UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I am trying to move a file that is in the root directory. I suspect it is an old file created by someone when the system was installed. I am testing accessing the file by doing a copy but the command does not find the file.

I am operating as root. We are HP-UX B.11.23

I do long listing and see the file... -rw-rw----- 1 batchlet bsp 18629533 Apr24 2007 baan

I check for inode number “ls -i and the file name does not appear.

I check for nonprinting characters “ls -b” and receive baan\010\010\010\010\010\010\010\010\010\010\010\010

I have tried doing the copy using a wild card after the file name and again with wild before and after the name and it does not find the file.

Perhaps you can use the type-ahead feature, available in different ways depending on the unix flavor.
For me here with bash, if I type

cp abc
then hit <Esc> <Esc>

unix will autom-complete and fill in the full filename

Maybe you could use that feature to have the op system find your filename so it can be renamed?

\010 is the BS ascii #8 character. BS == backspace.

One way

Code:

touch junkfile
mv -i *  junkfile

make sure your mv command supports the -i option FIRST.

be careful with this - you have to keep answering N until you hit your problem file.
then after you create the newfilename, hit control/C

No luck.

I also find it curious that only way to see the file in a listing is to use long listing, “ll” or “ls –b”. It does not show up with “ls” or “ls” with numerous other switches I’ve tried.

Judging from the date the file would have been created prior to this server going live on production and it is a user who is not familiar with UNIX. It was probably dumped there by mistake and the user did several backspaces or something of that nature.

I wonder if the file even exists.

-----Post Update-----

I had tried “cat” and “more” to look at the file and neither worked. Received error message that no file found by that name. I then tried vi and it allowed us to open the file. Afterward we still could not copy or move the file but the remove command which we had not tried before worked. I still don’t know what the root cause was but the file has been deleted.

Thanks for you comments and assistance.

-----Post Update-----

I had tried “cat” and “more” to look at the file and neither worked. Received error message that no file found by that name. I then tried vi and it allowed us to open the file. Afterward we still could not copy or move the file but the remove command which we had not tried before worked. I still don't know what the root cause was but the file has been deleted.

Thanks for you comments and assistance.