My question isn't answered here, what do I do?

If you have a question which isn't answered by this FAQ, you are encouraged to email helpdesk@csee.wvu.edu.

Where can I download OpenOffice.org?

You can visit http://www.openoffice.org.

What is a good reference for learning GNU/Linux?

Well, there are a lot. One good introduction is located at http://www.linux-tutorial.info.

What GNU/Linux Distribution is used in the LCSEE?

Ubuntu

I am a WVU student can I get antivirus support?

Yes. Go here for installation instructions.

Where can I find documentation on the C library?

GNU libc is installed on the shell servers as well as all Linux lab machines. Documentation can be found here.

I forgot or need the passcode reset for my voicemail box. Who do I call?

The WVU Office of Information Technology helpdesk can take care of this for you. Call 293-4444 x 1.

How can I search the LCSEE LDAP Directory for a person's contact information?

If you know the person's CSEE username, you can finger them by typing 'ldap-finger username' on shell.csee.wvu.edu.

If you'd like to search our directory for people based on their Real Name, you can use the following on shell.csee.wvu.edu:

ldapsearch -x gecos="*Lastname" gecos mail

The above command will search the LDAP directory for anyone with the name you put in for Lastname. The * is simply a wildcard so the search will include anything until it reaches the Lastname.

Keep in mind, this is case sensitive since you're searching a string in the gecos field.

You can move the asterisk around to do other searches, such as the one below:

ldapsearch -x gecos="Firstname*" gecos mail

The above command here will search for any entry that begins with the firstname you choose to put in.

How can I add images/files to my LCSEE maintained wiki?

For this guide you will need to have a Linux terminal running. If you are in Windows, you can use an ssh client to connect to the shell server to perform these steps.

Step 1. Check out the wiki through subversion. Open a terminal and traverse to any local directory and use:

prompt$ svn co https://wiki.lcsee.wvu.edu/svn/WIKINAME

If prompted, accept the license. A new directory will be created in the current directory named WIKINAME.

Step 2. Add the desired file(s) to the newly created WIKINAME/trunk directory.

Step 3. Use the following command

prompt$ svn add FILES.EXT

inside the trunk directory, replacing FILES.EXT with the name(s) of the file(s) you have just moved to trunk.

Step 4. Commit the subversion update by executing

prompt$ svn commit

inside your trunk directory.

You may now create links to the file in the ikiwiki using the normal linking mechanism, simply type [[FILE.EXT]] in the edit box, replacing FILE.EXT with the file name and extension.

How can I request MSDNAA software?

The MSDNAA, or Microsoft Developers Network Academic Alliance, is a collection of software packages from Microsoft that can be given to LCSEE Students and Faculty. Some of the common packages include the Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Visual Studio.

If a faculty member would like an operating system or software package such as Visual Studio installed on his or her computer, we can use the copy we have stored in the systems office to do that installation.

Students requesting MSDNAA software for personal machines must make requests through the MSDNAA Program Administrator, which may be reached at msdnaa-request@csee.wvu.edu

How can I access the Oracle database web interface from an external network?

Because our Oracle server is protected by a firewall, you will have to create an SSH tunnel to access Oracle.

First, you need to edit your settings in Firefox to manually configure which port it uses:

1. Go to Firefox->Edit->Preferences->Advanced tab-> Network tab->Settings button.
2. Select Manual proxy configuration
3. SOCKS Host: localhost Port: 9999
4. Socks v5
5. o Proxy for: localhost, 127.0.0.1

Next, if you are running Linux, you can create the tunnel by using the following in the terminal: user@box~$ ssh -D 9999 -C username@oracle.lcsee.wvu.edu

If you are using Windows, you can create the tunnel using PuTTY. Open the PuTTY configuration page, on the left side select Connection->SSH->Tunnels. Type in 9999 for the Source port, and select the Dynamic option, and then click Add. You may now resume setting up the session as you normally would, except use oracle.lcsee.wvu.edu instead of the regular shell (so you do not time out). You may also want to save the session with the tunnel in place. Open the connection and log in.

You can now browse to the Oracle database web interface with Firefox. When you are done, be sure to close the SSH tunnel and revert your Firefox settings back to their original state.

I'm not able to access any man pages on the shell server.

