4    The DIGITAL UNIX Reference Pages

The DIGITAL 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 a Web browser to read the reference pages on line, 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 on line.

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.

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, issue the following command:

% man man

The system manager determines whether the reference pages are available on the system at system installation time. 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.

See Section 1.4 for information about viewing the reference pages on the Documentation CD-ROM using the webman browser.

4.2    Reading Reference Pages in Printed Books

DIGITAL 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 DIGITAL representative.

Note

The Reference Page Kit is usually updated only with major releases of DIGITAL 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 DIGITAL 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 DIGITAL 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 exists in one volume.

Reference Pages Section 3

Section 3 describes the routines available in DIGITAL 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 Section 8 and 1m

Section 8 describes commands for system operation and maintenance. It is for system administrators.

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