FAQ: UNIX Information

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FAQ: UNIX Information

University of Hawai'i Information Technology Services

March 1997

What is UNIX?

UNIX is an operating system (OS). An OS allows you to launch programs and manage files. Unlike Windows or MacOS, the version of UNIX you'll be using on the UHUNIX systems is text-based. Therefore, all commands are typed at the UNIX prompt, followed by a press of the RETURN key. Your UNIX prompt should resemble the following: uhunix3:/home/13/username%

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What is the maximum amount of data that I can store on my UHUNIX account? (What is my disk quota?)

You are entitled to 20,000 kilobytes of disk space. If you go over that amount you risk having your account disabled. However, the UHUNIX systems have a limited amount of disk space, so we strongly recommend that you keep your disk usage to a minimum.

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How can I determine the amount of disk space I am using?

Type mydiskspace at the UNIX prompt.

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After I log into UHUNIX a message is displayed stating my disk is 99% full. What does this mean, and do I need to do anything?

Please log into your UHUNIX account and type help disk_cleanup for information and directions regarding this message.
If help disk_cleanup does not work, please type:

/usr/uh/bin/help disk_cleanup

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What are some UNIX commands?

Here are some useful UNIX commands:

Command

Description and Examples of the Command

ls

Displays a list of files and directories in the current directory.

ls -l

Displays a detailed list of files and directories in the current directory.

cd

Change directory or go to another directory.
Example: To move to subdirectory public_html.
cd public_html

pwd

Displays the full pathname of the current working directory.

rm

Delete a file.
Example: To delete a file named graph.jpg.
rm graph.jpg

cp

Copy or duplicate a file.
Example: To copy the file graph.jpg, where the new file is called interest.jpg.
cp graph.jpg interest.jpg

mv

Move or rename a file.
Example: To rename the file father.jpg to dad.jpg.
mv father.jpg dad.jpg

mkdir

Create a new directory.
Example: To create a new directory called public_html.
mkdir public_html

rmdir

Delete a directory. Note the directory must be empty.
Example: To delete a directory named project3.
rmdir project3

more

Displays the contents of a text file one screen at a time.
Example: To display the contents of a file called index.html.
more index.html

Command	Description and Examples of the Command
`ls`	Displays a list of files and directories in the current directory.
`ls -l`	Displays a detailed list of files and directories in the current directory.
`cd`	Change directory or go to another directory. Example: To move to subdirectory public_html. `cd public_html`
`pwd`	Displays the full pathname of the current working directory.
`rm`	Delete a file. Example: To delete a file named graph.jpg. `rm graph.jpg`
`cp`	Copy or duplicate a file. Example: To copy the file graph.jpg, where the new file is called interest.jpg. `cp graph.jpg interest.jpg`
`mv`	Move or rename a file. Example: To rename the file father.jpg to dad.jpg. `mv father.jpg dad.jpg`
`mkdir`	Create a new directory. Example: To create a new directory called public_html. `mkdir public_html`
`rmdir`	Delete a directory. Note the directory must be empty. Example: To delete a directory named project3. `rmdir project3`
`more`	Displays the contents of a text file one screen at a time. Example: To display the contents of a file called index.html. `more index.html`

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I typed a UNIX command, but it's not working. What am I doing wrong?

UNIX commands are case-sensitive. For example, pine and PINE are interpreted as different commands by UNIX, and only the former will start the PINE mailer.

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How do I transfer files from my UHUNIX account to my home or office computer?

If you are using an ethernet connection or dial-up/PPP software to connect to the Internet, you need to use an ftp program. Ftp programs may be downloaded from the ITS Software Page (MacOS | Windows).
Once you have an ftp program, establish a ftp connection to one of the UHUNIX machines, such as uhunix3.its.hawaii.edu The username and password for an ftp connection are identical to those used to log into the UHUNIX machines.
After establishing a connection, the ftp program will display the contents of your UHUNIX account. Double-click on a file to download it; note that files such as pictures and programs need to be downloaded as binary files. Double-clicking on a directory name will make your ftp program display the contents of that directory.
You may also delete files using your ftp program. However, do NOT delete any file or directory that starts with a period.

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Last revised by Michael Satake

i	FAQ: UNIX Information
	University of Hawai'i Information Technology Services	March 1997