UNIX INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Unix is an operating system (OS): it manages the way the computer works by driving
the processor, memory, disk drives, keyboards, video monitors, etc. and by
performing useful tasks for the users. Unix was created in the late 1960s as a
multiuser, multitasking system for use by programmers. The philosophy behind the
design of Unix was to provide simple, yet powerful utilities that could be pieced
together in a flexible manner to perform a wide variety of tasks. A key difference
between the Unix OS and others you are familiar with (e.g., PC) is that Unix is
designed for multiple users. That is multiple users may have multiple tasks running
simultaneously. Its original purpose was to facilitate software development. It is the
primary OS used by physical scientists everywhere, and all supercomputing facilities
use it. To put it bluntly, if you are at all on the numerical side of physical sciences,
then you need to learn how to operate on a Unix OS.

The difference between Unix and Linux

Unix development has corporate support. This means it tends to be a more stable
OS and is the choice of those for whom stability is the top priority, while Linux is
developed by a community of users and is free. Thus, you get what you pay for?
Well, it has some stability issues and bugs creep up. But, the bugs are also quickly
squashed and new content, programs, and functionality has quickly outpaced that of
Unix.

Three basic entities Linux OS is comprised of:

1. The Kernel – The core of the UNIX system. Loaded at system start up (boot);
manages the entire resources of the system. Examples of what it does are:
interpreting and executing instructions from the shell, managing the machine’s
memory and allocating it to processes, scheduling the work done by the cpu’s.
2. The Shell – Whenever you login to a Unix system you are placed in a shell
program. The shell is a command interpreter; it takes each command and
passes it to the operating system kernel to be acted upon. It then displays the
results of this operation on your screen. Several shells are usually available

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 on any Unix system, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Examples
are the Bourne Shell (sh), C Shell (csh), and Bourne Again Shell (bash).
3. Utilities – UNIX provides several hundred utility programs, often referred to
as commands. The commands accomplish universal functions such as
printing, editing files, etc.

Getting started – really basic Unix

After logging in to he computer using Unix OS and opened up a terminal, a window

that contains home directory space appears. Note on Unix system folders are
referred to as directories.

Home Directory

 Each user has a unique home directory. Your home directory is that part of
the file system reserved for your files.
 After login, you are put into your home directory automatically. This is where
you start your work.
 You are in control of your home directory and the files which reside there. You
are also in control of the file access permissions to the files in your home
directory. Generally, you alone should be able to create/delete/modify files in
your home directory. Others may have permission to read or execute your
files as you determine.
 In most UNIX systems, you can move around or navigate to other parts of the
file system outside of your home directory. This depends upon how the file
permissions have been set by others and/or the System Administrator.

Some Unix Commands

Unix commands are programs that are supplied with the Unix OS to do specific
tasks. They generally act like:

>> command arguments

Unlike your PC or Mac, instead of clicking a program icon, you type a program
name in the terminal window. For example;

>> date

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 Date is an example of a Unix command. When used as above it simply returns
the current date and time. But, we can often supply arguments to the command
that modify the way the program works. For example:
>> date –date==yesterday

Here we supplied an argument asking us to return yesterday’s date instead of

todays.

One of the most important Unix commands is the ls (list) command. It lists the
contents of the current directory you are in.

>> ls

>> ls –l

>> ls –la

We can create a new directory with the mkdir (make directory) command. For
example:

>> mkdir garbage

Entering the ls command should show us that we now have a new directory
called garbage.

We can go into this directory by using the cd (change directory) command:

>> cd garbage

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 Special Characters in Unix

Character Function
* wildcard for any number of characters
in a filename
? wildcard for a single character in a
filename
$ References a variable
& executes a command in the
background
; separates commands on the same
line
> redirects standard output

Advantags of using Unix

Portable:

As UNIX is made from using C language so it is a highly portable OS. You can use
this OS on any PC or MAC computers. C is a very popular language and most
programmers can work easily in this language. You can communicate with hardware
by using the C language

Memory usage:

UNIX use less memory while running sophisticated programs. UNIX OS can handle
virtual memory nicely. The virtual memory expands as more programs come into the
main memory. Most of the tasks in UNIX is done by using fewer resources.

Less code to execute:

In GUI (graphical user interface), we sometimes need many mouse clicks to perform
some specific task but in the case of UNIX we can simply write one command in CLI
(command line interface) and that task is done.

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Files used everywhere:

All type of data is stored in files i.e. all devices and terminal are stored in files.
Working with files in OS becomes fast and can be easily managed by UNIX.

Ideal for web hosting:

As UNIX OS is free and secure so it is widely used by web hosting companies. Many
web hosting servers use utilities like DNS (Domain Name Server), DHCP (Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol) and the webserver.

Supports multiple users:

In UNIX every user needs a username password to use the OS. Every file is
protected from unauthorized use. Multiple users can log in to the system and use the
OS as they need. You can take the example of RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)
server and VPS (Virtual Private Server). In RDP and VPS multiple users can log in to
the system and every login gives private files access to the user. Every user has a
user access control system by which they can access the files securely. All the users
can open many apps at the same time and there are very few chances that your
system may crash. The owner of the system can set the permission level to all the
users and then any user can access the files as set by the owner.

Other features:

 UNIX is free
 The file system is hierarchical by which accessing and retrieving files become
easy
 The performance of UNIX is better than Windows NT
 Stable database access
 Better handling of internet and intranet in servers
 Internet-client and file server are better managed using Java in UNIX

Disadvantages of using Unix

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Not user friendly:

Novice user has difficulty in using UNIX. Most of the work in UNIX is done by using
commands in CLI so beginner has to remember a different type of commands. UNIX
is solely made for programmers and not for beginner users. Some experience people
also feel difficulty in using commands because some commands are very different
from their name.

Poor documentation:

There is not any proper documentation available for UNIX. If the user gets any
problem then he has to consult some expert and getting online help from the
documentation is very difficult. If you compare this with Windows and macOS then
you will get proper and easy to follow the documentation that is available online.

Cryptic commands:

Most of the commands in UNIX use cryptic words. It is difficult for the casual user to
get the idea of working of command. Some commands use special characters and
understanding commands for newbie programmers become difficult. If you use any
wrong character in the command then your system will start doing unknown works
that may also delete or change some data from your computer. Some commands in
UNIX work in a combination of other commands so if you forget any command then
your work cannot be completed.

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