Log-in to the Unix Server

A successful log-in

allows access to the

server through the

Secure Shell.

SSH, also known as

Secure Shocket Shell, is

a Unix based command

interface.

All commands

follow the $ prompt.

List Folders in the

Root Directory

ls

The list command

shows all the

files in the directory.

Open a Directory cd foldername

eg. cd public_html

This command

allows the user

to change from the

root directory to a

subdirectory.

Return to the Root Directory

cd ~

This returns the

command prompt

directly back to

the root

directory

Using the (ls) command

after the (cd ~)

command showed the

files in the root

directory.

Create a New

Directory

mkdir foldername

Eg. mkdir mlis

The make directory

command is followed

by a directory

name to

create a new

directory.

Move Into a

New Directory

cd filename

eg. cd mlis

The cd filename

command moves

the prompt into a

new

directory.

Show History

history

The history

command shows

the last 10

typed commands.

This could

be helpful to

a user who doesn’t

want to search a lot

of text to see his

past commands.

Display Current Date & Time

date

The date command

allows the user to

view the date. It

would be helpful

for someone

who is

working on a

deadline to easily

note the time.

Display Users Who Are

Logged Into the Server

who

The who command

allows users to see

who is active on the

website.

(I noticed some of

my cohorts also on

the server.)

Display Current

Monthly Calendar

cal

The calendar command

shows the current

monthly calendar and

would be helpful to

someone

trying to coordinate

their schedule

while communicating

with another user

on the server.

Delete Directoryrmdir filename

Eg. rmdir mlis

The remove directory

command allows a

user to delete

directories

that are no longer

necessary.

The (ls) command

confirmed that the

directory was deleted.

List of Files in the

Root Directory

ls –l

The list command

allows user to look

at the

directory and a

list of files is

generated to show

the permissions for

each directory.

The Meaning of

DRWXR

This is a directory (d)

showing if the user

has read (r),

write (w), and

execute (x)

permissions.

Search for a Specific Word

grep filename

eg. grep holly index.html

Searching for a specific

word within a file can be

done with the command

global regular

expression print and the

word the user is

searching for.

LOG OUT of Unix

exit

The exit command

allows the user to

log out of the Unix

system successfully.

It is best

practice to always

log out to keep

information secure.

Calendar for previous dates

cal <mo> <yr>

Eg. Cal 12 1965

This command

shows the calendar

for previous months

and years. It would

be an helpful

command for a user

who is looking for the

day that a meeting

was held in the past.

Disk free

df

This command

shows how much

disk space is

available and would

be helpful for a user

who needs to

create more space.

Why is the Mastery of Command Line Unix Important?

A majority of webservers on the internet are Unix based,

using either Linux or some other flavor of Unix-like

operating system so it’s important to understand the inner

workings of Unix. The skill is valuable to have as

has practical applications for an Informational Technology

professional.