Denotes an Apple resourceMac OS X Frequently Asked Questions (Advanced)
Documents in this series:
In this document:
0. Important reference documents
1. What is the core of Mac OS X based on?
2. Can I use standard UNIX services, tools, and
compilers on Mac OS X?
3. How do I become root in Mac OS X? How do I enable the
root user in Mac OS X?
4. Can I access my computer remotely using telnet, ssh,
ftp, etc.?
5. Can I access other computers from the command line
using telnet, ssh, ftp, etc.?
6. How are passwords, users, and groups managed on Mac
OS X?
7. Can I use normal UNIX programs with Mac OS X?
8. Can I write my own programs, shell scripts, perl
scripts, etc., on Mac OS X?
9. Since Mac OS X is a UNIX operating system, can Mac OS
X be used as a UNIX server?
10. Can I use NFS to export filesystems? Can I mount
remote NFS filesystems?
11. Can I use X Window System applications on Mac
OS X?
12. Can I use Kerberos authentication with Mac OS
X?
13. Can I use AFS (Andrew File System) with Mac OS
X?
14. Can I use TeX typesetting system (LaTeX, etc.) with
Mac OS X to view and create documents?
15. Can I view PostScript files with Mac OS X?
16. Can I view and create PDF files with Mac OS
X?
17. Does DoIT support the command line (Terminal) and
associated applications?
18. I have a question that was not answered
here.
0. Important reference documents
Denotes an Apple resource
|
Mac
OS X Developer Documentation |
|
1. What is the core of Mac OS X based on?
The core of Mac OS X is called Darwin, a separate open source operating system project at Apple. The Darwin/Mac OS X kernel is based on a heavily modified and enhanced version of Carnegie Mellon University's Mach 3.0 that supports SMP, and the BSD portion is derived from FreeBSD from the FreeBSD Project and is based on 4.4BSD-Lite2 from the University of California at Berkeley. For an excellent overview of Mac OS X's UNIX aspects and its differences from other UNIX operating systems, consider O'Reilly's Mac OS X for UNIX Geeks.
2. Can I use standard UNIX services, tools, and compilers on Mac OS X?
Yes. Mac OS X ships with a full BSD UNIX implementation, and all traditional UNIX tools and services are available. Compilers, such as gcc, and other development tools and utilities are available in the Mac OS X Developer Tools that ships on CD with Mac OS X retail packages, is preinstalled in /Applications/Installers in new Mac OS X systems, or is downloadable free from the Apple Developer Connection at http://connect.apple.com/.
3. How do I become root in Mac OS X? How do I enable the root user in Mac OS X?
Mac OS X ships with root disabled, and with no password set (the password entry is *). Many of the tasks you need administrative rights to accomplish on a UNIX machine do not require that you actually become (su root) or login as root. Rather, you can execute commands as root using the sudo command. sudo allows you to execute the command that follows it as if you were the root user. For example, if you would like to edit /etc/hostconfig using pico as root, you could type sudo pico /etc/hostconfig. sudo prompts you for your user account password, and requires you to be an Administrator on the computer (set in the Users pane of System Preferences). You can also gain access to a root shell by using sudo; for example: sudo su -.
If you would still like to enable root and set a password for it, you can do it one of two ways:
a. Open Terminal as an administrative user. Type sudo passwd root, enter your user account password if prompted, and set root's password.
b. Open NetInfo Manager. Choose Domain -> Security -> Authenticate. Authenticate as an administrative user. Choose Domain -> Security -> Enable Root User. Choose Domain -> Security -> Change Root Password...
4. Can I access my computer remotely using telnet, ssh, ftp, scp, etc.?
Yes. You can enable ssh and ftp in the Sharing pane of System Preferences. By default, anonymous ftp is disabled. sshd is included with Mac OS X 10.0.1 and newer. Be aware that, as with other UNIX implementations, enabling network services such as these could constitute a security risk.
5. Can I access other computers from the command line using telnet, ssh, ftp, scp, etc.?
Yes! All of these services are available using Terminal.
