Lab 1
Part 4

Using Telnet and the Unix operating system

Open Telnet and telnet to "arizona"
Login using your username and password
Learn basic Unix commands
Run pine

Opening a Telnet session

Many times, there will be files and programs you would like to run that can only be found on other computers. Your Princeton email inbox, for example, is located on a central computer, as is every other student's. Telnet is a way for a user on one computer to login and manipulate/run files on another computer over a network.

Follow these instructions to telnet to Arizona (a group of CIT computers running Unix):

Find and run Telnet in the Start Menu (in "Programs | Accessories | Telnet")
In the window that appears, choose "Remote System" from the Connect menu
Next to "Host Name", type in arizona
Click on the "Connect" button

Voila! You should now be connected to a computer in the Arizona cluster (phoenix, flagstaff, tucson or yuma).

Logging into a Unix computer

As with Windows NT, the Unix operating system requires you to login before you can access files and run programs. At this point you should see something like this:

UNIX(r) System V Release 4.0 (flagstaff.Princeton.EDU)

login:

Type in your username and press Enter.

When it prompts you for a password, type your password in and press Enter again. (Your password should be your PAC number unless you have changed it)

At this point, you should be successfully logged into an Arizona computer. If the login prompt never appeared, or if you got a message such as "login incorrect", please ask a TA for assistance.

Basic Unix Commands

Unix is a command-line or text-based operating system similar to DOS. Like Windows NT, it maintains files and folders (though it calls folders "directories"). Yet instead of using a mouse to click icons, you will use keyboard commands such as "ls" and " cd". These commands are just small programs designed to help you navigate Unix and can be typed in whenever you see a command prompt such as:

flagstaff.Princeton.EDU%

When you first login, you should be in a directory called your "home" or "root" directory. This is the directory that holds all of your files, most of which cannot be read or even seen by other users. Try the following commands:

ls - Lists the contents of the directory you are in
mkdir - Makes a new directory. Type mkdir cos111 now and then hit Enter. Now if you try the ls command again, you should see your new directory show up.
cd - Changes directories. Type cd cos111. This will move you to the directory you just created. To get back to your home directory, type cd home or j ust cd by itself.
who - Tells you who else is logged into the same computer as you

Don't worry if Unix seems strange at first. You won't need to use it very often, though it is helpful to know how to move around.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about UNIX, check out this UNIX primer.

Note: When logged into UNIX, use the "DEL" key instead of "Backspace" to delete a character.

Running Pine

Now type "pine" to start pine, a popular program for reading email in Unix. Follow the instructions it gives you for setting up pine on your account.

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