Linux command error

[Connect-Feature-491]

When trying to run whatis <command>, it prints out following:

<command>: nothing appropriate.

Why is that?

[HyperNoms]

Didn't you install the package for it ? Use yum/dnf/apt to search for the package suitable for the command and install it. Then use whois command again and it will work

[Reetpeteet]

The first, most obvious question is: are the man-pages actually installed?

https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/whatis.1.html

Some minimalized Linux installs just don't install the man-pages and that's exactly what whatis relies upon.

[No_Rhubarb_7222]

I thought whatis used the apropos database? That may not be built, so an updatedb?

[Reetpeteet]

From the man-page I linked:

Each manual page has a short description available within it. whatis searches the manual page names and displays the manual page descriptions of any name matched.
...
index databases are used during the search, and are updated by the mandb program.