6. How are passwords, users, and groups managed on Mac OS X?
One way Mac OS X differs from other UNIX implementations is that passwords, users, and groups aren't managed by the normal files in /etc you may be familiar with. All these tasks are managed by NetInfo, a sophisticated network, directory, and user management system. NetInfo Manager is very powerful, and beyond the scope of this document. It can be found in /Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager. For a basic introduction to NetInfo, see What is NetInfo? and Understanding and Using NetInfo. Mac OS X is slowly moving toward the new Open Directory and LDAP for directory services.
7. Can I use normal UNIX programs with Mac OS X?
Yes. You might be surprised that many of the utilities you might be thinking of using on Mac OS X already ship with it! If you need other UNIX programs, however, most popular tools and utilities fall into one of the following categories:
For other software not in the above categories, most UNIX and Linux software whose source is available should be easily portable, and *BSD software should be very easily portable.
There are also other projects working on bringing the most popular UNIX tools to Mac OS X. Many of the most popular UNIX programs and utilities are already available:
8. Can I write my own programs, shell scripts, perl scripts, etc., on Mac OS X?
Yes. Mac OS X ships with a full professional development environment on the companion Developer Tools, as well as a full suite of command line development tools, utilities, and compilers. In general, anything that can be done in any other UNIX environment can be done in Mac OS X.
9. Since Mac OS X is a UNIX operating system, can Mac OS X be used as a UNIX server?
Yes, but server tasks such as mail, file, print, and media servers would be more appropriate for Mac OS X Server. Any traditional UNIX server services, such as sendmail, apache, SAMBA, etc. can be run on Mac OS X. Most are even included, though they require UNIX knowledge for setup and configuration. However, these services and much more will be included with Mac OS X Server, all with easy-to-use graphical administration. See the Mac OS X Server Home Page for more information.
10. Can I use NFS to export filesystems? Can I mount remote NFS filesystems?
Yes, NFS version 3 is supported. Filesystems are exported using NetInfo Manager and remote filesystems are mounted via the command line. NFSManager is a tool that provides a GUI for many NFS functions.
11. Can I use X Window System applications on Mac OS X?
Yes. There are several X Window System servers for Mac OS X. All are full implementations of the X Window System, and are based on Xfree86, which has fully supported Darwin/Mac OS X since release 4.0.2. One is the free Apple X11 for Mac OS X, another is XDarwin, and another example is Tenon Intersystems' commercial Xtools.
12. Can I use Kerberos authentication with Mac OS X?
Yes. Mac OS X 10.1 and 10.2 include a version of MIT Kerberos for Macintosh. See http://web.mit.edu/macdev/www/macosx.html for more information. MIT's Mac OS X Kerberos Extras provides a GUI Kerberos management system and other features. The latest information about MIT Kerberos for Macintosh is available here.
13. Can I use AFS (Andrew File System) with Mac OS X?
Yes. OpenAFS (from IBM) and Arla both provide Mac OS X and/or Darwin versions of their AFS distributions.
14. Can I use TeX typesetting system (LaTeX, etc.) with Mac OS X to view and create documents?
Yes. For more information see the Mac OS X TeX/LaTex site at http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/.
15. Can I view PostScript files with Mac OS X?
Yes. MacGhostView is available for Mac OS X. See the MacGhostView site at http://www.kiffe.com/macghostview.html for for information. Traditional UNIX PostScript utilities can also be used.
16. Can I view and create PDF files with Mac OS X?
Yes. Mac OS X is based around a PDF imaging model, and comes with the capability to not only vieaw PDFs, but also to create a PDF from any document that can be printed. No other software is required. Adobe Acrobat Reader and other Acrobat products are also available for Mac OS X.
17. Does DoIT support the command line (Terminal) and associated applications?
Yes, support is available on a billable time basis. Contact Dave Schroeder at das@doit.wisc.edu or Terry Bradshaw at bradshaw@doit.wisc.edu for more information.
18. I have a question that was not answered here.
If you have a question or concern that was not addressed here, please look at the resources available on the DoIT Apple Support Mac OS X Support Information page at http://apple.doit.wisc.edu/macosx/, or contact Dave Schroeder at das@doit.wisc.edu or Terry Bradshaw at bradshaw@doit.wisc.edu.
Document created
by Dave Schroeder of
DoIT
(das@doit.wisc.edu)
03/01/2003.
Copyright 2003 Regents
of the University
of Wisconsin. All rights reserved.
http://apple.doit.wisc.edu/macosx/support/faqa.html