4    The Tru64 UNIX Reference Pages

The Tru64 UNIX operating system provides an extensive set of reference pages (also called man pages or manual pages), each of which describes one topic, such as a command, function, or file. This chapter discusses the reference pages.

4.1    Reading Reference Pages On Line

You can use the webman utility to read the reference pages on line using your Web browser, and print them by clicking on the browser's Print menu. Alternatively, you can use the xman or man utilities from the command line to read the reference pages.

The system administrator determines at system installation time whether to make the reference pages available . If you receive an error message when you try to read reference pages, the problem might be that they are not installed on the system.

4.1.1    Using webman

The Documentation CD-ROM contains the webman viewer, a UNIX program you can use with your browser to view the reference pages that are installed with the operating system. The webman viewer is most useful when the Documentation CD-ROM is not mounted, or when you need to access reference pages that have been installed with layered applications. For information about installing and using webman, see the following file on the Documentation CD-ROM:

/mount-point/DOCS/HTML/webman/Installing_webman.txt

See Section 1.4.1 for information about the Documentation CD-ROM.

4.1.2    Using the xman Command

The xman command starts an X Window System reference-page browsing tool. One of the functions of the tool is to display a list of the reference pages. You display a reference page by double-clicking on its name in the list. For more information about the xman command, start up the tool by entering the following command:


% xman &

The ampersand (&) runs the command in the background, allowing the command line to be used for other tasks. The application displays a small window that contains three buttons. Click on the Manual Page button to read a reference page about the xman command.

4.1.3    Using the man Command

The man command displays the reference page specified on the man command line. For more information about the man command, read the man(1) reference page. To display this reference page, enter the following command:

% man man

4.2    Reading Reference Pages in Printed Books

Compaq provides a separately orderable Reference Pages Documentation Set. In this printed format, the Reference Page books are grouped according to their sections, each of which contains one or more volumes.

Spines on the books are printed in green to help you quickly find the Reference Pages on your bookshelf. This color-coding is reinforced with the use of the R icon on the spine of the books.

To order the 17-volume Reference Page Kit, refer to Chapter 6 or contact your Compaq representative.

Note

The Reference Page Kit is usually updated only with major releases of Tru64 UNIX. Therefore, the online reference pages provide more current information about features that are added or revised in minor releases.

4.3    Overview of the Sections

The reference pages are grouped into sections, according to their function, audience, or both. The section numbers appear as numbers in parentheses next to the name of the reference page. For example:

lpr(1)
automount(8)
createlabel(3)

The following list describes the section numbers:

Reference Pages Section 1

Section 1 describes user commands that are available to everyone who uses the Tru64 UNIX operating system.

In printed form, this section is divided into four volumes.

Reference Pages Section 2

Section 2 defines system calls (entries into the Tru64 UNIX kernel) that programmers use. The introduction to Section 2, intro(2), lists error numbers with brief descriptions of their meanings. The introduction also defines many of the terms used in this section.

In printed form, this section is in one volume.

Reference Pages Section 3

Section 3 describes the routines available in Tru64 UNIX programming libraries, including the C library, Motif library, and X library. This section is for programmers.

In printed form, this section is divided into six volumes.

Reference Pages Section 4

Section 4 describes the format of system files and how the files are used. The files described include assembler and link editor output, system accounting, and file system formats. This section is for programmers and system administrators.

In printed form, this section is divided into two volumes.

Reference Pages Section 5

Section 5 contains miscellaneous information, including ASCII character codes, mail-addressing formats, text-formatting macros, and a description of the root file system. This section is for programmers and system administrators.

In printed form, this section is in one volume.

Reference Pages Section 7

Section 7 describes special files, related device driver functions, databases, and network support. This section is for programmers and system administrators.

In printed form, this section is in one volume.

Reference Pages Sections 8 and 1m

Sections 8 and 1m describe commands for system operation and maintenance. These are for system administrators.

In printed format, these sections are divided into two volumes.