UNIX Tutorial

For most of you, operating in UNIX will never be necessary. However, writing cgi scripts, programming in perl, or installing perl/cgi programs, will require necessary unix skills. The most common commands will be outlined below to help you begin working in UNIX.

Characteristics of UNIX UNIX, by nature, is completely text oriented. There is no GUI interface or mouse clicking. Commands are all entered through the keyboard and output is all text. In addition, UNIX is completely case-sensitive. All commands and switches you use during your session are going to be case sensitive. For example, if you are using the ls command to list the contents of a directory, Ls will work, but LS will give you an error. This is also the case when working with files or directories. So be sharp and pay attention to what you are doing. So often people spend hours working on a problem (with a script or otherwise) when it turns out to be a case issue (or other minor typo). A small un-noticed error can cause serious frustration. Take my word for it, I have done it many times and seen it happen time and time again to others!

Logging into a UNIX Server If you are running Windows 95/98, this is simple. A Telnet client (a required tool to log into a UNIX system) comes with your windows operating system. Click on the start button, select run, and a window will open up with a command line. On this command line, type in telnet yourserver or telnet yourdomain.com. If nothing happens, you will need to download a telnet client (http://www.shareware.com/). When the telnet window opens, you will be asked for a login. Enter your ftp login name. It will then ask for your password. Enter your ftp password. If successful, you should eventually have a prompt that looks something like this:

www: {1} % _ Congratulations. You have just successfully logged into your server's UNIX OS. Ok, now that this part is out of the way, lets get onto the commands that you will need to navigate and operate.

Using Ls for directory listings The Ls command will be your tool for showing directory listings (displaying the contents of the directory you execute this command in). Click here for detailed information regarding the use and switches of the Ls command.

Navigation using the cd command When you log into your server, it will be necessary to move through your directory structure to get where you need to. The cd command will be your tool for this. Click here for information on the cd command.