NAME

BusyBox - The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux


SYNTAX

 BusyBox <function> [arguments...]  # or
 <function> [arguments...]          # if symlinked

COMMON OPTIONS

Most BusyBox commands support the -h option to provide a terse runtime description of their behavior.


COMMANDS

Currently defined functions include:

adjtimex, ar, basename, busybox, cat, chgrp, chmod, chown, chroot, chvt, clear, cmp, cp, cpio, cut, date, dc, dd, deallocvt, df, dirname, dmesg, dos2unix, dpkg, dpkg-deb, du, dumpkmap, dutmp, echo, expr, false, fbset, fdflush, find, free, freeramdisk, fsck.minix, getopt, grep, gunzip, gzip, halt, head, hostid, hostname, id, ifconfig, init, insmod, kill, killall, klogd, length, ln, loadacm, loadfont, loadkmap, logger, logname, ls, lsmod, makedevs, md5sum, mkdir, mkfifo, mkfs.minix, mknod, mkswap, mktemp, more, mount, mt, mv, nc, nslookup, ping, pivot_root, poweroff, printf, ps, pwd, rdate, readlink, reboot, renice, reset, rm, rmdir, rmmod, route, rpm2cpio, sed, setkeycodes, sh, sleep, sort, stty, swapoff, swapon, sync, syslogd, tail, tar, tee, telnet, test, tftp, touch, tr, true, tty, umount, uname, uniq, unix2dos, update, uptime, usleep, uudecode, uuencode, watchdog, wc, wget, which, whoami, xargs, yes, zcat, [

cat
cat [FILE]...
Concatenates FILE(s) and prints them to stdout.
Example:
        $ cat /proc/uptime
        110716.72 17.67
        
-------------------------------
chgrp
chgrp [OPTION]... GROUP FILE...
Change the group membership of each FILE to GROUP.
Options:
        -R      Changes files and directories recursively.
        
Example:
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        $ chgrp root /tmp/foo
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 andersen root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
chmod
chmod [-R] MODE[,MODE]... FILE...
Each MODE is one or more of the letters ugoa, one of the symbols +-= and one or more of the letters rwxst.
Options:
        -R      Changes files and directories recursively.
        
Example:
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -rw-rw-r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        $ chmod u+x /tmp/foo
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -rwxrw-r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo*
        $ chmod 444 /tmp/foo
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
chown
chown [ -Rh ]... OWNER[<.|:>[GROUP]] FILE...
Change the owner and/or group of each FILE to OWNER and/or GROUP.
Options:
        -R      Changes files and directories recursively.
        -h      Do not dereference symbolic links.
        
Example:
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        $ chown root /tmp/foo
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 root     andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        $ chown root.root /tmp/foo
        ls -l /tmp/foo
        -r--r--r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
chroot
chroot NEWROOT [COMMAND...]
Run COMMAND with root directory set to NEWROOT.
Example:
        $ ls -l /bin/ls
        lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root          12 Apr 13 00:46 /bin/ls -> /BusyBox
        $ mount /dev/hdc1 /mnt -t minix
        $ chroot /mnt
        $ ls -l /bin/ls
        -rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root        40816 Feb  5 07:45 /bin/ls*
        
-------------------------------
clear
clear
Clear screen.
-------------------------------
cp
cp [OPTION]... SOURCE DEST
Copies SOURCE to DEST, or multiple SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
        -a      Same as -dpR
        -d      Preserves links
        -p      Preserves file attributes if possible
        -f      force (implied; ignored) - always set
        -R      Copies directories recursively
        
-------------------------------
cut
cut [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Prints selected fields from each input FILE to standard output.
Options:
        -b LIST         Output only bytes from LIST
        -c LIST         Output only characters from LIST
        -d CHAR         Use CHAR instead of tab as the field delimiter
        -s              Output only the lines containing delimiter
        -f N            Print only these fields
        -n              Ignored
        
Example:
        $ echo "Hello world" | cut -f 1 -d ' '
        Hello
        $ echo "Hello world" | cut -f 2 -d ' '
        world
        
-------------------------------
date
date [OPTION]... [+FORMAT]
Displays the current time in the given FORMAT, or sets the system date.
Options:
        -R              Outputs RFC-822 compliant date string
        -d STRING       display time described by STRING, not `now'
        -s              Sets time described by STRING
        -u              Prints or sets Coordinated Universal Time
        
Example:
        $ date
        Wed Apr 12 18:52:41 MDT 2000
        
-------------------------------
dd

dd [if=FILE] [of=FILE] [bs=N] [count=N] [skip=N]

