From VMS to Linux HOWTO
By Guido Gonzato, <guido@ibogfs.df.unibo.it>
v0.1beta, 18 March 1997
This HOWTO is aimed at all those who have been using VMS and now need
or want to switch to Linux, the free Unix clone. The transition is
made (hopefully) painless with a step-to-step comparison between com�
mands and available tools.
1. Introduction
1.1. Why Linux?
You've heard that Unix is difficult and balk at the prospect of
leaving VMS, right? Don't worry. Linux, one of the finest Unix clones,
is not more difficult to use than VMS (actually, I find it much
easier), and it's much more powerful and versatile.
Linux and VMS accomplish essentially the same tasks, but Linux' tools
are superior, its syntax is much more concise, and has some features
missing in VMS that help save a lot of time. (You'll often hear that
VMS and Unix have a different `philosophy'.) Moreover, Linux is
available for PCs while VMS is not, and a Pentium-based Linux box can
outperform a VAX. I guess this is the reason why you want to swap VMS
to Linux.
I imagine you're a university researcher or a student, and that you
use VMS for the following everyday tasks:
� writing papers with TeX/LaTeX;
� programming in FORTRAN;
� doing some graphics;
� using Internet services;
� et cetera.
In the following sections I'm going to explain to you how to do these
tasks under Linux, exploiting your experience with VMS. Prerequisites:
� Linux and X Window System are properly installed;
� there's a system administrator to take care of the technical
details (please get help from them, not from me ;-) ;
� your shell---the equivalent of DCL---is bash (ask your sysadm).
Please note that this HOWTO is not enough to acquaint you fully with
Linux: it only contains the bare essential to get you started. You
should learn more about Linux to make the most of it (advanced bash
features, programming, regular expressions...). From now on, RMP means
`please read the man pages for further details'. The man pages are the
equivalent of the command HELP.
The Linux Documentation Project documents, available on
sunsite.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/docs/LDP, are an important source of
information. Get Matt Welsh's ``Linux Installation and Getting
Started'' and/or Larry Greenfield's ``Linux User Guide''---they're
invaluable for the novice user.
And now, go ahead.
1.2. Comparing Commands and Files
This table attempts to compare VMS' and Linux' most used commands
(please keep in mind that the syntax is often very different). For
more details, refer to the following sections.
VMS Linux Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@COMMAND command must be executable
COPY file1 file2 cp file1 file2
CREATE/DIR [.dirname] mkdir dirname only one at a time
CREATE/DIR [.dir1.dir2] mkdirhier dir/name
DELETE filename rm filename
DIFF file1 file2 diff file1 file2
DIRECTORY ls
DIRECTORY/FULL ls -al
EDIT filename vi filename, you won't like it
emacs filename, EDT compatible
jed filename ditto---my favourite
FORTRAN prog.for g77 prog.f, no need to do LINK
f77 prog.f,
fort77 prog.f
HELP command man command must specify `command'
info command ditto
LATEX file.tex latex file.tex
LOGIN.COM .profile, `hidden' file
.bashrc ditto
LOGOUT.COM .bash_logout ditto
MAIL mail, crude
elm, much better
pine better still
PRINT file.ps lpr file.ps
PRINT/QUEUE=laser file.ps lpr -Plaser file.ps
PHONE user talk user
RENAME file1 file2 mv file1 file2 not for multiple files
RUN progname progname
SEARCH file "pattern" grep pattern file
SET DEFAULT [-] cd ..
SET DEFAULT [.dir.name] cd dir/name
SET HOST hostname telnet hostname,
rlogin hostname
SET FILE/OWNER_UIC=joe chown joe file completely different
SET NOBROADCAST mesg
SET PASSWORD passwd
SET PROT=(perm) file chmod perm file ditto
SET TERMINAL export TERM= different syntax
SHOW DEFAULT pwd
SHOW DEVICE du, df
SHOW ENTRY lpq
SHOW PROCESS ps -ax
SHOW QUEUE lpq
SHOW SYSTEM top
SHOW TIME date
SHOW USERS w
STOP kill
STOP/QUEUE kill, for processes
lprm for printing queues
SUBMIT command command &
SUBMIT/AFTER=time command at time command
TEX file.tex tex file.tex
TYPE/PAGE file more file
less file much better
But of course it's not only a matter of different command names. Read
on.
2. Short Intro
This is what you absolutely need to know before logging in the first
time. Relax, it's not much.
2.1. Files
� Under VMS filenames are in the form filename.extension.version;.
Under Linux, the version number doesn't exist (big limitation, I
know); the filename has normally a limit of 255 characters and can
have as many dots as you like. Example of filename:
This.is_a_FILEname.txt.
