Use the full description "IBM S/390". Do not use "s390", "S390", or any other variations.

Correct. Do not use "samba" or "SAMBA".

Correct. Do not use "s-record", "Record", "s-Record", or any other variations.

n. Use this term, and write as one word. Do not use other terms or variations.

n. Do not use "screensaver".

n. Do not use "scroll bar" or "scroll-bar".

Instead of stating that a product or service is "secure", describe specifically how features or qualities provide trustworthiness and resilience, and provide verifiable data where it exists. When discussing security, use qualifiers to avoid making definitive or unsubstantiated claims about security.

For references within a document, and for cross-references to other resources, do not use “see”. Use “refer to”.

For descriptions of graphics, explanations of command outputs, and other similar cases, it is acceptable to use “see”. Alternatively, it might be more concise or precise to replace “see” with another verb in these cases. For example, instead of using "Click a server link to see the result details", you could use "Click a server link for the result details". Instead of using "As you can see, these expected Audit events have an AVC Audit record", you could use "As shown in the output, these expected Audit events have an AVC Audit record".

n. Only use the abbreviation "segfault" if absolutely necessary, and never use it as a verb.

Abbreviation of Security-Enhanced Linux. SELinux uses Linux Security Modules (LSM) in the Linux kernel to provide a range of minimum-privilege-required security policies. Do not use any other forms.

Do not use. Instead, use "emit" or "issue".

Also referred to as a server cluster, computer farm, or ranch. A server farm is a group of networked servers that are housed in one location. A server farm streamlines internal processes by distributing the workload between the individual components of the farm and expedites computing processes by harnessing the power of multiple servers. The farms rely on load-balancing software that accomplishes such tasks as tracking demand for processing power from different machines, prioritizing the tasks, and scheduling and rescheduling them depending on priority and demand that users put on the network. When one server in the farm fails, another can step in as a backup.

Use "setup" as a noun or an adjective, and "set up" as a verb. For example:

Pronounced "shä" and thus requires "an" as the indefinite article.

SHA stands for Secure Hash Algorithm; each is a cryptographic hash function. SHA2 variants are often specified by using their digest size, in bits, as the trailing number, instead of "2". Thus "SHA224", "SHA256", "SHA384", and "SHA512" are considered correct when referring to these specific hash functions.

Correct. Do not use "Shadow Man" or "ShadowMan". The Red Hat Shadowman logo is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.

Not a proper noun, so capitalize "Shadow" at the beginning of a sentence only.

Shadow passwords are a method of improving system security by moving the encrypted passwords (normally found in /etc/passwd) to /etc/shadow, which is readable only by root. This option is available during installation and is part of the shadow utilities package.

Not a proper noun, so capitalize "Shadow" at the beginning of a sentence only.

Correct. Do not use "sharename" or "Sharename" unless you are quoting the output of commands, such as smbclient -L or similar.

n. Refers to the character sequence consisting of the number sign and exclamation point (#!) at the beginning of a script. Do not use hashbang or pound-bang or other variations.

A "shell" is a software application, for example, /bin/bash or /bin/sh, which provides an interface to a computer. Do not use this term to describe where to type commands.

Refers to the character at the beginning of the command line, and indicates that the shell is ready to accept commands. Do not use "command prompt" or "shell".

For example, "If you enter your username and password correctly, then you log in and get a shell prompt."

v. Correct. Do not use "shut-down". Only use "shutdown" when referring to the /sbin/shutdown system command.

Write hyphenated as an adjective or noun, or as two words as a verb.

In general, use "log in" when referring to Linux-based technologies and platforms. In some cases, a tool or platform might use "sign in" or other terms to describe starting a session by entering a username and password. In these cases, align to the terminology that is used in the user interface.

v. Write as three words. For example, "to sign in to the system".

Write hyphenated as an adjective or noun, or as two words as a verb.

In general, use "log in" when referring to Linux-based technologies and platforms. In some cases, a tool or platform might use "sign in" or other terms to describe starting a session by entering a username and password. In these cases, align to the terminology that is used in the user interface.

Do not use "since" or "as" to mean "because"; it is ambiguous. Use "because" to refer to a reason. Use "since" or "as" to refer to the passage of time.

n. Avoid using "skill set" as much as possible; use "skills" or "knowledge" instead. Do not use "skill set" or "skill-set" as an adjective. Do not use "skill-set knowledge"; it is redundant. Refer to the following examples:

n. SLA stands for Service Level agreement. The phrase itself is not normally capitalized but official SLA defect ratings, such as Low, Moderate, and Critical, carry initial caps. This capitalization distinguishes the SLA-defined ratings from the severity of general issues and identifies them as requiring a predetermined response time and level of support according to agreements.

