What You ve Learned

What You've Learned

The command-line interface provides an additional method for configuring and troubleshooting a computer running Mac OS X. You shouldn't think of it as a replacement for the graphical interface, but rather as a complementary interface that allows you to do some things more efficiently.

• The command line gives you another way to execute commands in Mac OS X.

• Interfaces to the command line include console, ssh, single-user mode, and Terminal.

• The man pages provide online help.

• You can navigate around the file system and move, copy, and rename files from the command line.

• You can make changes to file ownership and permissions at a more granular level using a command-line interface.

• You can use locate and find to find files.

• The last command helps you keep track of user logins.

• The id command helps you keep track of user and group IDs.

• The tail command helps you view recent activity in a log file.

• The command-line interface gives you another way to force quit applications and processes.

References

The following Knowledge Base documents (located at www.apple.com/support) will provide you with further information regarding using the command-line interface.

Open Firmware Password

• 106482, "Setting up Open Firmware Password Protection in Mac OS X 10.1 or later"

Terminal

• 25591, "Mac OS X 10.3: Terminal Commands That Require Authentication Unlock Other Applications"

• 61357, "Mac OS X: About Entering Commands in Terminal"

• 106712, "Troubleshooting permissions issues in Mac OS X"

URLs

Visit the following website for more information.

• Apple Remote Desktop: www.apple.com/remotedesktop