� Linux distinguishes between upper case and lower case characters:
FILENAME.txt and filename.txt are two different files; ls is a
command, LS is not.
� A filename starting with a dot is a `hidden' file (that is, it
won't normally show up in dir listings), while filenames ending
with a tilde '~' represent backup files.
Now, a table to sum up how to translate commands from VMS to Linux:
VMS Linux
---------------------------------------------------------------------
$ COPY file1.txt; file2.txt; $ cp file1.txt file2.txt
$ COPY [.dir]file.txt;1 [] $ cp dir/file.txt .
$ COPY [.dir]file.txt;1 [-] $ cp dir/file.txt ..
$ DELETE *.dat.* $ rm *dat
$ DIFF file1 file2 $ diff file1 file2
$ PRINT file $ lpr file
$ PRINT/queue=queuename file $ lpr -Pprintername file
$ SEARCH *.tex.* "geology" $ grep geology *tex
For other examples involving directories, see below; for details about
protections, ownership, and advanced topics, see Section ``Advanced
Topics''.
2.2. Directories
� Within the same node and device, directories names under VMS are in
the form [top.dir.subdir]; under Linux, /top/dir/subdir/. On the
top of the directory tree there's a so-called `root directory'
called /; underneath there are other directories like /bin, /usr,
/tmp, /etc, and others.
� The directory /home contains the so-called users' `home
directories': e.g. /home/guido, /home/warner, and so on. When a
user logs in, they start working in their home dir; it's the
equivalent of SYS$LOGIN. There's a shortcut for the home directory:
the tilde '~'. So, cd ~/tmp is the same as, say, cd
/home/guido/tmp.
� Directory names follow the same rules as file names. Furthermore,
each directory has two special entries: one is . and refers to the
directory itself (like []), and .. that refers to the parent
directory (like [-]).
And now for some other examples:
DOS Linux
---------------------------------------------------------------------
$ CREATE/DIR [.dirname] $ mkdir dirname
$ CREATE/DIR [.dir1.dir2.dir3] $ mkdirhier dir1/dir2/dir3
n/a $ rmdir dirname
(if dirname is empty)
$ rm -R dirname
$ DIRECTORY $ ls
$ SET DEF [-] $ cd ..
$ SET DEF [top.dir.subdir] $ cd /top/dir/subdir
$ SET DEF [.dir.subdir] $ cd dir/subdir
$ SHOW DEF $ pwd
For protections, ownership, and advanced topics, see Section
``Advanced Topics''.
2.3. Programs
� Commands, compiled programs, and shell scripts (VMS' `command
files') don't have compulsory extensions like .EXE or .COM and can
be called whatever you like. Executable files are marked by an
asterisk '*' when you issue ls -F.
� To run an executable file, just type its name (no RUN PROGRAM.EXE
or @COMMAND). Caveat: it's essential that the file be located in a
directory included in the path, which is a list of directories.
Typically, the path includes dirs like /bin, /usr/bin,
/usr/X11R6/bin, and others. If you write your own programs, put
them in a directory you have included in the path (see how in
Section ``Configuring''). As an alternative, you may run a program
specifying its complete path: e.g., /home/guido/data/myprog; or
./myprog, if the current directory isn't in the path.
� Command switches are obtained with /OPTION= under VMS, and with
-switch or --switch under Linux, where switch is a letter, more
letters combined, or a word. In particular, the switch -R
(recursive) of many Linux commands performs the same action as
[...] under VMS;
� You can issue several commands on the command line:
$ command1 ; command2 ; ... ; commandn
� Most of the flexibility of Linux comes from two features awkwardly
implemented or missing in VMS: I/O redirection and piping.
Redirection is a side feature under VMS (remember the switch
/OUTPUT= of many commands), but has a key role under Unix. A
typical example:
$ myprog < datafile | filter_1 | filter_2 >> result.dat 2> errors.log &
which means: the program myprog gets its input from the file datafile
(via <), its output is piped (via |) to the program filter_1 that
takes it as input and processes it, the resulting output is piped
again to filter_2 for further working, the final output is appended
(via >>) to the file result.dat, error messages are redirected (via
2>) onto the file errors.log. All this in background (& at the end of
the command line). More about this in Section ``Examples''.
For multitasking, `queues', and the like, see Section ``Advanced
Topics''.
2.4. Quick Tour
Now we are ready do try Linux out. Enter your login name and password
exactly as they are. For example, if your login name and password are
john and My_PassWd, don't type John or my_passwd. Remember that Unix
distinguishes between capital and small letters.
Once you've logged in, you'll see a prompt; chances are it'll be
something like machinename:$. If you want to change the prompt or make
some programs start automatically, you'll have to edit a `hidden' file
called .profile or .bash_profile (see example in Section
``Configuring''). This is the equivalent of LOGIN.COM.
