specified partition table type only -u, --units[=<unit>] display units: 'cylinders' or 'sectors' (default) -s, --getsz display device size in 512-byte sectors [DEPRECATED] --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -w, --wipe <mode> wipe signatures (auto, always or never) -W, --wipe-partitions <mode> wipe signatures from new partitions (auto, always or never) -C, --cylinders <number> specify the number of cylinders -H, --heads <number> specify the number of heads -S, --sectors <number> specify the number of sectors per track -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: gpt: Device Start End Sectors Size Type Type-UUID Attrs Name UUID dos: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Attrs Boot End-C/H/S Start-C/H/S bsd: Slice Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Bsize Cpg Fsize sgi: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Attrs sun: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Flags For more details see fdisk(8).
fincore
Count pages of file contents in core.
user $
fincore --help
Usage: fincore [options] file... Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -b, --bytes print sizes in bytes rather than in human readable format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> output columns -r, --raw use raw output format -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: PAGES file data resident in memory in pages SIZE size of the file FILE file name RES file data resident in memory in bytes For more details see fincore(1).
findfs
Find a filesystem by label or UUID.
user $
findfs --help
Usage: findfs [options] {LABEL,UUID,PARTUUID,PARTLABEL}=<value> Find a filesystem by label or UUID. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see findfs(8).
findmnt
Find a (mounted) filesystem: list or search mounted filesystems.
user $
findmnt --help
Usage: findmnt [options] findmnt [options] <device> | <mountpoint> findmnt [options] <device> <mountpoint> findmnt [options] [--source <device>] [--target <path> | --mountpoint <dir>] Find a (mounted) filesystem. Options: -s, --fstab search in static table of filesystems -m, --mtab search in table of mounted filesystems (includes user space mount options) -k, --kernel search in kernel table of mounted filesystems (default) -p, --poll[=<list>] monitor changes in table of mounted filesystems -w, --timeout <num> upper limit in milliseconds that --poll will block -A, --all disable all built-in filters, print all filesystems -a, --ascii use ASCII chars for tree formatting -b, --bytes print sizes in bytes rather than in human readable format -C, --nocanonicalize don't canonicalize when comparing paths -c, --canonicalize canonicalize printed paths -D, --df imitate the output of df(1) -d, --direction <word> direction of search, 'forward' or 'backward' -e, --evaluate convert tags (LABEL,UUID,PARTUUID,PARTLABEL) to device names -F, --tab-file <path> alternative file for -s, -m or -k options -f, --first-only print the first found filesystem only -i, --invert invert the sense of matching -J, --json use JSON output format -l, --list use list format output -N, --task <tid> use alternative namespace (/proc/<tid>/mountinfo file) -n, --noheadings don't print column headings -O, --options <list> limit the set of filesystems by mount options -o, --output <list> the output columns to be shown --output-all output all available columns -P, --pairs use key="value" output format --pseudo print only pseudo-filesystems --shadowed print only filesystems over-mounted by another filesystem -R, --submounts print all submounts for the matching filesystems -r, --raw use raw output format --real print only real filesystems -S, --source <string> the device to mount (by name, maj:min, LABEL=, UUID=, PARTUUID=, PARTLABEL=) -T, --target <path> the path to the filesystem to use --tree enable tree format output if possible -M, --mountpoint <dir> the mountpoint directory -t, --types <list> limit the set of filesystems by FS types -U, --uniq ignore filesystems with duplicate target -u, --notruncate don't truncate text in columns -v, --nofsroot don't print [/dir] for bind or btrfs mounts -x, --verify verify mount table content (default is fstab) --verbose print more details --vfs-all print all VFS options -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: ACTION action detected by --poll AVAIL filesystem size available FREQ dump(8) period in days [fstab only] FSROOT filesystem root FSTYPE filesystem type FS-OPTIONS FS specific mount options ID mount ID LABEL filesystem label MAJ:MIN major:minor device number OLD-OPTIONS old mount options saved by --poll OLD-TARGET old mountpoint saved by --poll OPTIONS all mount options OPT-FIELDS optional mount fields PARENT mount parent ID PARTLABEL partition label PARTUUID partition UUID PASSNO pass number on parallel fsck(8) [fstab only] PROPAGATION VFS propagation flags SIZE filesystem size SOURCE source device TARGET mountpoint TID task ID USED filesystem size used USE% filesystem use percentage UUID filesystem UUID VFS-OPTIONS VFS specific mount options For more details see findmnt(8).
flock
Utilize serialization using file locks.
user $
flock --help
Usage: flock [options] <file>|<directory> <command> [<argument>...] flock [options] <file>|<directory> -c <command> flock [options] <file descriptor number> Manage file locks from shell scripts. Options: -s, --shared get a shared lock -x, --exclusive get an exclusive lock (default) -u, --unlock remove a lock -n, --nonblock fail rather than wait -w, --timeout <secs> wait for a limited amount of time -E, --conflict-exit-code <number> exit code after conflict or timeout -o, --close close file descriptor before running command -c, --command <command> run a single command string through the shell -F, --no-fork execute command without forking --verbose increase verbosity -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see flock(1).
fsck
Perform a file system check and repair.
Other fsck.* tools may be provided by sys-fs/e2fsprogs (ext4), or sys-fs/dosfstools (fat), or other user space "helper" packages.
user $
fsck --help
Usage: fsck [options] -- [fs-options] [<filesystem> ...] Check and repair a Linux filesystem. Options: -A check all filesystems -C [<fd>] display progress bar; file descriptor is for GUIs -l lock the device to guarantee exclusive access -M do not check mounted filesystems -N do not execute, just show what would be done -P check filesystems in parallel, including root -R skip root filesystem; useful only with '-A' -r [<fd>] report statistics for each device checked; file descriptor is for GUIs -s serialize the checking operations -T do not show the title on startup -t <type> specify filesystem types to be checked; <type> is allowed to be a comma-separated list -V explain what is being done -?, --help display this help --version display version See the specific fsck.* commands for available fs-options. For more details see fsck(8).
fsck.cramfs
Check and repair a compressed ROM filesystem.
Command only available if the cramfs USE flag is set.
Other fsck.* tools may be provided by sys-fs/e2fsprogs, or sys-fs/dosfstools, or other packages.
user $
fsck.cramfs --help
Usage: fsck.cramfs [options] <file> Check and repair a compressed ROM filesystem. Options: -a for compatibility only, ignored -v, --verbose be more verbose -y for compatibility only, ignored -b, --blocksize <size> use this blocksize, defaults to page size --extract[=<dir>] test uncompression, optionally extract into <dir> -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see fsck.cramfs(8).
fsck.minix
Check the consistency of a Minix filesystem.
Other fsck.* tools may be provided by sys-fs/e2fsprogs, or sys-fs/dosfstools, or other packages.
user $
fsck.minix --help
Usage: fsck.minix [options] <device> Check the consistency of a Minix filesystem. Options: -l, --list list all filenames -a, --auto automatic repair -r, --repair interactive repair -v, --verbose be verbose -s, --super output super-block information -m, --uncleared activate mode not cleared warnings -f, --force force check -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see fsck.minix(8).
fsfreeze
Suspend access to a filesystem.
user $
fsfreeze --help
Usage: fsfreeze [options] <mountpoint> Suspend access to a filesystem. Options: -f, --freeze freeze the filesystem -u, --unfreeze unfreeze the filesystem -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see fsfreeze(8).
fstrim
Discard/trim unused blocks on a filesystem - useful for solid-state drives.
user $
fstrim --help
Usage: fstrim [options] <mount point> Discard unused blocks on a mounted filesystem. Options: -a, --all trim mounted filesystems -A, --fstab trim filesystems from /etc/fstab -I, --listed-in <list> trim filesystems listed in specified files -o, --offset <num> the offset in bytes to start discarding from -l, --length <num> the number of bytes to discard -m, --minimum <num> the minimum extent length to discard -v, --verbose print number of discarded bytes --quiet-unsupported suppress error messages if trim unsupported -n, --dry-run does everything, but trim -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <num> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see fstrim(8).
getopt
Parse command options.
user $
getopt --help
getopt <optstring> <parameters> getopt [options] [--] <optstring> <parameters> getopt [options] -o|--options <optstring> [options] [--] <parameters> Parse command options. Options: -a, --alternative allow long options starting with single - -l, --longoptions <longopts> the long options to be recognized -n, --name <progname> the name under which errors are reported -o, --options <optstring> the short options to be recognized -q, --quiet disable error reporting by getopt(3) -Q, --quiet-output no normal output -s, --shell <shell> set quoting conventions to those of <shell> -T, --test test for getopt(1) version -u, --unquoted do not quote the output -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see getopt(1).
hardlink
Consolidate duplicate files using hardlinks.
