Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By : James Kent Lewis
Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By: James Kent Lewis

Overview of this book

<p>Linux is a stable, reliable and extremely powerful operating system. It has been around for many years, however, most people still don't know what it can do and the ways it is superior to other operating systems. Many people want to get started with Linux for greater control and security, but getting started can be time consuming and complicated. <br /><br />A practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear step-by-step examples to help you solve many of the questions that crop up when using an operating system you may not be familiar with.</p> <p>Presenting solutions to the most common Linux problems in a clear and concise way, this helpful guide starts with spicing up the terminal sessions by command retrieval and line editing, and shell prompt variables. We will then get to know the different desktops (GUIs) available for Linux systems and which is the best fit for you. We will then explore the world of managing files and directories, connectivity, and what to do when it goes wrong. We will also learn a range of skills, from creating and managing user accounts to securing your system, managing and limiting processes, and letting information flow from one process to another using pipes. Later, we will master disk management, working with scripts and automating tasks quickly, and finally, understand the need for a custom kernel and tips on how to build one.</p> <p><br />Based on the author's extensive experience, there is a section on best practices that every Linux user should be familiar with.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Linux Utilities Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Logging into another machine – Telnet and Secure Shell


Telnet is an older protocol but is still used a lot today. It suffers from the same security problem as FTP; it sends text in a non-encrypted format. However, it is still useful in say a lab environment protected by a good firewall.

Getting ready

I will again use the same machine as both the client and server. For this example, we will assume both the Telnet client and server are already installed and operational.

The command to start a Telnet session is telnet hostname. The hostname can be a name reachable on your network or a numeric IP.

Secure Shell (SSH), is a more popular protocol as it provides for strong encryption of both the password and text. It's also much easier to use, in my opinion.

To start a secure shell, the command is as follows:

ssh username@hostname

How to do it...

Here we will run a few Telnet and SSH commands:

  1. Run the following command:

    telnet 192.168.1.115
    
  2. A banner and prompt should appear. Enter the username.

  3. Enter the...