Pressing ALT-F1, ALT-F2, ... ALT-F6 switches between `virtual
consoles'. When one VC is busy with a full-screen application, you
can flip over to another and continue to work. Try and log in to
another VC.
Now you may want to start X Window System (from now on, X). Type the
command startx and wait a few seconds to find yourself in a graphic
environment; most likely you'll see an open xterm or equivalent
terminal emulator, and possibly a button bar. (It depends on how your
sysadm configured your Linux box.) Left click on the desktop to see a
menu.
While in X, to access the text mode (`console') sessions press CTRL-
ALT-F1 ... CTRL-ALT-F6. Try it. When in console, go back to X pressing
ALT-F7. To quit X, follow the menu instructions or press CTRL-ALT-BS.
Type the following command to list your home dir contents, including
the hidden files:
$ ls -al
Press SHIFT-PAG UP to back-scroll. Now get help about the ls command
typing:
$ man ls
pressing 'q' to exit. To end the tour, type exit to quit your session.
If now you want to turn off your PC, press CTRL-ALT-DEL and wait a few
seconds (never switch off the PC while in Linux! You could damage the
filesystem.)
If you think you're ready to work, go ahead, but if I were you I'd
jump to Section ``Advanced Topics''.
3. Editing Files
Linux doesn't have EDT, but there are scores of editors available. The
only one that's guaranteed to be included in every Unix version is
vi---forget it, your sysadm must have installed something better.
Probably the most popular editor is emacs, which can emulate EDT to a
certain degree; jed is another editor that provides EDT emulation.
These two editors are particularly useful for editing program sources,
since they have two features unknown to EDT: syntax hilighting and
automatic indentation. Moreover, you can compile your programs from
within the editor (command ESC-X compile); in case of a syntax error,
the cursor will be positioned on the line where the error is. I bet
that you'll never want to use the true-blue EDT again.
If you have emacs: start it, then type ESC-X edt-emulation-on.
(Pressing ALT-X or ESC-X is emacs' way of issuing commands, like EDT's
CTRL-Z.) From now on, emacs acts like EDT apart from a few commands.
Differences:
� don't press CTRL-Z to issue commands (if you did, you stopped
emacs. Press fg to resume it);
� there's an extensive on-line help. Press CTRL-H ?, or CTRL-H T to
start a tutorial;
� to save a file, press CTRL-X CTRL-S;
� to exit, press CTRL-X CTRL-C;
� to insert a new file in a buffer, press CTRL-X CTRL-F, then CTRL-X
B to switch among buffers.
If you have jed: ask your sysadm to configure jed properly. Emulation
is already on when you start it; use the normal keypad keys, and press
CTRL-H CTRL-H or CTRL-? to get help. Commands are issued in the same
way as emacs'. In addition, there are some handy key bindings missing
in the original EDT; key bindings can also be tailored to your own
taste (ask your sysadm).
In alternative, you may use another editor with a completely different
interface. emacs in native mode is an obvious choice; another popular
editor is joe, which can emulate other editors like emacs itself
(being even easier) or the DOS editor. Invoke the editor as jmacs or
jstar and press, respectively, CTRL-X H or CTRL-J to get online help.
emacs and jed are much more powerful than good ol' EDT.
4. TeXing
TeX and LaTeX are identical to their VMS counterparts (they're only
quicker :-), but the tools to handle the .dvi and .ps files are much
better:
� to run a TeX file through TeX, do as usual: tex file.tex;
� to turn a .dvi file into a .ps file, type dvips -o filename.ps
filename.dvi;
� to visualize a .dvi file, type within an X session: xdvi
filename.dvi &. Click on the page to magnify. This program is
smart: if you edit and run TeX producing newer versions of the .dvi
file, xdvi will update it automatically;
� to visualize a .ps file, type within an X session: ghostview
filename.ps &. Click on the page to magnify. The whole document or
selected pages can be printed.
� to print the .ps: usually the command lpr mypaper.ps will do, but
if the postscript printer is called, say, `ps' (ask your sysadm)
you'll do: lpr -Pps mypaper.ps. For more information about printing
queues, go to Section ``Printing Queues''.
5. Programming
Programming under Linux is much better: there are lots of tools that
make programming easier and quicker. For instance, the drudgery of
editing-saving-compiling-re-editing can be cut short by using editors
like emacs or jed: the compiler can be launched from within the
editor, and if errors are detected the cursor will be moved on the
line that caused the error. Not to mention automatic indentation and
syntax highlighting...
5.1. FORTRAN
Not substantial differences here, but note that at the time of writing
the available (free) compilers are not 100% compatible with VMS';
expect some minor quirks. (It's actually the VMS compiler which is not
fully ANSI.) See /usr/doc/g77/DOC or /usr/doc/f2c/f2c.ps for details.
