# BusyBox - The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux

This documentation is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA

For more details see the file COPYING in the source distribution of Linux.

## Introduction

BusyBox combines tiny versions of many common UNIX utilities into a single small executable. It provides minimalist replacements for most of the utilities you usually find in fileutils, shellutils, findutils, textutils, grep, gzip, tar, etc. BusyBox provides a fairly complete POSIX environment for any small or embedded system. The utilities in BusyBox generally have fewer options than their full-featured GNU cousins; however, the options that are included provide the expected functionality and behave very much like their GNU counterparts.

BusyBox has been written with size-optimization and limited resources in mind. It is also extremely modular so you can easily include or exclude commands (or features) at compile time. This makes it easy to customize your embedded systems. To create a working system, just add a kernel, a shell (such as ash), and an editor (such as elvis-tiny or ae).

## How to use BusyBox

### Syntax

    	     BusyBox <function> [arguments...]  # or

    	     <function> [arguments...]          # if symlinked

### Invoking BusyBox

When you create a link to BusyBox for the function you wish to use, when BusyBox is called using that link it will behave as if the command itself has been invoked.

For example, entering

    		    ln -s ./BusyBox ls
    		    ./ls

will cause BusyBox to behave as 'ls' (if the 'ls' command has been compiled into BusyBox).

You can also invoke BusyBox by issuing the command as an argument on the command line. For example, entering

    		    ./BusyBox ls

will also cause BusyBox to behave as 'ls'.

### Common options

Most BusyBox commands support the --help option to provide a terse runtime description of their behavior.

## BusyBox Commands

### Available BusyBox Commands

Currently defined functions include:

addgroup, adduser, adjtimex, ar, arping, ash, awk, basename, bunzip2, busybox, bzcat, cal, cat, chgrp, chmod, chown, chroot, chvt, clear, cmp, cp, cpio, crond, crontab, cut, date, dc, dd, deallocvt, delgroup, deluser, df, dirname, dmesg, dos2unix, dpkg, dpkg-deb, du, dumpkmap, dumpleases, dutmp, echo, egrep, env, expr, false, fbset, fdflush, fdformat, fgrep, find, fold, free, freeramdisk, fsck.minix, ftpget, ftpput, getopt, getty, grep, gunzip, gzip, halt, hdparm, head, hexdump, hostid, hostname, httpd, hush, hwclock, id, ifconfig, ifdown, ifup, inetd, init, insmod, ip, ipcalc, iplink, iproute, iptunnel, kill, killall, klogd, lash, length, linuxrc, ln, loadacm, loadfont, loadkmap, logger, login, logname, logread, losetup, ls, lsmod, makedevs, md5sum, mesg, minit, mkdir, mkfifo, mkfs.minix, mknod, mkswap, mktemp, modprobe, more, mount, msh, msvc, mt, mv, nameif, nc, netstat, nslookup, od, openvt, passwd, patch, pidfilehack, pidof, ping, ping6, pivot_root, poweroff, printf, ps, pwd, rdate, readlink, realpath, reboot, renice, reset, rm, rmdir, rmmod, route, rpm, rpm2cpio, run-parts, sed, setkeycodes, sha1sum, sleep, sort, start-stop-daemon, strings, stty, su, sulogin, swapoff, swapon, sync, syslogd, tail, tar, tee, telnet, telnetd, test, tftp, time, top, touch, tr, traceroute, true, tty, udhcpc, udhcpd, umount, uname, uncompress, uniq, unix2dos, unzip, uptime, usleep, uudecode, uuencode, vconfig, vi, vlock, watch, watchdog, wc, wget, which, who, whoami, xargs, yes, zcat, [

### ar

Usage: ar [OPTION] archive [FILENAME]...

Extract or list files from an ar archive.

Options:

    			o	Preserve original dates
    			p	Extract to stdout
    			t	List
    			x	Extract
    			v	Verbosely list files processed

### basename

Usage: basename FILE [SUFFIX]

Strip directory path and suffixes from FILE. If specified, also removes any trailing SUFFIX.

Example:

    			$ basename /usr/local/bin/foo
    			foo
    			$ basename /usr/local/bin/
    			bin
    			$ basename /foo/bar.txt .txt
    			bar

### cat

Usage: cat [FILE]...

Concatenate `FILE(s)` and prints them to the standard output.

Example:

    			$ cat /proc/uptime
    			110716.72 17.67

### chgrp

Usage: chgrp [OPTION]... GROUP FILE...

Change the group membership of each FILE to GROUP.

Options:

    			-R      Change files and directories recursively

Example:

    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
    			$ chgrp root /tmp/foo
    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 andersen root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo

### chmod

Usage: chmod [-R] MODE[,MODE]... FILE...

Change file access permissions for the specified `FILE(s)` (or directories). Each MODE is defined by combining the letters for WHO has access to the file, an OPERATOR for selecting how the permissions should be changed, and a PERMISSION for `FILE(s)` (or directories).

WHO may be chosen from

    			u       User who owns the file
    			g       Users in the file's Group
    			o       Other users not in the file's group
    			a       All users

OPERATOR may be chosen from

    			+       Add a permission
    			-       Remove a permission
    			=       Assign a permission

PERMISSION may be chosen from

    			r       Read
    			w       Write
    			x       Execute (or access for directories)
    			s       Set user (or group) ID bit
    			t       Sticky bit (for directories prevents removing files by non-owners)

Alternately, permissions can be set numerically where the first three numbers are calculated by adding the octal values, such as

    			4       Read
    			2       Write
    			1       Execute

An optional fourth digit can also be used to specify

    			4       Set user ID
    			2       Set group ID
    			1       Sticky bit

Options:

    			-R      Change files and directories recursively.

Example:

    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
    			$ chmod u+x /tmp/foo
    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-rwxrw-r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo*
    			$ chmod 444 /tmp/foo
    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo

### chown

Usage: chown [OPTION]... OWNER[<.|:>[GROUP] FILE...

Change the owner and/or group of each FILE to OWNER and/or GROUP.

Options:

    			-R      Change files and directories recursively

Example:

    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
    			$ chown root /tmp/foo
    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 root     andersen        0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo
    			$ chown root.root /tmp/foo
    			ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-r--r--r--    1 root     root            0 Apr 12 18:25 /tmp/foo

### chroot

Usage: chroot NEWROOT [COMMAND...]

