Your first step in using Unix is to connect to the Unix system. Exactly how you connect will vary depending on what kind of Internet connection you use, but the following steps should get you started.
1. | Connect to the Internet, if necessary. If you use a PPP connection to dial into an ISP, launch it now. If you use a full-time Internet connection at home, work, or school, or if you’re using your Mac or Linux system at home, just ignore this step. |
2. | If you’re connecting to a remote system, start your SSH program and connect to the Unix system. Using SSH you can connect to a remote computer (such as your ISP’s computer) and work as if the remote computer were sitting on your desk. Essentially, SSH brings a remote computer’s capabilities to your fingertips, regardless of where you’re physically located. (See the About Connecting sidebar for more information about connection technologies.) Exactly how you connect depends on the particular program you’re using. For Windows users, we recommend PuTTY, which is a free SSH client available at www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/. For Macintosh users (pre-OS X), we recommend the predictably named MacSSH, also free, available at http://pro.wanadoo.fr/chombier/. And, of course, after you’re logged into your Unix-like system, you can use the Unix ssh command to access other computers. Each program works a bit differently, and you’ll have to refer to the specific documentation for details about using them. In this example, we’re connecting to a Unix system using PuTTY. Figure 1.1 shows the Connection dialog, in which we’ve filled in the Host Name (varies), the Port (22), and the Protocol (SSH). Figure 1.1. Here we’re connecting to frazz.raycomm.com using PuTTY. Other SSH programs might look slightly different, but this shows the general idea.
If you’re looking for a quick start, just fill in the fields shown in Figure 1.2 and click Open. Figure 1.2. For a quick start, fill in these fields, and then click Open.
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3. | Check out the Categories (or the Preferences dialog in many other programs) and become familiar with your options. You will not need to change anything initially, but you might later want to customize colors or other settings. Generally, though, PuTTY provides usable settings. |
4. | Marvel at the login: prompt, which is what you should see if you’ve connected properly (Figure 1.3) and move along to the next section. (PuTTY displays “login as :”, while most other programs will just show you “login :”. Don’t worry about this difference; it’s just this program’s idiosyncrasy.) |
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If you modify the connection settings, you may need to disconnect from the session, then reconnect again for the new settings to take effect. See your documentation for specifics about disconnecting from your session.
In addition to viewing the buffer to see commands you’ve used, as mentioned in the Preferences Dialog sidebar, you can also use a command to let you review commands that you’ve issued. For more information, see Viewing Session History in Chapter 3.
Write Down Details About Your Specific login ProcedureAs you go through your login procedure, take a minute to write down some details for future reference. Your userid or login name (but not your password): ______________________________________________________________________________ The name of the program you use (or the icon you click) to connect to your Unix system and the process you use to get connected: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ The name of your Unix system (such as frazz.example.com or example.com): ______________________________________________________________________________ The IP address of your Unix system (such as 198.168.11.36 or 10.10.22.2): ______________________________________________________________________________ |
18.222.196.175