This problem is caused by the environment variable $MANPATH pointing to a location on the old Solaris system which is no longer valid. It is not necessary to set this environment variable on the GNU/Linux shell servers, and you may sefely comment this line out of your ~/.login or ~/.cshrc file by prepending it with a '#' character. You can reload the changed configuration file with the following command:

prompt$ source ~/.login

How do I change my login shell?

ssh into shell.csee.wvu.edu and run the following command:

prompt$ ldap-chfn

Using this command, you can change many pieces of information dealing with your account, including your login shell. To leave an entry unchanged, simply press enter for that entry. Typically, the shell on a GNU/Linux account is /bin/bash, though you may choose alternately /bin/ksh, /bin/tcsh, or /bin/zsh. Although /bin/ash is an additional shell, it is not provided by default on LCSEE machines.

How do I burn cds under Ubuntu in the labs?

CDs can be created by selecting the CD/DVD Creator from the Places menu either on the desktop bar or from a Nautilus file browser window. Drag the files you would like to burn into that directory. Finally, click the "Write to CD Button".

How do I burn an iso under Ubuntu in the labs?

Open the file manager, right click on the iso file and select "Write to CD".

Is there any temporary space I can use to store files?

Yes, in the /tmp directory. However, don't keep anything important there and don't expect files to remain there for any length of time. The /tmp area is meant only as very short term temporary storage for files, such as isos, that are too big to fit into your home directory.

How do I mount a cdrom under Ubuntu?

A cdrom should mount automatically in LDapper, however, it can also be manually mounted by selecting Places/Computer and then right clicking on the cdrom drive icon and choosing Mount Volume.

How do I unmount a cdrom under Ubuntu?

The cdrom may be manually unmounted by selecting Places/Computer and then right clicking on the cdrom drive icon and choosing Unmount Volume option.

How do I get a listing of process under Ubuntu? (Similar to ctrl-alt-delete under Microsoft Windows)

The running processes are accessible through the system monitor applet which can be accessed though the menu path system/administration.

How do I access a floppy/cdrom under Ubuntu?

A drive may be manually mounted by selecting Places/Computer and then right clicking on the floppy drive icon and choosing Mount Volume. The drive can then be accessed from this window as well as the corresponding drive icon on the desktop. Be sure to unmount the disk or drive before removing it in order to prevent the disk from becoming damaged or risk having data lost.

How do I access the run command under Ubuntu?

On the top of the screen, click actions, scroll down to "run applicatons". A dialog box will appear, and you can type the command that you would like to run.

How do I browse files outside of my home directory under Ubuntu?

Files outside of the home directory may be browsed by clicking on the dropdown box located in the lower lefthand corner of a file browser window. From your home directory, it should show a folder with a house on it with your user name listed next to it. You may then select any folder above the level you are currently at from this list. Other folders may then be opened by double clicking on the desired folder's icon in the main window.

How do I use instant messaging under Ubuntu?

Use Gaim. For Gaim, click on applications, scroll down to internet, then over to Gaim.

How do I run remote X Applications from the shell servers on my MS Windows computer on the LCSEE network?

If you are using Windows computer that is connected to the LCSEE network and want to run an X application from the shell servers, such as the graphical version of emacs, follow the instructions below.

First, download and install Cygwin from http://www.cygwin.com

While configuring Cygwin, be sure to select XFree86 and OpenSSH when you are choosing packages to install.

After installation, open a Cygwin Bash Prompt by double clicking the Cygwin Icon.

Startup X by typing 'xwin -multiwindow &' at the cygwin shell.

Set your DISPLAY by typing 'export DISPLAY=:0' at the cygwin shell.

Login to the shell servers via SSH. Be sure to use the -X option to allow the X connection to tunnel thorough SSH. Type 'ssh -X username@shell.csee.wvu.edu' at the cygwin prompt.

Run your favorite X application, such as emacs, and it should appear on your Windows Desktop.

How do I manipulate zip files?

In the file browser, you can double click on a zip file and it will open. To create zip files you can run Applications->Accessories->file-roller to manipulate zip and other archive formats such as bzip2.

How do I run Matlab?

Click on Applications, Programming, then Matlab.

How do I make and use a subversion repository in my home directory?

