A Complete Guide to Web Design

50 Chapter 4 – A Beginner’s Guide to the Server

Introduction to Unix

Web Design in a Nutshell, eMatter Edition

Introduction to Unix

If you work with the Web long enough, chances are you’ll run into the need to

communicate with a Unix machine. On Macs and PCs, most functions can be

performed using tools with graphical interfaces; however, at times there is no

substitute for a good old-fashionedtelnetsession. Besides, a little Unix never hurt

anyone.

Telnet is a “terminal emulation” protocol that allows you to log in to other

computer systems on a network (such as the Internet). It also refers to any appli-

cation used for communicating with the telnet protocol. A telnet program will give

you a character-based terminal window on another system from which you can

enter simple command-line instructions. Figure 4-1 shows a typical telnet session.

This section provides a very brief introduction to basic terminology and commands

that will enable you to manipulate files and directories on a Unix machine. If you

are interested in learning more, readLearning the Unix Operating SystemandUnix

in a Nutshell, both published by O’Reilly & Associates, Inc.

Logging In

When you open a connection to a remote server with your telnet program, the

first thing you see is a prompt to log in to the system. Before you can access the

server, the system administrator has to set up a Unix account for you. You will be

given a name and password you can enter at thelogin:andpassword:prompts

respectively.

When you log in successfully, you will get a Unix system prompt, either a$or a%

(or sometimes #) depending on the flavor of Unix the server is running, which

tells you that the system is “ready.” At this point, you are using a program called

Figure 4-1: Typical telnet session