Run COMMAND with root directory set to NEWROOT.

Example:

    			$ ls -l /bin/ls
    			lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root          12 Apr 13 00:46 /bin/ls -> /BusyBox
    			$ mount /dev/hdc1 /mnt -t minix
    			$ chroot /mnt
    			$ ls -l /bin/ls
    			-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root        40816 Feb  5 07:45 /bin/ls*

### chvt

Usage: chvt N

Change the foreground virtual terminal to /dev/ttyN

### clear

Usage: clear

Clear the screen.

### cp

Usage: cp [OPTION]... SOURCE DEST

    		   or: cp [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY

Copy SOURCE to DEST, or multiple `SOURCE(s)` to DIRECTORY.

Options:

    			-a      Same as -dpR
    			-d      Preserve links
    			-p      Preserve file attributes if possible
    			-R      Copy directories recursively

### cut

Usage: cut [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Print selected fields from each input FILE to standard output.

Options:

    				-b LIST Output only bytes from LIST
    				-c LIST Output only characters from LIST
    				-d CHAR Use CHAR instead of tab as the field delimiter
    				-s      Output only the lines containing delimiter
    				-f N    Print only these fields
    				-n      Ignored

Example:

    			$ echo "Hello world" | cut -f 1 -d ' '
    			Hello
    			$ echo "Hello world" | cut -f 2 -d ' '
    			world

### date

Usage: date [OPTION]... [+FORMAT]

    		  or:  date [OPTION] [MMDDhhmm[[CC]YY][.ss]]

Display the current time in the given FORMAT, or set the system date.

Options:

    			-R      Output RFC-822 compliant date string
    			-s      Set time described by STRING
    			-u      Print or set Coordinated Universal Time

Example:

    			$ date
    			Wed Apr 12 18:52:41 MDT 2000

### dc

Usage: dc [EXPRESSION]

This is a Tiny RPN calculator that understands the following operations: +, -, /, *, and, or, not, eor. If no arguments are given, dc will process input from stdin.

The behaviour of BusyBox/dc deviates (just a little ;-) from GNU/dc, but this will be remedied in the future.

Example:

    			$ dc 2 2 +
    			4
    			$ dc 8 8 \* 2 2 + /
    			16
    			$ dc 0 1 and
    			0
    			$ dc 0 1 or
    			1
    			$ echo 72 9 div 8 mul | dc
    			64

### dd

Usage: dd [OPTION]...

Copy a file, converting and formatting according to options.

Options:

    			if=FILE Read from FILE instead of stdin
    			of=FILE Write to FILE instead of stdout
    			bs=N    Read and write N bytes at a time
    			count=N Copy only N input blocks
    			skip=N  Skip N input blocks
    			seek=N  Skip N output blocks

Numbers may be suffixed by w (x2), k (x1024), b (x512), or M (x1024^2).

Example:

    			$ dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/ram1 bs=1M count=4
    			4+0 records in
    			4+0 records out

### deallocvt

Usage: deallocvt N

Deallocate unused virtual terminal /dev/ttyN.

### df

Usage: df [FILE]...

Print the filesystem space used and space available.

Example:

    			$ df
    			Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
    			/dev/sda3              8690864   8553540    137324  98% /
    			/dev/sda1                64216     36364     27852  57% /boot
    			$ df /dev/sda3
    			Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
    			/dev/sda3              8690864   8553540    137324  98% /

### dirname

Usage: dirname NAME

Strip non-directory suffix from NAME.

Example:

    			$ dirname /tmp/foo
    			/tmp
    			$ dirname /tmp/foo/
    			/tmp

### dmesg

Usage: dmesg [OPTION]...

Print or control the kernel ring buffer.

Options:

    			-c		Clear the ring buffer after printing
    			-n LEVEL	Set the console logging level to LEVEL
    			-s BUFSIZE	Query ring buffer using a buffer of BUFSIZE

### dos2unix

Usage: dos2unix < dosfile > unixfile

Converts a text file from dos format to unix format.

### dpkg-deb

Usage: dpkg-deb [OPTION] archive [directory]

Debian package archive (.deb) manipulation tool

Options:

    			-c	List the contents of the filesystem tree archive portion of the package
    			-e	Extracts the control information files from a package archive into the specified directory.
    				If  no  directory  is specified then a subdirectory DEBIAN in the current directory is used.
    			-x	Silently extracts the filesystem tree from a package archive into the specified directory.
    			-X	Extracts the filesystem tree from a package archive into the specified directory, listing the files as it goes.
    			If required the specified directory (but not its parents) will be created.

Example:

    			dpkg-deb -e ./busybox_0.48-1_i386.deb
    			dpkg-deb -x ./busybox_0.48-1_i386.deb ./unpack_dir

### du

Usage: du [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Summarize the disk space used for each FILE or current directory. Disk space printed in units of 1k (i.e., 1024 bytes).

Options:

    			-l	Count sizes many times if hard linked
    			-s	Display only a total for each argument

Example:

    			$ du
    			16	./CVS
    			12	./kernel-patches/CVS
    			80	./kernel-patches
    			12	./tests/CVS
    			36	./tests
    			12	./scripts/CVS
    			16	./scripts
    			12	./docs/CVS
    			104	./docs
    			2417	.

### dumpkmap

Usage: dumpkmap

Prints out a binary keyboard translation table to standard output.

Example:

    			$ dumpkmap < keymap

### dutmp

Usage: dutmp [FILE]

Dump utmp file format (pipe delimited) from FILE or stdin to stdout.

Example:

    			$ dutmp /var/run/utmp
    			8|7||si|||0|0|0|955637625|760097|0
    			2|0|~|~~|reboot||0|0|0|955637625|782235|0
    			1|20020|~|~~|runlevel||0|0|0|955637625|800089|0
    			8|125||l4|||0|0|0|955637629|998367|0
    			6|245|tty1|1|LOGIN||0|0|0|955637630|998974|0
    			6|246|tty2|2|LOGIN||0|0|0|955637630|999498|0
    			7|336|pts/0|vt00andersen|andersen|:0.0|0|0|0|955637763|0|0

### echo

Usage: echo [OPTION]... [ARG]...