Command only available if the hardlink USE flag is set.
user $
hardlink --help
Usage: hardlink [options] <directory>|<file> ... Consolidate duplicate files using hardlinks. Options: -v, --verbose verbose output (repeat for more verbosity) -q, --quiet quiet mode - don't print anything -n, --dry-run don't actually link anything -y, --method <name> file content comparison method -f, --respect-name filenames have to be identical -p, --ignore-mode ignore changes of file mode -o, --ignore-owner ignore owner changes -t, --ignore-time ignore timestamps (when testing for equality) -c, --content compare only file contents, same as -pot -X, --respect-xattrs respect extended attributes --reflink[=<when>] create clone/CoW copies (auto, always, never) --skip-reflinks skip already cloned files (enabled on --reflink) -m, --maximize maximize the hardlink count, remove the file with lowest hardlink count -M, --minimize reverse the meaning of -m -O, --keep-oldest keep the oldest file of multiple equal files (lower precedence than minimize/maximize) -x, --exclude <regex> regular expression to exclude files -i, --include <regex> regular expression to include files/dirs -s, --minimum-size <size> minimum size for files. -S, --maximum-size <size> maximum size for files. -b, --io-size <size> I/O buffer size for file reading (speedup, using more RAM) -r, --cache-size <size> memory limit for cached file content data -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see hardlink(1).
hexdump
Display file contents in hexadecimal, decimal, octal, or ascii. See also hex editor.
user $
hexdump --help
Usage: hexdump [options] <file>... Display file contents in hexadecimal, decimal, octal, or ascii. Options: -b, --one-byte-octal one-byte octal display -c, --one-byte-char one-byte character display -C, --canonical canonical hex+ASCII display -d, --two-bytes-decimal two-byte decimal display -o, --two-bytes-octal two-byte octal display -x, --two-bytes-hex two-byte hexadecimal display -L, --color[=<mode>] interpret color formatting specifiers colors are enabled by default -e, --format <format> format string to be used for displaying data -f, --format-file <file> file that contains format strings -n, --length <length> interpret only length bytes of input -s, --skip <offset> skip offset bytes from the beginning -v, --no-squeezing output identical lines -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <length> and <offset> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see hexdump(1).
hwclock
Time clocks utility.
user $
hwclock --help
Usage: hwclock [function] [option...] Time clocks utility. Functions: -r, --show display the RTC time --get display drift corrected RTC time --set set the RTC according to --date -s, --hctosys set the system time from the RTC -w, --systohc set the RTC from the system time --systz send timescale configurations to the kernel -a, --adjust adjust the RTC to account for systematic drift --param-get <param> display the RTC parameter --param-set <param>=<value> set the RTC parameter --predict predict the drifted RTC time according to --date Options: -u, --utc the RTC timescale is UTC -l, --localtime the RTC timescale is Local -f, --rtc <file> use an alternate file to /dev/rtc0 --directisa use the ISA bus instead of /dev/rtc0 access --date <time> date/time input for --set and --predict --delay <sec> delay used when set new RTC time --update-drift update the RTC drift factor --noadjfile do not use /etc/adjtime --adjfile <file> use an alternate file to /etc/adjtime --test dry run; implies --verbose -v, --verbose display more details -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <param> is either a numeric RTC parameter value or one of these aliases: - features: supported features (0x0) - correction: time correction (0x1) - bsm: backup switch mode (0x2) See Kernel's include/uapi/linux/rtc.h for parameters and values. <param> and <value> accept hexadecimal values if prefixed with 0x, otherwise decimal. For more details see hwclock(8).
ionice
Show or change the I/O-scheduling class and priority of a process.
user $
ionice --help
Usage: ionice [options] -p <pid>... ionice [options] -P <pgid>... ionice [options] -u <uid>... ionice [options] <command> Show or change the I/O-scheduling class and priority of a process. Options: -c, --class <class> name or number of scheduling class, 0: none, 1: realtime, 2: best-effort, 3: idle -n, --classdata <num> priority (0..7) in the specified scheduling class, only for the realtime and best-effort classes -p, --pid <pid>... act on these already running processes -P, --pgid <pgrp>... act on already running processes in these groups -t, --ignore ignore failures -u, --uid <uid>... act on already running processes owned by these users -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see ionice(1).
ipcmk
Create various IPC resources.
user $
ipcmk --help
Usage: ipcmk [options] Create various IPC resources. Options: -M, --shmem <size> create shared memory segment of size <size> -S, --semaphore <number> create semaphore array with <number> elements -Q, --queue create message queue -p, --mode <mode> permission for the resource (default is 0644) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <size> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see ipcmk(1).
ipcrm
Remove certain IPC resources.
user $
ipcrm --help
Usage: ipcrm [options] ipcrm shm|msg|sem <id>... Remove certain IPC resources. Options: -m, --shmem-id <id> remove shared memory segment by id -M, --shmem-key <key> remove shared memory segment by key -q, --queue-id <id> remove message queue by id -Q, --queue-key <key> remove message queue by key -s, --semaphore-id <id> remove semaphore by id -S, --semaphore-key <key> remove semaphore by key -a, --all[=shm|msg|sem] remove all (in the specified category) -v, --verbose explain what is being done -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see ipcrm(1).
ipcs
Show information on IPC facilities.
user $
ipcs --help
Usage: ipcs [resource-option...] [output-option] ipcs -m|-q|-s -i <id> Show information on IPC facilities. Options: -i, --id <id> print details on resource identified by <id> -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Resource options: -m, --shmems shared memory segments -q, --queues message queues -s, --semaphores semaphores -a, --all all (default) Output options: -t, --time show attach, detach and change times -p, --pid show PIDs of creator and last operator -c, --creator show creator and owner -l, --limits show resource limits -u, --summary show status summary --human show sizes in human-readable format -b, --bytes show sizes in bytes For more details see ipcs(1).
irqtop
Interactive utility to display kernel interrupt information.
user $
irqtop --help
Usage: irqtop [options] Interactive utility to display kernel interrupt information. Options: -c, --cpu-stat <mode> show per-cpu stat (auto, enable, disable) -d, --delay <secs> delay updates -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use -s, --sort <column> specify sort column -S, --softirq show softirqs instead of interrupts -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version The following interactive key commands are valid: i sort by IRQ t sort by TOTAL d sort by DELTA n sort by NAME q Q quit program Available output columns: IRQ interrupts TOTAL total count DELTA delta count NAME name For more details see irqtop(1).
isosize
Show the length of an ISO-9660 filesystem.
user $
isosize --help
Usage: isosize [options] <iso9660_image_file> ... Show the length of an ISO-9660 filesystem. Options: -d, --divisor=<number> divide the amount of bytes by <number> -x, --sectors show sector count and size -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see isosize(8).
kill
Send a signal to a process.