(1) Make a directory in your home folder* which will hold the repository. (Important Note: You DO NOT want to work directly on the files in the repository. Instead you will check them out and then use subversion to commit changes back to the repository.)

prompt$ mkdir myrepository

(2) Use svnadmin to populate your repository directory with the files subversion uses to maintain your repository.

prompt$ svnadmin create myrepository

(3) Import your project files into your repository for the first time. In the example the contents of an entire directory (named testsvnproject) are added to the repository.

prompt$ svn import testsvnproject file:///home/user_name/myrepository/

{shell output}
Adding testsvnproject/test2.txt
Adding testsvnproject/test3.txt
Adding testsvnproject/test1.txt

(4) Now you need to checkout your files from the repository to a new place so you can work on them. In the example the entire contents of myrepository are checked out to a folder called sandbox

user_name@host_name sandbox$ svn co file:///home/user_name/myrepository/

{shell output}
A myrepository/test2.txt
A myrepository/test3.txt
A myrepository/test1.txt
Checked out revision 1.

(5) At this point you can edit the contents of individual files and then commit the changes back to the repository. For the purpose of the example the contents of the file text1.txt have been modified. In order for the changes to be reflected in the repositry they must be commited back to it.

user_name@host_name sandbox$ svn commit text1.txt

(7) At this point you will be prompted to enter a comment pertaining to the changes which you are commiting. Do so and you are finished.

use the command "man svn" for more details.

* If you wish to set up subversion for your home directory and not a folder within your home directory, you will need to do an additional step, you will need to change the filesystem for your repository from Berkeley Database to fsfs**. This is done by simply running the command 'svnadmin create --fs-type fsfs'. Or, if BerkeleyDB wasn't detected at compile time, 'svnadmin create' will default to type fsfs.

**For more information regarding this, please refer to this link.

What is the default version of java, and how do I access it?

The default installed version of java is Sun Microsystems (c) Java RE 1.5.0. To access it, simply type java.

To verify that you are running the correct version, type "java -version" from the command line. The output should look similar to this:

              user@756esb001:~$ java -version
              java version "1.5.0_06"
              Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_06-b05)
              Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_06-b05, mixed mode, sharing)
              

How do I access the free software version of java?

All csee machines also include a copy of the the free software version of java, although it is not used by default. Please be advised that the free software version of java operates on older version of the Java environment then what is provided by the Sun Microsystems version.

To access this version from the command line, you must invoke /usr/lib/jvm/java-gcj/bin/java instead of just java whenever you go to use the command.

To make eclipse use this version of java, follow the instructions for upgrading eclipse, but during step 3 use /usr/lib/jvm/java-gcj as the JRE home and use java-gcj as the JRE name.

Firefox won't start up, and it gives me an error saying "Firefox is already running" even though it is not. How do I fix this?

When either Firefox or Thunderbird are started, they create a lock file. The purpose of this is to prevent multiple instances of the program from running simultaneously. When Firefox, or Thunderbird, are closed, the program will automatically remove these lock files. Sometimes, this does not occur. The most common reason for this is improper shutdown of the computer. This prevents Firefox from deleting the lock file, so the next time it is ran, it will find a lock file already in place and fail to start. The way to fix this is to manually remove these files.

I'm in 756ESB, how do I access Windows?

We've moved to using a virtual Windows environment for this lab. To access said environment: Open your applications menu(located in the upper left), click Accessories, then click Windows.

Why do my java applications, including Groupwise and Dr. Java, have problems displaying properly?

Compiz, or Desktop Effects, allow for some very impressive graphical features, such as 3D desktop switching and animated window minimizing/maximizing. It however, tends to cause issues with the displaying of some applications. In order to fix this issue, go to System -> Preferences -> Desktop Effects. If "Enable Desktop Effects" is depressed (selected), click the button to disable it.
Additionally, if you have set a custom theme for your desktop, you may try reverting back to the default "Human" theme. This can be accomplished by going to System -> Preferences -> Themes. Scroll down and select Human. This should resolve any graphical issues such as missing window borders or blank windows.

How can I run Cadence on the lab machines?

In order to run Cadence on lab machines (756ESB and 813ESB) and on the shell servers, you must first set up the user environment. This is required because there are certain library files that are required for some of the tools, and they only look in your present working directory for these.

To do this, just run "cadence-usersetup" in the terminal. This will create the ~/cadence folder and copy the appropriate files into that directory. It will also update your .bashrc to include some environment variables that are specific to Cadence.

After running this, either relog into your machine or type "source ~/.bashrc". Before running the Cadence tools, be sure to change into the ~/cadence directory using "cd ~/cadence". You may now run the tools from the command line.

Mutt tells me "Aborted unmodified message" after entering the Subject line.

This is the result of mutt being unable to find your preferred text editor. The editor is set with the $EDITOR environment variable. Yours may have an absolute path specific to the old Solaris system causing the problem.

