Navigate and Search in a Man Page

Lab Overview:

The Linux command and utilities manual (man) pages are essential resources for understanding the capability of the installed tools on your system. You will learn how to install and update the man pages on an Ubuntu Linux system. Once the man pages are installed, you will gain experience using the man command to review, navigate, filter, and search through the manual content. These skills are fundamental for someone pursuing a Linux administration career or a career that requires the use of Linux systems.

Understand the scenario

You are a Linux system administrator. You need to review command options by using man pages. First, you will install the man pages. Next, you will use the keyboard to move forward one window, move back one window, exit man, and get help for man. Finally, you will perform a keyword search of the man pages, and then you will filter search results by using a section number.

Install the manpages:

You will first ensure that your Ubuntu Linux distribution has the necessary manual pages to perform this lab. The system installation is minimal for the lab, so you will have to download and uncompress the manual pages. The lab instructions provide reference material to enable you to complete this task. Once you have installed the man pages, you will verify the installation and make sure that you can use the man command.

Use the keyboard to run commands in a manpage:

In this section, you will get hands-on experience using the man command to review man pages. You will gain experience navigating them and learn the keyboard keys that can be used for navigation. The man command opens and allows you to browse the man pages. While inside the man pages, there are specific keys that you must know to navigate, such as ‘h’ for help, ‘q’ to exit, ‘f’ to advance one page, and ‘b’ to advance back one page.

Perform a keyword search of the man pages:

The man pages are filled with helpful information, but if you have a specific need or want to reference a section quickly, you’ll need to search and filter the man pages. For this task, you’ll learn how to search the man pages based on keywords. You can search from within a man page or search all the man pages on your system at once. You will also learn how to filter your search further using grep. Finally, you’ll output your results to a new file. Within the lab, you’ll verify the successful completion of this task by clicking a ‘verify’ button. The lab will check to see if your output matches the expected result.

Lab Summary Conclusion:

In this hands-on virtual lab, you will learn how to install and use the Linux command and utility reference feature of manual (man) pages. You will learn the keys used for navigating the man pages and search and filter the man pages to find the information you need. These skills are essential for Linux administrators or career paths, such as security analyst and penetration testers, that require familiarity and use of Linux systems.

Other Challenges in this series

• GUIDED CHALLENGE: Search Linux Manpages by Using the Command Line
• GUIDED CHALLENGE: Display Manpage Information by Using Sections