Command only available if the kill USE flag is set. See section at top of article.
last
Show a listing of last logged in users.
user $
last --help
Usage: last [options] [<username>...] [<tty>...] Show a listing of last logged in users. Options: -<number> how many lines to show -a, --hostlast display hostnames in the last column -d, --dns translate the IP number back into a hostname -f, --file <file> use a specific file instead of /var/log/wtmp -F, --fulltimes print full login and logout times and dates -i, --ip display IP numbers in numbers-and-dots notation -n, --limit <number> how many lines to show -R, --nohostname don't display the hostname field -s, --since <time> display the lines since the specified time -t, --until <time> display the lines until the specified time -p, --present <time> display who were present at the specified time -w, --fullnames display full user and domain names -x, --system display system shutdown entries and run level changes --time-format <format> show timestamps in the specified <format>: notime|short|full|iso -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see last(1).
ldattach
Attach a line discipline to a serial line.
user $
ldattach --help
Usage: ldattach [options] <ldisc> <device> Attach a line discipline to a serial line. Options: -d, --debug print verbose messages to stderr -s, --speed <value> set serial line speed -c, --intro-command <string> intro sent before ldattach -p, --pause <seconds> pause between intro and ldattach -7, --sevenbits set character size to 7 bits -8, --eightbits set character size to 8 bits -n, --noparity set parity to none -e, --evenparity set parity to even -o, --oddparity set parity to odd -1, --onestopbit set stop bits to one -2, --twostopbits set stop bits to two -i, --iflag [-]<iflag> set input mode flag -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Known <ldisc> names: TTY SLIP MOUSE PPP STRIP AX25 X25 6PACK R3964 IRDA HDLC SYNC_PPP SYNCPPP HCI GIGASET_M101 M101 GIGASET PPS GSM0710 Known <iflag> names: IGNBRK BRKINT IGNPAR PARMRK INPCK ISTRIP INLCR IGNCR ICRNL IUCLC IXON IXANY IXOFF IMAXBEL IUTF8 For more details see ldattach(8).
line
Read one line.
user $
line --help
Usage: line [options] Read one line. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see line(1).
logger
Enter messages into the system log.
Command only available if the logger USE flag is set.
user $
logger --help
Usage: logger [options] [<message>] Enter messages into the [[system log]]. Options: -i log the logger command's PID --id[=<id>] log the given <id>, or otherwise the PID -f, --file <file> log the contents of this file -e, --skip-empty do not log empty lines when processing files --no-act do everything except the write the log -p, --priority <prio> mark given message with this priority --octet-count use rfc6587 octet counting --prio-prefix look for a prefix on every line read from stdin -s, --stderr output message to standard error as well -S, --size <size> maximum size for a single message -t, --tag <tag> mark every line with this tag -n, --server <name> write to this remote syslog server -P, --port <port> use this port for UDP or TCP connection -T, --tcp use TCP only -d, --udp use UDP only --rfc3164 use the obsolete BSD syslog protocol --rfc5424[=<snip>] use the syslog protocol (the default for remote); <snip> can be notime, or notq, and/or nohost --sd-id <id> rfc5424 structured data ID --sd-param <data> rfc5424 structured data name=value --msgid <msgid> set rfc5424 message id field -u, --socket <socket> write to this Unix socket --socket-errors[=<on|off|auto>] print connection errors when using Unix sockets -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see logger(1).
login
May belong to sys-apps/shadow. Begin session on the system. See man login, and login.
look
Display lines beginning with a specified string.
user $
look --help
Usage: look [options] <string> [<file>...] Display lines beginning with a specified string. Options: -a, --alternative use the alternative dictionary -d, --alphanum compare only blanks and alphanumeric characters -f, --ignore-case ignore case differences when comparing -t, --terminate <char> define the string-termination character -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see look(1).
losetup
Control loop devices.
user $
losetup --help
Usage: losetup [options] [<loopdev>] losetup [options] -f | <loopdev> <file> Set up and control loop devices. Options: -a, --all list all used devices -d, --detach <loopdev>... detach one or more devices -D, --detach-all detach all used devices -f, --find find first unused device -c, --set-capacity <loopdev> resize the device -j, --associated <file> list all devices associated with <file> -L, --nooverlap avoid possible conflict between devices -o, --offset <num> start at offset <num> into file --sizelimit <num> device is limited to <num> bytes of the file -b, --sector-size <num> set the logical sector size to <num> -P, --partscan create a partitioned loop device -r, --read-only set up a read-only loop device --direct-io[=<on|off>] open backing file with O_DIRECT --show print device name after setup (with -f) -v, --verbose verbose mode -J, --json use JSON --list output format -l, --list list info about all or specified (default) -n, --noheadings don't print headings for --list output -O, --output <cols> specify columns to output for --list --output-all output all columns --raw use raw --list output format -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: NAME loop device name AUTOCLEAR autoclear flag set BACK-FILE device backing file BACK-INO backing file inode number BACK-MAJ:MIN backing file major:minor device number MAJ:MIN loop device major:minor number OFFSET offset from the beginning PARTSCAN partscan flag set RO read-only device SIZELIMIT size limit of the file in bytes DIO access backing file with direct-io LOG-SEC logical sector size in bytes For more details see losetup(8).
lsblk
List information about block devices.
user $
lsblk --help
Usage: lsblk [options] [<device> ...] List information about block devices. Options: -A, --noempty don't print empty devices -D, --discard print discard capabilities -E, --dedup <column> de-duplicate output by <column> -I, --include <list> show only devices with specified major numbers -J, --json use JSON output format -M, --merge group parents of sub-trees (usable for RAIDs, Multi-path) -O, --output-all output all columns -P, --pairs use key="value" output format -S, --scsi output info about SCSI devices -T, --tree[=<column>] use tree format output -a, --all print all devices -b, --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format -d, --nodeps don't print slaves or holders -e, --exclude <list> exclude devices by major number (default: RAM disks) -f, --fs output info about filesystems -i, --ascii use ascii characters only -l, --list use list format output -m, --perms output info about permissions -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> output columns -p, --paths print complete device path -r, --raw use raw output format -s, --inverse inverse dependencies -t, --topology output info about topology -w, --width <num> specifies output width as number of characters -x, --sort <column> sort output by <column> -y, --shell use column names to be usable as shell variable identifiers -z, --zoned print zone related information --sysroot <dir> use specified directory as system root -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: ALIGNMENT alignment offset DISC-ALN discard alignment offset DAX dax-capable device DISC-GRAN discard granularity DISC-MAX discard max bytes DISC-ZERO discard zeroes data FSAVAIL filesystem size available FSROOTS mounted filesystem roots FSSIZE filesystem size FSTYPE filesystem type FSUSED filesystem size used FSUSE% filesystem use percentage FSVER filesystem version GROUP group name HCTL Host:Channel:Target:Lun for SCSI HOTPLUG removable or hotplug device (usb, pcmcia, ...) KNAME internal kernel device name LABEL filesystem LABEL LOG-SEC logical sector size MAJ:MIN major:minor device number MIN-IO minimum I/O size MODE device node permissions MODEL device identifier NAME device name OPT-IO optimal I/O size OWNER user name PARTFLAGS partition flags PARTLABEL partition LABEL PARTTYPE partition type code or UUID PARTTYPENAME partition type name PARTUUID partition UUID PATH path to the device node PHY-SEC physical sector size PKNAME internal parent kernel device name PTTYPE partition table type PTUUID partition table identifier (usually UUID) RA read-ahead of the device RAND adds randomness REV device revision RM removable device RO read-only device ROTA rotational device RQ-SIZE request queue size SCHED I/O scheduler name SERIAL disk serial number SIZE size of the device START partition start offset STATE state of the device SUBSYSTEMS de-duplicated chain of subsystems MOUNTPOINT where the device is mounted MOUNTPOINTS all locations where device is mounted TRAN device transport type TYPE device type UUID filesystem UUID VENDOR device vendor WSAME write same max bytes WWN unique storage identifier ZONED zone model ZONE-SZ zone size ZONE-WGRAN zone write granularity ZONE-APP zone append max bytes ZONE-NR number of zones ZONE-OMAX maximum number of open zones ZONE-AMAX maximum number of active zones For more details see lsblk(8).
lscpu
Display information about the CPU architecture. See also hardware detection.
