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DCI Installation
UNIX
Windows XP/2000/NT4

 
User Environment

In UNIX, the shell is the way the user interacts with the operating system. By default, the shell only knows a few simple commands that are internal to the shell. However, the shell can be customized to understand more commands, aliases for commands, and even options for the shell itself. This customization is done by altering the shell environment.

The DCI has tailored a default environment for all of its UNIX users. This has been done so that users can access all the DCI has to offer, such as shared applications, with the most ease. While this environment is relatively complex, the DCI has utilities and documenation to help even the newest UNIX user customize their environment.

Customizing a shell environment starts with the shell startup scripts. These are files that the shell knows to look for either when the user logs into a system, or when the user starts a new shell. ATN has written default shell startup scripts that are created for each user when their account is created. Of course, most environment customization is made in order to gain access to a larger set of applications. The DCI maintains a set of Shared Applications, that are available to any user. The DCI also provides a tool, the Isis Package Manager, to help users customize their environments in order to gain access to these shared applications.




Maintained by: dci@unc.edu
Url: http://www.unc.edu/atn/dci/user_environment/intro.html
Last Updated:  06 September 2002