lfs-book/appendixa/utillinux-desc.xml

<sect2>
<title>Contents</title>

<para>The Util-linux package contains the agetty, arch, 
blockdev, cal, cfdisk, chkdupexe, col, colcrt, colrm, column, 
ctrlaltdel, cytune, ddate, dmesg, elvtune, fdformat, fdisk, 
fsck.minix, getopt, hexdump, hwclock, ipcrm, ipcs, 
kill, logger, look, losetup, 
mcookie, mkfs, mkfs.bfs, mkfs.minix, mkswap, more, mount, namei,
umount, ramsize, rdev, readprofile, rename, renice, rev, rootflags,
script, setfdprm, setsid, setterm, sfdisk, swapdev, swapoff, swapon, 
tunelp, ul, vidmode, whereis, and write programs.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Description</title>

<sect3><title>agetty</title>
<para>agetty opens a tty port, prompts for a login name and invokes the
/bin/login command.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>arch</title>
<para>arch prints the machine architecture.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>blockdev</title>
<para>blockdev allows to call block device ioctls from the command 
line</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>cal</title>
<para>cal displays a simple calender.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>cfdisk</title>
<para>cfdisk is an libncurses based disk partition table 
manipulator.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>chkdupexe</title>
<para>chkdupexe finds duplicate executables.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>col</title>
<para>col filters reverse line feeds from input.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>colcrt</title>
<para>colcrt filters nroff output for CRT previewing.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>colrm</title>
<para>colrm removes columns from a file.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>column</title>
<para>column columnates lists.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ctrlaltdel</title>
<para>ctrlaltdel sets the function of the CTRL+ALT+DEL key combination (hard
or soft reset).</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>cytune</title>
<para>cytune queries and modifies the interruption threshold for the Cyclades
driver.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ddate</title>
<para>ddate converts Gregorian dates to Discordian dates.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>dmesg</title>
<para>dmesg is used to examine or control the kernel ring buffer (boot
messages from the kernel).</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>elvtune</title>
<para>elvtune allows to tune the I/O elevator per block device queue 
basis.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>fdformat</title>
<para>fdformat low-level formats a floppy disk.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>fdisk</title>
<para>fdisk is a disk partition table manipulator.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>fsck.minix</title>
<para>fsck.minix performs a consistency check for the Linux MINIX 
filesystem.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>getopt</title>
<para>getops parses command options the same way as the getopt C
command.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>hexdump</title>
<para>hexdump displays specified files, or standard input, in a user specified
format (ascii, decimal, hexadecimal, octal).</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>hwclock</title>
<para>hwclock queries and sets the hardware clock (Also called the RTC or BIOS
clock).</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ipcrm</title>
<para>ipcrm removes a specified resource.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ipcs</title>
<para>ipcs provides information on IPC facilities.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>kill</title>
<para>kill sends a specified signal to the specified process.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>logger</title>
<para>logger makes entries in the system log.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>look</title>
<para>look displays lines beginning with a given string.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>losetup</title>
<para>losetup sets up and controls loop devices.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mcookie</title>
<para>mcookie generates magic cookies for xauth.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mkfs</title>
<para>mkfs builds a Linux filesystem on a device, usually a harddisk
partition.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mkfs.bfs</title>
<para>mkfs.bfs creates a SCO bfs file system on a device, usually a harddisk
partition.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mkfs.minix</title>
<para>mkfs.minix creates a Linux MINIX filesystem on a device, usually a
harddisk partition.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mkswap</title>
<para>mkswap sets up a Linux swap area on a device or in a file.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>more</title>
<para>more is a filter for paging through text one screen full at a
time.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>mount</title>
<para>mount mounts a filesystem from a device to a directory (mount 
point).</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>namei</title>
<para>namei follows a pathname until a terminal point is found.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>umount</title>
<para>umount unmounts a mounted filesystem.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ramsize</title>
<para>ramsize queries and sets RAM disk size.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>rdev</title>
<para>rdev queries and sets image root device, swap device, RAM disk size, or
video mode.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>readprofile</title>
<para>readprofile reads kernel profiling information.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>rename</title>
<para>rename renames files.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>renice</title>
<para>renice alters priority of running processes.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>rev</title>
<para>rev reverses lines of a file.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>rootflags</title>
<para>rootflags queries and sets extra information used when mounting 
root.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>script</title>
<para>script makes typescript of terminal session.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>setfdprm</title>
<para>setfdprm sets user-provides floppy disk parameters.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>setsid</title>
<para>setsid runs programs in a new session.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>setterm</title>
<para>setterm sets terminal attributes.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>sfdisk</title>
<para>sfdisk is a disk partition table manipulator.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>swapdev</title>
<para>swapdev queries and sets swap device.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>swapoff</title>
<para>swapoff disables devices and files for paging and swapping.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>swapon</title>
<para>swapon enables devices and files for paging and swapping.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>tunelp</title>
<para>tunelp sets various parameters for the LP device.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>ul</title>
<para>ul reads a file and translates occurrences of underscores to the sequence
which indicates underlining for the terminal in use.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>vidmode</title>
<para>vidmode queries and sets the video mode.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>whereis</title>
<para>whereis locates a binary, source and manual page for a 
command.</para></sect3>

<sect3><title>write</title>
<para>write sends a message to another user.</para></sect3>

</sect2>