user $
lscpu --help
Usage: lscpu [options] Display information about the CPU architecture. Options: -a, --all print both online and offline CPUs (default for -e) -b, --online print online CPUs only (default for -p) -B, --bytes print sizes in bytes rather than in human readable format -C, --caches[=<list>] info about caches in extended readable format -c, --offline print offline CPUs only -J, --json use JSON for default or extended format -e, --extended[=<list>] print out an extended readable format -p, --parse[=<list>] print out a parsable format -s, --sysroot <dir> use specified directory as system root -x, --hex print hexadecimal masks rather than lists of CPUs -y, --physical print physical instead of logical IDs --output-all print all available columns for -e, -p or -C -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns for -e or -p: BOGOMIPS crude measurement of CPU speed CPU logical CPU number CORE logical core number SOCKET logical socket number CLUSTER logical cluster number NODE logical NUMA node number BOOK logical book number DRAWER logical drawer number CACHE shows how caches are shared between CPUs POLARIZATION CPU dispatching mode on virtual hardware ADDRESS physical address of a CPU CONFIGURED shows if the hypervisor has allocated the CPU ONLINE shows if Linux currently makes use of the CPU MHZ shows the currently MHz of the CPU MAXMHZ shows the maximum MHz of the CPU MINMHZ shows the minimum MHz of the CPU Available output columns for -C: ALL-SIZE size of all system caches LEVEL cache level NAME cache name ONE-SIZE size of one cache TYPE cache type WAYS ways of associativity ALLOC-POLICY allocation policy WRITE-POLICY write policy PHY-LINE number of physical cache line per cache t SETS number of sets in the cache; set lines has the same cache index COHERENCY-SIZE minimum amount of data in bytes transferred from memory to cache For more details see lscpu(1).
lsfd
List file descriptors. See changelog on introduction of this command.
user $
lsfd --help
Usage: lsfd [options] Options: -l, --threads list in threads level -J, --json use JSON output format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> output columns -r, --raw use raw output format -u, --notruncate don't truncate text in columns -p, --pid <pid(s)> collect information only specified processes -Q, --filter <expr> apply display filter --debug-filter dump the internal data structure of filter and exit -C, --counter <name>:<expr> define custom counter for --summary output --dump-counters dump counter definitions --summary[=when] print summary information (only, append, or never) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: ASSOC <string> association between file and process BLKDRV <string> block device driver name resolved by /proc/devices CHRDRV <string> character device driver name resolved by /proc/devices COMMAND <string> command of the process opening the file DELETED <boolean> reachability from the file system DEV <string> ID of device containing file DEVTYPE <string> device type (blk, char, or nodev) FD <number> file descriptor for the file FLAGS <string> flags specified when opening the file INODE <number> inode number KTHREAD <boolean> opened by a kernel thread MAJ:MIN <string> device ID for special, or ID of device containing file MAPLEN <number> length of file mapping (in page) MISCDEV <string> misc character device name resolved by /proc/misc MNTID <number> mount id MODE <string> access mode (rwx) NAME <string> name of the file NLINK <number> link count PARTITION <string> block device name resolved by /proc/partition PID <number> PID of the process opening the file POS <number> file position PROTONAME <string> protocol name RDEV <string> device ID (if special file) SIZE <number> file size SOURCE <string> file system, partition, or device containing file TID <number> thread ID of the process opening the file TYPE <string> file type UID <number> user ID number of the process USER <string> user of the process FUID <number> user ID number of the file's owner OWNER <string> owner of the file For more details see lsfd(1).
lsipc
List System V inter-process communication (IPC) resources.
user $
lsipc --help
Usage: lsipc [options] Show information on IPC facilities. Resource options: -m, --shmems shared memory segments -q, --queues message queues -s, --semaphores semaphores -g, --global info about system-wide usage (may be used with -m, -q and -s) -i, --id <id> print details on resource identified by <id> Options: --noheadings don't print headings --notruncate don't truncate output --time-format=<type> display dates in short, full or iso format -b, --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format -c, --creator show creator and owner -e, --export display in an export-able output format -J, --json use the JSON output format -n, --newline display each piece of information on a new line -l, --list force list output format (for example with --id) -o, --output[=<list>] define the columns to output -P, --numeric-perms print numeric permissions (PERMS column) -r, --raw display in raw mode -t, --time show attach, detach and change times -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Generic columns: KEY Resource key ID Resource ID OWNER Owner's username or UID PERMS Permissions CUID Creator UID CUSER Creator user CGID Creator GID CGROUP Creator group UID User ID USER User name GID Group ID GROUP Group name CTIME Time of the last change Shared-memory columns (--shmems): SIZE Segment size NATTCH Number of attached processes STATUS Status ATTACH Attach time DETACH Detach time COMMAND Creator command line CPID PID of the creator LPID PID of last user Message-queue columns (--queues): USEDBYTES Bytes used MSGS Number of messages SEND Time of last msg sent RECV Time of last msg received LSPID PID of the last msg sender LRPID PID of the last msg receiver Semaphore columns (--semaphores): NSEMS Number of semaphores OTIME Time of the last operation Summary columns (--global): RESOURCE Resource name DESCRIPTION Resource description LIMIT System-wide limit USED Currently used USE% Currently use percentage For more details see lsipc(1).
lsirq
Utility to display kernel interrupt information.
user $
lsirq --help
Usage: lsirq [options] Utility to display kernel interrupt information. Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -P, --pairs use key="value" output format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use -s, --sort <column> specify sort column -S, --softirq show softirqs instead of interrupts -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: IRQ interrupts TOTAL total count NAME name For more details see lsirq(1).
lslocks
List local system locks.
user $
lslocks --help
Usage: lslocks [options] List local system locks. Options: -b, --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format -J, --json use JSON output format -i, --noinaccessible ignore locks without read permissions -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use --output-all output all columns -p, --pid <pid> display only locks held by this process -r, --raw use the raw output format -u, --notruncate don't truncate text in columns -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: COMMAND command of the process holding the lock PID PID of the process holding the lock TYPE kind of lock SIZE size of the lock MODE lock access mode M mandatory state of the lock: 0 (none), 1 (set) START relative byte offset of the lock END ending offset of the lock PATH path of the locked file BLOCKER PID of the process blocking the lock For more details see lslocks(8).
lslogins
Display information about known users in the system.
user $
lslogins --help
Usage: lslogins [options] [<username>] Display information about known users in the system. Options: -a, --acc-expiration display info about passwords expiration -c, --colon-separate display data in a format similar to /etc/passwd -e, --export display in an export-able output format -f, --failed display data about the users' last failed logins -G, --supp-groups display information about groups -g, --groups=<groups> display users belonging to a group in <groups> -L, --last show info about the users' last login sessions -l, --logins=<logins> display only users from <logins> -n, --newline display each piece of information on a new line --noheadings don't print headings --notruncate don't truncate output -o, --output[=<list>] define the columns to output --output-all output all columns -p, --pwd display information related to login by password. -r, --raw display in raw mode -s, --system-accs display system accounts --time-format=<type> display dates in short, full or iso format -u, --user-accs display user accounts -Z, --context display SELinux contexts -z, --print0 delimit user entries with a nul character --wtmp-file <path> set an alternate path for wtmp --btmp-file <path> set an alternate path for btmp --lastlog <path> set an alternate path for lastlog -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: USER user name UID user ID GECOS full user name HOMEDIR home directory SHELL login shell NOLOGIN log in disabled by nologin(8) or pam_nologin(8) PWD-LOCK password defined, but locked PWD-EMPTY password not required PWD-DENY login by password disabled PWD-METHOD password encryption method GROUP primary group name GID primary group ID SUPP-GROUPS supplementary group names SUPP-GIDS supplementary group IDs LAST-LOGIN date of last login LAST-TTY last tty used LAST-HOSTNAME hostname during the last session FAILED-LOGIN date of last failed login FAILED-TTY where did the login fail? HUSHED user's hush settings PWD-WARN days user is warned of password expiration PWD-CHANGE date of last password change PWD-MIN number of days required between changes PWD-MAX max number of days a password may remain unchanged PWD-EXPIR password expiration date CONTEXT the user's security context PROC number of processes run by the user For more details see lslogins(1).
lsmem
List the ranges of available memory with their online status.
user $
lsmem --help
Usage: lsmem [options] List the ranges of available memory with their online status. Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -P, --pairs use key="value" output format -a, --all list each individual memory block -b, --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> output columns --output-all output all columns -r, --raw use raw output format -S, --split <list> split ranges by specified columns -s, --sysroot <dir> use the specified directory as system root --summary[=when] print summary information (never,always or only) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: RANGE start and end address of the memory range SIZE size of the memory range STATE online status of the memory range REMOVABLE memory is removable BLOCK memory block number or blocks range NODE numa node of memory ZONES valid zones for the memory range For more details see lsmem(1).
lsns
List system namespaces.
user $
lsns --help
Usage: lsns [options] [<namespace>] List system namespaces. Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -l, --list use list format output -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use --output-all output all columns -p, --task <pid> print process namespaces -r, --raw use the raw output format -u, --notruncate don't truncate text in columns -W, --nowrap don't use multi-line representation -t, --type <name> namespace type (mnt, net, ipc, user, pid, uts, cgroup, time) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: NS namespace identifier (inode number) TYPE kind of namespace PATH path to the namespace NPROCS number of processes in the namespace PID lowest PID in the namespace PPID PPID of the PID COMMAND command line of the PID UID UID of the PID USER username of the PID NETNSID namespace ID as used by network subsystem NSFS nsfs mountpoint (usually used network subsystem) PNS parent namespace identifier (inode number) ONS owner namespace identifier (inode number) For more details see lsns(8).
mcookie
Generate magic cookies for xauth.
user $
mcookie --help
Usage: mcookie [options] Generate magic cookies for xauth. Options: -f, --file <file> use file as a cookie seed -m, --max-size <num> limit how much is read from seed files -v, --verbose explain what is being done -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <num> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) For more details see mcookie(1).
mesg
Display (or do not display) messages from other users.
