how to log in and log out
in the cs labs
To log in on a machine in one of the CS labs, first find one that is not being used. The name of the machine and a login prompt should be displayed on the screen as follows:
hostname
Username:
Please enter your username
We have named our machines (or hosts) after spices and cooking ingredients, so hostname in the above example will be something like milk, oil, ginger, and so on.
If there aren't any machines that look like this, find one whose screen is blank. This just means that it hasn't been used for a while. As soon as a machine realizes that nobody is talking to it (no keyboard or mouse activity for 600 seconds), it will turn it's screen off. If you are sitting in front of a machine whose screen is blank, first try moving the mouse or hitting the Shift key. If the screen comes to life, but does not have a login prompt, then someone is probably logged in and you should move to another machine.
Once you find a machine to use, type in your username, which is case-sensitive. You can fix typos by pressing the either the <Delete> key or the <Back Space> key. After you have typed your name, press <Return> (or it might be labeled <Enter>), and do the same with your password. You will notice that as you type in your password, the letters will not appear on the screen. This is a security feature, so no one will see your password.
It is quite possible that you have misstyped something by now, in which case you will get a "Login incorrect" message, and then a chance to retry.
If the machine refuses to acknowledge you after a few attempts, there is most likely a problem with your account. Talk to one of the system administrators or email local-staff to straighten things out.
changing your password
The first thing you should do with your new account is change your password. The Computer Science Department insists that you use a "good" password. See the section on Choosing Good Passwords for more information about changing your password and how to choose a "good" one. Running the passwd command to change your password.
logging out
To log out from one of the lab machines you must both exit any applications and quit the window manager. After exiting any applications (like emacs and firefox), hit the Quit/Logout button (if using the xfce window manager). This will exit the window manager and log you out of any remaining windows. Do not simply type "exit" in each of your windows! This will only close those windows and you will still be logged on.
The screen should now look like it did when you logged on. Don't turn anything off (especially the computer) -- the screen save feature will turn off the monitor for you.
If you forget to logout, the next time you login you may find that someone has gone into your account and erased all your files. This is not a pleasant experience. Remember to log out. To log out of a single window type "exit" or <Control>-d. To log off the machine, make sure you QUIT the window manager.
remote logins
If you don't want to come all the way to the CS Lab, you may also access your CS account by using a computer connected to the network. Connecting to either lab.cs.swarthmore.edu or one of the client spices (e.g., dill, egg, oil, etc.) will provide access to your CS account. We ask that you use secure methods (i.e., ssh and scp) to connect to our machines (e.g., ssh lab.cs.swarthmore.edu). Please see the document How to Connect to the CS Machines for more information on remote logins using secure methods.