| Telnet,
UNIX Commands and UNIX FTP
What
is Telnet?
Telnet Clients
Connecting
UNIX Commands
Using Unix FTP
Resources
What
is Telnet?
Telnet
is an old and useful Internet protocol for communicating with
another computer not physically present. It's a command-line interface,
so don't expect to see pretty graphics and icons. It works well
with UNIX computers.
To install
Web Crossing on a UNIX server machine, you'll need Telnet access
to the machine. This is sometimes referred to as "a shell
account." If your web host doesn't allow this, you won't
be able to install Web Crossing.
Telnet
Clients
You'll
need a Telnet client installed on the computer you wish to connect
with.
If you're
on Windows, there's a built-in client. In the "Run"
dialog box, type:
C:\windows\telnet
If you're
on Mac, you'll need to download one. NCSA
Telnet is simple, and popular.
For either
platform, you can do a search at Tucows
and find a variety of Telnet client options. For occasional Web Crossing
installation and servicing, however, you won't need anything too
fancy.
Connecting
First,
tell your telnet client to open a new connection. We'll open a
connection to webxharbor.com.
The connection
window opens and as the host is contacted, it transmits its operating
system information and then gives you a login prompt.
Telnet
connection window for webxharbor.com
Your
client window may look different, but the connection process is
the same. You'll be asked for your login. Type it, and press Enter
(Return). Next you'll be asked for your password. Type it (the
characters won't show as you type them). Press Enter (Return)
again.
If the
server accepts the information, you're logged in. You may be asked
what type of terminal you're connecting from. Generally it's safe
just to press Enter (Return) to skip the question.
When
you see a command line, you'll know you're connected and the remote
computer is ready for you to issue commands. Command lines vary
depending on the setup of the remote computer, but generally consists
of the computer's name and maybe the directory you're currently
in, followed by a caret (>) or similar symbol.
See http://web.indstate.edu/acns/user-serv/remote_access/telnet.html
for more information.
UNIX
Commands
It helps
to have a mental picture of the directory structure on your server
as you move around. You can "do things" (i.e. move,
copy, or delete files; create directories, list contents, etc.)
using three strategies for the commands you issue:
- move
to the directory where the files are
- use
a relative directory pathway from your current working directory
- use
a full directory pathway from the root of the server
Here are some frequently-used UNIX commands. These examples assume
you're in the same directory as the files you want to modify.
ls |
Lists
all the files and directories within the current directory. |
cd <directoryname> |
Changes
to the directory you specify. Example:
CD docs would move you to the "docs" directory.
|
CD .. |
Changes
to the directory immediately above the current working directory.
(Note the space between CD and ..) |
CD ~ |
Changes
to the root directory for your account. |
pwd |
If
you forget which directory you're in, this will tell you. |
mv <filename>
<location> |
Moves
a file from the current working directory into the location
specified. Caution - if a file with
that name already exists in the new location it will be overwritten
without warning. Example: MV
myfile.html suesdocs would
move the "myfile.html" file into the "suesdocs"
directory. |
cp <filename>
<location> |
Copies
a file. Similar to Move, only it doesn't delete the original
file, but makes a copy. |
rm <filename
or directory> |
Remove.
Deletes the file or directory specified. Caution
- there is no undo! Example:
rm myfile.html would delete "myfile.html"
in the current directory. |
passwd |
To
change your password. You'll be asked to enter it twice. |
mkdir <directoryname> |
Make
Directory. Creates a new directory within the current working
directory with the name you specify. Example:
mkdir suesdocs creates a directory named "suesdocs"
within the current directory. |
man |
Manual.
Allows you to see all the various options for a given command.
For example, to see the options for the "Ls" command,
type man Ls |
Using
UNIX FTP
If you
need to transfer a Web Crossing installation file to your server,
or send a large database file across the internet, you don't need
to download it to your local home computer and then upload it
again using your modem connection.
You can
use UNIX FTP to get the two servers to talk to each other - and
since they're both on fast connections, the transfer will take
a fraction of the time it would if you did it via your own desktop.
Once
you're connected to your server via telnet, it's fairly simple
to connect with UNIX FTP to another server and then use "put"
to put files elsewhere, or "get" to retrieve files from
elsewhere.
To
log into the Web Crossing Site FTP server (ftp.webcrossing.com),
using Unix FTP software or the FTP software on your own personal
computer, (rather than just your browser), log in as username:
Anonymous and for password: fill in your email address.
For specific
commands and instructions see: http://nik.seet.com/ftp.html
- How to Use Unix FTP.
Resources
Websites
for more information on Telnet and UNIX FTP
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