Use the following command to see the value of your default editor:

prompt$ echo $EDITOR

If the value is a full path to an editor, it should be set to simply the executable name. The following command will temporarily set the value under the bash shell:

prompt$ export EDITOR='emacs -nw'

And the following command would be used for the csh or tcsh shells:

prompt$ setenv EDITOR 'emacs -nw'

If temporarily setting your $EDITOR variable solves the mutt problem, you can permenantly set the environment variable by editing the above line in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.cshrc files (it may alternately be set in your ~/.login file).

While using webmail I get an error that says something about a 'quota' when I try to do certain things, what's wrong and what should I do?

Your Unix home directory is filled to capacity and you need to delete or move some files off of the server to get back under your quota. It may be that your Trash has not been emptied in a really long time and emptying it will fix the problem. Once you are under the quota for your Unix account then the error should go away. If you are unable to remove files from the server because it gives you quota errors when you try to remove the file then contact the helpdesk and a staff member will help you. Look at the account policies page for more information about your Unix quota.

How do I configure a sentbox in Mutt?

Create a .muttrc file in your home directory, if you do not have one already. Put this line into your .muttrc file:

set record=+Sent
              

That is actually all you need to do. The next time you send a message Mutt will create a Sent folder under mail/Sent in your home directory. All of the emails you send from Mutt will be stored in the mail/Sent directory from now on.

Note: You do not need to make the new directory on your own and then point your .muttrc file to it. Mutt must make this mailbox for you.

To change to the Sent directory in mutt type 'c' and it will prompt you for the name of the mailbox you want to move to. Or else you can type '?' for a list of mailboxes to change to.

How do I configure Mozilla Thunderbird to access my Mix email?

Mozilla Thunderbird provides an alternative to using the web interface for your email accounts. This is useful if you have more than one email account, and wish to be able to check them quickly in one place, or you wish to save your emails locally to your computer. In order to use Thunderbird to access your Mix email account, a few steps need to be taken.

1. If you have not already installed Thunderbird, please go to Mozilla's homepage and download and install the software.
2. Once installed, start up the program. The first time you run Mozilla Thunderbird, you will be prompted with an Account Wizard to setup your email account.
3. Now the identity screen should be displayed. Enter your name how you want it displayed to your email recipients. For example enter in Joe Mixuser rather than jmixuse25. Below that, enter in your full mix email address, which in this case would be jmixuse25@mix.wvu.edu. Once that is filled out, press next.
4. This next screen is the Server Information page. Select the IMAP option for incoming server. The name of the server is mix.wvu.edu.
5. Set the outgoing server to mail.csee.wvu.edu.
6. Your Incoming user name, which is requested on the User Names page, is your mix user name, which is jmixuse25, rather than jmixuse25@mix.wvu.edu.
7. Your Outgoing username is your LCSEE account name, since you will sending mail out using LCSEE's resources.
8. Finally, give your account a name so that you can differentiate it from other accounts, should you add them later. Press next and verify that the information displayed is correct. If it is, then press finish.
9. Before you can access your account, there are a few final things to do. Bring up the Account Settings screen from Edit -> Account Settings. In the lefthand pane, select the server settings for your mix account. Now, in the righthand pane, under security settings, select the TLS option. This will improve the security of your connection to the mix server. Additionally, you may also want to adjust some of the settings under the server settings heading to your personal preferences. Press ok once you have configured it to your liking
10. When asked to verify the identity of mix.wvu.edu as a trusted site, click "Accept this certificate permanently" then click OK.
11. Next, under Edit -> Account Settings, choose Outgoing SMTP server.
12. Click on the mail.csee.wvu.edu server you added earlier and then click Edit.
13. Click on TLS and then click OK.
14. The next time you send an email, you will be asked to verify the identity of mail.csee.wvu.edu as a trusted site. Click "Accept this certificate permanently" then click OK.
15. When sending an email, be sure to enter your LCSEE password.
16. You will only be prompted for these passwords once, each time you start Thunderbird.
17. Your account should be all set to go now. Click on the Inbox folder under your mix heading on Thunderbird's main window.

prompt$ lpr -Pps813esb -o Duplex=DuplexNoTumble foo

				
                prompt$ mkdir ~/public_html
                prompt$ cp ~/index.html ~/public_html/index.html
                prompt$ chmod 755 ~/public_html
                prompt$ chmod 644 ~/public_html/*.html