Print ARGs to stdout.

Options:

    			-n	Suppress trailing newline
    			-e	Enable interpretation of escaped characters
    			-E	Disable interpretation of escaped characters

Example:

    			$ echo "Erik is cool"
    			Erik is cool
    			$ echo -e "Erik\nis\ncool"
    			Erik
    			is
    			cool
    			$ echo "Erik\nis\ncool"
    			Erik\nis\ncool

### expr

Usage: expr EXPRESSION

Prints the value of EXPRESSION to standard output.

EXPRESSION may be:

    			ARG1 |  ARG2    ARG1 if it is neither null nor 0, otherwise ARG2
    			ARG1 &  ARG2    ARG1 if neither argument is null or 0, otherwise 0
    			ARG1 &lt  ARG2    ARG1 is less than ARG2
    			ARG1 &lt= ARG2    ARG1 is less than or equal to ARG2
    			ARG1 =  ARG2    ARG1 is equal to ARG2
    			ARG1 != ARG2    ARG1 is unequal to ARG2
    			ARG1 &gt= ARG2    ARG1 is greater than or equal to ARG2
    			ARG1 &gt  ARG2    ARG1 is greater than ARG2
    			ARG1 +  ARG2    arithmetic sum of ARG1 and ARG2
    			ARG1 -  ARG2    arithmetic difference of ARG1 and ARG2
    			ARG1 *  ARG2    arithmetic product of ARG1 and ARG2
    			ARG1 /  ARG2    arithmetic quotient of ARG1 divided by ARG2
    			ARG1 %  ARG2    arithmetic remainder of ARG1 divided by ARG2
    			STRING : REGEXP             anchored pattern match of REGEXP in STRING
    			match STRING REGEXP         same as STRING : REGEXP
    			substr STRING POS LENGTH    substring of STRING, POS counted from 1
    			index STRING CHARS          index in STRING where any CHARS is found, or 0
    			length STRING               length of STRING
    			quote TOKEN                 interpret TOKEN as a string, even if it is a
    							keyword like `match' or an operator like `/'
    			( EXPRESSION )              value of EXPRESSION

Beware that many operators need to be escaped or quoted for shells. Comparisons are arithmetic if both ARGs are numbers, else lexicographical. Pattern matches return the string matched between \( and \) or null; if \( and \) are not used, they return the number of characters matched or 0.

### false

Usage: false

Return an exit code of FALSE (1).

Example:

    			$ false
    			$ echo $?
    			1

### fbset

Usage: fbset [OPTION]... [MODE]

Show and modify frame buffer device settings.

Options:

    			-h						Display option summary
    			-fb DEVICE					Operate on DEVICE
    			-db FILE					Use FILE for mode database
    			-g XRES YRES VXRES VYRES DEPTH			Set all geometry parameters
    			-t PIXCLOCK LEFT RIGHT UPPER LOWER HSLEN VSLEN	Set all timing parameters
    			-xres RES					Set visible horizontal resolution
    			-yres RES					Set visible vertical resolution

Example:

    			$ fbset
    			mode "1024x768-76"
    					# D: 78.653 MHz, H: 59.949 kHz, V: 75.694 Hz
    					geometry 1024 768 1024 768 16
    					timings 12714 128 32 16 4 128 4
    					accel false
    					rgba 5/11,6/5,5/0,0/0
    			endmode

### fdflush

Usage: fdflush DEVICE

Force floppy disk drive to detect disk change on DEVICE.

### find

Usage: find [PATH]... [EXPRESSION]

Search for files in a directory hierarchy. The default PATH is the current directory; default EXPRESSION is '-print'.

EXPRESSION may consist of:

    			-follow		Dereference symbolic links
    			-name PATTERN	File name (leading directories removed) matches PATTERN
    			-type X		Filetype matches X (where X is one of: f,d,l,b,c,...)
    			-perm PERMS	Permissions match any of (+NNN); all of (-NNN); or exactly (NNN)
    			-mtime TIME	Modified time is greater than (+N); less than (-N); or exactly (N) days

Example:

    			$ find / -name /etc/passwd
    			/etc/passwd

### free

Usage: free

Displays the amount of free and used system memory.

Example:

    			$ free
    			total         used         free       shared      buffers
    			  Mem:       257628       248724         8904        59644        93124
    			 Swap:       128516         8404       120112
    			Total:       386144       257128       129016

### freeramdisk

Usage: freeramdisk DEVICE

Free all memory used by the ramdisk DEVICE.

Example:

    			$ freeramdisk /dev/ram2

### fsck.minix

Usage: fsck.minix [OPTION]... DEVICE

Perform a consistency check on the MINIX filesystem on DEVICE.

Options:

    			-l	List all filenames
    			-r	Perform interactive repairs
    			-a	Perform automatic repairs
    			-v	Verbose
    			-s	Output super-block information
    			-m	Activate MINIX-like "mode not cleared" warnings
    			-f	Force file system check.

### getopt

Usage: getopt [OPTIONS]...

Parse command options

    		   -a, --alternative            Allow long options starting with single -\n"
    		   -l, --longoptions=longopts   Long options to be recognized\n"
    		   -n, --name=progname          The name under which errors are reported\n"
    		   -o, --options=optstring      Short options to be recognized\n"
    		   -q, --quiet                  Disable error reporting by getopt(3)\n"
    		   -Q, --quiet-output           No normal output\n"
    		   -s, --shell=shell            Set shell quoting conventions\n"
    		   -T, --test                   Test for getopt(1) version\n"
    		   -u, --unqote                 Do not quote the output\n"

Example:

    			$ cat getopt.test
    			#!/bin/sh
    			GETOPT=`getopt -o ab:c:: --long a-long,b-long:,c-long:: \
    				-n 'example.busybox' -- "$@"`
    			if [ $? != 0 ] ; then  exit 1 ; fi
    			eval set -- "$GETOPT"
    			while true ; do
    			  case $1 in
    			    -a|--a-long) echo "Option a" ; shift ;;
    			    -b|--b-long) echo "Option b, argument \`$2'" ; shift 2 ;;
    			    -c|--c-long)
    			      case "$2" in
    				"") echo "Option c, no argument"; shift 2 ;;
    				*)  echo "Option c, argument \`$2'" ; shift 2 ;;
    			      esac ;;
    			    --) shift ; break ;;
    			    *) echo "Internal error!" ; exit 1 ;;
    			  esac
    			done

### grep

Usage: grep [OPTIONS]... PATTERN [FILE]...