Your sysadm has installed a native compiler called g77 (as of version
0.5.20, still not perfect) or possibly the FORTRAN to C translator,
f2c, and one of the frontends that make it mimick a native compiler.
In my experience, the package yaf77 is the one that provides best
results.
To compile a fortran program with g77, edit the source, save it with
extension .f, then do:
$ g77 myprog.f
which creates by default an executable called a.out (you don't have to
link anything). To give the executable a different name and do some
optimisation:
$ g77 -O2 -o myprog myprog.f
Beware of optimisations! Ask your sysadm to read the documentation
that comes with the compiler and tell you if there are any problems.
To compile a subroutine:
$ g77 -c mysub.f
This creates a file mysub.o. To link this subroutine in a program,
you'll do
$ g77 -o myprog myprog.f mysub.o
Finally, to link an external library called, say, libdummy.so:
$ g77 -o myprog myprog.f -ldummy
If you have f2c, you only have to use f77 or fort77 instead of g77.
Another useful programming tool is make, described below.
5.2. Using make
The utility make is a tool to handle the compilation of programs that
are split into several source files.
Let's suppose you have source files containing your routines,
file_1.f, file_2.f, file_3.f, and a source file of the main program
that uses the routines, myprog.f. If you compile your program
manually, whenever you modify one of the source files you have to
figure out which file depends on which, which file to recompile first,
and so on.
Instead of getting mad, you can write a so-called `makefile'. This is
a text file containing the dependencies between your sources: when one
is modified, only the ones that depend on the modified file will be
recompiled.
In our example, you'd write a makefile like this:
______________________________________________________________________
# This is makefile
# Press the <TAB> key where you see <TAB>!
myprog: myprog.o file_1.o file_2.o file_3.o
<TAB>g77 -o myprog myprog.o file_1.o file_2.o file_3.o
# myprog depends on four object files
myprog.o: myprog.f
<TAB>g77 -c myprog.f
# myprog.o depends on its source file
file_1.o: file_1.f
<TAB>g77 -c file_1.f
# file_1.o depends on its source file
file_2.o: file_2.f file_1.o
<TAB>g77 -c file_2.f file_1.o
# file_2.o depends on its source file and an object file
file_3.o: file_3.f file_2.o
<TAB>g77 -c file_3.f file_2.o
# file_3.o depends on its source file and an object file
# end of makefile.
______________________________________________________________________
Save this file as makefile and type
$ make
to compile your program; alternatively, save it as myprog.mak and type
$ make -f myprog.mak
And of course, RMP.
5.3. Shell Scripts
Shell scripts are the equivalent of VMS' command files, and are much
more powerful.
To write a script, all you have to do is write a standard ASCII file
containing the commands, save it, then make it executable with the
command chmod +x <scriptfile>. To execute it, type its name.
Writing scripts under bash is such a vast subject it would require a
book by itself, and I will not delve into the topic any further. I'll
just give you a more-or-less comprehensive and (hopefully) useful
examples from which you can extract some basic rules.
EXAMPLE: sample.sh
______________________________________________________________________
#!/bin/sh
# sample.sh
# I am a comment
# don't change the first line, it must be there
echo "This system is: `uname -a`" # use the output of the command
echo "My name is $0" # built-in variables
echo "You gave me the following $# parameters: "$*
echo "First parameter is: "$1
echo -n "What's your name? " ; read your_name
echo notice the difference: "hi $your_name" # quoting with "
echo notice the difference: 'hi $your_name' # quoting with '
DIRS=0 ; FILES=0
for file in `ls .` ; do
if [ -d ${file} ] ; then # if file is a directory
DIRS=`expr $DIRS + 1` # DIRS = DIRS + 1
elif [ -f ${file} ] ; then
FILES=`expr $FILES + 1`
fi
case ${file} in
*.gif|*jpg) echo "${file}: graphic file" ;;
*.txt|*.tex) echo "${file}: text file" ;;
*.c|*.f|*.for) echo "${file}: source file" ;;
*) echo "${file}: generic file" ;;
esac
done
echo "there are ${DIRS} directories and ${FILES} files"
ls | grep "ZxY--!!!WKW"
if [ $? != 0 ] ; then # exit code of last command
echo "ZxY--!!!WKW not found"
fi
echo "enough... type 'man bash' if you want more info."
______________________________________________________________________
5.4. C
Unlike VMS, Linux is the best environment to program in C. Taken for
granted that you know C, here are a couple of guidelines. To compile
your standard hello.c you'll use the gcc compiler, which comes as part
of Linux and has the same syntax as g77:
$ gcc -O2 -o hello hello.c
To link a library to a program, add the switch -l<libname>. For
example, to link the math library and optimize do
$ gcc -O2 -o mathprog mathprog.c -lm
(The -l<libname> switch forces gcc to link the library
/usr/lib/lib<libname>.a; so -lm links /usr/lib/libm.a).
