Docs and built-in help

Goal

The exam runs without internet. Knowing how to query local documentation saves decisive time.

man

man 5 passwd          # section 5 = file formats
man -k swap           # same as apropos: search descriptions
man 1 useradd         # section 1 = commands

Useful sections: 1 commands, 5 file formats, 8 administration.

Moving inside a man page

• /pattern searches, n next, G end, g top, q quits.
• --help on most commands prints an immediate summary.

Package documentation

rpm -qd httpd                 # list the package's doc files
ls /usr/share/doc/            # READMEs and examples

Verify

man -k "file system" | head
rpm -qd nginx | head