Command only available if the tty-helpers USE flag is set.
mkfs
Make a Linux filesystem.
user $
mkfs --help
Usage: mkfs [options] [-t <type>] [fs-options] <device> [<size>] Make a Linux filesystem. Options: -t, --type=<type> filesystem type; when unspecified, ext2 is used fs-options parameters for the real filesystem builder <device> path to the device to be used <size> number of blocks to be used on the device -V, --verbose explain what is being done; specifying -V more than once will cause a dry-run -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mkfs(8).
mkfs.bfs
Make an SCO bfs filesystem.
user $
mkfs.bfs --help
Usage: mkfs.bfs [options] device [block-count] Make an SCO bfs filesystem. Options: -N, --inodes=NUM specify desired number of inodes -V, --vname=NAME specify volume name -F, --fname=NAME specify file system name -v, --verbose explain what is being done -c this option is silently ignored -l this option is silently ignored -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mkfs.bfs(8).
mkfs.cramfs
Make cramfs compressed ROM file system.
user $
mkfs.cramfs --help
Usage: mkfs.cramfs [-h] [-v] [-b blksize] [-e edition] [-N endian] [-i file] [-n name] dirname outfile Make compressed ROM file system. Options: -v be verbose -E make all warnings errors (non-zero exit status) -b blksize use this blocksize, must equal page size -e edition set edition number (part of fsid) -N endian set cramfs endianness (big|little|host), default host -i file insert a file image into the filesystem -n name set name of cramfs filesystem -p pad by 512 bytes for boot code -s sort directory entries (old option, ignored) -z make explicit holes dirname root of the filesystem to be compressed outfile output file -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mkfs.cramfs(8).
mkfs.minix
Make a Minix filesystem.
user $
mkfs.minix --help
Usage: mkfs.minix [options] /dev/name [blocks] Options: -1 use Minix version 1 -2, -v use Minix version 2 -3 use Minix version 3 -n, --namelength <num> maximum length of filenames -i, --inodes <num> number of inodes for the filesystem -c, --check check the device for bad blocks -l, --badblocks <file> list of bad blocks from file --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mkfs.minix(8).
mkswap
Create a swap area.
user $
mkswap --help
Usage: mkswap [options] device [size] Set up a Linux swap area. Options: -c, --check check bad blocks before creating the swap area -f, --force allow swap size area be larger than device -p, --pagesize SIZE specify page size in bytes -L, --label LABEL specify label -v, --swapversion NUM specify swap-space version number -U, --uuid UUID specify the uuid to use --verbose verbose output --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mkswap(8).
more
A file perusal filter for CRT viewing. See pager.
user $
more --help
Usage: more [options] <file>... A file perusal filter for CRT viewing. Options: -d, --silent display help instead of ringing bell -f, --logical count logical rather than screen lines -l, --no-pause suppress pause after form feed -c, --print-over do not scroll, display text and clean line ends -p, --clean-print do not scroll, clean screen and display text -s, --squeeze squeeze multiple blank lines into one -u, --plain suppress underlining and bold -n, --lines <number> the number of lines per screenful -<number> same as --lines +<number> display file beginning from line number +/<pattern> display file beginning from pattern match -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see more(1).
mount
See mount.
mountpoint
Check whether a directory or file is a mountpoint.
user $
mountpoint --help
Usage: mountpoint [-qd] /path/to/directory mountpoint -x /dev/device Check whether a directory or file is a mountpoint. Options: -q, --quiet quiet mode - don't print anything --nofollow do not follow symlink -d, --fs-devno print maj:min device number of the filesystem -x, --devno print maj:min device number of the block device -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see mountpoint(1).
namei
Follow a pathname until a terminal point is found.
user $
namei --help
Usage: namei [options] <pathname>... Follow a pathname until a terminal point is found. Options: -x, --mountpoints show mount point directories with a 'D' -m, --modes show the mode bits of each file -o, --owners show owner and group name of each file -l, --long use a long listing format (-m -o -v) -n, --nosymlinks don't follow symlinks -v, --vertical vertical align of modes and owners -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see namei(1).
nsenter
Run a program with namespaces of other processes.
user $
nsenter --help
Usage: nsenter [options] [<program> [<argument>...]] Run a program with namespaces of other processes. Options: -a, --all enter all namespaces -t, --target <pid> target process to get namespaces from -m, --mount[=<file>] enter mount namespace -u, --uts[=<file>] enter UTS namespace (hostname etc) -i, --ipc[=<file>] enter System V IPC namespace -n, --net[=<file>] enter network namespace -p, --pid[=<file>] enter pid namespace -C, --cgroup[=<file>] enter cgroup namespace -U, --user[=<file>] enter user namespace -T, --time[=<file>] enter time namespace -S, --setuid <uid> set uid in entered namespace -G, --setgid <gid> set gid in entered namespace --preserve-credentials do not touch uids or gids -r, --root[=<dir>] set the root directory -w, --wd[=<dir>] set the working directory -F, --no-fork do not fork before exec'ing <program> -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see nsenter(1).
partx
Tell the kernel about the presence and numbering of partitions.
user $
partx --help
Usage: partx [-a|-d|-s|-u] [--nr <n:m> | <partition>] <disk> Tell the kernel about the presence and numbering of partitions. Options: -a, --add add specified partitions or all of them -d, --delete delete specified partitions or all of them -u, --update update specified partitions or all of them -s, --show list partitions -b, --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format -g, --noheadings don't print headings for --show -n, --nr <n:m> specify the range of partitions (e.g. --nr 2:4) -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use --output-all output all columns -P, --pairs use key="value" output format -r, --raw use raw output format -S, --sector-size <num> overwrite sector size -t, --type <type> specify the partition type --list-types list supported partition types and exit -v, --verbose verbose mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: NR partition number START start of the partition in sectors END end of the partition in sectors SECTORS number of sectors SIZE human readable size NAME partition name UUID partition UUID TYPE partition type (a string, a UUID, or hex) FLAGS partition flags SCHEME partition table type (dos, gpt, ...) For more details see partx(8).
pg
Browse pagewise through text files.
user $
pg --help
Usage: pg [options] [+line] [+/pattern/] [files] Browse pagewise through text files. Options: -number lines per page -c clear screen before displaying -e do not pause at end of a file -f do not split long lines -n terminate command with new line -p <prompt> specify prompt -r disallow shell escape -s print messages to stdout +number start at the given line +/pattern/ start at the line containing pattern -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see pg(1).
pivot_root
Change the root filesystem.
user $
pivot_root --help
Usage: pivot_root [options] new_root put_old Change the root filesystem. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see pivot_root(8).
prlimit
Show or change the resource limits of a process.