When your program is made of several source files, you'll need to use
the utility make described above. Just use gcc and C source files in
the makefile.
You can invoke some help about the C functions, that are covered by
man pages, section 3; for example,
$ man 3 printf
There are lots of libraries available out there; among the first
you'll want to use are ncurses, to handle text mode effects, and
svgalib, to do graphics.
6. Graphics
Among the scores of graphic packages available, gnuplot stands out for
its power and ease of use. Go to X and type gnuplot, and have two
sample data files ready: 2D-data.dat (two data per line), and 3D-
data.dat (three data per line).
Examples of 2-D graphs:
gnuplot> set title "my first graph"
gnuplot> plot '2D-data.dat'
gnuplot> plot '2D-data.dat' with linespoints
gnuplot> plot '2D-data.dat', sin(x)
gnuplot> plot [-5:10] '2D-data.dat'
Example of 3-D graphs (each `row' of X values is followed by a blank
line):
gnuplot> set parametric ; set hidden3d ; set contour
gnuplot> splot '3D-data.dat' using 1:2:3 with linespoints
A single-column datafile (e.g., a time series) can also be plotted as
a 2-D graph:
gnuplot> plot [-5:15] '2D-data-1col.dat' with linespoints
or as a 3-D graph (blank lines in the datafile, as above):
gnuplot> set noparametric ; set hidden3d
gnuplot> splot '3D-data-1col.dat' using 1 with linespoints
To print a graph: if the command to print on your Postscript printer
is lpr -Pps file.ps, issue:
gnuplot> set term post
gnuplot> set out '| lpr -Pps'
gnuplot> replot
then type set term x11 to restore. Don't get confused---the last print
will be done only when you quit gnuplot.
For more info, type help or see the examples in directory
/usr/lib/gnuplot/demos/, if you have it.
7. Mail and Internet Tools
Since Internet was born on Unix machines, you find plenty of nice and
easy-to-use applications under Linux. Here are just some:
� Mail: use elm or pine to handle your email; both programs have on-
line help. For short messages, you could use mail, as in mail -s
"hello" user@somewhere < msg.txt. You may like programs like xmail
or some such.
� Newsgroups: use tin, very intuitive and self-explanatory.
� ftp: apart from the usual character-based ftp, ask your sysadm to
install a graphical ftp client like xftp.
� WWW: the ubiquitous netscape, or xmosaic, chimera and arena are
graphical web browsers; a character-based one is lynx, quick and
effective.
8. Advanced Topics
Here the game gets tough. Learn these features, then you'll be ready
to say that you `know something about Linux' ;-)
8.1. Permissions and Ownership
Files and directories have permissions (`protections') and ownership,
just like under VMS. If you can't run a program, or can't modify a
file, or can't access a directory, it's because you don't have the
permission to do so, and/or because the file doesn't belong to you.
Let's have a look at the following example:
$ ls -l /bin/ls
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root bin 27281 Aug 15 1995 /bin/ls*
The first field shows the permissions of the file ls (owner root,
group bin). There are three types of ownership: owner, group, and
others (similar to VMS owner, group, world), and three types of
permissions: read, write (and delete), and execute.
From left to right, - is the file type (- = ordinary file, d =
directory, l = link, etc); rwx are the permissions for the file owner
(read, write, execute); r-x are the permissions for the group of the
file owner (read, execute); r-x are the permissions for all other
users (read, execute).
To change a file's permissions:
$ chmod <whoXperm> <file>
where who is u (user, that is owner), g (group), o (other), X is
either + or -, perm is r (read), w (write), or x (execute). Examples:
$ chmod u+x file
this sets the execute permission for the file owner. Shortcut: chmod
+x file.
$ chmod go-wx file
this removes write and execute permission for everyone except the
owner.
$ chmod ugo+rwx file
this gives everyone read, write, and execute permission.
A shorter way to refer to permissions is with numbers: rwxr-xr-x can
be expressed as 755 (every letter corresponds to a bit: --- is 0, --x
is 1, -w- is 2...).
For a directory, rx means that you can cd to that directory, and w
means that you can delete a file in the directory (according to the
file's permissions, of course), or the directory itself. All this is
only part of the matter---RMP.
