Linux File/Command Finding

Introduction

In the prehistoric landscape of the Dinosaur Era, imagine a diligent Dinosaur Researcher named Dr. Rex, working in the vast and primeval jungles, studiously cataloging the diverse species that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Dr. Rex has digitized his research and stored it within a Linux database, but he is facing difficulty in locating specific files and commands necessary to cross-reference his data.

Your mission is to assist Dr. Rex by mastering the use of the whereis command on Linux, helping him streamline his research process. By finding the details of various system commands and their associated files quickly and efficiently, you'll ensure that Dr. Rex can continue his critical studies without delay.

Prepare to dive into a command line adventure that will not only assist a renowned researcher but also enhance your proficiency in navigating the Linux filesystem.

Skills Graph

Finding Binaries with whereis

In this step, you will help Dr. Rex find the location of the binary files for key commands that he uses in his research. You'll be using the whereis command to quickly pinpoint the binaries.

Firstly, ensure you are in the correct working directory:

cd ~/project

Then, to locate the binary for the grep command, execute the following:

whereis grep

You should see an output similar to this:

grep: /usr/bin/grep /usr/share/man/man1/grep.1.gz

This output shows the path to the binary /usr/bin/grep and the man page for grep.

Locating Source and Manual Pages

Dr. Rex is also keen on reading the manual pages and occasionally checking out the source code of the commands. The whereis command can also be employed to find the source and the manual sections for the commands.

Let's locate the source and manual pages for the ls command:

whereis -m -s ls

The -m flag searches for manual sections and the -s flag for source files. The output should look something like this:

ls: /usr/share/man/man1/ls.1.gz

Now, Dr. Rex knows where to find the manual and source files for the ls command.

Summary

In this lab, we ventured into the fascinating realm of the Linux filesystem with a mission to aid Dr. Rex. Through these exercises, the whereis command emerged as a powerful ally in our quest to quickly find binary, source, and manual page locations for various Linux commands.

Designing this lab intended to provide a practical and engaging learning experience for beginners, emphasizing hands-on practice coupled with a narrative to pique learners' interest. As a result, not only have we helped Dr. Rex advance his crucial research, but we've also honed our own skills in using a fundamental tool for file and command finding in Linux.