| UNIX Unleashed, System Administrator's Edition- 2 -Getting Started: Basic Tutorialby Rachel and Robert Sartin UNIX is a multi-user, multi-tasking environment. Unlike personal computers, UNIX systems are inherently designed to allow simultaneous access to multiple users. Whether you are working with UNIX on a large, multi-user system or have a dedicated UNIX-based workstation on your desk, the multi-user, multi-tasking architecture of the operating system influences the way you will work with the system and the requirements it will place on you as a user and a system administrator. The purpose of this chapter is to acquaint you with the basics of UNIX from the user's point of view. Not all UNIX boxes actually support multiple users with keyboards or terminals of their own. Some workstations are dedicated to a single person, and others function as servers that support multiple remote computers rather than end users. In all cases, however, UNIX operates as if it might be called upon to furnish a fully multi-user, multi-tasking capability. For the purpose of this tutorial, we'll assume that you have a dedicated UNIX workstation on your desk. Logging In to the System |