To change a file's owner:
$ chown username file
To sum up, a table:
VMS Linux Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SET PROT=(O:RW) file.txt $ chmod u+rw file.txt
$ chmod 600 file.txt
SET PROT=(O:RWED,W) file $ chmod u+rwx file
$ chmod 700 file
SET PROT=(O:RWED,W:RE) file $ chmod 755 file
SET PROT=(O:RW,G:RW,W) file $ chmod 660 file
SET FILE/OWNER_UIC=JOE file $ chown joe file
SET DIR/OWNER_UIC=JOE [.dir] $ chown joe dir/
8.2. Multitasking: Processes and Jobs
More about running programs. There are no `batch queues' under Linux
as you're used to; multitasking is handled very differently. Again,
this is what the typical command line looks like:
$ command -s1 -s2 ... -sn par1 par2 ... parn < input > output &
where -s1, ..., -sn are the program switches, par1, ..., parn are the
program parameters.
Now let's see how multitasking works. Programs, running in foreground
or background, are called `processes'.
� To launch a process in background:
$ progname [-switches] [parameters] [< input] [> output] &
[1] 234
the shell tells you what the `job number' (the first digit; see below)
and PID (Process IDentifier) of the process are. Each process is iden�
tified by its PID.
� To see how many processes there are:
$ ps -ax
This will output a list of currently running processes.
� To kill a process:
$ kill <PID>
You may need to kill a process when you don't know how to quit it the
right way... ;-). Sometimes, a process will only be killed by one of
the following:
$ kill -15 <PID>
$ kill -9 <PID>
In addition to this, the shell allows you to stop or temporarily
suspend a process, send a process to background, and bring a process
from background to foreground. In this context, processes are called
`jobs'.
� To see how many jobs there are:
$ jobs
jobs are identified by the numbers the shell gives them, not by their
PID.
� To stop a process running in foreground:
$ CTRL-C
(it doesn't always work)
� To suspend a process running in foreground:
$ CTRL-Z
(ditto)
� To send a suspended process into background (it becomes a job):
$ bg <job>
� To bring a job to foreground:
$ fg <job>
� To kill a job:
$ kill <%job>
8.3. Files, Revisited
More information about files.
� stdin, stdout, stderr: under Unix, every system component is
treated as if it were a file. Commands and programs take their
input from a `file' called stdin (standard input; usually, the
keyboard), put their output on a `file' called stdout (usually, the
screen), and error messages go to a `file' called stderr (usually,
the screen).
Using < and > you redirect input and output to a different file.
Moreover, >> appends the output to a file instead of overwriting
it; 2> redirects error messages (stderr); 2>&1 redirects stderr to
stdout, while 1>&2 redirects stdout to stderr. There's a `black
hole' called /dev/null: everything redirected to it disappears;
� wildcards: '*' is almost the same. Usage: * matches all files
except the hidden ones; .* matches all hidden files; *.* matches
only those that have a '.' in the middle, followed by other
characters; p*r matches both `peter' and `piper'; *c* matches both
`picked' and `peck'. []. Usage: [abc]* matches files starting with
a, b, c; *[I-N,1,2,3] matches files ending with I, J, K, L, M, N,
1, 2, 3;
� mv (RENAME) doesn't work for multiple files; that is, mv *.xxx
*.yyy won't work;
� use cp -i and mv -i to be warned when a file is going to be
overwritten.
8.4. Printing Queues
Your prints are queued, like under VMS. When you issue a printing
command, you may specify a printer name. Example:
$ lpr file.txt # this goes to the standard printer
$ lpr -Plaser file.ps # this goes to the printer named 'laser'
To handle the printer(s) queues, you use the following commands:
VMS Linux
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$ PRINT file.ps $ lpr file.ps
$ PRINT/QUEUE=laser file.ps $ lpr -Plaser file.ps
$ SHOW QUEUE $ lpq
$ SHOW QUEUE/QUEUE=laser $ lpq -Plaser
$ STOP/QUEUE $ lprm <item>
9. Configuring
Your sysadm has already provided you with a number of configuration
files like .xinitrc, .profile, .inputrc, and many others. The ones you
may want to edit are:
� Like LOGIN.COM;
� Like LOGOUT.COM;
�
� the shell.
To give you an example, I'll include my .bash_profile (abridged):
______________________________________________________________________
# $HOME/.bash_profile
# don't redefine the path if not necessary
echo $PATH | grep $LOGNAME > /dev/null
if [ $? != 0 ]
then
export PATH="$PATH:/home/$LOGNAME/bin" # add my dir to the PATH
fi
export PS1='LOGNAME:\w\$ '
export PS2='Continued...>'
# aliases
alias bin="cd ~/bin" ; alias cp="cp -i" ; alias d="dir"
alias del="delete" ; alias dir="/bin/ls $LS_OPTIONS --format=vertical"
alias ed="jed" ; alias mv='mv -i'
alias u="cd .." ; alias undel="undelete"
# A few useful functions
inst() # Install a .tar.gz archive in current directory.
{
gzip -dc $1 | tar xvf -
}
cz() # List the contents of a .zip archive.
