MAC OS® X UNIX® Toolbox: 1000+ Commands for the Mac OS® X

Introduction

Mac OS X UNIX Toolbox is loosely based on the BSD UNIX Toolbox written by Chris Negus and François Caen. When I was asked by Wiley to extend what they had done into the world of Mac OS X, I heartily agreed to do so, partly because the original was such an excellent resource.

From the very beginning, I decided to keep to the spirit and structure of the original title as much as I could. Thankfully, about 90 percent of what you experience UNIX-wise on Mac OS X is the same as on BSD or Linux environments, so I was able, for the most part, to abide by this agreement. In some cases, though, I had to nip and tuck a few sections; in others, I had to add a bit back in.

At the end of the day, what you hold is a handbook with more than 1,000 specific command lines to help you become a Mac OS X power user. Whether you are a systems administrator or desktop user, the book will show you commands to create file systems, troubleshoot networks, lock down security, and dig out almost anything you care to know about your Mac OS X system.

Of course, Mac OS X being what it is, not everything in this book is about the command line (although most of it is). In some cases, I show you not only how to do things on the venerated command line, but also how to take advantage of the Mac OS X GUI. Either way, you learn how to leverage UNIX to do your job.

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for anyone who wants to access the power of a Mac OS X system as a systems administrator or user. You may be ...