Search for PATTERN in each FILE or stdin.

Options:

    			-h	Suppress the prefixing filename on output
    			-i	Ignore case distinctions
    			-n	Print line number with output lines
    			-q	Be quiet. Returns 0 if result was found, 1 otherwise
    			-v	Select non-matching lines

This version of grep matches full regular expressions.

Example:

    			$ grep root /etc/passwd
    			root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
    			$ grep ^[rR]oo. /etc/passwd
    			root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

### gunzip

Usage: gunzip [OPTION]... FILE

Uncompress FILE (or stdin if FILE is '-').

Options:

    			-c	Write output to standard output
    			-t	Test compressed file integrity

Example:

    			$ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen   557009 Apr 11 10:55 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar.gz
    			$ gunzip /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar.gz
    			$ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen  1761280 Apr 14 17:47 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar

### gzip

Usage: gzip [OPTION]... FILE

Compress FILE (or stdin if FILE is '-') with maximum compression to FILE.gz (or stdout if FILE is '-').

Options:

    			-c	Write output to standard output
    			-d      decompress

Example:

    			$ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen  1761280 Apr 14 17:47 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar
    			$ gzip /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar
    			$ ls -la /tmp/BusyBox*
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen   554058 Apr 14 17:49 /tmp/BusyBox-0.43.tar.gz

### halt

Usage: halt

Halt the system.

### head

Usage: head [OPTION] FILE...

Print first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

Options:

    			-n NUM	Print first NUM lines instead of first 10

Example:

    			$ head -n 2 /etc/passwd
    			root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
    			daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/bin/sh

### hostid

Usage: hostid

Prints out a unique 32-bit identifier for the current machine. The 32-bit identifier is intended to be unique among all UNIX systems in existence.

### hostname

Usage: hostname [OPTION]... [HOSTNAME|-F FILE]

Get or set the hostname or DNS domain name. If a hostname is given (or a file with the -F parameter), the host name will be set.

Options:

    			-s		Short
    			-i		Addresses for the hostname
    			-d		DNS domain name
    			-F, --file FILE Use the contents of FILE to specify the hostname

Example:

    			$ hostname
    			slag

### id

Usage: id [OPTION]... [USERNAME]

Print information for USERNAME or the current user.

Options:

    			-g	Print only the group ID
    			-u	Print only the user ID
    			-n      print a name instead of a number (with for -ug)
    			-r	Print the real user ID instead of the effective ID (with -ug)

Example:

    			$ id
    			uid=1000(andersen) gid=1000(andersen)

### init

Usage: init

Init is the parent of all processes.

This version of init is designed to be run only by the kernel.

BusyBox init doesn't support multiple runlevels. The runlevels field of the /etc/inittab file is completely ignored by BusyBox init. If you want runlevels, use sysvinit.

BusyBox init works just fine without an inittab. If no inittab is found, it has the following default behavior:

    			::sysinit:/etc/init.d/rcS
    			::askfirst:/bin/sh

If it detects that /dev/console is _not_ a serial console, it will also run:

    			tty2::askfirst:/bin/sh

If you choose to use an /etc/inittab file, the inittab entry format is as follows:

    			<id>:<runlevels>:<action>:<process>

#### id

WARNING: This field has a non-traditional meaning for BusyBox init! The id field is used by BusyBox init to specify the controlling tty for the specified process to run on. The contents of this field are appended to "/dev/" and used as-is. There is no need for this field to be unique, although if it isn't you may have strange results. If this field is left blank, the controlling tty is set to the console. Also note that if BusyBox detects that a serial console is in use, then only entries whose controlling tty is either the serial console or /dev/null will be run. BusyBox init does nothing with utmp. We don't need no stinkin' utmp.

#### runlevels

The runlevels field is completely ignored.

#### action

Valid actions include: sysinit, respawn, askfirst, wait, once, and ctrlaltdel.

The available actions can be classified into two groups: actions that are run only once, and actions that are re-run when the specified process exits.

Run only-once actions:

'sysinit' is the first item run on boot. init waits until all sysinit actions are completed before continuing. Following the completion of all sysinit actions, all 'wait' actions are run. 'wait' actions, like 'sysinit' actions, cause init to wait until the specified task completes. 'once' actions are asyncronous, therefore, init does not wait for them to complete. 'ctrlaltdel' actions are run immediately before init causes the system to reboot (unmounting filesystems with a 'ctrlaltdel' action is a very good idea).

Run repeatedly actions:

'respawn' actions are run after the 'once' actions. When a process started with a 'respawn' action exits, init automatically restarts it. Unlike sysvinit, BusyBox init does not stop processes from respawning out of control. The 'askfirst' actions acts just like respawn, except that before running the specified process it displays the line "Please press Enter to activate this console." and then waits for the user to press enter before starting the specified process.

Unrecognized actions (like initdefault) will cause init to emit an error message, and then go along with its business. All actions are run in the reverse order from how they appear in /etc/inittab.

#### process

Specifies the process to be executed and its command line.

#### Example /etc/inittab file

    			    # This is run first except when booting in single-user mode.
    			    #
    			    ::sysinit:/etc/init.d/rcS

    			    # /bin/sh invocations on selected ttys
    			    #
    			    # Start an "askfirst" shell on the console (whatever that may be)
    			    ::askfirst:-/bin/sh
    			    # Start an "askfirst" shell on /dev/tty2-4
    			    tty2::askfirst:-/bin/sh
    			    tty2::askfirst:-/bin/sh
    			    tty2::askfirst:-/bin/sh

    			    # /sbin/getty invocations for selected ttys
    			    #
    			    tty4::respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty5
    			    tty5::respawn:/sbin/getty 38400 tty6

    			    # Example of how to put a getty on a serial line (for a terminal)
    			    #
    			    #::respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS0 9600 vt100
    			    #::respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS1 9600 vt100
    			    #
    			    # Example how to put a getty on a modem line.
    			    #::respawn:/sbin/getty 57600 ttyS2

    			    # Stuff to do before rebooting
    			    ::ctrlaltdel:/bin/umount -a -r
    			    ::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/swapoff

### insmod

Usage: insmod [OPTION]... MODULE [symbol=value]...