[seek=N] [conv=notrunc|noerror|sync]

Copy a file, converting and formatting according to options
        if=FILE         read from FILE instead of stdin
        of=FILE         write to FILE instead of stdout
        bs=N            read and write N bytes at a time
        count=N         copy only N input blocks
        skip=N          skip N input blocks
        seek=N          skip N output blocks
        conv=notrunc    don't truncate output file
        conv=noerror    continue after read errors
        conv=sync       pad blocks with zeros
        
Numbers may be suffixed by c (x1), w (x2), b (x512), kD (x1000), k (x1024), MD (x1000000), M (x1048576), GD (x1000000000) or G (x1073741824).
Example:
        $ dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/ram1 bs=1M count=4
        4+0 records in
        4+0 records out
        
-------------------------------
df
df [-hmk] [FILESYSTEM ...]
Print the filesystem space used and space available.
Options:
        -h      print sizes in human readable format (e.g., 1K 243M 2G )
        -m      print sizes in megabytes
        -k      print sizes in kilobytes(default)
        
Example:
        $ df
        Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
        /dev/sda3              8690864   8553540    137324  98% /
        /dev/sda1                64216     36364     27852  57% /boot
        $ df /dev/sda3
        Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
        /dev/sda3              8690864   8553540    137324  98% /
        
-------------------------------
dmesg
dmesg [-c] [-n LEVEL] [-s SIZE]
Prints or controls the kernel ring buffer
Options:
        -c              Clears the ring buffer's contents after printing
        -n LEVEL        Sets console logging level
        -s SIZE         Use a buffer of size SIZE
        
-------------------------------
du
du [-lsxhmk] [FILE]...
Summarizes disk space used for each FILE and/or directory. Disk space is printed in units of 1024 bytes.
Options:
        -l      count sizes many times if hard linked
        -s      display only a total for each argument
        -h      print sizes in human readable format (e.g., 1K 243M 2G )
        -m      print sizes in megabytes
        -x      skip directories on different filesystems
        -k      print sizes in kilobytes(default)
        
Example:
        $ du
        16      ./CVS
        12      ./kernel-patches/CVS
        80      ./kernel-patches
        12      ./tests/CVS
        36      ./tests
        12      ./scripts/CVS
        16      ./scripts
        12      ./docs/CVS
        104     ./docs
        2417    .
        
-------------------------------
echo
echo [-neE] [ARG ...]
Prints the specified ARGs to stdout
Options:
        -n      suppress trailing newline
        -e      interpret backslash-escaped characters (i.e., \t=tab)
        -E      disable interpretation of backslash-escaped characters
        
Example:
        $ echo "Erik is cool"
        Erik is cool
        $  echo -e "Erik\nis\ncool"
        Erik
        is
        cool
        $ echo "Erik\nis\ncool"
        Erik\nis\ncool
        
-------------------------------
expr
expr EXPRESSION
Prints the value of EXPRESSION to standard output.
EXPRESSION may be:
        ARG1 |  ARG2    ARG1 if it is neither null nor 0, otherwise ARG2
        ARG1 &  ARG2    ARG1 if neither argument is null or 0, otherwise 0
        ARG1 <  ARG2    ARG1 is less than ARG2
        ARG1 <= ARG2    ARG1 is less than or equal to ARG2
        ARG1 =  ARG2    ARG1 is equal to ARG2
        ARG1 != ARG2    ARG1 is unequal to ARG2
        ARG1 >= ARG2    ARG1 is greater than or equal to ARG2
        ARG1 >  ARG2    ARG1 is greater than ARG2
        ARG1 +  ARG2    arithmetic sum of ARG1 and ARG2
        ARG1 -  ARG2    arithmetic difference of ARG1 and ARG2
        ARG1 *  ARG2    arithmetic product of ARG1 and ARG2
        ARG1 /  ARG2    arithmetic quotient of ARG1 divided by ARG2
        ARG1 %  ARG2    arithmetic remainder of ARG1 divided by ARG2
        STRING : REGEXP             anchored pattern match of REGEXP in STRING
        match STRING REGEXP         same as STRING : REGEXP
        substr STRING POS LENGTH    substring of STRING, POS counted from 1
        index STRING CHARS          index in STRING where any CHARS is found,
                                    or 0
        length STRING               length of STRING
        quote TOKEN                 interpret TOKEN as a string, even if
                                    it is a keyword like `match' or an
                                    operator like `/'
        ( EXPRESSION )              value of EXPRESSION
        