user $
prlimit --help
Usage: prlimit [options] [-p PID] prlimit [options] COMMAND Show or change the resource limits of a process. General Options: -p, --pid <pid> process id -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use --noheadings don't print headings --raw use the raw output format --verbose verbose output -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Resources Options: -c, --core maximum size of core files created -d, --data maximum size of a process's data segment -e, --nice maximum nice priority allowed to raise -f, --fsize maximum size of files written by the process -i, --sigpending maximum number of pending signals -l, --memlock maximum size a process may lock into memory -m, --rss maximum resident set size -n, --nofile maximum number of open files -q, --msgqueue maximum bytes in POSIX message queues -r, --rtprio maximum real-time scheduling priority -s, --stack maximum stack size -t, --cpu maximum amount of CPU time in seconds -u, --nproc maximum number of user processes -v, --as size of virtual memory -x, --locks maximum number of file locks -y, --rttime CPU time in microseconds a process scheduled under real-time scheduling Available output columns: DESCRIPTION resource description RESOURCE resource name SOFT soft limit HARD hard limit (ceiling) UNITS units For more details see prlimit(1).
readprofile
Display kernel profiling information.
user $
readprofile --help
Usage: readprofile [options] Display kernel profiling information. Options: -m, --mapfile <mapfile> (defaults: "/boot/System.map" and "/boot/System.map-5.15.77-gentoo-dist") -p, --profile <pro-file> (default: "/proc/profile") -M, --multiplier <mult> set the profiling multiplier to <mult> -i, --info print only info about the sampling step -v, --verbose print verbose data -a, --all print all symbols, even if count is 0 -b, --histbin print individual histogram-bin counts -s, --counters print individual counters within functions -r, --reset reset all the counters (root only) -n, --no-auto disable byte order auto-detection -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see readprofile(8).
rename
Rename files.
user $
rename --help
Usage: rename [options] <expression> <replacement> <file>... Rename files. Options: -v, --verbose explain what is being done -s, --symlink act on the target of symlinks -n, --no-act do not make any changes -o, --no-overwrite don't overwrite existing files -i, --interactive prompt before overwrite -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see rename(1).
renice
Alter the priority of running processes.
user $
renice --help
Usage: renice [-n] <priority> [-p|--pid] <pid>... renice [-n] <priority> -g|--pgrp <pgid>... renice [-n] <priority> -u|--user <user>... Alter the priority of running processes. Options: -n, --priority <num> specify the nice value -p, --pid interpret arguments as process ID (default) -g, --pgrp interpret arguments as process group ID -u, --user interpret arguments as username or user ID -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see renice(1).
resizepart
Tell the kernel about the new size of a partition.
user $
resizepart --help
Usage: resizepart <disk device> <partition number> <length> Tell the kernel about the new size of a partition. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see resizepart(8).
rev
Reverse lines characterwise.
user $
rev --help
Usage: rev [options] [file ...] Reverse lines characterwise. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see rev(1).
rfkill
Tool for enabling and disabling wireless devices.
user $
rfkill --help
Usage: rfkill [options] command [identifier ...] Tool for enabling and disabling wireless devices. Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> define which output columns to use --output-all output all columns -r, --raw use the raw output format -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: DEVICE kernel device name ID device identifier value TYPE device type name that can be used as identifier TYPE-DESC device type description SOFT status of software block HARD status of hardware block Commands: help event list [identifier] block identifier unblock identifier toggle identifier For more details see rfkill(8).
rtcwake
Enter a system sleep state until a specified wakeup time.
user $
rtcwake --help
Usage: rtcwake [options] Enter a system sleep state until a specified wakeup time. Options: -a, --auto reads the clock mode from adjust file (default) -A, --adjfile <file> specifies the path to the adjust file the default is /etc/adjtime --date <timestamp> date time of timestamp to wake -d, --device <device> select rtc device (rtc0|rtc1|...) -n, --dry-run does everything, but suspend -l, --local RTC uses local timezone --list-modes list available modes -m, --mode <mode> standby|mem|... sleep mode -s, --seconds <seconds> seconds to sleep -t, --time <time_t> time to wake -u, --utc RTC uses UTC -v, --verbose verbose messages -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see rtcwake(8).
runuser
Run <command> with the effective user ID and group ID of <user>.
user $
runuser --help
Usage: runuser [options] -u <user> [[--] <command>] runuser [options] [-] [<user> [<argument>...]] Run <command> with the effective user ID and group ID of <user>. If -u is not given, fall back to su(1)-compatible semantics and execute standard shell. The options -c, -f, -l, and -s are mutually exclusive with -u. Options: -u, --user <user> username -m, -p, --preserve-environment do not reset environment variables -w, --whitelist-environment <list> don't reset specified variables -g, --group <group> specify the primary group -G, --supp-group <group> specify a supplemental group -, -l, --login make the shell a login shell -c, --command <command> pass a single command to the shell with -c --session-command <command> pass a single command to the shell with -c and do not create a new session -f, --fast pass -f to the shell (for csh or tcsh) -s, --shell <shell> run <shell> if /etc/shells allows it -P, --pty create a new pseudo-terminal -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see runuser(1).
script
Make a typescript of a terminal session.
user $
script --help
Usage: script [options] [file] Make a typescript of a terminal session. Options: -I, --log-in <file> log stdin to file -O, --log-out <file> log stdout to file (default) -B, --log-io <file> log stdin and stdout to file -T, --log-timing <file> log timing information to file -t[<file>], --timing[=<file>] deprecated alias to -T (default file is stderr) -m, --logging-format <name> force to 'classic' or 'advanced' format -a, --append append to the log file -c, --command <command> run command rather than interactive shell -e, --return return exit code of the child process -f, --flush run flush after each write --force use output file even when it is a link -E, --echo <when> echo input in session (auto, always or never) -o, --output-limit <size> terminate if output files exceed size -q, --quiet be quiet -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see script(1).
scriptlive
Execute terminal typescript.
user $
scriptlive --help
Usage: scriptlive [options] scriptlive [-t] timingfile [-I|-B] typescript Execute terminal typescript. Options: -t, --timing <file> script timing log file -T, --log-timing <file> alias to -t -I, --log-in <file> script stdin log file -B, --log-io <file> script stdin and stdout log file -c, --command <command> run command rather than interactive shell -d, --divisor <num> speed up or slow down execution with time divisor -m, --maxdelay <num> wait at most this many seconds between updates -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see scriptlive(1).
scriptreplay
Play back terminal typescripts, using timing information.
user $
scriptreplay --help
Usage: scriptreplay [options] scriptreplay [-t] timingfile [typescript] [divisor] Play back terminal typescripts, using timing information. Options: -t, --timing <file> script timing log file -T, --log-timing <file> alias to -t -I, --log-in <file> script stdin log file -O, --log-out <file> script stdout log file (default) -B, --log-io <file> script stdin and stdout log file -s, --typescript <file> deprecated alias to -O --summary display overview about recorded session and exit -d, --divisor <num> speed up or slow down execution with time divisor -m, --maxdelay <num> wait at most this many seconds between updates -x, --stream <name> stream type (out, in, signal or info) -c, --cr-mode <type> CR char mode (auto, never, always) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see scriptreplay(1).
setarch
Change the reported architecture and set personality flags.
user $
setarch --help
Usage: setarch [<arch>] [options] [<program> [<argument>...]] Change the reported architecture and set personality flags. Options: -B, --32bit turns on ADDR_LIMIT_32BIT -F, --fdpic-funcptrs makes function pointers point to descriptors -I, --short-inode turns on SHORT_INODE -L, --addr-compat-layout changes the way virtual memory is allocated -R, --addr-no-randomize disables randomization of the virtual address space -S, --whole-seconds turns on WHOLE_SECONDS -T, --sticky-timeouts turns on STICKY_TIMEOUTS -X, --read-implies-exec turns on READ_IMPLIES_EXEC -Z, --mmap-page-zero turns on MMAP_PAGE_ZERO -3, --3gb limits the used address space to a maximum of 3 GB --4gb ignored (for backward compatibility only) --uname-2.6 turns on UNAME26 -v, --verbose say what options are being switched on --list list settable architectures, and exit -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see setarch(8).
setpriv
Run a program with different Linux privilege settings.
