Summary

This is a collection of commands and facilities which occasional Unix users (eg Web site owners) use and need.

In the formal descriptions of commands, bold type means the keyword or value described is compulsory; normal type means it is optional; and slanted type means that the mnemonic must be replaced by an appropriate value. Ellipsis (…) means the preceding item is repeatable.

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Whole document

  1. Using Unix
  2. Getting access
    1.  Logging in
    2.  Don't panic!
    3.  Logging off
  3. Navigation
  4. File management
  5. Account management
Table of Contents
ToC

ToC2. Getting access

Up to start of section2.1. Logging in

To log into a Unix-based system you need a username and password, and the hostname of the system you are authorised to log into. These will be provided by the system manager (which may be you if it's your own desktop system).

See howtossh for how to connect and log in.

Up to start of section2.2. Don't panic! (What to do in an emergency)

If you accidentally type a command that starts doing something you don't want, you can abort the command with Ctrl+C (hold down the Ctrl key and press C). This key combination shows in the display as ^C. 

$ ls -lR /
/:
total 418
drwxr-xr-x   2 root root   4096 Nov 19 04:04 bin
drwxr-xr-x   4 root root   1024 Apr  7  2008 boot
drwxr-xr-x   3 root root   4096 Nov  1  2007 data
drwxr-xr-x  10 root root   3800 Oct 28 09:40 dev
drwxr-xr-x 102 root root  12288 Nov 19 04:04 etc
drwxr-xr-x  14 root root   4096 Nov 14 16:35 home
drwxr-xr-x  14 root ^C
$

A complex command or program may take a second or two to stop. A program that intercepts control characters may need a second Ctrl+C to force it to stop.

Be careful about using and aborting commands and programs that do significant processing, expecially those which read or [re]write files, as premature termination may leave files open or partially-written and unusable.

Up to start of section2.3. Logging off (Get me out of here)

To log off, type the  exit  command. Always log off after finishing work. If you don't log off, you may be exposing your account to unwanted intruders. 

$ exit
User jsmith logged off at 2008-12-25 13:38:34.54

The  exit  command may display some accounting information, or just say ‘Goodbye’, or simply close the window.

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Electronic Publishing Unit • 2008-11-19 • (other)