Tips for the new user on RHEL

For a new user on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), here’s a short list of fundamental commands to get started with navigating the system and managing files:

Navigation & Information:

• pwd: Print working directory. Shows your current location in the file system.
• ls: List directory contents. Shows files and folders in your current directory.
  • ls -l: Long listing format, showing more details (permissions, owner, size, date).
  • ls -a: Shows all files, including hidden ones (those starting with a dot .).
  • ls -la or ll: Combines long listing and all files.
• cd [directory]: Change directory. Navigates to a different folder.
  • cd ~: Go to your home directory.
  • cd ..: Go up one directory level.
  • cd -: Go back to the previous directory you were in.
• clear: Clears the terminal screen.
• man [command]: Displays the manual page (help document) for a specific command. This is incredibly useful for learning about options and usage.

File & Directory Management:

• mkdir [directory_name]: Make directory. Creates a new folder.
• touch [filename]: Creates an empty file.
• cp [source] [destination]: Copy files or directories.
  • cp -r [source_directory] [destination_directory]: Copies a directory and its contents recursively.
• mv [source] [destination]: Move or rename files and folders.
• rm [filename]: Remove a file. Use with caution! There’s no trash bin.
  • rm -r [directory_name]: Removes a directory and its contents recursively.
  • rm -i [filename] or rm -ir [directory_name]: Prompts for confirmation before deleting.
• cat [filename]: Displays the catalog (content) of a file to the terminal.
• head [filename]: Displays the first 10 lines of a file (useful for large files).
• tail [filename]: Displays the last 10 lines of a file (useful for logs).

System Information & Permissions:

• sudo [command]: Super user do. Executes a command with elevated privileges (as root). You’ll usually be prompted for your password.
• df -h: Disk free. Shows disk space usage in a human-readable format.
• free -h: Shows memory usage in a human-readable format.
• top: Displays real-time information about running processes and system resource usage.
• ps aux: Displays running processes.
• chmod [permissions] [filename]: Change mode. Changes file permissions (e.g., chmod 755 script.sh). This is a more advanced topic but essential for executables.
• chown [user]:[group] [filename]: Change owner. Changes the owner and group of a file.

This list provides a solid starting point for interacting with RHEL from the command line!