The following table summarises all the z/OS Unix System Services (USS) shell commands:
| General Use | |
|---|---|
| Command | Description |
| at | Run a command at a specified time |
| batch | Run commands when the system is not busy |
| bpxmtext | Display reason code text |
| ceebldtx | Transform message source files into loadable message text files |
| clear | Clear the screen of all previous output |
| command | Run a simple command |
| confighfs | Invoke vfs_pfsctl functions for HFS file systems |
| date | Display the date and time |
| echo | Write arguments to standard output |
| edcmtext | Display errnojr reason code text |
| exec | Run a command and open, close, or copy the file descriptors |
| man | Print sections of the online reference manual |
| nice | Run a command at a different priority |
| passwd | Change user passwords and password phrases |
| Return arguments from the shell | |
| printf | Write formatted output |
| sh | Invoke a shell (command interpreter) |
| tcsh | Invoke a tcsh shell |
| time | Display processor and elapsed times for a command |
| uptime | Report how long the system has been running |
| wall | Broadcast a message to logged-in users |
| whence | Tell how the shell interprets a command name |
| whoami | Display your effective user name |
| xlc | Compiler invocation using a customizable configuration file |
| xlC | C++ compiler invocation using a customizable configuration file |
| xlc++ | C++ compiler invocation using a customizable configuration file |
| Environment Control | |
| Command | Description |
| alias | Display or create a command alias |
| asa | Interpret ASA/Fortran carriage control |
| automount | Configure the automount facility |
| cal | Display a calendar for a month or year |
| calendar | Display all current appointments |
| captoinfo | Prints terminal entries in the termcap file |
| chcp | Set or query ASCII/EBCDIC code pages for the terminal |
| configstk | Configure the AF_UENT stack |
| env | Display environments, or set an environment for a process |
| export | Set the export attributes for variables, or show currently exported variables |
| fc | Process a command history list |
| hash | Create a tracked alias |
| history | Process a command history list |
| id | Return the user identity |
| infocmp | Compare and print the terminal description |
| ipcrm | Remove message queue, semaphore set, or shared memory identifiers |
| ipcs | Report status of the interprocess communication facility |
| lm | Start the login monitor for OCS support |
| locale | Get locale-specific information |
| localedef | Define the locale environment |
| logger | Log messages |
| logname | Return a user’s login name |
| newgrp | Change to a new group |
| ocsconfig | Configure, unconfigure, or query an OCS object |
| printenv | Display the value of environment variables |
| r | Process a command history list |
| readonly | Mark a variable as read-only |
| return | Return from a shell function or . (dot) script |
| script | Makes a typescript of a terminal session |
| set | Set or unset command options and positional parameters |
| shift | Shift positional parameters |
| stty | Set or display terminal options |
| su | Change the user ID connected with a session |
| sysvar | Display static system symbols |
| tic | Compile term descriptions into terminfo database entries |
| touch | Change the file access and modification times |
| tput | Change characteristics of terminals |
| tso | Run a TSO command from the shell |
| tsocmd | Run a TSO/E command from the shell (including authorized commands) |
| tty | Return the user’s terminal name |
| uconvdef | Create binary conversion tables |
| unalias | Remove alias definitions |
| uname | Display the name of the current operating system |
| unset | Unset values and attributes of variables and functions |
| who | Display information about current users |
| Daemons | |
| Command | Description |
| cron | Run commands at specified dates and times |
| inetd | Handle login requests |
| rlogind | Validate rlogin requests |
| uupd | Invoke uucico for TCP/IP connections from remote UUCP systems |
| Manage Directories | |
| Command | Description |
| basename | Return the nondirectory components of a path name |
| cd | Change the working directory |
| chgrp | Change the group owner of a file or directory |
| chmod | Change the mode of a group or directory |
| chown | Change the owner or group of a file or directory |
| chroot | Change the root directory for the execution of a command |
| dircmp | Compare directories |
