While there are multiple ways to connect to Unix and Linux through Windows, Xshell aims to provide yet another one that is extremely powerful and very secure. The program is free for Home and School usage while the professional version comes with a time trial.
Installation & Requirements
The program’s installation is quite simple, offering whatever you have to expect like desktop and Start menu shortcuts as well as the ability to run the application immediately after the setup is over. The application supports all versions of Windows from 2000 SP4 and above.
Interface
When you start the application, you will be greeted by the Sessions window. You can close it or click on new and configure a new host. The process is fairly simple as the application does pretty much everything automatically. Of course, it needs your manual input for things like the Host name and its address so you should keep them handy before proceeding. If you do not want to deal with the Sessions window, however, there are other ways to connect to a computer. Furthermore, the connection methods have varying security degrees. The more secure the server the more complex it is to connect with it but the tradeoff is usually worth it.
The default window is quite basic. All the usual network commands apply here and if you need any help, you can simply type help to get a list of commands and an explanation for them. If you want to customize the terminal, you can click on the View menu to get a huge list of features like toolbars and other utilities that you can integrate to the terminal. Each terminal is unique so you can customize all of them individually if you want.
After you connect to another computer, you can use the terminal to issue commands or use one of the tools to do the job for you like the File Transfer utility. It is true that the application requires technical knowledge of networks and shells, otherwise it will quickly become overwhelming. If you have ever used the command line or a similar utility though, you will know what to expect. Furthermore, the Help manual provided with the application along with its website can teach you about all the various tools you have available so that you can learn faster.
Pros
-Easy to setup
-Very powerful interface
-Fully customizable terminals
-Secure connections
Cons
-Too complex for the inexperienced users
Conclusion
Xshell is one of the most powerful network emulators out there that will let you connect to your Unix/Linux installations fast and securely. Although it is intimidating to the average user, experienced people and professionals will love the various connectivity methods and the breeze of the network commands.