Beware that many operators need to be escaped or quoted for shells. Comparisons are arithmetic if both ARGs are numbers, else lexicographical. Pattern matches return the string matched between \( and \) or null; if \( and \) are not used, they return the number of characters matched or 0.
-------------------------------
false
false
Return an exit code of FALSE (1).
Example:
        $ false
        $ echo $?
        1
        
-------------------------------
fbset
fbset [options] [mode]
Show and modify frame buffer settings
Example:
        $ fbset
        mode "1024x768-76"
                # D: 78.653 MHz, H: 59.949 kHz, V: 75.694 Hz
                geometry 1024 768 1024 768 16
                timings 12714 128 32 16 4 128 4
                accel false
                rgba 5/11,6/5,5/0,0/0
        endmode
        
-------------------------------
fdflush
fdflush DEVICE
Forces floppy disk drive to detect disk change
-------------------------------
find
find [PATH...] [EXPRESSION]
Search for files in a directory hierarchy. The default PATH is the current directory; default EXPRESSION is '-print'
EXPRESSION may consist of:
        -follow         Dereference symbolic links.
        -name PATTERN   File name (leading directories removed) matches PATTERN.
        -print          Print (default and assumed).
        -type X         Filetype matches X (where X is one of: f,d,l,b,c,...)
        -perm PERMS     Permissions match any of (+NNN); all of (-NNN);
                        or exactly (NNN)
        -mtime TIME     Modified time is greater than (+N); less than (-N);
                        or exactly (N) days
        -newer FILE     Modified time is more recent than FILE's
        
Example:
        $ find / -name /etc/passwd
        /etc/passwd
        
-------------------------------
free
free
Displays the amount of free and used system memory
Example:
        $ free
                      total         used         free       shared      buffers
          Mem:       257628       248724         8904        59644        93124
         Swap:       128516         8404       120112
        Total:       386144       257128       129016
        
-------------------------------
freeramdisk
freeramdisk DEVICE
Frees all memory used by the specified ramdisk.
Example:
        $ freeramdisk /dev/ram2
        
-------------------------------
fsck_minix
fsck_minix [-larvsmf] /dev/name
Performs a consistency check for MINIX filesystems.
Options:
        -l      Lists all filenames
        -r      Perform interactive repairs
        -a      Perform automatic repairs
        -v      verbose
        -s      Outputs super-block information
        -m      Activates MINIX-like "mode not cleared" warnings
        -f      Force file system check.
        
-------------------------------
getopt
getopt [OPTIONS]...
Parse command options
        -a, --alternative               Allow long options starting with single -
        -l, --longoptions=longopts      Long options to be recognized
        -n, --name=progname             The name under which errors are reported
        -o, --options=optstring Short options to be recognized
        -q, --quiet                     Disable error reporting by getopt(3)
        -Q, --quiet-output              No normal output
        -s, --shell=shell               Set shell quoting conventions
        -T, --test                      Test for getopt(1) version
        -u, --unqote                    Do not quote the output
        
Example:
        $ cat getopt.test
        #!/bin/sh
        GETOPT=`getopt -o ab:c:: --long a-long,b-long:,c-long:: \
               -n 'example.busybox' -- "$@"`
        if [ $? != 0 ] ; then  exit 1 ; fi
        eval set -- "$GETOPT"
        while true ; do
         case $1 in
           -a|--a-long) echo "Option a" ; shift ;;
           -b|--b-long) echo "Option b, argument `$2'" ; shift 2 ;;
           -c|--c-long)
             case "$2" in
               "") echo "Option c, no argument"; shift 2 ;;
               *)  echo "Option c, argument `$2'" ; shift 2 ;;
             esac ;;
           --) shift ; break ;;
           *) echo "Internal error!" ; exit 1 ;;
         esac
        done
        
-------------------------------
grep
grep [-ihHnqvs] PATTERN [FILEs...]
Search for PATTERN in each FILE or standard input.
Options:
        -H      prefix output lines with filename where match was found
        -h      suppress the prefixing filename on output
        -i      ignore case distinctions
        -l      list names of files that match
        -n      print line number with output lines
        -q      be quiet. Returns 0 if result was found, 1 otherwise
        -v      select non-matching lines
        -s      suppress file open/read error messages
        
Example:
        $ grep root /etc/passwd
        root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
        $ grep ^[rR]oo. /etc/passwd
        root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
        
