UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

can anybody explain to me in detail the meaning of that -c to this command. su - oracle -c

That command itself, if not followed by some other commands, is useless. For example:

Code:

su - oracle -c "ls -l"

It means:
1) Become the oracle user
2) Source the .profile (environment file)
3) Execute the command "ls -l"
4) Return control to the calling process

It is a syntax largely used in root's shell scripts for executing a command with another identity.

Oh, you should also try:

Code:

man su