How to Shutdown or Reboot a Unix Machine

The UNIX operating system was developed in the 1960s by AT&T. Much of modern computing (including the Internet) was at the very least directly influenced by this operating system. UNIX offers a different experience than the more popular Windows and Mac systems in that it is a more flexible program. Here's how to shutdown or reboot a UNIX machine.

Things You'll Need

• UNIX
• Computer

Instructions

1. Decide which state you want to shutdown or reboot in. Choose single-user mode, complete shutdown for power-off or a shutdown immediately followed by a power-up.

2. Enter the command "shutdown -y -il -g###" in single-user mode. This will shut down your machine.

3. Enter the command "shutdown -y -i0 -g###" to perform a complete shutdown. This will completely shutdown your computer so that it's ready to be turned off.

4. To perform a reboot or to turn your computer off then back on again, enter this command "shutdown -y -i6 -g###." This will reboot your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• To shut down your machine in single-user mode, you'll need to exit multi-user mode if it is in use.

• For more help on UNIX programming language, visit the UNIX homepage.

• If you turn off your machine without shutting it down first, you will likely corrupt or otherwise compromise some information on it.