Path: senator-bedfellow

You can't create a RAM disk in AIX. The closest related functionality

the operating system gives you is the RAM disk buffer. Read 1.300

sub-section 3.
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Subject: 1.305: How much RAM (real memory) does my machine have?

From: Michael Abel/resnova

As root: bootinfo -r

As any user: lsattr -E -l sys0 -a realmem

lsattr -C -c memory
shows all memory adapters. On MCA systems one may add up the values

displayed for each memory card in order to sum up to the amount of

total memory. On PCI systems only one item (mem0) is

displayed. Additional information may be displayed with

lsattr -E -lmem0
These commands were tested on various IBM systems running AIX relases

3.2.5 and 4.1.4

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Subject: 1.306: Why do PIDs run non-sequentially?

From: Julianne F. Haugh

The answer (I was there, consider me an authority ...) is that the

PIDs needed to be somewhat unpredictable. This is because AIX was

originally designed with a number of C2 and B1 features, and one of those

is the notion of covert channel analysis. Sequential PIDs are a covert

channel (assuming the system has one PID namespace ...) since the value

of the "next" PID is shared by all currently running processes. So if I

want to sneak some of my classified data out to your co-operating

non-classified program, I can do it by carefully controlling the value

of the "next" PID.
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Subject: 1.400: How do I make an informative prompt in the shell?
In the Korn Shell (ksh), the PS1 variable is expanded each time it is

printed, so you can use:

$ export myhost=`hostname`

$ PS1='$LOGNAME@$myhost $PWD \$ '

to get, e.g.
bengsig@ieibm1 /u/bengsig $
In the C-shell, use:
% set myhost=`hostname`

% alias cd 'chdir \!* > /dev/null; set prompt="$LOGNAME@$myhost $cwd % "'

% cd
to get, e.g.
bengsig@dkunix9 /u/bengsig/aixfaq %
There is no easy solution in the Bourne Shell. Use the Korn Shell instead.
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Subject: 1.401: How do I set up ksh for emacs mode command line editing?
The ksh has an undocumented way of binding the arrowkeys to the emacs

line editing commands. In your .kshrc, add:

alias __A=`echo "\020"` # up arrow = ^p = back a command

alias __B=`echo "\016"` # down arrow = ^n = down a command

alias __C=`echo "\006"` # right arrow = ^f = forward a character

alias __D=`echo "\002"` # left arrow = ^b = back a character

alias __H=`echo "\001"` # home = ^a = start of line
Type "set -o emacs" or put this line in your .profile.
Also, you MUST have PTF U406855 for this to work in AIX 3.2. The APAR #

for the problem is IX25982, which may have been superseded.

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Subject: 1.402: Listing files with ls causes a core dump

From: Julianne F. Haugh

Scenario: a directory that is shared by N users (N >= 200).

Run 'ls -l' in that directory. It goes for a while, then

Seg fault(coredump)!
It only occurs when the usernames are displayed (almost every file is

owned by a different person). The -g and -n options work fine; only -l

and -o (which shows owner and not group) cause it.
I believe that this problem was corrected by U407548. If you have that

many users that you are having core dump problems (it took over 200),

you might also want to look into getting the PTF that fixes IX31403.

That APAR deals with large numbers of accounts and performance problems

associated with looking them up.
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Subject: 1.403: How do I put my own text into InfoExplorer?
With AIX 3.1, you cannot do it. AIX 3.2 has a product called

InfoCrafter that allows you to do that.

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Subject: 1.404: InfoExplorer ASCII key bindings

From: [e-mail] (Charles Hannum)

If you just press 'Return' when it starts up, with 'Basic Screen

Operations' highlighted, you'll get some help.

If you look long enough, you'll find a page named 'Using Keys and Key

Sequences in the InfoExplorer ASCII Interface'. It describes the key

sequences and actions. Here are a few to get you started.
Keys Action
Ctrl-W Moves between the Navigation screen and the Reading screen.

If the Navigation screen is displayed, you can press Ctrl-W to display

the Reading screen. If the Reading screen is displayed, you can press

Ctrl-W to display the Navigation screen.

Ctrl-O Makes the menu bar active or inactive. If your text cursor is

located in the text area of the screen, you can press Ctrl-O to make the

menu bar active. If the menu bar is already active, you can press

Ctrl-O to make it inactive, which moves the text cursor to the text area.

Tab Moves to the next menu bar option in the menu bar. If a pull-down

menu is not displayed and you press the Right Arrow key, the next menu

bar option is displayed in reverse video.

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Subject: *1.405: How can I add new man pages to the system?

From: [e-mail] (Horst Luehrsen)

Put the man pages in /usr/man, e.g. /usr/man/man1/tcsh.1 for the tcsh

man page. Under AIX 3.1.10, /usr/lib/makewhatis can be used to update

the makewhatis-database /usr/man/whatis so apropos and whatis know about

the added manpages. /usr/lib/makewhatis should be available on all 3.2

versions.
For AIX 4.x, you can store the man pages in the /usr/share/man hierarchy.

/usr/lib/makewhatis is still there.

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Subject: 1.406: Why can't I read man pages? Where is nroff?
Nroff and troff aren't in the base installation. It is shipped as

part of AIX 3.2.5 but may not be installed. Use smit to install a

software package called txtfmt.tfs.obj from your 3.2.5 distribution

media.
In AIX 4.x, you need bos.txt.tfs.

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Subject: 1.407: Why is my environment only loaded once?
The .profile file is only loaded once (for your login shell) subsequent

shells should be initialized by setting ENV=$HOME/.kshrc (for ksh).

Bash users can use $HOME/.bash_profile for the login shell environment

and $HOME/.bashrc.

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Subject: 1.408: Where is the 'nawk' command on my AIX system?

From: Jeff Wang