Information About Unix Accounts

 

What is a Unix account?
A Unix account is a set of privileges and restrictions giving the account owner an allotment of hard disk space and access to services (e.g., email, newsgroups, and software) on a particular machine running the Unix operating system.

 

Do you need a Unix account?
You need a Unix account if you:

need to use licensed software provided on ITC Unix machines

want to have a web site, but do not have a home directory account

 

How to get a Unix account
You can get a Unix account by:

completing the on-line form sending email to accounts@virginia.edu

 

How do you access your Unix account?

Once you have requested a Unix account, ITC will create the account for you and inform you of your account password and the Unix machine on which your account was created. Your U.Va. computing ID will serve as your account login name.

Once your Unix account has been established, you can access your account from your PC or your Mac using terminal emulation software, such as telnet. Telnet is built-in to the Win95 and Win98. NCSA Telent for Mac is available on Software Central.

 

What is a Unix?
Unix is an operating system that originated in 1969 at AT&T Bell Labs. It was first widely used in 1975 and is designed as a mulit-user, multi-tasking, high-performance operating system with networking in mind.

Unix is a text-based operating system that uses terse commands and messages to reduce typing and output. It is the operating system of choice for most scientific and engeineering workstations. Unix is hardware independent -- it can be transferred easily from one hardware system to another. Many companies produced their own versions of Unix, for example, SunOS, Solaris, AIX, HP/UX, IRIX, MACH, and Linux.

 

Additional Unix information and Help

© 2008 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

The information contained on the University of Virginia’s Department of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) website is provided as a public service with the understanding that ITC makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the information, including warrantees of title, non-infringement of copyright or patent rights of others. These pages are expected to represent the University of Virginia community and the State of Virginia in a professional manner in accordance with the University of Virginia’s Computing Policies.