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One thing I really like from Linux is to be able to view my history with the "history" command, and then type !# where # is the command from my history that I would like to run. Unfortunately, while HPUX does have a history command, it seems I cannot repeat a command the same way I can in Linux using !#.

Is there a way I can implement this in HPUX? So far, the best option I have found would be to create a custom command: How to create custom commands in Unix/Linux?

My approach would be to have a custom command in the format of !n where n is an integer that gets parsed out. The command corresponding to n is parsed from the history and ran. While this is doable, it sure feels like I am reinventing the wheel.

Is there a better way to achieve this result? What can I do to repeat commands from my history in HPUX?

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  • HPUX has ksh, which should do what you want. Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 20:34
  • Thank you for your suggestion! Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems like ksh is not providing the functionality I need. I type "ksh" at the prompt, the prompt changes, so I assume I'm now using ksh. However, when I type !212 to execute a previous command, I get the following: "ksh: !212: not found". Any ideas? Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 15:17
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    IIRC ksh (based on Korn 88) or even ksh93 don't offer the advanced history features that bash does. Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 18:45
  • Thank you so much, that clarifies things for me! Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 19:11

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The standard HP-UX Posix shell isn't a bash port and the history command behavior you're looking for requires it.

Compiling bash from source on HP-UX isn't trivial. It requires an HP-UX ANSII C compiler and several dependencies and patches. Fortunately, if you are running HP-UX 11i.v3, recent binaries are available for installation on Itanium class servers from the HP-UX Porting and Archive Centre; namely:

bash-4.4.012

bash-5.0.018

bash-5.1.16

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  • Thank you for your response! I have limited permissions on this system, and I don't think compiling bash would be an option. In that case, do you think my best bet would be to just create a custom command after all? Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 15:18
  • I suggest that you download a pre-compiled binary from the HP-UX Porting Centre. As I said, compiling from source will be non-trivial and needless for your purposes. Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 18:43
  • Of course, if you have "limited permissions" on your server, ask your system administrator to perform the download and swinstall. Commented Jul 11, 2022 at 18:47

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