The Pool may change for any number of reasons; for example, machines may be rotated out for maintenance. To discover the IP addresses of the Login machines any given time, use the host command:
host login.itd.umich.edu
To discover a machine's name, use the host command with an IP address argument, as shown below:
host 141.211.2.210 (replacing the IP number with the known IP number)
The Login machines run a custom build of Linux, based on Linux From Scratch called UMCE Linux.
A wide variety of software is accessible on the Login Pool under the /usr/bin directory.
The alternatives to using the login machines are:
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getting access to the CAEN machines in the Duderstadt Center site by getting a joint ITS/CAEN account from the CAEN Office in the Duderstadt Center, or
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in a few cases, getting an account on a departmental machine.
Check with the IT staff of the department where you wish to get access.
Because the software is supported only in its system-wide configuration, ITS (4-HELP) cannot assist you if you have problems using it in any way other than in its system-wide configuration. You are free to use it in any way that you like, however.
Email the Login administrators at [email protected].
Specific Login Commands
Use the passwd uniqname (where uniqname is your uniqname) command from the % prompt. It will ask you for your old password, and then your new one twice. The kpasswd command will also work to change your password.
To change your full name, contact [email protected].
Add these lines to the end of your .login file:
if ( $SHELL == "/bin/csh" ) then
foreach i ($path)
if ( -x $i/tcsh ) then
setenv SHELL $i/tcsh
set shell=$i/tcsh
exec $i/tcsh -l
endif
end
endif
This sets the shell to tcsh if (and only if) it can find a copy of tcsh on the machine. If you really need tcsh to be the login shell, then you should start it with the -l flag as it is done above.
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If your account has somehow been misconfigured, you can get back the standard configuration with the command:
/usr/bin/redot -
If you only need a specific configuration file, you can limit it to that file by specifying the file on the command line:
/usr/bin/redot .cshrc
This is usually necessary because someone deleted the files by mistake, or because someone has old files and they need to be updated. The files affected are: .cshrc, .login, .logout, .xsession, .Xresources, .mwmrc, .principals, .profile, .tvtwmrc, .twmrc, .zephyr.subs, .zephyr.vars, and AppleVolumes.
See Getting Started With AFS for recommended SFTP options.
Add the following line to the end of your .login file:
setenv EDITOR vi
If you don't want to see the daily message, which informs you of changes and important announcements, disable it with a file in your home directory called ".hushlogin". You can create this file with the command:
touch ~/.hushlogin
If you want to re-enable the message, just remove the file with the command:
rm ~/.hushlogin
Create a script in a bin directory:
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Make a bin directory if you don't have one: mkdir ~/bin
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Edit a file called ~/bin/rs, and add the following lines:
#!/bin/csh
eval `resize` (Note: use back-quotes, not apostrophes. The back-quote key can often be found beneath the Esc key at the top left corner of keyboards.) -
Change the permissions on the file to make it executable with the command:
chmod 700 ~/bin/rs -
When you have the wrong screen size, type rs and the screen will resize.
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You can also accomplish the same thing by adding this line to the end of your .cshrc file:
alias rs eval `resize`
At the prompt, type the command "last" followed by your uniqname:
% last <uniqname>
You will see a list of all your logins on the current machine within the past week.
RSA Authentication is disabled on the Login Pool's SSH daemon for two reasons:
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The Login Pool uses Kerberos, a software package for centralized identification, authentication and authorization. Kerberos is the university standard for authentication.
-
A user logged in via SSH RSA authentication would still need to authenticate via Kerberos in order to access his/her home directory. Some supported programs will not behave properly if the user's home directory is inaccessible.
Do this with a simple command:
fs lq
You will get a readout like this:
% fs lq ~uniqname % fs lq ~bjensen Volume Name Quota Used % Used Partition user.bjensen 10485764 6019661 57% 81%
This means that bjensen's quota is 10,485,764K, and they are using 6,019,661K, or 57% of that. On the disk where his home directory resides, 81% of the space is being used.
X and the Login Service
The DISPLAY variable is the variable every X program checks to see where to send the information it is going to display. If you log in to the console on pita.gpcc.itd.umich.edu at the Angell Hall Computing Site, and run xterm on login.itd.umich.edu, then you should have the DISPLAY variable (in the session you are running xterm from) set to biscuit:0. You can do that with the command:
setenv DISPLAY pita:0
This will tell the login.itd.umich.edu machine that you want windows displayed on pita, using display number 0, which is the only display pita has. You also need to set it up so that pita will accept display data from login.itd.umich.edu. To do this, you need to type more commands. Open a new shell on pita, and type this command:
xauth extract .Xauth pita:0
Then go back to the shell on login.itd.umich.edu, and type the following command:
xauth merge .Xauth
There is a method of X "security" using the xhost command, but that method is easily subject to snooping, so it is not recommended.
Follow these steps:
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First, set up an X server on your PC. Many people are using Exceed for Windows to do this. Campus Computing Sites now supports Xming as well.
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Set your DISPLAY variable (see above question) to your desktop PC. The command should look something like this:
setenv DISPLAY your.machine.here.umich.edu:0
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Include in this command your machine's name or IP number in it before the colon (:). If you don't know what your machine name is, use this command:
who | grep uniqname (replacing the word "uniqname" with your uniqname)
Type that command with your uniqname instead of the word "uniqname," and your machine's name will be in parentheses. (If all that's there is a series of numbers, they will work as well.)
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Consult your software's documentation to figure out how to allow the machine you are logged into to open Windows on your desktop machine.
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Run an X application. If you need help, call 734-764-4357 (4-HELP), e-mail [email protected], talk to your departmental network admin, or contact [email protected].
Yes. Data sent over an X connection isn't encrypted in any special way, so typing your password into an X window that's running on a different machine can allow someone to break your password. Use xauth to minimize this danger. Using xhost or X from your PC is more dangerous, because neither does the encryption and decryption that xauth does. Change your password fairly often to minimize your risk.
Note that you can use SSH to encrypt your X traffic. This highly desirable and is well supported by most SSH clients.