What to do when a command isn't found?

alan alan at clueserver.org
Thu Jul 6 17:05:38 UTC 2006


On Thu, 6 Jul 2006, Timothy Alberts wrote:

> So I get this every now and then and haven't found a smooth method of
> dealing with it.  I have my desktop upgraded from FC4 to FC5 and the
> command 'ifconfig' comes back with 'bash: ifconfig: command not found.'
> Additionally, I have been through tutorials on the web and different
> books on running commands that more often than not, the bash shell comes
> back with the same message.

ifconfig is in /sbin.  That is not normally in the path.

> My first question is, are the shell commands and features standardized
> somewhere so that I know what commands I can expect to have no matter
> what machine I'm sitting at or what type of installation I have?  My
> second question is, if these commands are supposed to be there, but the
> shell comes back and says they aren't, what is the procedure for finding
> the commands or installing the packages required for them?

To find out what installed in a particular package

rpm -q --filesbypkg <packagename> | less

> I understand the 'which xxx' command will tell me the location of the
> executable that is being used when I call a command.  However it doesn't
> help me find a missing command.  I also understand that typically shell
> commands are in /bin /usr/bin /usr/local/bin among others.  If it helps,
> when I type 'which ifconfig' the following is the result:
>
> /usr/bin/which: no ifconfig in
> (/usr/kerberos/sbin:/usr/kerberos/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:
> /usr/X11R6/bin:/home/talberts/bin)
>
> Sorry these are fairly general questions so if it's easier to just focus
> on the 'ifconfig' command that would be helpful.  Thank you for any
> response.

The two other places to look at /sbin and /usr/sbin.  That is where system 
binaries normally used by root are kept.  They are not in the standard 
path.  (Some admins lock these apps off from non-privileged users.)

You can add them to ~/.bash_profile in the PATH variable.

Hope that helps...

-- 
"I want to live just long enough to see them cut off Darl's head and
  stick it on a pike as a reminder to the next ten generations that some
  things come at too high a price. I would look up into his beady eyes and
  wave, like this... (*wave*!). Can your associates arrange that for me,
  Mr. McBride?"
                       - Vir "Flounder" Kotto, Sr. VP, IBM Empire.




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