| dirname | Return the directory components of a path name |
| ls | List file and directory names and attributes |
| mkdir | Make a directory |
| mount | Logically mount a file system |
| mv | Rename or move a file or directory |
| pathchk | Check a path name |
| pwd | Return the working directory name |
| rm | Remove a directory entry |
| rmdir | Remove a directory |
| unlink | Removes a directory entry |
| Manage Files | |
| Command | Description |
| amblist | Display formatted information from object and executable files |
| as | Use the HLASM assembler to produce object files |
| cat | Concatenate or display text files |
| chaudit | Change audit flags for a file |
| chlabel | Set the multilevel security label to files and directories |
| cksum | Calculate and display checksums and byte counts |
| cmp | Compare two files |
| col | Remove reverse line feeds |
| comm | Show and select or reject lines common to two files |
| compress | Lempel-Ziv file compression |
| copytree | Make a copy of a file hierarchy while preserving all file attributions |
| cp | Copy a file |
| csplit | Split text files |
| ctags | Create tag files for ex, more, and vi |
| dot or . | Run a shell file in the current environment |
| cut | Cut out selected fields of each line of a file |
| dd | Convert and copy a file |
| df | Display the amount of free space in the file system |
| diff | Compare two text files and show the differences |
| du | Summarize usage of file space |
| ed | Use the ed line-oriented text editor |
| egrep | Search a file for a specified pattern |
| ex | Use the ex text editor |
| exrecover daemon | Retrieve vi and ex files |
| extattr | Set, reset, or display extended attributes for files |
| expand | Expand tabs to spaces |
| fgrep | Search a file for a specified pattern |
| file | Determine file type |
| filecache | Manage file caches |
| find | Find a file meeting specified criteria |
| fold | Break lines into shorter lines |
| head | Display the first part of a file |
| iconv | Convert characters from one code set to another |
| join | Join two sorted, textual relational databases |
| line | Copy one line of standard input |
| link | Create a hard link to a file |
| ln | Create a link to a file |
| mkfifo | Make a FIFO special file |
| mknod | Make a FIFO or character special file |
| mount | Logically mount a file system |
| more | Display files on a page-by-page basis |
| mv | Rename or move a file or directory |
| nl | Number lines in a file |
| nm | Display symbol table of object, library, and executable files |
| obrowse | Browse a file |
| od | Dump a file in a specified format |
| oedit | Edit a file |
| pack | Compress files by Huffman coding |
| paste | Merge corresponding or subsequent lines of a file |
| patch | Change a file using diff output |
| pcat | Display Huffman-packed lines on standard output |
| pg | Display files interactively |
| sed | Start the sed noninteractive stream editor |
| sort | Start the sort-merge utility |
| spell | Detect spelling errors in files |
| split | Split a file into manageable pieces |
| strings | Display printable strings in binary files |
| sum | Calculate and display checksums and block counts |
| tabs | Set tab stops |
| tail | Display the last part of a file |
| tee | Duplicate the output stream |
| tr | Translate characters |
| tsort | Sort files topologically |
| umask | Set or return the file mode creation mask |
| uncompress | Undo Lempel-Zev compression of a file |
| unexpand | Compress spaces into tabs |
| uniq | Report or filter out repeated lines in a file |
| unmount | Remove a file system from the file hierarchy |
| unpack | Decode Huffman packed files |
| uudecode | Decode a transmitted binary file |
| uuencode | Encode a file for safe transmission |
| vi | Use the display-oriented interactive text editor |
| wc | Count newlines, words, and bytes |
| zcat | Uncompress and display data |
| Print Files | |
| Command | Description |
| cancel | Cancel print queue requests (stub command) |
| infocmp | Compare and print the terminal description |
| lp | Send a file to a printer |
| lpstat | Show status of print queues (stub command) |
| pr | Format a file in paginated form and send it to standard output |
| Logic | |
| Command | Description |
| bc | Use the arbitrary-precision arithmetic calculation language |
| break | Exit from a for, while, or until loop in a shell script |
| colon or : | Do nothing, successfully |
| continue | Skip to the next iteration of a loop in a shell script |
| dot or . | Run a shell file in the current environment |