Do not use. It diminishes the horror of the dehumanizing practice of slavery. Use another term such as "worker", "child", "helper", "replica", or "secondary (server, node, process, or other noun)".

adj., n. Always use the two-word form. Do not use "smart-card" or other variations. Do not capitalize unless it is part of a product name or other proper noun.

Correct. Do not use "socks". When specifying a SOCKS version, use "SOCKSv4" or "SOCKSv5".

Do not use. Instead, use "online". For example, "To view the online documentation ...".

n. Do not use "soundcard" or "sound-card".

v. In addition to the generic use of this term as a noun and verb, in a programming and technical sense, it also means "Run the source command against the named file."

Correct. Do not use "Source Navigator". Source-Navigator™ is a trademark of Red Hat.

Use when referring to white space, such as "Ensure that a space occurs between each command." Use "Spacebar" when referring to the keyboard key.

n. Use when referring to the keyboard key, such as "Press the Spacebar key to continue."

n. Use to refer to an RPM spec file. Do not use "specfile".

When used as a modifier, put a hyphen before "specific", such as "MIP-specific", "Linux-specific", and "chip-specific".

Correct. It is the standard US English spelling. Do not use "spelt".

When referring to the ISO standard (ISO 9075 and its descendants), it is pronounced as an initialism: ĕs kyü ĕl. Consequently, it takes "an" as an indefinite article.

When referring to Microsoft's proprietary product, SQL Server, pronounce it as a word: "sequel". In this case, it takes "a" as an indefinite article.

Note: Oracle also pronounces its SQL-based products (such as PL/SQL) as "sequel".

More generally, avoid "SQL" as a generic marker if possible. When discussing MySQL, write "MySQL". When discussing Microsoft SQL Server, write "Microsoft SQL Server". When discussing PostgreSQL (which is pronounced pŏstgrĕs kyü ĕl), write "PostgreSQL".

Do not use to refer to a group that is formed to accomplish a task. Use "team" or "group" instead.

Correct. SR-IOV stands for Single Root I/O Virtualization. It is a virtualization specification for a PCIe device to appear to be multiple separate physical PCIe devices. Do not use SR/IOV.

Initialism for Secure Shell, a network protocol for data exchange with a secure channel. When referring to the protocol, do not use "ssh", "Ssh", or other variants. When referring to the command, use ssh.

Do not use as a verb.

Initialism for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents over the internet. SSL uses a public key to encrypt data that is transferred over the SSL connection. Most web browsers support SSL, and many websites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:. SSL later evolved into Transport Layer Security (TLS).

adj. Hyphenate. Do not use "standalone".

Refers to something that is self-contained, or that does not require any other devices to function. For example, a smartphone is a stand-alone device because it does not require a computer, printer, modem, or other device. A printer, on the other hand, is not a stand-alone device because it requires a computer to feed it data.

A legacy Linux desktop suite. Do not use "Star", "Staroffice", or "Star Office".

v. Do not use. Instead, use "start", "activate", or "invoke".

Correct. Do not use StartX or other variants.

adj., adv. Accepted references prescribe the use of the one-word form in all cases. Do not use "straight-forward".

Correct. The Linux command to change to a named user. Do not use SU (all caps).

Correct. Do not use "sub-command" or refer to a subcommand as a "verb". A subcommand refers to a secondary or even a tertiary command that is used with a primary command. Not to be confused with options or arguments, subcommands operate on ever more focused objects or entities. For example:

hammer import organization --help

In this example, "hammer" is the main or primary command, and "import" and "organization" are subcommands. --help is an option.

Correct. Do not use "sub-package".

This word has a specific, specialized meaning in Red Hat products. An RPM spec file can define more than one package: these additional packages are called "subpackages".

Any other use of this word is strongly discouraged.

Note: Subpackages are not the same as dependencies and should not be treated as such.

A synonym for the root user. More common in Solaris documentation than Linux. If and when used, this spelling is correct. Do not use "super user" or "super-user".

Correct. Do not use "swapspace". Capitalize at the beginning of a sentence only.

Use SAP Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) in the first instance. Subsequent entries can use the abbreviation "Sybase ASE". If discussing the high-availability version, use "Sybase ASE and High Availability".

Correct. Do not use Sys V or System V.

A type of encryption where the same key is used to encrypt and to decrypt the message. It differs from asymmetric (or public-key) encryption, which uses one key to encrypt a message and another to decrypt the message.