Logging In


After you've connected to the Unix system, your next step is to log in, or identify yourself to the Unix system. Logging in serves a few purposes, including giving you access to your email, files, and configurations. It also keeps you from inadvertently accessing someone else's files and settings, and it keeps you from making changes to the system itself.

To log in:

1.

Have your userid (user identification) and password ready.

Contact your system administrator if you don't have these yet.

2.

Type your userid at the login prompt, then press .

Your userid is case-sensitive, so be sure you type it exactly as your system administrator instructed.

3.

Type your password at the password prompt, then press .

Yup. Your password is case-sensitive, too.

4.

Read the information and messages that come up on the screen.

The information that pops upthe message of the daymight be just a funny, as in Figure 1.4, or it might contain information about system policies, warnings about scheduled downtime, or useful tips, as shown in Figure 1.5. It may also contain both, or possibly neither, if your system administrators have nothing to say to you.

Figure 1.4. Our Unix system (frazz.raycomm.com) greets us with a quote of the day, called a "fortune."


Figure 1.5. Some systems might greet you with system information or helpful tips.


After you've loggedin, you'll see a shell prompt, which is where you type in commands. Also, note that you'll be located in your home directory, which is where your personal files and settings are stored. Your "location" in the Unix system is a slightly unwieldy concept that we'll help you understand throughout this chapter.

Tips

  • If you get an error message after attempting to log in, just try again. You likely just mistyped your userid or password. Whoops!

  • When you log in, you might see a message about failed login attempts. If you unsuccessfully tried to log in, then don't worry about it; the message just confirms that you attempted to log in but failed. If, however, all of your login attempts (with you sitting at the keyboard) have been successful or if the number of failed login attempts seems highsay, five or more then you might also mention the message to your system administrator, who can check security and login attempts. This could be a warning that someone unauthorized is trying to log in as you.





Unix(c) Visual Quickstart Guide
UNIX, Third Edition
ISBN: 0321442458
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 251

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