Introducing UNIX and Linux

Maintaining your Linux OS

Overview
Basic management
      Passwords
      Checking storage space
      Checking processes
      Managing users
      Shutting down and restarting your computer
      Automating tasks
Linux file management
      File compression and archiving tools
      File managers
      File splitters
Linux networking
      Getting started
      MAC and IP addresses
      Domain names
      Adding a Linux host to an existing network
      Building a private network
      Configuring the network interface
Security
Uninstalling Linux
Summary

Shutting down and restarting your computer

You can shut down your computer from a terminal window using the shutdown command:

/bin/shutdown -r now

This has the same effect as pressing ctrl-alt-delete on the keyboard, and will close down all the processes on the machine, shutdown the machine, and then reboot. You can halt your machine (a shutdown without a subsequent reboot) by substituting the -r flag in the above command with the -h flag. Linux will tell you that your computer has halted, at which point you can safely turn the power off. This is useful if you are preparing your computer for transit.