-------------------------------
gunzip
gunzip [OPTION]... FILE
Uncompress FILE (or standard input if FILE is '-').
Options:
        -c      Write output to standard output
        -t      Test compressed file integrity
        
Example:
        $ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
        -rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen   557009 Apr 11 10:55 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar.gz
        $ gunzip /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar.gz
        $ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
        -rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen  1761280 Apr 14 17:47 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar
        
-------------------------------
gzip
gzip [OPTION]... FILE
Compress FILE with maximum compression. When FILE is '-', reads standard input. Implies -c.
Options:
        -c      Write output to standard output instead of FILE.gz
        -d      decompress
        
Example:
        $ ls -la /tmp/busybox*
        -rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen  1761280 Apr 14 17:47 /tmp/busybox.tar
        $ gzip /tmp/busybox.tar
        $ ls -la /tmp/busybox*
        -rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen   554058 Apr 14 17:49 /tmp/busybox.tar.gz
        
-------------------------------
head
head [OPTION] [FILE]...
Print first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.
Options:
        -n NUM          Print first NUM lines instead of first 10
        
Example:
        $ head -n 2 /etc/passwd
        root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
        daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/bin/sh
        
-------------------------------
hostid
hostid
Print out a unique 32-bit identifier for the machine.
-------------------------------
hostname
hostname [OPTION] {hostname | -F FILE}
Get or set the hostname or DNS domain name. If a hostname is given (or FILE with the -F parameter), the host name will be set.
Options:
        -s              Short
        -i              Addresses for the hostname
        -d              DNS domain name
        -F, --file FILE Use the contents of FILE to specify the hostname
        
Example:
        $ hostname
        sage
        
-------------------------------
kill
kill [-signal] process-id [process-id ...]
Send a signal (default is SIGTERM) to the specified process(es).
Options:
        -l      List all signal names and numbers.
        
Example:
        $ ps | grep apache
        252 root     root     S [apache]
        263 www-data www-data S [apache]
        264 www-data www-data S [apache]
        265 www-data www-data S [apache]
        266 www-data www-data S [apache]
        267 www-data www-data S [apache]
        $ kill 252
        
-------------------------------
killall
killall [-signal] process-name [process-name ...]
Send a signal (default is SIGTERM) to the specified process(es).
Options:
        -l      List all signal names and numbers.
        
Example:
        $ killall apache
        
-------------------------------
klogd
klogd -n
Kernel logger. Options:
        -n      Run as a foreground process.
        
-------------------------------
length
length STRING
Prints out the length of the specified STRING.
Example:
        $ length Hello
        5
        
-------------------------------
ln
ln [OPTION] TARGET... LINK_NAME|DIRECTORY
Create a link named LINK_NAME or DIRECTORY to the specified TARGET
You may use '--' to indicate that all following arguments are non-options.
Options:
        -s      make symbolic links instead of hard links
        -f      remove existing destination files
        -n      no dereference symlinks - treat like normal file
        
Example:
        $ ln -s BusyBox /tmp/ls
        $ ls -l /tmp/ls
        lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            7 Apr 12 18:39 ls -> BusyBox*
        
-------------------------------
logger
logger [OPTION]... [MESSAGE]
Write MESSAGE to the system log. If MESSAGE is omitted, log stdin.
Options:
        -s      Log to stderr as well as the system log.
        -t      Log using the specified tag (defaults to user name).
        -p      Enter the message with the specified priority.
                This may be numerical or a ``facility.level'' pair.
        
Example:
        $ logger "hello"
        
-------------------------------
ls
ls [-1AacCdeFilnpLRrSsTtuvwxXhk] [filenames...]
List directory contents
Options:
        -1      list files in a single column
        -A      do not list implied . and ..
        -a      do not hide entries starting with .
        -C      list entries by columns
        -c      with -l: show ctime
        -d      list directory entries instead of contents
        -e      list both full date and full time
        -F      append indicator (one of */=@|) to entries
        -i      list the i-node for each file
        -l      use a long listing format
        -n      list numeric UIDs and GIDs instead of names
        -p      append indicator (one of /=@|) to entries
        -L      list entries pointed to by symbolic links
        -R      list subdirectories recursively
        -r      sort the listing in reverse order
        -S      sort the listing by file size
        -s      list the size of each file, in blocks
        -T NUM  assume Tabstop every NUM columns
        -t      with -l: show modification time
        -u      with -l: show access time
        -v      sort the listing by version
        -w NUM  assume the terminal is NUM columns wide
        -x      list entries by lines instead of by columns
        -X      sort the listing by extension
        -h      print sizes in human readable format (e.g., 1K 243M 2G )
        -k      print sizes in kilobytes(default)
        
