Using Linux

If you are in the N-110, N-113 or J-118 lab click here

Getting to linux

As a computer science student, you should have an account on linux.ubishops.ca, from which you can get a "remote desktop" from any machine in the lab, using X2GoClient. There is no printer available from linux.ubishops.ca. You can access the server from anywhere on the internet, in 2 ways,x2go and ssh (and scp for copying files to and from your own computer.

Your account code (user name) will generally be the first letter of your given name, followed by your family name. For example, Céline Dion's account would be cdion

You will be given an initial password, you should change it (see Lab 1 instructions.)

Choose a method of work!

• X2Go

  This has worked well in Bishop's labs, but is problematic the farther away you are, and the slower your "high speed" connection is. You can do all the lab work in CS 216 without it.

  Start the X2GoClient application. Start a "New Session" with the settings.
  
  • host: linux.ubishops.ca
  • Username: your user name
  • Session: XFCE, (not KDE)
  • Window size: pick one, I think you can resize the window, however.
  Close the settings window, and click on the box for your new session. Give you password whenever asked.

• Work locally, use Terminal interface (ssh) and SCP to transfer files.

  1. Mac or linux Open a terminal, and type
     ssh yourusername@linux.ubishops.ca
     You will be asked for password, then you are at a command prompt on that host. You could, for example, change your password by typing passwd
     

     to transfer files from remote to local, and then back (if you were Alice User)

     scp auser@linux.ubishops.ca:/home/COURSES/cs216/quests/easy.a easy.a
     scp easy.a auser@linux.ubishops.ca:easy.a
     

     You will notice that Andrew got the question file, and after editing it locally, but copied it back to her own directory. also note the colon (:) betwen host and file path.

  2. In Windows, use putty for a terminal interface. Caution about copy/paste, see below!

     To transfer files, use winSCP (same "see below" link to bottom of this page)

Linux

Unix file systems are a single tree starting at /. Successive subdirectories are separated by / . (not \ ). Names are case sensitive just like Mac, and unlike Microsoft systems.

• /usr    contains most of the software you will use
• /home   contains everyone's personal directories (accessible to them only), and
  
• /home/COURSES has directories for each course that uses our lab.

Some useful terminal commands

The terminal has a command prompt, at which you can type short commands, here are some of the most useful, as examples explained. Generally, after execution of the command, the prompt comes back.

Some x2go notes:

Editing text files

The easiest ways to start an application:

Viewing files:

Accessing linux from Windows® computers and the outside world

You can log in remotely using the ssh protocol, and do secure ftp (sftp) and copy (scp) from anywhere on the internet.

• PuTTY - does ssh by asking you for host, then opens up a terminal-like window, where you are asked for username, and password.

  note: copy/paste is kind of weird:
  Marking something with the mouse in terminal copies it to the clipboard. right-click in terminal pastes whatever is in the clipboard at the place you clicked!

• WinSCP - Opens up both local and remote directory listing panes. You can navigate the directory structures, and drag files between the two. It will warn you if you are replacing an existing file. It also has a built-in text editor for both local and remote files.

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