Using Network Tools
Included on this page:Computer Addresses
Every computer on the Internet has a unique address. Before you can connect and interact with a particular computer, you must know its address. The first part of an address represents the computer's name called the host name. This is followed by a hierarchical naming structure know as the domain name.
| homer.u.washington.edu | (host.subdomain.subdomain.domain) | |
| nri.reston.va.us | (host.subdomain.subdomain.domain) |
Connect to a Different Computer
Once you know a computer's address, you can connect to that remote computer with communications software. On many Unix computers, you can use ssh to connect to other computers.For more information on ssh, enter:
man ssh
To connect to a remote computer, enter:
ssh address
When you connect to a remote computer with telnet, you must then log in to that computer (see Logging In and Out). Most computers require you to have an account before you can log in. Type quit to exit ssh.
Transfer Files Between Computers
You can also connect to a remote computer with "sftp" (Secure File Transfer Protocol). Sftp lets you quickly transfer files between computers connected to the Internet. If you have an account on several Unix computers, you can use Sftp to transfer files between them.For more information on sftp, enter:
man sftp
To connect to a different computer, enter:
sftp address
This connects you to the computer address that you specify. Type quit to exit sftp and return to the system prompt.