-------------------------------
lsmod
lsmod
List the currently loaded kernel modules.
-------------------------------
mkdir
mkdir [OPTION] DIRECTORY...
Create the DIRECTORY(ies) if they do not already exist
Options:
        -m      set permission mode (as in chmod), not rwxrwxrwx - umask
        -p      no error if existing, make parent directories as needed
        
Example:
        $ mkdir /tmp/foo
        $ mkdir /tmp/foo
        /tmp/foo: File exists
        $ mkdir /tmp/foo/bar/baz
        /tmp/foo/bar/baz: No such file or directory
        $ mkdir -p /tmp/foo/bar/baz
        
-------------------------------
mkfifo
mkfifo [OPTIONS] name
Creates a named pipe (identical to 'mknod name p')
Options:
        -m      create the pipe using the specified mode (default a=rw)
        
-------------------------------
mkfs_minix
mkfs_minix [-c | -l filename] [-nXX] [-iXX] /dev/name [blocks]
Make a MINIX filesystem.
Options:
        -c              Check the device for bad blocks
        -n [14|30]      Specify the maximum length of filenames
        -i INODES       Specify the number of inodes for the filesystem
        -l FILENAME     Read the bad blocks list from FILENAME
        -v              Make a Minix version 2 filesystem
        
-------------------------------
mknod
mknod [OPTIONS] NAME TYPE MAJOR MINOR
Create a special file (block, character, or pipe).
Options:
        -m      create the special file using the specified mode (default a=rw)
        
TYPEs include:
        b:      Make a block (buffered) device.
        c or u: Make a character (un-buffered) device.
        p:      Make a named pipe. MAJOR and MINOR are ignored for named pipes.
        
Example:
        $ mknod /dev/fd0 b 2 0 
        $ mknod -m 644 /tmp/pipe p
        
-------------------------------
mktemp
mktemp [-q] TEMPLATE
Creates a temporary file with its name based on TEMPLATE. TEMPLATE is any name with six `Xs' (i.e., /tmp/temp.XXXXXX).
Example:
        $ mktemp /tmp/temp.XXXXXX
        /tmp/temp.mWiLjM
        $ ls -la /tmp/temp.mWiLjM
        -rw-------    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 25 17:10 /tmp/temp.mWiLjM
        
-------------------------------
modprobe
modprobe [FILE ...]
Used for hight level module loading and unloading.
Example:
        $ modprobe cdrom
        
-------------------------------
more
more [FILE ...]
More is a filter for viewing FILE one screenful at a time.
Example:
        $ dmesg | more
        
-------------------------------
mount
mount [flags] DEVICE NODE [-o options,more-options]
Mount a filesystem
Flags:
        -a:             Mount all filesystems in fstab.
        -f:             "Fake" Add entry to mount table but don't mount it.
        -n:             Don't write a mount table entry.
        -o option:      One of many filesystem options, listed below.
        -r:             Mount the filesystem read-only.
        -t fs-type:     Specify the filesystem type.
        -w:             Mount for reading and writing (default).
        
Options for use with the ``-o'' flag:
        async/sync:     Writes are asynchronous / synchronous.
        atime/noatime:  Enable / disable updates to inode access times.
        dev/nodev:      Allow use of special device files / disallow them.
        exec/noexec:    Allow use of executable files / disallow them.
        loop:           Mounts a file via loop device.
        suid/nosuid:    Allow set-user-id-root programs / disallow them.
        remount:        Re-mount a mounted filesystem, changing its flags.
        ro/rw:          Mount for read-only / read-write.
        bind:           Use the linux 2.4.x "bind" feature.
        
There are EVEN MORE flags that are specific to each filesystem. You'll have to see the written documentation for those filesystems.
Example:
        $ mount
        /dev/hda3 on / type minix (rw)
        proc on /proc type proc (rw)
        devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw)
        $ mount /dev/fd0 /mnt -t msdos -o ro
        $ mount /tmp/diskimage /opt -t ext2 -o loop
        
-------------------------------
mv
mv SOURCE DEST or: mv SOURCE... DIRECTORY
Rename SOURCE to DEST, or move SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
Example:
        $ mv /tmp/foo /bin/bar
        
-------------------------------
pidof
pidof process-name [process-name ...]
Lists the PIDs of all processes with names that match the names on the command line
Example:
        $ pidof init
        1
        
-------------------------------
ping
ping [OPTION]... host
Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts.
Options:
        -c COUNT        Send only COUNT pings.
        -s SIZE         Send SIZE data bytes in packets (default=56).
        -q              Quiet mode, only displays output at start
                        and when finished.
        
