There are several resources available to get the information you
need to use and configure your Red Hat Linux system. Along with the Red Hat Linux
documentation there are manual pages, documents
that detail usage of important applications and files; INFO
pages which break information about an application down by
context-sensitive menus; and help files that are
included in the main menubar of graphical applications. You can choose
any method of accessing documentation that best suits your needs, as all
of these resources are either already installed on your Red Hat Linux system or
can be easily installed.
1.7.1. Manual Pages
Applications, utilities, and shell prompt commands usually have
corresponding manual pages (also called man pages) that show the
reader available options and values of file or executable. Man Pages
are structured in such a way that users can quickly scan the page for
pertinent information, which is important when dealing with commands
that they have never previously encountered.
1.7.1.1. Using man
Man Pages can be accessed via shell prompt by typing the command
man and the name of the executable. For example, to
access the man page for the ls command, type the
following:
The NAME field shows the
executable's name and a brief explanation of what function the
executable performs. The SYNOPSIS
field shows the common usage of the executable, such as what options
are declared and what types of input (such as files or values) the
executable supports. The DESCRIPTION
field shows available options and values associated with a file or
executable. See Also shows related
terms, files, and programs.
To navigate the man page you can use the [Page
Down] and [Page Up] keys or use the
[Spacebar] to move down one page and
[B] to move up. To exit the man page, type
[Q].
To search a man page for keywords type [/] and then
a keyword or phrase and press [Enter]. All instances of
the keyword will be highlighted throughout the man page, allowing you
to quickly read the keyword in context.
1.7.1.2. Printing a Man Page
Printing man pages is a useful way to archive commonly used
commands, perhaps in bound form for quick reference. If you have a
printer available and configured for use with Red Hat Linux (refer to Chapter 8 Printer Configuration for more information), you can print a man page
by typing the following command at a shell prompt:
man command| col -b | lpr |
The example above combines separates commands into one unique
function. man command
will output the contents of the command
man page to col, which formats the contents to
fit within a printed page. The lpr command sends
the formatted content to the printer.
1.7.1.3. The man Man Page
Just like other commands, man has its own
man page. Type man man at the shell prompt for
more information.
1.7.2. Red Hat Linux Documentation
If you have the Red Hat Linux boxed set, remember to take a look at the
Red Hat Linux Documentation CD. All of the Red Hat Linux manuals are on this
CD. Individual downloads of our documentation in HTML, RPM, PDF, and
compressed tarball format
(.tar.gz) are also available at https://www.redhat.com/docs/. Once
you have logged in to your user account, inserting the Documentation CD
in your CD-ROM drive should automatically start the
Package Management Tool and allow you to install any of
the Red Hat Linux documentation. Follow the instructions and choose the
documentation you would like to install.
After you have installed the documentation packages you want, you
can access them at any time by clicking => .
If you have downloaded individual documentation RPM packages from
the Red Hat website at https://www.redhat.com/docs/ you
can install these manuals from a shell prompt. Open a shell prompt, and
type the following at the command line:
Press [Enter]. You will be asked for your root
password. Enter the password at the prompt and press
[Enter]. You are now logged in as root. To install all
of the Red Hat Linux manuals, change to the directory that contains the RPM files
and type the following:
Press [Enter].
To install only certain manuals, replace
rhl-*.rpm with the full file name of the manual
that you want to install. For example, the file name for the
Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide will look something like
rhl-gsg-en-9.noarch.rpm, so you would type
the following to install it on your system:
rpm -ivh /mnt/cdrom/rhl-gsg-en-9.noarch.rpm |
Press [Enter]. Type exit at the
command line and press [Enter]. This logs you out of the
root account and back to your user account.
Now go to =>
and select the manual you want to
read.