Load MODULE into the kernel.

Options:

    			-f	Force module to load into the wrong kernel version.
    			-k	Make module autoclean-able.
    			-v	Verbose output
    			-x	Do not export externs
    			-L	Prevent simultaneous loads of the same module

### kill

Usage: kill [OPTION] PID...

Send a signal (default is SIGTERM) to the specified PID(s).

Options:

    			-l	List all signal names and numbers
    			-SIG	Send signal SIG

Example:

    			$ ps | grep apache
    			252 root     root     S [apache]
    			263 www-data www-data S [apache]
    			264 www-data www-data S [apache]
    			265 www-data www-data S [apache]
    			266 www-data www-data S [apache]
    			267 www-data www-data S [apache]
    			$ kill 252

### killall

Usage: killall [OPTION] NAME...

Send a signal (default is SIGTERM) to the specified NAME(s).

Options:

    			-l	List all signal names and numbers
    			-SIG	Send signal SIG

Example:

    			$ killall apache

### length

Usage: length STRING

Print the length of STRING.

Example:

    			$ length "Hello"
    			5

### ln

Usage: ln [OPTION]... TARGET FILE|DIRECTORY

Create a link named FILE or DIRECTORY to the specified TARGET. You may use '--' to indicate that all following arguments are non-options.

Options:

    			-s	Make symbolic link instead of hard link
    			-f	Remove existing destination file

Example:

    			$ ln -s BusyBox /tmp/ls
    			$ ls -l /tmp/ls
    			lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            7 Apr 12 18:39 ls -> BusyBox*

### loadacm

Usage: loadacm

Load an acm from stdin.

Example:

    			$ loadacm < /etc/i18n/acmname

### loadfont

Usage: loadfont

Load a console font from stdin.

Example:

    			$ loadfont < /etc/i18n/fontname

### loadkmap

Usage: loadkmap

Load a binary keyboard translation table from stdin.

Example:

    			$ loadkmap < /etc/i18n/lang-keymap

### logger

Usage: logger [OPTION]... [MESSAGE]

Write MESSAGE to the system log. If MESSAGE is omitted, log stdin.

Options:

    			-s	Log to stderr as well as the system log
    			-t	Log using the specified tag (defaults to user name)
    			-p	Enter the message with the specified priority
    				This may be numerical or a ``facility.level'' pair

Example:

    			$ logger "hello"

### logname

Usage: logname

Print the name of the current user.

Example:

    			$ logname
    			root

### ls

Usage: ls [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Options:

    			-a	Do not hide entries starting with .
    			-c	With  -l:  show ctime (the time of last
    				modification of file status information)
    			-d	List directory entries instead of contents
    			-e	List both full date and full time
    			-l	Use a long listing format
    			-n	List numeric UIDs and GIDs instead of names
    			-p	Append indicator (one of /=@|) to entries
    			-u	With -l: show access time (the time of last
    				access of the file)
    			-x	List entries by lines instead of by columns
    			-A	Do not list implied . and ..
    			-C	List entries by columns
    			-F	Append indicator (one of */=@|) to entries
    			-L	list entries pointed to by symbolic links
    			-R	List subdirectories recursively

Example:

### lsmod

Usage: lsmod

List currently loaded kernel modules.

### makedevs

Usage: makedevsf NAME TYPE MAJOR MINOR FIRST LAST [s]

Create a range of block or character special files.

TYPE may be:

    			b	Make a block (buffered) device
    			c or u	Make a character (un-buffered) device
    			p	Make a named pipe. MAJOR and MINOR are ignored for named pipes

FIRST specifies the number appended to NAME to create the first device. LAST specifies the number of the last item that should be created. If 's' is the last argument, the base device is created as well.

Example:

    			$ makedevs /dev/ttyS c 4 66 2 63
    			[creates ttyS2-ttyS63]
    			$ makedevs /dev/hda b 3 0 0 8 s
    			[creates hda,hda1-hda8]

### md5sum

Usage: md5sum [OPTION]... FILE...

Print or check MD5 checksums.

Options:

    			-b	Read files in binary mode
    			-c	Check MD5 sums against given list
    			-t	Read files in text mode (default)
    			-g	Read a string

The following two options are useful only when verifying checksums:

    			-s	Don't output anything, status code shows success
    			-w	Warn about improperly formated MD5 checksum lines

Example:

    			$ md5sum busybox
    			6fd11e98b98a58f64ff3398d7b324003  busybox
    			$ md5sum -c
    			6fd11e98b98a58f64ff3398d7b324003  busybox
    			6fd11e98b98a58f64ff3398d7b324002  busybox
    			md5sum: MD5 check failed for 'busybox'
    			^D

### mkdir

Usage: mkdir [OPTION]... DIRECTORY...

Create the DIRECTORY(s), if they do not already exist.

Options:

    			-m	Set permission mode (as in chmod), not rwxrwxrwx - umask
    			-p	No error if directory exists, make parent directories as needed

Example:

    			$ mkdir /tmp/foo
    			$ mkdir /tmp/foo
    			/tmp/foo: File exists
    			$ mkdir /tmp/foo/bar/baz
    			/tmp/foo/bar/baz: No such file or directory
    			$ mkdir -p /tmp/foo/bar/baz

### mkfifo

Usage: mkfifo [OPTION] NAME

Create a named pipe (identical to 'mknod NAME p').

Options:

    			-m MODE	Create the pipe using the specified mode (default a=rw)

### mkfs.minix

Usage: mkfs.minix [OPTION]... NAME [BLOCKS]

Make a MINIX filesystem.

Options:

    			-c		Check the device for bad blocks
    			-n [14|30]	Specify the maximum length of filenames
    			-i		Specify the number of inodes for the filesystem
    			-l FILENAME	Read the bad blocks list from FILENAME
    			-v		Make a Minix version 2 filesystem

### mknod

Usage: mknod [OPTION]... NAME TYPE MAJOR MINOR

Create a special file (block, character, or pipe).

