Linux Terminal Commands

Posted on April 28, 2009 | Category: Linux

I had intended on including these in my website, but it seems like I am a bit lazy at the moment. So, here are a couple of commands that I have been using recently.

fdisk-l displays all attached drives – good for mounting information
uptime tells you how long your box has been running
nmap network scanner to see what is going on
dmesg writes kernel messages about your hardware
ifup brings up your networking (i.e. ifup eth0)
ifdown takes down your networking (i.e. ifdown eth0)

If you are working in the terminal or server environment and need to install a program but cannot remember the exact name, type:

sudo apt-get install

Then type part of the program name (e.g. map) and then tap the TAB key twice. This action will populate all possible installation alternatives with ‘map’ in front of it.

Say you have a Live CD of Ubuntu 8.04 and want to upgrade to 8.10, but you do not have access to a burner. You can update to the next version by changes your sources.list (tells your software what version of (U)buntu you are operating). So, type in

sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

Replace all of the hardy or whatever version you are operating to whatever version you want to upgrade. I think one version at a time is advisable. Otherwise, I am simply not sure. Then,

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

You should be on your way.