Back in the day, everyone had access to a UNIX shell account at their internet service provider. With it, you could run batch files, scripts and access services that were only available from the command line. Unfortunately, shell access also allowed (some) people to hack and cause issues. Now-a-days with tons of Linux distros and more servers running windows, it’s rare to find a service provider that will give you access to a shell account, much less has one. But, still, there are times when you need one. When you do, search this list and find one that works:
http://www.red-pill.eu/freeunix.shtml