Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I change my password?
   To change your password, type the command yppasswd and follow the instructions. Note that, unlike other Unix systems you may have used, the command passwd will not work. This is because we use NIS in the lab, which allows you to use a common login no matter which client or terminal you may be using.
2. How do I use Netscape to check my mail in the Lab?
   
   1. Open the Netscape preferences dialog box by choosing Edit --> Preferences... from the drop-down menu.
   2. Select the Identity catagory (under the Mail and Newsgroups heading).
   3. Fill in the text fields with your name and email address (which will be YourUserName@aslan.cs.westminster.edu).
   4. Now, select the Mail Servers catagory (also under the Mail and Newsgroups heading).
   5. If there are any servers listed under Incoming Mail Servers, select and delete them.
   6. We now need to add an Incoming Mail Server. Pressing the Add... button will bring up a dialog box allowing us to do this. Choose MoveMail for the server type, and configure the mail checking options that suit you, then choose OK.
   7. For outgoing mail, the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server should be set to aslan.cs.westminster.edu. Type your username in the outgoing mail username field, and double-check that the local mail directory is under your home directory (the default should be fine).

   That's it! You should now be able to use the Netscape email client.

3. How do I format a floppy disk?
   Unlike MS-DOS, formatting a floppy in Linux requires two steps; actually formatting the disk, and creating a filesystem for it. The most common way to use the commands is:

   [nsizemore@lucy nsizemore]$ /usr/bin/fdformat /dev/fd0H1440
[nsizemore@lucy nsizemore]$ /sbin/mkfs /dev/fd0H1440

   The first command does a low-level format of a 3.5" high-density floppy. The second creates the ext2 filesystem (the default filesystem in Linux). See the man pages for more information.

4. How do I use the Lab remotely?
   You can use many of the Lab's resources from almost any computer connected to the Internet. You can connect using telnet or SSH (Secure SHell). Most PCs have a telnet client already. SSH clients for a variety of operating systems (including Windows 95/98) can be obtained from www.ssh.com. Once you have the needed client, connect to aslan.cs.westminster.edu. From there, you will be asked for your login name and password. Once that's done, your client is connected to the Lab, and you can run any console programs you like.
5. How can I transfer files from my home directory to another PC?
   Moving files in and out of the lab is done using either FTP (included on most PCs) or SCP (Secure Copy, which you can get at www.ssh.com).
6. I've finally managed to graduate from Westminster. Can I still use the Lab?
   Accounts of graduated students are removed during the summer. However, if you would like to use the Lab and have a reason for doing so, please contact the admins and arrangements can be made.
7. What text editors are available?
   The WC Unix Lab has a variety of console and X-based text editors. Try them out and see which one you like best. All of them can be started by simply typing the name of the editor on the command line and pressing .
   • Console based editors
     
     • vi / vim
       Many people who use Unix or Linux every day swear by vi -- it's a very small but powerful editor. Many system administrators use it for day-to-day editing on their systems (including myself), and it can be found on almost every Unix system. That being said, vi and vim can be somewhat difficult to use at first. The following should give you a good start on learning how to use these editors.
       • The VIM (Vi IMproved) Home Page - everything you ever wanted to know about vim.
       • Vim HOW-TO - a good reference for both vi and vim.
       • The editor itself has a built-in tutorial that can be accessed by typing :helpafter starting vi.

     • pico
       Pico is a less powerful editor, but more friendly to the novice. It also includes built-in help - press control-G within the program to read it.
     • mcedit
       This is an editor very similar to one which shipped with MS-DOS. Its online help can be accessed with F1.
     • ed
       Unlike the other editors, ed is line editor. In other words, you can only edit one line at a time. Read the man page, and give it a try (if you're a masochist, or just want to brag about the fact that you use ed).
     • emacs
       This is arguably the most powerful and most popular Unix text editor. It is very expandable, and can do things you wouldn't think an editor could do. But, with its power comes a degree of complexity. But, there's a lot of documentation available to help you out, some of which is listed below.
       • www.emacs.org - an up and coming site for emacs users.
       • GNU Emacs
       - online docs from the people who wrote the software.
       • Like vi, emacs also includes an online tutorial. To access it, press Ctrl-H t (that is, the control key together with H and then t all by itself)

   • X-based text editors
     
     • gvim
       There is a graphical version of vim called gvim available. It's not that much different from the console version in functionality, but it includes a nice toolbar, drop-down menus, mouse support, and lots of other features.
     • emacs
       When using X, emacs has a graphical version with pull-down menus, mouse support, etc. See the listing above on emacs for more information.
     • nedit
       Nedit is a nice editor for X with many great features, such as syntax highlighting for C, C++, python, and just about any other language you'd want to use. Find out more at www.nedit.org.
     • gedit
       As you might have guessed, this is the Gnome desktop's default editor. It has the ability to add plug-ins, such as word count, spell-checking, and much more. Give it a try. It also includes built-in help.
     • kedit
       KDE also has its own editor, which has basically the same features as gedit, including spell check, auto-indenting, etc. More information can be found in its built-in help.

8. How do I use StarOffice?
   To use StarOffice, you need to run the setup script, which will make a directory for the office package under your home directory and copy some needed files. To run the setup program, type

   /remote/office52/program/setup

   at the command line. After a couple of dialog boxes which will present the user agreement and ask for some information such as name, company, etc. you will be asked to choose the type of installation. This should be the "Standard Workstation Installation" -- it should be selected by default. Do not do the local workstation install. This will copy several hundred megabytes of data to your home directory, and waste a lot of space.

   After the installation is complete, you can run StarOffice by typing ./soffice in the office52 directory under your home directory. You might want to put an alias in your startup files or create an icon in Gnome or KDE to make this easier.

9. How do I use the "use" command?
   For information on this topic, go to the Using use page
10. Hey! Why didn't you answer my question?!
    Because I didn't think about it. :-) If you have a question that you think should be on this list, please send email to the webmaster.

Page maintained by:
Mathematics/Computer Science Department
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA 16172-0001
webmaster@aslan.cs.westminster.edu