Getting Started

There are several ways to get to a Unix-like command line. If you are in certain classes (such as 216, possibly 330, or some 400 levels), you will have a Grace or Linuxlab account. This means you can access the command line on those servers. To access it, you will have to SSH (Secure Shell) into the servers. How you do so depends on your operating system. The following shows how to get into the Grace servers. If you have a LinuxLab account, see your instructor or TA for the username and hostname.

• Linux: You already have a command line! But if you want to get on the Grace/Linuxlab servers, you will have use the ssh command. Open a terminal, and enter ssh umdID@grace.umd.edu, where umdID is your Maryland username.
• OS X: You also have a command line already, although what programs are installed and how they behave might differ. You can use the ssh command in the same way as Linux above though. Open the Terminal application and enter the command above.
• Windows: You must download the PuTTY application from this site. Download putty.exe under the latest release version section and install it. When you run it, a new window should pop up. In the session category, enter grace.umd.edu in the box labeled Host Name (or IP Address). Ensure the Port is 22 and the Connection type is SSH. Hit "Open". If a dialogue box pops up that says "The server's host key is not cached...", hit "Accept". You will be prompted for your username. Enter your Maryland username.

If you do this correctly, you will be shown a welcome message and then prompted for a password. Enter your Maryland password (note that no characters will show up, this is by design). If correct, you will be authenticated and given access. You should be shown a prompt. You can now enter commands. For example. enter the whoami command to see who you are logged in as (this should again be your Maryland username). You can run other commands as well, but be careful and only enter commands if you know what they will do. When you are done, use the exit command to exit the connection.

If you don't have a Grace/Linuxlab account, or would rather work locally, you have several other options.
First, your computer may already have a comand line. If you are running Linux, you will already have one and can open up the terminal application. If you are running OS X, the Terminal application is similar will be similar to the Linux ones we will be using, but may differ in the programs installed and their behavior. If you are running Windows, you will not have a compatible command line. You can install Cygwin, although it is not good at emulating some behavior.

The other option would be to use a virtual machine (VM) to emulate a Linux OS. All operating systems should be able to do this. Download and install VirtualBox from this site. You will also have to download a Linux image for VirtualBox to use. I recommend an Ubuntu image because it is a very easy to use flavor of Linux. You can download an Ubuntu image from this site. Once you have done so, open VirtualBox and click the "New" button. Choose a name for your VM and select the type to be Linux and Ubuntu. Use the default options VirtualBox provides. Once the VM is created, select it and click the "Settings" button, then click the "Storage" tab. At the bottom, select the leftmost of the 4 icons (the floppy disk with a plus). Select the Ubuntu image you downloaded before (it should be a .iso extension). After doing this, click "OK" and double-click the VM you created to start it up. An Ubuntu dialogue box will pop up (this may take some time) and walk you through installation. Enter the settings you want and let installation begin (this will take some time).
Once you have Ubuntu set up, open the terminal application by hitting Control-Alt-T.