| eval | Construct a command by concatenating arguments |
| exec | Run a command and open, close, or copy the file descriptors |
| exit | Return to the parent process from which the shell was called or to |
| TSO/E | |
| expr | Evaluate arguments as an expression |
| false | Return a nonzero exit code |
| grep | Search a file for a specified pattern |
| left bracket or [ | Test for a condition |
| let | Evaluate an arithmetic expression |
| test | Test for a condition |
| trap | Intercept abnormal conditions and interrupts |
| true | Return a value of 0 |
| Control Processes | |
| Command | Description |
| bg | Move a job to the background |
| bpxtrace | Activate or deactivate traces for processes |
| crontab daemon | Schedule regular background jobs |
| fg | Bring a job into the foreground |
| jobs | Return the status of jobs in the current session |
| kill | End a process or job, or send it a signal |
| nohup | Start a process that is immune to hangups |
| ps | Return the status of a process |
| renice | Change priorities of a running process |
| sleep | Suspend execution of a process for an interval of time |
| stop | Suspend a process or job |
| submit | Submit a batch job for background processing |
| suspend | Send a SIGSTOP to the current shell |
| time | Display processor and elapsed times for a command |
| times | Get process and child process times |
| wait | Wait for a child process to end |
| ulimit | Set process limits |
| Shell Scripts | |
| Command | Description |
| autoload | Indicate function name not defined |
| dspmsg | Display selected messages from message catalogs |
| functions | Display or assign attributes to functions |
| getconf | Get configuration values |
| getopts | Parse utility options |
| integer | Mark each variable with an integer value |
| read | Read a line from standard input |
| type | Tell how the shell interprets a name |
| typeset | Assign attributes and values to variables |
| xargs | Construct an argument list and run a command |
| Develop or Port Application Programs | |
| Command | Description |
| ar | Create or maintain library archives |
| awk | Process programs written in the awk language |
| c89 | Compile, link-edit, and assemble Standard C source code and create an executable file on z/OS |
| c++/cxx | Compile, link-edit, and assemble C++ and Standard C source code and create an executable file on z/OS |
| cc | Compile, link-edit, and assemble Common Usage C source code and create an executable file on z/OS |
| dbx | Use the debugger |
| dbgld | Create a module map for debugging |
| dspcat | Display all or part of a message catalog |
| gencat | Create or edit message catalogs |
| lex | Generate a program for lexical tasks |
| make | Maintain program-generated and interdependent files |
| mkcatdefs | Preprocess a message source file |
| runcat | Pipe output from mkcatdefs to gencat |
| strip | Remove unnecessary information from an executable file |
| yacc | Use the yacc compiler |
| Communicate With Users or Systems | |
| Command | Description |
| Read and send mail messages | |
| mailx | Send or receive electronic mail |
| mesg | Allow or refuse messages |
| talk | Talk to another user |
| write | Write to another user |
| Archives | |
| Command | Description |
| ar | Create or maintain library archives |
| cpio | Copy in/out file archives |
| pax | Interchange portable archives |
| tar | Manipulate the tar archive files to copy or back up a file |
| UUCP | |
| Command | Description |
| uucc | Compile UUCP configuration files |
| uucico daemon | Process UUCP file transfer requests |
| uucp | Copy files between remote UUCP systems |
| uucpd | Invoke uucico for TCP/IP connections from remote UUCP systems |
| uulog | Display log information about UUCP events |
| uuname | Display list of remote UUCP systems |
| uupick | Manage files sent by uuto and uucp |
| uustat | Display status of pending UUCP transfers |
| uuto | Copy files to users on remote UUCP systems |
| uux | Request command execution on remote UUCP systems |
| uuxqt daemon | Carry out command requests from remote UUCP systems |
Hi Katja,
Happy New Year!! 🙂
You can run Unix commands under OMVS (do a TSO OMVS to access USS) or via batch.
Mind you though, that in order to be able to do this, your userid needs to have an OMVS segment.
Hello Rui,
it is Katja again 🙂
I work on Z/OS but I do not know how/where to run the commands identified on your table as “General Use”. Are these commands just able to be run on Z/OS with an integrated Unix plataform/Emulator?