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info

Read the longer GNU documentation (Texinfo manuals) with chapters and links.

Level
RHCSA exam
Group
Shell and help
Needs root
No
Package
info
Also called
pinfo

What it does

Some tools, mainly the GNU tools (coreutils, bash, grep, sed, tar), have a full manual in info format. It is longer than the man page and split into nodes (chapters) with links.

Keys in info: Space = next page, n/p = next/previous node, u = up, Enter on a link = follow it, l = back, s = search, q = quit. pinfo is a friendlier viewer with colors (when it is installed).

The exam objectives name "man, info and /usr/share/doc": know where to look.

How to write it

info [OPTION]... [MENU-ITEM...]
pinfo [OPTIONS] [INFO-PAGE]

Options 13

Most used

-k, --apropos=text
Search all indexes of all manuals for the text.
-f, --file=manual
Open this info manual (file).
-n, --node=name
Go to this node of the manual.
-a, --all
Use all matching manuals.
-o, --output=file
Write the selected nodes to a file (as text).
--subnodes
With --output: also write the sub-nodes.
-d, --directory=dir
Add a folder to the search path.
-w, --where, --location
Print where the info file is.
-v, --variable var=value
Set an info setting.
--vi-keys
Use vi-like keys.
-h, --help
Show help.
--version
Show the version.

Examples 11

$ run as a normal user# run as root (or with sudo)

  1. 1Open the coreutils manual

    info coreutils

    All basic commands (ls, cp, sort …) in one manual with chapters.

  2. 2Open the part about one command

    info coreutils 'ls invocation'

    Goes straight to the node about ls.

  3. 3Search all info indexes

    info -k "time style"

    Lists the nodes where the topic is explained.

  4. 4Read the bash manual

    info bash

    The complete Bash reference: expansions, built-ins, variables.

  5. 5Save a chapter as text

    info coreutils 'sort invocation' -o sort.txt

    Read it later or add it to your notes.

  6. 6Find where an info manual lives

    info -w grep
/usr/share/info/grep.info.gz

    Shows the file and the package documentation.

  7. 7Use pinfo for easier navigation

    pinfo tar

    Arrow keys and Enter follow links; q quits.

  8. 8Open the GNU sed manual for regex details

    info sed 'Regular Expressions'

    The info manual explains BRE and ERE better than the man page.

  9. 9Look for extra documentation files

    ls /usr/share/doc/chrony/

    Many packages add examples and README files in /usr/share/doc.

  10. 10Find documentation files of a package

    rpm -qd openssh-server

    Lists the documentation files that the package installed.

  11. 11Use info when the man page is short

    man ls | tail -3

    Many GNU man pages end with "Full documentation … or available locally via: info '(coreutils) ls invocation'".

Watch out

  • Not every tool has an info manual. If none exists, info NAME shows the man page instead.
  • Minimal installs may miss the info package; install it with dnf install info.

Files

/usr/share/info/
The info manuals.
/usr/share/doc/
Extra documentation, examples and READMEs per package.

Tips to remember

  • man = short and exact. info = long and with chapters. /usr/share/doc = examples.

Full manual

This page explains the command in simple words. The original manual has every detail.

In your terminal: man info

Open the man page (linux.die.net)www.gnu.org