{
unzip -l $*
}
ctgz() # List the contents of a .tar.gz archive.
{
for file in $*
do
gzip -dc ${file} | tar tf -
done
}
tgz() # Create a .tgz archive a la zip.
{
name=$1 ; tar -cvf $1 ; shift
tar -rf ${name} $* ; gzip -S .tgz ${name}
}
______________________________________________________________________
And this is my .inputrc:
______________________________________________________________________
# $HOME/.inputrc
# Last modified: 16 January 1997.
#
# This file is read by bash and defines key bindings to be used by the shell;
# what follows fixes the keys END, HOME, and DELETE, plus accented letters.
# For more information, man readline.
"\e[1~": beginning-of-line
"\e[3~": delete-char
"\e[4~": end-of-line
set bell-style visible
set meta-flag On
set convert-meta Off
set output-meta On
set horizontal-scroll-mode On
set show-all-if-ambiguous On
# (F1 .. F5) are "\e[[A" ... "\e[[E"
"\e[[A": "info "
______________________________________________________________________
10. Useful Programs
10.1. Archiving: tar & gzip
Under Unix there are some widely used applications to archive and
compress files. tar is used to make archives, that is collections of
files. To make a new archive:
$ tar -cvf <archive_name.tar> <file> [file...]
To extract files from an archive:
$ tar -xpvf <archive_name.tar> [file...]
To list the contents of an archive:
$ tar -tf <archive_name.tar> | less
Files can be compressed to save disk space using compress, which is
obsolete and shouldn't be used any more, or gzip:
$ compress <file>
$ gzip <file>
that creates a compressed file with extension .Z (compress) or .gz
(gzip). These programs don't make archives, but compress files
individually. To decompress, use:
$ compress -d <file.Z>
$ gzip -d <file.gz>
RMP.
The unarj, zip and unzip utilities are also available. Files with
extension .tar.gz or .tgz (archived with tar, then compressed with
gzip) are very common in the Unix world. Here's how to list the
contents of a .tar.gz archive:
$ gzip -dc <file.tar.gz> | tar tf - | less
To extract the files from a .tar.gz archive:
$ gzip -dc <file.tar.gz> | tar xvf -
11. Examples
Unix' core idea is that there are many simple commands that can linked
together via piping and redirection to accomplish even really complex
tasks. Look at the following examples; I'll only explain the most
complex ones, for the others, please study the above sections and the
man pages.
Problem: ls is too quick and the file names fly away.
Solution:
$ ls | less
Problem: I have a file containing a list of words. I want to sort it
in reverse order and print it.
Solution:
$ cat myfile.txt | sort -r | lpr
Problem: my datafile has some repeated lines! How do I get rid of
them?
Solution:
$ uniq datafile.dat > newfile.dat
Problem: I have a file called 'mypaper.txt' or 'mypaper.tex' or some
such somewhere, but I don't remember where I put it. How do I find it?
Solution:
$ find ~ -name "mypaper*"
Explanation: find is a very useful command that lists all the files in
a directory tree (starting from ~ in this case). Its output can be
filtered to meet some criteria, such as -name.
Problem: I have a text file containing the word 'entropy' in this
directory, is there anything like SEARCH?
Solution: yes, try
$ grep -l 'entropy' *
Problem: somewhere I have text files containing the word 'entropy',
I'd like to know which and where they are. Under VMS I'd use search
entropy [...]*.*.*, but grep can't recurse subdirectories. Now what?
Solution:
$ find . -exec grep -l "entropy" {} \; 2> /dev/null
Explanation: find . outputs all the file names starting from the
current directory, -exec grep -l "entropy" is an action to be
performed on each file (represented by {}), \; terminates the command.
If you think this grammar is awful, you're right.
In alternative, write the following script:
______________________________________________________________________
#!/bin/sh
# rgrep: recursive grep
if [ $# != 3 ]
then
echo "Usage: rgrep --switches 'pattern' 'directory'"
exit 1
fi
find $3 -name "*" -exec grep $1 $2 {} \; 2> /dev/null
______________________________________________________________________
Explanation: grep works like search, and combining it with find we get
the best of both worlds.
Problem: I have a data file that has two header lines, then every line
has 'n' data, not necessarily equally spaced. I want the 2nd and 5th
data point of each line. Shall I write a FORTRAN program...?
Solution: nope. This is quicker:
$ awk 'NL > 2 {print $2, "\t", $5}' datafile.dat > newfile.dat
Explanation: the command awk is actually a programming language: for
each line starting from the third in datafile.dat, print out the
second and fifth field, separated by a tab. Learn some awk---it saves
a lot of time.
Problem: I've downloaded an FTP site's ls-lR.gz to check its contents.