Command only available if the caps USE flag is set.
setsid
Run a program in a new session.
user $
setsid --help
setsid [options] <program> [arguments ...] Run a program in a new session. Options: -c, --ctty set the controlling terminal to the current one -f, --fork always fork -w, --wait wait program to exit, and use the same return -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see setsid(1).
setterm
Set the attributes of a terminal.
user $
setterm --help
Usage: setterm [options] Set the attributes of a terminal. Options: --term <terminal_name> override TERM environment variable --reset reset terminal to power-on state --resize reset terminal rows and columns --initialize display init string, and use default settings --default use default terminal settings --store save current terminal settings as default --cursor on|off display cursor --repeat on|off keyboard repeat --appcursorkeys on|off cursor key application mode --linewrap on|off continue on a new line when a line is full --inversescreen on|off swap colors for the whole screen --msg on|off send kernel messages to console --msglevel <0-8> kernel console log level --foreground default|<color> set foreground color --background default|<color> set background color --ulcolor [bright] <color> set underlined text color --hbcolor [bright] <color> set half-bright text color <color>: black blue cyan green grey magenta red white yellow --bold on|off bold --half-bright on|off dim --blink on|off blink --underline on|off underline --reverse on|off swap foreground and background colors --clear[=<all|rest>] clear screen and set cursor position --tabs[=<number>...] set these tab stop positions, or show them --clrtabs[=<number>...] clear these tab stop positions, or all --regtabs[=1-160] set a regular tab stop interval --blank[=0-60|force|poke] set time of inactivity before screen blanks --dump[=<number>] write vcsa<number> console dump to file --append <number> append vcsa<number> console dump to file --file <filename> name of the dump file --powersave on|vsync|hsync|powerdown|off set vesa powersaving features --powerdown[=<0-60>] set vesa powerdown interval in minutes --blength[=<0-2000>] duration of the bell in milliseconds --bfreq[=<number>] bell frequency in Hertz --help display this help --version display version For more details see setterm(1).
sfdisk
Display or manipulate a disk partition table.
user $
sfdisk --help
Usage: sfdisk [options] <dev> [[-N] <part>] sfdisk [options] <command> Display or manipulate a disk partition table. Commands: -A, --activate <dev> [<part> ...] list or set bootable (P)MBR partitions -d, --dump <dev> dump partition table (usable for later input) -J, --json <dev> dump partition table in JSON format -g, --show-geometry [<dev> ...] list geometry of all or specified devices -l, --list [<dev> ...] list partitions of each device -F, --list-free [<dev> ...] list unpartitioned free areas of each device -r, --reorder <dev> fix partitions order (by start offset) -s, --show-size [<dev> ...] list sizes of all or specified devices -T, --list-types print the recognized types (see -X) -V, --verify [<dev> ...] test whether partitions seem correct --delete <dev> [<part> ...] delete all or specified partitions --part-label <dev> <part> [<str>] print or change partition label --part-type <dev> <part> [<type>] print or change partition type --part-uuid <dev> <part> [<uuid>] print or change partition uuid --part-attrs <dev> <part> [<str>] print or change partition attributes --disk-id <dev> [<str>] print or change disk label ID (UUID) --relocate <oper> <dev> move partition header Arguments: <dev> device (usually disk) path <part> partition number <type> partition type, GUID for GPT, hex for MBR Options: -a, --append append partitions to existing partition table -b, --backup backup partition table sectors (see -O) --bytes print SIZE in bytes rather than in human readable format --move-data[=<typescript>] move partition data after relocation (requires -N) --move-use-fsync use fsync after each write when move data -f, --force disable all consistency checking --color[=<when>] colorize output (auto, always or never) colors are enabled by default --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -N, --partno <num> specify partition number -n, --no-act do everything except write to device --no-reread do not check whether the device is in use --no-tell-kernel do not tell kernel about changes -O, --backup-file <path> override default backup file name -o, --output <list> output columns -q, --quiet suppress extra info messages -w, --wipe <mode> wipe signatures (auto, always or never) -W, --wipe-partitions <mode> wipe signatures from new partitions (auto, always or never) -X, --label <name> specify label type (dos, gpt, ...) -Y, --label-nested <name> specify nested label type (dos, bsd) -G, --show-pt-geometry deprecated, alias to --show-geometry -L, --Linux deprecated, only for backward compatibility -u, --unit S deprecated, only sector unit is supported -h, --help display this help -v, --version display version Available output columns: gpt: Device Start End Sectors Size Type Type-UUID Attrs Name UUID dos: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Attrs Boot End-C/H/S Start-C/H/S bsd: Slice Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Bsize Cpg Fsize sgi: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Attrs sun: Device Start End Sectors Cylinders Size Type Id Flags For more details see sfdisk(8).
su
Adopt the privileges of other users from the system. See su.
sulogin
Single-user login.
user $
sulogin --help
Usage: sulogin [options] [tty device] Single-user login. Options: -p, --login-shell start a login shell -t, --timeout <seconds> max time to wait for a password (default: no limit) -e, --force examine password files directly if getpwnam(3) fails -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see sulogin(8).
swaplabel
Display or change the label or UUID of a swap area.
user $
swaplabel --help
Usage: swaplabel [options] <device> Display or change the label or UUID of a swap area. Options: -L, --label <label> specify a new label -U, --uuid <uuid> specify a new uuid -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see swaplabel(8).
swapoff
Disable devices and files for paging and swapping.
user $
swapoff --help
Usage: swapoff [options] [<spec>] Disable devices and files for paging and swapping. Options: -a, --all disable all swaps from /proc/swaps -v, --verbose verbose mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version The <spec> parameter: -L <label> LABEL of device to be used -U <uuid> UUID of device to be used LABEL=<label> LABEL of device to be used UUID=<uuid> UUID of device to be used <device> name of device to be used <file> name of file to be used For more details see swapoff(8).
swapon
Enable devices and files for paging and swapping.
user $
swapon --help
Usage: swapon [options] [<spec>] Enable devices and files for paging and swapping. Options: -a, --all enable all swaps from /etc/fstab -d, --discard[=<policy>] enable swap discards, if supported by device -e, --ifexists silently skip devices that do not exist -f, --fixpgsz reinitialize the swap space if necessary -o, --options <list> comma-separated list of swap options -p, --priority <prio> specify the priority of the swap device -s, --summary display summary about used swap devices (DEPRECATED) --show[=<columns>] display summary in definable table --noheadings don't print table heading (with --show) --raw use the raw output format (with --show) --bytes display swap size in bytes in --show output -v, --verbose verbose mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version The <spec> parameter: -L <label> synonym for LABEL=<label> -U <uuid> synonym for UUID=<uuid> LABEL=<label> specifies device by swap area label UUID=<uuid> specifies device by swap area UUID PARTLABEL=<label> specifies device by partition label PARTUUID=<uuid> specifies device by partition UUID <device> name of device to be used <file> name of file to be used Available discard policy types (for --discard): once : only single-time area discards are issued pages : freed pages are discarded before they are reused If no policy is selected, both discard types are enabled (default). Available output columns: NAME device file or partition path TYPE type of the device SIZE size of the swap area USED bytes in use PRIO swap priority UUID swap uuid LABEL swap label For more details see swapon(8).
switch_root
Switch to another filesystem as the root of the mount tree.
user $
switch_root --help
Usage: switch_root [options] <newrootdir> <init> <args to init> Switch to another filesystem as the root of the mount tree. Options: -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see switch_root(8).
taskset
Show or change the CPU affinity of a process.
user $
taskset --help
Usage: taskset [options] [mask | cpu-list] [pid|cmd [args...]] Show or change the CPU affinity of a process. Options: -a, --all-tasks operate on all the tasks (threads) for a given pid -p, --pid operate on existing given pid -c, --cpu-list display and specify cpus in list format -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version The default behavior is to run a new command: taskset 03 sshd -b 1024 You can retrieve the mask of an existing task: taskset -p 700 Or set it: taskset -p 03 700 List format uses a comma-separated list instead of a mask: taskset -pc 0,3,7-11 700 Ranges in list format can take a stride argument: e.g. 0-31:2 is equivalent to mask 0x55555555 For more details see taskset(1).
uclampset
Show or change the utilization clamping attributes.
user $
uclampset --help
Usage: uclampset [options] uclampset [options] --pid <pid> | --system | <command> <arg>... Show or change the utilization clamping attributes. Options: -m <value> util_min value to set -M <value> util_max value to set -a, --all-tasks operate on all the tasks (threads) for a given pid -p, --pid <pid> operate on existing given pid -s, --system operate on system -R, --reset-on-fork set reset-on-fork flag -v, --verbose display status information -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Utilization value range is [0:1024]. Use special -1 value to reset to system's default. For more details see uclampset(1).
ul
Do underlining.
user $
ul --help
Usage: ul [options] [<file> ...] Do underlining. Options: -t, -T, --terminal TERMINAL override the TERM environment variable -i, --indicated underlining is indicated via a separate line -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see ul(1).
umount
Unmount filesystems. See unmount a filesystem.