Options:

    			-m	Create the special file using the specified mode (default a=rw)

TYPE may be:

    			b	Make a block (buffered) device
    			c or u	Make a character (un-buffered) device
    			p	Make a named pipe. MAJOR and MINOR are ignored for named pipes

Example:

    			$ mknod /dev/fd0 b 2 0
    			$ mknod -m 644 /tmp/pipe p

### mkswap

Usage: mkswap [OPTION]... DEVICE [BLOCKS]

Prepare a disk partition to be used as a swap partition.

Options:

    			-c	Check for read-ability.
    			-v0	Make version 0 swap [max 128 Megs].
    			-v1	Make version 1 swap [big!] (default for kernels > 2.1.117).
    			BLOCKS	Number of block to use (default is entire partition).

### mktemp

Usage: mktemp TEMPLATE

Creates a temporary file with its name based on TEMPLATE. TEMPLATE is any name with six `Xs' (i.e., /tmp/temp.XXXXXX).

Example:

    			$ mktemp /tmp/temp.XXXXXX
    			/tmp/temp.mWiLjM
    			$ ls -la /tmp/temp.mWiLjM
    			-rw-------    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 25 17:10 /tmp/temp.mWiLjM

### more

Usage: more [FILE]...

Page through text one screenful at a time.

Example:

    			$ dmesg | more

### mount

Usage: mount [OPTION]...

    		   or: mount [OPTION]... DEVICE DIRECTORY

Mount filesystems.

Options:

    			-a	Mount all filesystems in /etc/fstab
    			-o	One of the many filesystem options listed below
    			-r	Mount the filesystem read-only
    			-t TYPE	Specify the filesystem type
    			-w	Mount the filesystem read-write

Options for use with the -o flag:

    			async/sync	Writes are asynchronous / synchronous
    			atime/noatime	Enable / disable updates to inode access times
    			dev/nodev	Allow / disallow use of special device files
    			exec/noexec	Allow / disallow use of executable files
    			loop		Mount a file via loop device
    			suid/nosuid	Allow / disallow set-user-id-root programs
    			remount		Remount a currently mounted filesystem
    			ro/rw		Mount filesystem read-only / read-write

There are even more flags that are filesystem specific. You'll have to see the written documentation for those.

Example:

    			$ mount
    			/dev/hda3 on / type minix (rw)
    			proc on /proc type proc (rw)
    			devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw)
    			$ mount /dev/fd0 /mnt -t msdos -o ro
    			$ mount /tmp/diskimage /opt -t ext2 -o loop

### mt

Usage: mt [OPTION] OPCODE VALUE

Control magnetic tape drive operation.

Options:

    			-f DEVICE	Control DEVICE

### mv

Usage: mv SOURCE DEST

    		   or: mv SOURCE... DIRECTORY

Rename SOURCE to DEST, or move SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.

Example:

    			$ mv /tmp/foo /bin/bar

### nc

Usage: nc HOST PORT

or: nc -p PORT -l

Open a pipe to HOST:PORT or listen for a connection on PORT.

Example:

    			$ nc foobar.somedomain.com 25
    			220 foobar ESMTP Exim 3.12 #1 Sat, 15 Apr 2000 00:03:02 -0600
    			help
    			214-Commands supported:
    			214-    HELO EHLO MAIL RCPT DATA AUTH
    			214     NOOP QUIT RSET HELP
    			quit
    			221 foobar closing connection

### nslookup

Usage: nslookup [HOST]

Query the nameserver for the IP address of the given HOST.

Example:

    			$ nslookup localhost
    			Server:     default
    			Address:    default

    			Name:       debian
    			Address:    127.0.0.1

### ping

Usage: ping [OPTION]... HOST

Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to HOST.

Options:

    			-c COUNT	Send only COUNT pings
    			-s SIZE		Send SIZE data bytes in packets (default=56)
    			-q		Quiet mode, only displays output at start and when finished

Example:

    			$ ping localhost
    			PING slag (127.0.0.1): 56 data bytes
    			64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=20.1 ms

    			--- debian ping statistics ---
    			1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0% packet loss
    			round-trip min/avg/max = 20.1/20.1/20.1 ms

### poweroff

Usage: poweroff

Shut down the system, and request that the kernel turn off power upon halting.

### printf

Usage: printf FORMAT [ARGUMENT]...

Format and print the given data in a manner similar to the C printf command.

Example:

    			$ printf "Val=%d\n" 5
    			Val=5

### ps

Usage: ps

Report process status. This version of ps accepts no options.

Options:

Example:

    			$ ps
    			  PID  Uid      Gid State Command
    			    1 root     root     S init
    			    2 root     root     S [kflushd]
    			    3 root     root     S [kupdate]
    			    4 root     root     S [kpiod]
    			    5 root     root     S [kswapd]
    			  742 andersen andersen S [bash]
    			  743 andersen andersen S -bash
    			  745 root     root     S [getty]
    			 2990 andersen andersen R ps

### pwd

Usage: pwd

Print the full filename of the current working directory.

Example:

    			$ pwd
    			/root

### rdate

Usage: rdate [OPTION] HOST

Get and possibly set the system date and time from a remote HOST.

Options:

    			-s      Set the system date and time (default).
    			-p      Print the date and time.

### reboot

Usage: reboot

Reboot the system.

### renice

Usage: renice priority pid [pid ...]

Changes priority of running processes. Allowed priorities range from 20 (the process runs only when nothing else is running) to 0 (default priority) to -20 (almost nothing else ever gets to run).

### reset

Usage: reset

Resets the screen.

### rm

Usage: rm [OPTION]... FILE...

Remove (unlink) the FILE(s). You may use '--' to indicate that all following arguments are non-options.

Options:

    			-i		Always prompt before removing each destinations
    			-f		Remove existing destinations, never prompt
    			-r or -R	Remove the contents of directories recursively

Example:

    			$ rm -rf /tmp/foo

### rmdir

Usage: rmdir DIRECTORY...

Remove DIRECTORY(s) if they are empty.