For each subdirectory, it contains a line that reads "total xxxx",
where xxxx is size in kbytes of the dir contents. I'd like to get the
grand total of all these xxxx values.
Solution:
zcat ls-lR.gz | awk ' $1 == "total" { i += $2 } END {print i}'
Explanation: zcat outputs the contents of the .gz file and pipes to
awk, whose man page you're kindly requested to read ;-)
Problem: I've written a FORTRAN program, myprog, to calculate a
parameter from a data file. I'd like to run it on hundreds of data
files and have a list of the results, but it's a nuisance to ask each
time for the file name. Under VMS I'd write a lengthy command file,
and under Linux?
Solution: a very short script. Make your program look for the data
file 'mydata.dat' and print the result on the screen (stdout), then
write the following script:
______________________________________________________________________
#!/bin/sh
# myprog.sh: run the same command on many different files
# usage: myprog.sh *.dat
for file in $* # for all parameters (e.g. *.dat)
do
# append the file name to result.dat
echo -n "${file}: " >> results.dat
# copy current argument to mydata.dat, run myprog
# and append the output to results.dat
cp ${file} mydata.dat ; myprog >> results.dat
done
______________________________________________________________________
Problem: I want to replace `geology' with `geophysics' in all my text
files. Shall I edit them all manually?
Solution: nope. Write this shell script:
______________________________________________________________________
#!/bin/sh
# replace $1 with $2 in $*
# usage: replace "old-pattern" "new-pattern" file [file...]
OLD=$1 # first parameter of the script
NEW=$2 # second parameter
shift ; shift # discard first two parameters: the next are the file names
for file in $* # for all files given as parameters
do
# replace every occurrence of OLD with NEW, save on a temporary file
sed "s/$OLD/$NEW/g" ${file} > ${file}.new
# rename the temporary file as the original file
/bin/mv ${file}.new ${file}
done
______________________________________________________________________
Problem: I have some data files, I don't know their length and have to
remove their last but one and last but two lines. Er... manually?
Solution: no, of course. Write this script:
______________________________________________________________________
#!/bin/sh
# prune.sh: removes n-1th and n-2th lines from files
# usage: prune.sh file [file...]
for file in $* # for every parameter
do
LINES=`wc -l $file | awk '{print $1}'` # number of lines in file
LINES=`expr $LINES - 3` # LINES = LINES - 3
head -n $LINES $file > $file.new # output first LINES lines
tail -n 1 $file >> $file.new # append last line
done
______________________________________________________________________
I hope these examples whetted your appetite...
12. Tips You Can't Do Without
� Command completion: pressing <TAB> when issuing a command will
complete the command line for you. Example: you have to type less
this_is_a_long_name; typing in less thi<TAB> will suffice. (If you
have other files that start with the same characters, supply enough
characters to resolve any ambiguity.)
� Back-scrolling: pressing SHIFT + PAG UP (the grey key) allows you
to backscroll a few pages, depending on your PC's video memory.
� Resetting the screen: if you happen to more or cat a binary file,
your screen may end up full of garbage. To fix things, blind type
reset or this sequence of characters: echo CTRL-V ESC c RETURN.
� Pasting text: in console, see below; in X, click and drag to select
the text in an xterm window, then click the middle button (or the
two buttons together if you have a two-button mouse) to paste.
� Using the mouse: ask your sysadm to install gpm, a mouse driver for
the console. Click and drag to select text, then right click to
paste the selected text. It works across different VCs.
13. The End
13.1. Copyright
Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted by
their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced and
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as long as this copyright notice is retained on all copies. Commercial
redistribution is allowed and encouraged; however, the author would
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All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works incorporating
any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under this copyright notice.
That is, you may not produce a derivative work from a HOWTO and impose
additional restrictions on its distribution. Exceptions to these rules
may be granted under certain conditions; please contact the Linux
HOWTO coordinator at the address given below.
In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information through
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on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be notified of any plans to
redistribute the HOWTOs.
If you have questions, please contact Greg Hankins, the Linux HOWTO
coordinator, at gregh@sunsite.unc.edu via email.
14. Disclaimer
This work was written following the experience we had at the Settore
di Geofisica of Bologna University (Italy), where a VAX 4000 is being
superseded and replaced by Linux-based Pentium PCs. Most of my
colleagues are VMS users, and some of them have switched to Linux.
``From VMS to Linux HOWTO'' was written by Guido Gonzato,
guido@ibogfs.df.unibo.it, 1997. Many thanks to my colleagues and
friends who helped me define the needs of the average VMS user,
especially to Dr. Warner Marzocchi.
Please help me improve this HOWTO. I'm not a VMS expert and never
will, so your suggestions and bug reports are more than welcome.
Enjoy,
Guido =8-)