Run a program with some namespaces unshared from the parent.
user $
unshare --help
Usage: unshare [options] [<program> [<argument>...]] Run a program with some namespaces unshared from the parent. Options: -m, --mount[=<file>] unshare mounts namespace -u, --uts[=<file>] unshare UTS namespace (hostname etc) -i, --ipc[=<file>] unshare System V IPC namespace -n, --net[=<file>] unshare network namespace -p, --pid[=<file>] unshare pid namespace -U, --user[=<file>] unshare user namespace -C, --cgroup[=<file>] unshare cgroup namespace -T, --time[=<file>] unshare time namespace -f, --fork fork before launching <program> --map-user=<uid>|<name> map current user to uid (implies --user) --map-group=<gid>|<name> map current group to gid (implies --user) -r, --map-root-user map current user to root (implies --user) -c, --map-current-user map current user to itself (implies --user) --kill-child[=<signame>] when dying, kill the forked child (implies --fork) defaults to SIGKILL --mount-proc[=<dir>] mount proc filesystem first (implies --mount) --propagation slave|shared|private|unchanged modify mount propagation in mount namespace --setgroups allow|deny control the setgroups syscall in user namespaces --keep-caps retain capabilities granted in user namespaces -R, --root=<dir> run the command with root directory set to <dir> -w, --wd=<dir> change working directory to <dir> -S, --setuid <uid> set uid in entered namespace -G, --setgid <gid> set gid in entered namespace --monotonic <offset> set clock monotonic offset (seconds) in time namespaces --boottime <offset> set clock boottime offset (seconds) in time namespaces -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see unshare(1).
utmpdump
Dump UTMP and WTMP files in raw format.
user $
utmpdump --help
Usage: utmpdump [options] [filename] Dump UTMP and WTMP files in raw format. Options: -f, --follow output appended data as the file grows -r, --reverse write back dumped data into utmp file -o, --output <file> write to file instead of standard output -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see utmpdump(1).
uuid
A daemon for generating UUIDs.
user $
uuid --help
Usage: uuidd [options] A daemon for generating UUIDs. Options: -p, --pid <path> path to pid file -s, --socket <path> path to socket -T, --timeout <sec> specify inactivity timeout -k, --kill kill running daemon -r, --random test random-based generation -t, --time test time-based generation -n, --uuids <num> request number of uuids -P, --no-pid do not create pid file -F, --no-fork do not daemonize using double-fork -S, --socket-activation do not create listening socket -d, --debug run in debugging mode -q, --quiet turn on quiet mode -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see uuidd(8).
uuidgen
Create a new UUID value.
user $
uuidgen --help
Usage: uuidgen [options] Create a new UUID value. Options: -r, --random generate random-based uuid -t, --time generate time-based uuid -n, --namespace ns generate hash-based uuid in this namespace available namespaces: @dns @url @oid @x500 -N, --name name generate hash-based uuid from this name -m, --md5 generate md5 hash -s, --sha1 generate sha1 hash -x, --hex interpret name as hex string -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see uuidgen(1).
uuidparse
Parse unique identifiers.
user $
uuidparse --help
Usage: uuidparse [options] <uuid ...> Options: -J, --json use JSON output format -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> COLUMNS to display (see below) -r, --raw use the raw output format -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Available output columns: UUID unique identifier VARIANT variant name TYPE type name TIME timestamp For more details see uuidparse(1).
wall
Write a message to all users.
Command only available if the tty-helpers USE flag is set.
wdctl
Show the status of the hardware watchdog.
user $
wdctl --help
Usage: wdctl [options] [<device> ...] Show the status of the hardware watchdog. Options: -f, --flags <list> print selected flags only -F, --noflags don't print information about flags -I, --noident don't print watchdog identity information -n, --noheadings don't print headings for flags table -O, --oneline print all information on one line -o, --output <list> output columns of the flags -r, --raw use raw output format for flags table -T, --notimeouts don't print watchdog timeouts -s, --settimeout <sec> set watchdog timeout -x, --flags-only print only flags table (same as -I -T) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version The default device is /dev/watchdog0. Available output columns: FLAG flag name DESCRIPTION flag description STATUS flag status BOOT-STATUS flag boot status DEVICE watchdog device name For more details see wdctl(8).
whereis
Locate the binary, source, and manual-page files for a command. See also sys-apps/which.
user $
whereis --help
Usage: whereis [options] [-BMS <dir>... -f] <name> Locate the binary, source, and manual-page files for a command. Options: -b search only for binaries -B <dirs> define binaries lookup path -m search only for manuals and infos -M <dirs> define man and info lookup path -s search only for sources -S <dirs> define sources lookup path -f terminate <dirs> argument list -u search for unusual entries -l output effective lookup paths -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version For more details see whereis(1).
wipefs
Wipe signatures from a device.
user $
wipefs --help
Usage: wipefs [options] <device> Wipe signatures from a device. Options: -a, --all wipe all magic strings (BE CAREFUL!) -b, --backup create a signature backup in $HOME -f, --force force erasure -i, --noheadings don't print headings -J, --json use JSON output format -n, --no-act do everything except the actual write() call -o, --offset <num> offset to erase, in bytes -O, --output <list> COLUMNS to display (see below) -p, --parsable print out in parsable instead of printable format -q, --quiet suppress output messages -t, --types <list> limit the set of filesystem, RAIDs or partition tables --lock[=<mode>] use exclusive device lock (yes, no or nonblock) -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <num> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) Available output columns: UUID partition/filesystem UUID LABEL filesystem LABEL LENGTH magic string length TYPE superblok type OFFSET magic string offset USAGE type description DEVICE block device name For more details see wipefs(8).
write
Send a message to another user.
Command only available if the tty-helpers USE flag is set.
zramctl
Set up and control zram devices.
user $
zramctl --help
Usage: zramctl [options] <device> zramctl -r <device> [...] zramctl [options] -f | <device> -s <size> Set up and control zram devices. Options: -a, --algorithm lzo|lz4|lz4hc|deflate|842 compression algorithm to use -b, --bytes print sizes in bytes rather than in human readable format -f, --find find a free device -n, --noheadings don't print headings -o, --output <list> columns to use for status output --output-all output all columns --raw use raw status output format -r, --reset reset all specified devices -s, --size <size> device size -t, --streams <number> number of compression streams -h, --help display this help -V, --version display version Arguments: <size> arguments may be followed by the suffixes for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB, and YiB (the "iB" is optional) Available output columns: NAME zram device name DISKSIZE limit on the uncompressed amount of data DATA uncompressed size of stored data COMPR compressed size of stored data ALGORITHM the selected compression algorithm STREAMS number of concurrent compress operations ZERO-PAGES empty pages with no allocated memory TOTAL all memory including allocator fragmentation and metadata overhead MEM-LIMIT memory limit used to store compressed data MEM-USED memory zram have been consumed to store compressed data MIGRATED number of objects migrated by compaction MOUNTPOINT where the device is mounted For more details see zramctl(8).
Listing commands
Installed utilities can be obtained by the following command:
user $
cat /var/db/pkg/sys-apps/util-linux*/CONTENTS | grep bin | awk '{print $NF}' FS=/ | cut -d " " -f 1 | sort
Alternatively the following command can be used if the app-portage/portage-utils suite is installed:
user $
qlist sys-apps/util-linux | grep bin | awk '{print $NF}' FS=/ | sort
Or if app-portage/gentoolkit is installed:
user $
equery f util-linux | grep /bin
Troubleshooting
See also
- GNU Coreutils — provide many of the basic commands of the UNIX(like) OS.