Getting Started in the UNIX Lab

Our lab work will be in the GLUW-lab, the GNU/Linux/UNIX/Windows lab in Science Building 354. The instructions on this page will get you started in the lab. There is another page about continuing to work in the UNIX lab.

Find a machine to work at. Be sure to sit near other people since you're supposed to ask questions during the lab.

Reboot (maybe). Restart the machine if it's currently running some version of Microsoft Windows. It should be running Linux; in our lab, this means you'll see the name, picture and short bio of a person of historical significance in computer science.

Pick a window manager. UNIX systems give you a wide choice of graphical interfaces for you to use. Use KDE unless you have a personally compelling reason to use something else.

Log in. Now go ahead and log in using your Calvin-issued username and the password provided to you.

The Start menu. The main program menu in KDE is available by clicking on the green lizard head in the lower-left corner of the screen. (Trust me, it's a lizard head.) You can logout from this menu as well as find the programs you'll need.

Spend some time throughout the semester playing around with the applications available on this menu.

A terminal window. To work with UNIX, you will need a terminal. KDE likes to call this a konsole. Start up one konsole. There may be an icon on the panel at the bottom of the KDE screen; otherwise, browse through the main program menu.

A konsole gives you what is known as a prompt. It's the operating system prompting you for a command. Commands in a konsole must be typed. Type in the command, and then hit Enter for the operating system to execute the command. Pay attention to the output of the command for errors. It's a bit disconcerting at first, but if nothing is printed, then the command worked successfully. If something is displayed on the screen, read it carefully to see if it's reporting an error.

Configuring Your Account. You need to configure your account for CS 108. Execute these commands in a konsole (hit the Enter key after each command):

cd
emacs .bashrc

This will open up a configuration file for you in the emacs editor. Enter this line at the end of the .bashrc file:

source /home/cs/108/config108.sh

Make sure that you have at least one or two blank lines after the last command in the file. Exit emacs (using the File menu), and save the file on the way out. Then, execute these two commands in the konsole:

source .bashrc
java ann.gui.CloseableFrame

The second command will pop open a new, empty window. Close it. If the command fails, then the configuration didn't work. Make sure you followed the instructions above carefully.

You should never have to do this configuration again (assuming you've done it correctly now).

Changing your password. At the command-line prompt, type in this command:

yppasswd

This will change your password permanently on all of the computers in the GLUW lab. You'll be prompted once for your old password, and then twice for a new one. None of these passwords will appear on the screen at all!

Start your work. At this point, you're ready to start your lab. Your account is set up.

You can use Firefox or Konqueror to browse the web; check the main program menu. Go to the schedule for CS 108 on the department's webserver (at http://cs.calvin.edu); there you will find a link to Lab #1 - Introduction.

Finishing your work. When you are finished working for the day, be sure to log out. There's usually a button on your window manager's panel; there's always a menu option on the start menu to log your off.

Wait to make sure that you are fully logged out. Often the desktop/window manager will ask you if you want to save your session; if you leave without responding, someone can enter your account when you're gone.

And never turn the machines off. Just leave them running.