Example:

    			$ rmdir /tmp/foo

### rmmod

Usage: rmmod [OPTION]... [MODULE]...

Unload MODULE(s) from the kernel.

Options:

    			-a	Remove all unused modules (recursively)

Example:

    			$ rmmod tulip

### run-parts

Usage: run-parts [-t] [-a ARG] [-u MASK] DIRECTORY

Run a bunch of scripts in a directory.

Options:

    			-t       Test only. It only print the file to be executed,
    			without execute them.
    			-a ARG   Pass ARG as an a argument to the programs executed.
    			-u MASK  Set the umask to MASK before executing the programs.

### sed

Usage: sed [OPTION]... SCRIPT [FILE]...

Allowed sed scripts come in the following form:

    		ADDR [!] COMMAND

ADDR can be:

    			NUMBER    Match specified line number
    			$         Match last line
    			/REGEXP/  Match specified regexp

! inverts the meaning of the match

COMMAND can be:

    			s/regexp/replacement/[igp]
    				which attempt to match regexp against the pattern space
    				and if successful replaces the matched portion with replacement.
    			aTEXT
    				which appends TEXT after the pattern space

This version of sed matches full regular expressions.

Options:

    			-e	Add the script to the commands to be executed
    			-n	Suppress automatic printing of pattern space

Example:

    			$ echo "foo" | sed -e 's/f[a-zA-Z]o/bar/g'
    			bar

### setkeycodes

Usage: setkeycodes SCANCODE KEYCODE ...

Set entries into the kernel's scancode-to-keycode map, allowing unusual keyboards to generate usable keycodes.

SCANCODE may be either xx or e0xx (hexadecimal), and KEYCODE is given in decimal.

Example:

    			$ setkeycodes e030 127

### sh

Usage: sh

lash -- the BusyBox LAme SHell (command interpreter)

This command does not yet have proper documentation.

Use lash just as you would use any other shell. It properly handles pipes, redirects, job control, can be used as the shell for scripts (#!/bin/sh), and has a sufficient set of builtins to do what is needed. It does not (yet) support Bourne Shell syntax. If you need things like ``if-then-else'', ``while'', and such, use ash or bash. If you just need a very simple and extremely small shell, this will do the job.

### sleep

Usage: sleep N

Pause for N seconds.

Example:

    			$ sleep 2
    			[2 second delay results]

### sort

Usage: sort [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Sort lines of text in FILE(s).

Options:

    			-n	Compare numerically
    			-r	Reverse after sorting

Example:

    			$ echo -e "e\nf\nb\nd\nc\na" | sort
    			a
    			b
    			c
    			d
    			e
    			f

### swapoff

Usage: swapoff [OPTION] [DEVICE]

Stop swapping virtual memory pages on DEVICE.

Options:

    			-a	Stop swapping on all swap devices

### swapon

Usage: swapon [OPTION] [DEVICE]

Start swapping virtual memory pages on the given device.

Options:

    			-a	Start swapping on all swap devices

### sync

Usage: sync

Write all buffered filesystem blocks to disk.

### syslogd

Usage: syslogd [OPTION]...

Linux system and kernel (provides klogd) logging utility. Note that this version of syslogd/klogd ignores /etc/syslog.conf.

Options:

    			-m NUM	Interval between MARK lines (default=20min, 0=off)
    			-n	Run as a foreground process
    			-K	Do not start up the klogd process
    			-O FILE	Use an alternate log file (default=/var/log/messages)
    			-R HOST[:PORT] Log remotely to IP or hostname on PORT (default PORT=514/UDP)
    			-L      Log locally as well as network logging (default is network only)
    			-C      Log to a circular buffer. Read this buffer using 'logread'

Example:

    		$ syslogd -R masterlog:514
    		$ syslogd -R 192.168.1.1:601

### tail

Usage: tail [OPTION] [FILE]...

Print last 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read stdin.

Options:

    			-n NUM	Print last NUM lines instead of last 10
    			-f	Output data as the file grows.  This version
    				of 'tail -f' supports only one file at a time.

Example:

    			$ tail -n 1 /etc/resolv.conf
    			nameserver 10.0.0.1

### tar

Usage: tar [MODE] [OPTION] [FILE]...

MODE may be chosen from

    			c	Create
    			x	Extract
    			t	List

Options:

    			f FILE			Use FILE for tarfile (or stdin if '-')
    			O				Extract to stdout
    			exclude FILE	File to exclude
    			v				List files processed

Example:

    			$ zcat /tmp/tarball.tar.gz | tar -xf -
    			$ tar -cf /tmp/tarball.tar /usr/local

### tee

Usage: tee [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Copy stdin to FILE(s), and also to stdout.

Options:

    			-a	Append to the given FILEs, do not overwrite

Example:

    			$ echo "Hello" | tee /tmp/foo
    			Hello
    			$ cat /tmp/foo
    			Hello

### telnet

Usage: telnet HOST [PORT]

Establish interactive communication with another computer over a network using the TELNET protocol.

### test, [

Usage: test EXPRESSION

or: [ EXPRESSION ]

Check file types and compare values returning an exit code determined by the value of EXPRESSION.

Example:

    			$ test 1 -eq 2
    			$ echo $?
    			1
    			$ test 1 -eq 1
    			$ echo $?
    			0
    			$ [ -d /etc ]
    			$ echo $?
    			0
    			$ [ -d /junk ]
    			$ echo $?
    			1

### touch

Usage: touch [OPTION]... FILE...

Update the last-modified date on (or create) FILE(s).

Options:

    			-c	Do not create files

Example:

    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			/bin/ls: /tmp/foo: No such file or directory
    			$ touch /tmp/foo
    			$ ls -l /tmp/foo
    			-rw-rw-r--    1 andersen andersen        0 Apr 15 01:11 /tmp/foo

### tr

Usage: tr [OPTION]... STRING1 [STRING2]

Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters from stdin, writing to stdout.

Options:

    			-c	Take complement of STRING1
    			-d	Delete input characters coded STRING1
    			-s	Squeeze multiple output characters of STRING2 into one character

Example:

    			$ echo "gdkkn vnqkc" | tr [a-y] [b-z]
    			hello world

### true

Usage: true

Return an exit code of TRUE (1).