Example:
        $ ping localhost
        PING slag (127.0.0.1): 56 data bytes
        64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=20.1 ms
        --- debian ping statistics ---
        1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0% packet loss
        round-trip min/avg/max = 20.1/20.1/20.1 ms
        
-------------------------------
pivot_root
pivot_root NEW_ROOT PUT_OLD
Move the current root file system to PUT_OLD and make NEW_ROOT the new root file system.
-------------------------------
poweroff
poweroff
Halt the system and request that the kernel shut off the power.
-------------------------------
printf
printf FORMAT [ARGUMENT...]
Formats and prints ARGUMENT(s) according to FORMAT, Where FORMAT controls the output exactly as in C printf.
Example:
        $ printf "Val=%d\n" 5
        Val=5
        
-------------------------------
ps
ps
Report process status
This version of ps accepts no options.
Example:
        $ ps
          PID  Uid      Gid State Command
            1 root     root     S init
            2 root     root     S [kflushd]
            3 root     root     S [kupdate]
            4 root     root     S [kpiod]
            5 root     root     S [kswapd]
          742 andersen andersen S [bash]
          743 andersen andersen S -bash
          745 root     root     S [getty]
         2990 andersen andersen R ps
        
-------------------------------
pwd
pwd
Print the full filename of the current working directory.
Example:
        $ pwd
        /root
        
-------------------------------
rdate
rdate [OPTION] HOST
Get and possibly set the system date and time from a remote HOST.
Options:
        -s      Set the system date and time (default).
        -p      Print the date and time.
        
-------------------------------
renice
renice priority pid [pid ...]
Changes priority of running processes. Allowed priorities range from 20 (the process runs only when nothing else is running) to 0 (default priority) to -20 (almost nothing else ever gets to run).
-------------------------------
reset
reset
Resets the screen.
-------------------------------
rm
rm [OPTION]... FILE...
Remove (unlink) the FILE(s). You may use '--' to indicate that all following arguments are non-options.
Options:
        -i              always prompt before removing each destination  -f              remove existing destinations, never prompt
        -r or -R        remove the contents of directories recursively
        
Example:
        $ rm -rf /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
rmdir
rmdir [OPTION]... DIRECTORY...
Remove the DIRECTORY(ies), if they are empty.
Example:
        # rmdir /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
rmmod
rmmod [OPTION]... [MODULE]...
Unloads the specified kernel modules from the kernel.
Options:
        -a      Try to remove all unused kernel modules.
        
Example:
        $ rmmod tulip
        
-------------------------------
sleep
sleep N
Pause for N seconds.
Example:
        $ sleep 2
        [2 second delay results]
        
-------------------------------
sort
sort [-nru] [FILE]...
Sorts lines of text in the specified files
Options:
        -u      suppress duplicate lines
        -r      sort in reverse order
        -n      sort numerics
        
Example:
        $ echo -e "e\nf\nb\nd\nc\na" | sort
        a
        b
        c
        d
        e
        f
        
-------------------------------
sync
sync
Write all buffered filesystem blocks to disk.
-------------------------------
syslogd
syslogd [OPTION]...
Linux system and kernel logging utility. Note that this version of syslogd ignores /etc/syslog.conf.
Options:
        -m NUM          Interval between MARK lines (default=20min, 0=off)
        -n              Run as a foreground process
        -O FILE         Use an alternate log file (default=/var/log/messages)
        -R HOST[:PORT]  Log to IP or hostname on PORT (default PORT=514/UDP)
        -L              Log locally and via network logging (default is network only)
        
Example:
        $ syslogd -R masterlog:514
        $ syslogd -R 192.168.1.1:601
        
-------------------------------
tail
tail [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Print last 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.
Options:
        -c N[kbm]       output the last N bytes
        -n N[kbm]       print last N lines instead of last 10
        -f              output data as the file grows
        -q              never output headers giving file names
        -s SEC          wait SEC seconds between reads with -f
        -v              always output headers giving file names
        
If the first character of N (bytes or lines) is a '+', output begins with the Nth item from the start of each file, otherwise, print the last N items in the file. N bytes may be suffixed by k (x1024), b (x512), or m (1024^2).
Example:
        $ tail -n 1 /etc/resolv.conf
        nameserver 10.0.0.1
        
