<div>
Since you're using RedHat Linux I'm rather sure that your &quot;vi&quot; is in fact &quot;vim&quot;.<br />
<br />
Under &quot;vim&quot; you can do this:<br />
<br />
Create a file called &quot;.exrc&quot; or &quot;.vimrc&quot; in your $HOME directory and add these two lines:<br />
<br />
set backup<br />
set backupext=.bk<br />
<br />
From now on vim will create a backup file in the same directory as the original file with a name composed of the original name plus the desired extension (here: .bk) before saving any changes to the original file.
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Since you're using RedHat Linux I'm rather sure that your "vi" is in fact "vim".

Under "vim" you can do this:

Create a file called ".exrc" or ".vimrc" in your $HOME directory and add these two lines:

set backup
set backupext=.bk

From now on vim will create a backup file in the same directory as the original file with a name composed of the original name plus the desired extension (here: .bk) before saving any changes to the original file.

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Thank you both. <br />
<br />
Ozo hit this one perfectly<br />
<br />
One last question before I close this ozo ? &nbsp;How did you know this ( web link ?) <br />
<br />
this sure can speed up the process and make typo errors on this command very infrequent
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Thank you both.

Ozo hit this one perfectly

One last question before I close this ozo ?  How did you know this ( web link ?)

this sure can speed up the process and make typo errors on this command very infrequent

<div>
man bash<br />
(or whatever shell you are using)
</div>


man bash
(or whatever shell you are using)

<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
As we know people have been know to make mistakes in VI. &nbsp;<br />
<br />
Before you edit a file it is advisable to back the file up. <br />
<br />
I can type cp /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf &nbsp;/etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf.bk<wbr /> <br />
<br />
Is there a faster way to do this to not have to type out the target path ( if I an not always in the target directory ? )<br />
<br />
Regards;<br />
<br />
timfox123<br />
<br />
Redhat 5+
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</div>


As we know people have been know to make mistakes in VI.  

Before you edit a file it is advisable to back the file up. 

I can type cp /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf  /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf.bk 

Is there a faster way to do this to not have to type out the target path ( if I an not always in the target directory ? )

Regards;

timfox123

Redhat 5+

is there a shortcut on the copy command  in linux ?

Linux is a UNIX-like open source operating system with hundreds of distinct distributions, including: Fedora, openSUSE, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, Gentoo, CentOS, and Arch Linux. Linux is generally associated with web and database servers, but has become popular in many niche industries and applications.

Linux

A Linux distribution is an operating system made as a software collection based on the Linux kernel and, often, on a package management system and are available for a variety of systems. A typical Linux distribution comprises a Linux kernel, GNU tools and libraries, additional software, documentation, a window system (the most common being the X Window System), a window manager, and a desktop environment. Most Linux systems are open-source software made available both as compiled binaries and in source code form, allowing modifications to the original software. Over three hundred distributions are in active development, including commercially backed distributions (such as Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu) and community-driven distributions (such as Debian, Slackware, Gentoo and Arch Linux).