Example:

    			$ true
    			$ echo $?
    			0

### tty

Usage: tty

Print the file name of the terminal connected to stdin.

Options:

    			-s	Print nothing, only return an exit status

Example:

    			$ tty
    			/dev/tty2

### umount

Usage: umount [OPTION]... DEVICE|DIRECTORY

Options:

    			-a	Unmount all file systems
    			-r	Try to remount devices as read-only if mount is busy
    			-f	Force filesystem umount (i.e., unreachable NFS server)
    			-l	Do not free loop device (if a loop device has been used)

Example:

    			$ umount /dev/hdc1

### uname

Usage: uname [OPTION]...

Print certain system information. With no OPTION, same as -s.

Options:

    			-a	Print all information
    			-m	Print the machine (hardware) type
    			-n	Print the machine's network node hostname
    			-r	Print the operating system release
    			-s	Print the operating system name
    			-p	Print the host processor type
    			-v	Print the operating system version

Example:

    			$ uname -a
    			Linux debian 2.2.15pre13 #5 Tue Mar 14 16:03:50 MST 2000 i686 unknown

### uniq

Usage: uniq [INPUT [OUTPUT]]

Discard all but one of successive identical lines from INPUT (or stdin), writing to OUTPUT (or stdout).

Options:

    		-c		prefix lines by the number of occurrences
    		-d		only print duplicate lines
    		-u		only print unique lines

Example:

    			$ echo -e "a\na\nb\nc\nc\na" | sort | uniq
    			a
    			b
    			c

### unix2dos

Usage: unix2dos < unixfile > dosfile

Converts a text file from unix format to dos format.

### unrpm

Usage: unrpm < package.rpm | gzip -d | cpio -idmuv

Extracts an rpm archive.

### update

Usage: update [OPTION]...

Periodically flush filesystem buffers.

Options:

    			-S	Force use of sync(2) instead of flushing
    			-s SECS	Call sync this often (default 30)
    			-f SECS	Flush some buffers this often (default 5)

### uptime

Usage: uptime

Display how long the system has been running since boot.

Example:

    			$ uptime
    			  1:55pm  up  2:30, load average: 0.09, 0.04, 0.00

### usleep

Usage: usleep N

Pause for N microseconds.

Example:

    			$ usleep 1000000
    			[pauses for 1 second]

### uudecode

Usage: uudecode [OPTION] [FILE]

Uudecode a uuencoded file.

Options:

    			-o FILE	Direct output to FILE

Example:

    			$ uudecode -o busybox busybox.uu
    			$ ls -l busybox
    			-rwxr-xr-x   1 ams      ams        245264 Jun  7 21:35 busybox

### uuencode

Usage: uuencode [OPTION] [INFILE] OUTFILE

Uuencode a file.

Options:

    			-m	Use base64 encoding as of RFC1521

Example:

    			$ uuencode busybox busybox
    			begin 755 busybox
    			M?T5,1@$!`0````````````(``P`!````L+@$"#0```!0N@,``````#0`(``&
    			.....
    			$ uudecode busybox busybox > busybox.uu
    			$

### watchdog

Usage: watchdog device

Periodically writes to watchdog device B.

### wc

Usage: wc [OPTION]... [FILE]...

Print line, word, and byte counts for each FILE, and a total line if more than one FILE is specified. With no FILE, read stdin.

Options:

    			-c	Print the byte counts
    			-l	Print the newline counts
    			-L	Print the length of the longest line
    			-w	Print the word counts

Example:

    			$ wc /etc/passwd
    			     31      46    1365 /etc/passwd

### which

Usage: which [COMMAND]...

Locate COMMAND(s).

Example:

    			$ which login
    			/bin/login

### whoami

Usage: whoami

Print the user name associated with the current effective user id.

Example:

    			$ whoami
    			andersen

### xargs

Usage: xargs [OPTIONS] [COMMAND] [ARGS...]

Executes COMMAND on every item given by standard input.

Options:

    			-t      Print the command just before it is run

Example:

    			$ ls | xargs gzip
    			$ find . -name '*.c' -print | xargs rm

### yes

Usage: yes [STRING]...

Repeatedly output a line with all specified STRING(s), or `y'.

### zcat

Usage: zcat [OPTION]... FILE

Uncompress FILE (or stdin if FILE is '-') to stdout.

Options:

    			-t	Test compressed file integrity

Example:

## LIBC NSS

GNU Libc uses the Name Service Switch (NSS) to configure the behavior of the C library for the local environment, and to configure how it reads system data, such as passwords and group information. BusyBox has made it Policy that it will never use NSS, and will never use libc calls that make use of NSS. This allows you to run an embedded system without the need for installing an /etc/nsswitch.conf file and without /lib/libnss_* libraries installed.

If you are using a system that is using a remote LDAP server for authentication via GNU libc NSS, and you want to use BusyBox, then you will need to adjust the BusyBox source. Chances are though, that if you have enough space to install of that stuff on your system, then you probably want the full GNU utilities.

## SEE ALSO

`textutils(1),` `shellutils(1),` etc...

## MAINTAINER

Erik Andersen <andersen@codepoet.org>

## AUTHORS

The following people have made significant contributions to BusyBox -- whether they know it or not.

Erik Andersen <andersen@codepoet.org>

Edward Betts <edward@debian.org>

John Beppu <beppu@codepoet.org>

Brian Candler <B.Candler@pobox.com>

Randolph Chung <tausq@debian.org>

Dave Cinege <dcinege@psychosis.com>

Karl M. Hegbloom <karlheg@debian.org>

Daniel Jacobowitz <dan@debian.org>

Matt Kraai <kraai@alumni.carnegiemellon.edu>

John Lombardo <john@deltanet.com>

Glenn McGrath <bug1@netconnect.com.au>

Bruce Perens <bruce@perens.com>

Chip Rosenthal <chip@unicom.com>, <crosenth@covad.com>

Pavel Roskin <proski@gnu.org>

Gyepi Sam <gyepi@praxis-sw.com>

Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>

Mark Whitley <markw@codepoet.org>

Charles P. Wright <cpwright@villagenet.com>

Enrique Zanardi <ezanardi@ull.es>

Vladimir Oleynik <dzo@simtreas.ru>