-------------------------------
tar
tar -[cxtvO] [--exclude FILE] [-X FILE][-f TARFILE] [-C DIR] [FILE(s)] ...
Create, extract, or list files from a tar file.
Options:
        c               create
        x               extract
        t               list
        
File selection:
        f               name of TARFILE or "-" for stdin
        O               extract to stdout
        exclude         file to exclude
        X               file with names to exclude
        C               change to directory DIR before operation
        v               verbosely list files processed
        
Example:
        $ zcat /tmp/tarball.tar.gz | tar -xf -
        $ tar -cf /tmp/tarball.tar /usr/local
        
-------------------------------
telnet
telnet HOST [PORT]
Telnet is used to establish interactive communication with another computer over a network using the TELNET protocol.
-------------------------------
test
test EXPRESSION or [ EXPRESSION ]
Checks file types and compares values returning an exit code determined by the value of EXPRESSION.
Example:
        $ test 1 -eq 2
        $ echo $?
        1
        $ test 1 -eq 1
        $ echo $? 
        0
        $ [ -d /etc ]
        $ echo $?
        0
        $ [ -d /junk ]
        $ echo $?
        1
        
-------------------------------
touch
touch [-c] FILE [FILE ...]
Update the last-modified date on the given FILE[s].
Options:
        -c      Do not create any files
        
Example:
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        /bin/ls: /tmp/foo: No such file or directory
        $ touch /tmp/foo
        $ ls -l /tmp/foo
        -rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 15 01:11 /tmp/foo
        
-------------------------------
tr
tr [-cds] STRING1 [STRING2]
Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters from standard input, writing to standard output.
Options:
        -c      take complement of STRING1
        -d      delete input characters coded STRING1
        -s      squeeze multiple output characters of STRING2 into one character
        
Example:
        $ echo "gdkkn vnqkc" | tr [a-y] [b-z]
        hello world
        
-------------------------------
traceroute

traceroute [-dnrv] [-m max_ttl] [-p port#] [-q nqueries]

[-s src_addr] [-t tos] [-w wait] host [data size]

trace the route ip packets follow going to ``host'' Options:
        -d      set SO_DEBUG options to socket
        -n      Print hop addresses numerically rather than symbolically
        -r      Bypass the normal routing tables and send directly to a host
        -v      Verbose output
        -m max_ttl      Set the max time-to-live (max number of hops)
        -p port#        Set the base UDP port number used in probes
                (default is 33434)
        -q nqueries     Set the number of probes per ``ttl'' to nqueries
                (default is 3)
        -s src_addr     Use the following IP address as the source address
        -t tos  Set the type-of-service in probe packets to the following value
                (default 0)
        -w wait Set the time (in seconds) to wait for a response to a probe
                (default 3 sec.).
        
-------------------------------
true
true
Return an exit code of TRUE (0).
Example:
        $ true
        $ echo $?
        0
        
-------------------------------
tty
tty
Print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input.
Options:
        -s      print nothing, only return an exit status
        
Example:
        $ tty
        /dev/tty2
        
-------------------------------
umount
umount [flags] FILESYSTEM|DIRECTORY
Unmount file systems
Flags:
        -a      Unmount all file systems in /etc/mtab
        -n      Don't erase /etc/mtab entries
        -r      Try to remount devices as read-only if mount is busy
        -f      Force umount (i.e., unreachable NFS server)
        -l      Do not free loop device (if a loop device has been used)
        
Example:
        $ umount /dev/hdc1
        
-------------------------------
uname
uname [OPTION]...
Print certain system information. With no OPTION, same as -s.
Options:
        -a      print all information
        -m      the machine (hardware) type
        -n      print the machine's network node hostname
        -r      print the operating system release
        -s      print the operating system name
        -p      print the host processor type
        -v      print the operating system version
        
Example:
        $ uname -a
        Linux debian 2.2.15pre13 #5 Tue Mar 14 16:03:50 MST 2000 i686 unknown
        
-------------------------------
uniq
uniq [OPTION]... [INPUT [OUTPUT]]
Discard all but one of successive identical lines from INPUT (or standard input), writing to OUTPUT (or standard output).
Options:
        -c      prefix lines by the number of occurrences
        -d      only print duplicate lines
        -u      only print unique lines
        
Example:
        $ echo -e "a\na\nb\nc\nc\na" | sort | uniq
        a
        b
        c
        
-------------------------------
update
update [options]
Periodically flushes filesystem buffers.
Options:
        -S      force use of sync(2) instead of flushing
        -s SECS call sync this often (default 30)
        -f SECS flush some buffers this often (default 5)
        
