HP-UX Reference (11i v1 05/09) - 1 User Commands N-Z (vol 2)

s
sh(1) sh(1)
NAME
sh - overview of various system shells
SYNOPSIS
POSIX Shell:
sh [±aefhikmnoprstuvx
][±o option] ... [
-c string][arg ... ]
rsh [±aefhikmnoprstuvx
][±o option] ... [
-c string][arg ... ]
Bourne Shell:
sh [- -acefhiknrstuvx
...] [arg ... ]
rsh [- -acefhiknrstuvx
...] [arg ... ]
Korn Shell:
ksh [±aefhikmnoprstuvx
][± o option ] ... [
-c string ][arg ... ]
rksh [±aefhikmnoprstuvx
][±o option ] ... [
-c string ][arg ... ]
C Shell:
csh [-cefinstvxTVX][command_file ][argument_list ... ]
Key Shell:
keysh
DESCRIPTION
Remarks:
The POSIX.2 standard requires that, on a POSIX-compliant system, executing the command sh activates
the
POSIX shell (located in file /usr/bin/sh on HP-UX systems), and executing the command man sh
produces an on-line manual entry that displays the syntax of the POSIX shell command-line.
However, the sh command has historically been associated with the conventional Bourne shell, which
could confuse some users. To meet standards requirements and also clarify the relationships of the various
shells and where they reside on the system, this entry provides command-line syntax and a brief descrip-
tion of each shell, and lists the names of the manual entries where each shell is described in greater detail.
Shell Descriptions
The HP-UX operating system supports the following shells:
sh POSIX-conforming command programming language and command interpreter residing in
file /usr/bin/sh . Can execute commands read from a terminal or a file. This shell con-
forms to current POSIX standards in effect at the time the HP-UX system release was intro-
duced, and is similar to the Korn shell in many respects. Similar in many respects to the
Korn shell, the
POSIX shell contains a history mechanism, supports job control, and pro-
vides various other useful features.
sh Bourne-shell command programming language and commands interpreter residing in file
/usr/old/bin/sh. Can execute commands read from a terminal or a file. This shell
lacks many features contained in the
POSIX and Korn shells. The Bourne shell will be
obsoleted. Users are strongly encouraged to switch to the POSIX shell. The Bourne shell
will still be available as /usr/old/bin/sh, for those users have to use it.
ksh Korn-shell command programming language and commands interpreter residing in file
/usr/bin/ksh . Can execute commands read from a terminal or a file. This shell, like
the POSIX shell, contains a history mechanism, supports job control, and provides various
other useful features.
csh A command language interpreter that incorporates a command history buffer, C-language-
like syntax, and job control facilities.
rsh Restricted version of the POSIX or Bourne shell command interpreter. Sets up a login
name and execution environment whose capabilities are more controlled (restricted) than
normal user shells.
rksh restricted version of the Korn-shell command interpreter Sets up a login name and execu-
tion environment whose capabilities are more controlled (restricted) than normal user
shells.
Section 1−−880 Hewlett-Packard Company − 1 − HP-UX 11i Version 1: September 2005