z/OS UNIX System Services User's Guide
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Turning off an alias

z/OS UNIX System Services User's Guide
SA23-2279-00

If you have set up an alias like the one previously described for rm, you may find that you do not want the alias to apply in some situations. For example, when you delete a huge number of files, you probably do not want rm to ask if it is okay to delete each one. In this situation, you have several options:
  • Get rid of the alias entirely. The command:
    unalias rm
    gets rid of the rm alias for the session. After this, when you enter rm, you get the real rm command.
  • Escape the alias. If you put a backslash in front of an alias, the shell uses the real command rather than the alias. For example:
    \rm file
  • Specify the full pathname. For example:
    /bin/rm file
    tells the shell to run the program in /bin/rm. The shell does not perform alias substitution when you specify a command as a pathname.

These alternatives should help you get around options that you have automatically associated with a command.

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