Logging into the CSC Unix system
To ensure security and organization on a system with many users, Unix
machines employ a system of user accounts. Unix accounts have been
created for all
students enrolled in CSC classes. This section familiarizes you with logging in
and out your own Unix account.
This semester we will be working on two types of Unix machines: two Sun
machines named tanner and degas, and
two Linux machines names felix and helix.
You can connect to tanner or csgate (an old machine that only serves as a gateway)
remotely using the secure shell SSH, which you can download on
your laptop from
-
http://csc.villanova.edu/support/downloads
From tanner, you can open an SSH connection to felix by
typing it at the shell prompt
ssh felix
Within campus, you have the option to connect to felix, or any
other Unix machine directly from your laptop (without going through
tanner).
Logging in
Logging in to a Unix system requires two pieces of
information: a username, and a
password.
To log into tanner, follow the following sequence of steps.
On any Windows machine within the domain villanova.edu, click on
Start, then navigate the menus to locate the Socket Secure
Shell (SSH) program. Invoke SSH. A window will pop up,
which you can activate by hitting Enter (alternately, select
Connect from the File menu option on top left).
In the host name box, type in
- tanner.csc.villanova.edu
or
- csgate.csc.villanova.edu
In the user name box, type in your Unix account name and hit the return
key. You will be prompted for your password next.
When you type your password, the screen will not display what you type.
A terminal window running the
Unix shell will open on your screen.
Any command that you type in at the shell prompt will now run
on tanner and the result will be displayed in
your terminal window.
Logging out
When you're ready to quit, type the command
- exit
Before you leave your terminal, make sure that the
computer indicates that you have successfully logged out. If you
have left any unresolved processes, the Unix system will require you to resolve
them before it will let you log out. Some shells will recognize other commands
to log you out, like logout.
Your username
Your username is the first letter of your first name
followed by the last name (no more than 8 characters for a username, all in
lower case). Your username must be unique on the system where your account exists
since it is the means by which you are identified on the system.
To ensure uniqueness, the algorithm for generating a username is
- First Character of First Name + Last Name (first 7 chars)
- First Char of First Name + Initial + Last Name (first 6 chars)
(if no initial, the second char of first name)
- First and Last Char of First Name + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 1 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 2 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 3 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 4 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 5 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 6 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 7 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 8 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
- First Char of First Name + 9 + Last Name (first 6 chars)
Your password
When your account has been created, a password has been assigned.
If this is a new account, your password has been set to the letters 'fL'
followed by the villanova student id number (e.g., fL12345678).
(Remember: the student id number is not your social security number; it is your Banner ID,
as displayed in Novasis.)
The first thing you should do is change your password, using the
passwd utility. Make sure you are logged onto a machine OTHER THAN felix (tanner, for instance) when you change your password.
To change your password, type the command
- passwd
after you have logged in. The system will ask for
your old password, to prevent someone else from sneaking up, and changing your
password. Then it will ask for your new password. You will be asked to confirm
your new password, to make sure that you didn't mistype. It is very important
that you choose a good password, so that someone else cannot guess it.