-------------------------------
uptime
uptime
Display the time since the last boot.
Example:
        $ uptime
          1:55pm  up  2:30, load average: 0.09, 0.04, 0.00
        
-------------------------------
usleep
usleep N
Pause for N microseconds.
Example:
        $ usleep 1000000
        [pauses for 1 second]
        
-------------------------------
watchdog
watchdog DEV
Periodically write to watchdog device DEV
-------------------------------
wc
wc [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Print line, word, and byte counts for each FILE, and a total line if more than one FILE is specified. With no FILE, read standard input.
Options:
        -c      print the byte counts
        -l      print the newline counts
        -L      print the length of the longest line
        -w      print the word counts
        
Example:
        $ wc /etc/passwd
             31      46    1365 /etc/passwd
        
-------------------------------
which
which [COMMAND ...]
Locates a COMMAND.
Example:
        $ which login
        /bin/login
        
-------------------------------
whoami
whoami
Prints the user name associated with the current effective user id.
-------------------------------
yes
yes [OPTION]... [STRING]...
Repeatedly outputs a line with all specified STRING(s), or 'y'.
-------------------------------
zcat
zcat FILE
Uncompress to stdout.
-------------------------------

LIBC NSS

GNU Libc uses the Name Service Switch (NSS) to configure the behavior of the C library for the local environment, and to configure how it reads system data, such as passwords and group information. BusyBox has made it Policy that it will never use NSS, and will never use and libc calls that make use of NSS. This allows you to run an embedded system without the need for installing an /etc/nsswitch.conf file and without and /lib/libnss_* libraries installed.

If you are using a system that is using a remote LDAP server for authentication via GNU libc NSS, and you want to use BusyBox, then you will need to adjust the BusyBox source. Chances are though, that if you have enough space to install of that stuff on your system, then you probably want the full GNU utilities.


SEE ALSO

textutils(1), shellutils(1), etc...


MAINTAINER

Erik Andersen <andersee@debian.org> <andersen@codepoet.org>


AUTHORS

The following people have contributed code to BusyBox whether they know it or not.



Erik Andersen <andersee@debian.org> <andersen@codepoet.org>

    Tons of new stuff, major rewrite of most of the
    core apps, tons of new apps as noted in header files.



John Beppu <beppu@codepoet.org>

    du, head, nslookup, sort, tee, uniq (so Kraai could rewrite them ;-),
    documentation



Edward Betts <edward@debian.org>

    expr, hostid, logname, tty, wc, whoami, yes
=for html <br>

Brian Candler <B.Candler@pobox.com>

    tiny-ls(ls)



Randolph Chung <tausq@debian.org>

    fbset, ping, hostname, and mkfifo



Dave Cinege <dcinege@psychosis.com>

    more(v2), makedevs, dutmp, modularization, auto links file, 
    various fixes, Linux Router Project maintenance



Larry Doolittle <ldoolitt@recycle.lbl.gov>

    various fixes, shell rewrite



Karl M. Hegbloom <karlheg@debian.org>

    cp_mv.c, the test suite, various fixes to utility.c, &c.



Sterling Huxley <sterling@europa.com>

    vi (!!!)



Daniel Jacobowitz <dan@debian.org>

    mktemp.c



Matt Kraai <kraai@alumni.carnegiemellon.edu>

    documentation, bugfixes



John Lombardo <john@deltanet.com>

    dirname, tr



Glenn McGrath <bug1@netconnect.com.au>

    ar.c



Vladimir Oleynik <dzo@simtreas.ru>

    cmdedit, stty-port, locale, various fixes 
    and irreconcilable critic of everything not perfect.



Bruce Perens <bruce@pixar.com>

    Original author of BusyBox. His code is still in many apps.



Chip Rosenthal <chip@unicom.com>, <crosenth@covad.com>

    wget - Contributed by permission of Covad Communications



Pavel Roskin <proski@gnu.org>

    Lots of bugs fixes and patches.



Gyepi Sam <gyepi@praxis-sw.com>

    Remote logging feature for syslogd



Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>

    mkswap, fsck.minix, mkfs.minix



Mark Whitley <markw@codepoet.org>

    sed remix, bug fixes, style-guide, etc.



Charles P. Wright <cpwright@villagenet.com>

    gzip, mini-netcat(nc)



Enrique Zanardi <ezanardi@ull.es>

    tarcat (since removed), loadkmap, various fixes, Debian maintenance