Connecting to the CSE Unix System from Home or Dorm

This page summarizes how to connect to the CSE Solaris (Unix) environment from your own computer. There are two reasonable ways to do this, and which works better depends on which computer you are using. The first is to use an X-Windows server on your computer. The second is to use VNC.

What is an X-Windows Server?

An "X-Windows server" is software that runs on your local computer that can be used to connect with a remote "X-Windows client". In this case, you're interested in connecting to the X-Windows client that runs on the CSE Unix computers collectively known as "stdsun@cse.ohio-state.edu".

On a Mac or Linux Computer

If you are using a Mac with Mac OS X or a computer with a Linux operating system, then an application called "X11" comes with the operating system. (The rest of this section assumes you're on a Mac; if you are using Linux, then you probably already know how to connect to a remote machine, or know how to find out.)

Experienced users of X11 recommend that you set preferences to enable key equivalents under X11, that you not use full-screen mode, and that you authenticate connections; all these options are "Preferences" items. If you try other settings, your mileage may vary.

Under the "Applications" menu in X11, start a terminal window (which is running a Unix shell on your local computer), and type into it: 

  ssh -Y yourCSElogin@stdsun.cse.ohio-state.edu
Obviously, "yourCSElogin" should be replaced in this command with your login name on the CSE Unix systems. You'll be asked for some sort of confirmation to make the connection the first time you do this, and you will be asked to provide your CSE Unix password each time you connect. Using secure shell, or ssh, for this connection means that your password is encrypted, along with all other network traffic between your computer and stdsun. Always use ssh to make such a connection. Some ssh documentation will suggest using -X in place of -Y in the above command, and either one should work. If one leads to funny behavior of any kind, close the connection as explained below and try again with the other one.

Successful connection means that everything you type into or see in this terminal window is going to or coming from your account on stdsun rather than your local computer, until you disconnect from stdsun as explained later. For example, if you now type: 

  emacs &
at a Unix prompt, an XEmacs window from stdsun will appear following a short delay. Experienced users easily get away with one terminal window and one XEmacs window, but there is no reason in principle you cannot have multiple of each if you prefer. To open another terminal window, do not do it from the X11 Applications menu because that window would be connected to your local computer by default. Instead, in the current terminal window that is connected to stdsun, type: 
  xterm &
and you'll get another terminal window already connected to stdsun.

When you are done, you should close all other windows arising from connections to stdsun (e.g., XEmacs windows), then logout and disconnect from stdsun by typing: 

  exit
into a connected terminal window. Then you may quit X11.

On a Windows Computer

As of early 2009, OSU students have been able to take advantage of the OSU site license for the X-Windows server called "X-Win32". This is the same software that runs on the Windows computers in the CSE labs (including DL 280), but you will have to set it up to work from your own computer. To learn more about X-Win32, visit http://oit.osu.edu/site_license/slwin.html and find X-Win32. To download it, click on the Software Downloads tab and then on the Windows Software tab. Detailed advice about how to set up and use X-Win32 is available at http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/cs/faq/xwin_config.htm.

You should know that some have reported difficulty getting X-Win32 to work properly on their own computers, and that it is not officially supported by the CSE Department staff. If you can't get it to work, probably your best alternative is VNC, described below. Others have reported using a program called Xming, which you can find and download for free and install on Windows. Again, there is no guaranteed local support from the CSE Department staff.

What is VNC?

VNC is a program that provides a virtual desktop so you can use CSE's Unix (i.e., Sun Solaris) environment from home.

Disclaimer

[This portion of the document was written by Annatala Wolf.] If you have any questions about how VNC is supposed to work, feel free to contact me via e-mail to Annatala Wolf, but check Shaun Rowland's VNC page first. I'll help you if I can, but success is not guaranteed, so for your own sake, don't wait until the day of the lab to try this out. The VNC software is not supported by the University. "I can't get VNC to work" is never an excuse for turning in lab or homework assignments late. If you want to try this, do it early and have a backup plan ready in case it doesn't work for you.

Running VNC

Here's a short summary of how to set up VNC:

Stuff To Do Only Once

  1. Download and install any SSH client. You can use X-Win32, or you can find a free one online.
  2. Download and install a free version of VNC. You'll need the free edition of "VNC viewer". (Don't run the program yet--if it starts asking you for an address to connect to, you're running it.)
  3. Set the SSH client up to connect to stdsun.cse.ohio-state.edu (port 22).
  4. Connect using your CSE username and password.
  5. Type: subscribe
  6. If CONTRIB is not starred, select the number that corresponds to CONTRIB to subscribe.
  7. Quit the subscribe program and log out completely (to finish subscribing). This will give your CSE account access to VNC's server program.

How to Log In

  1. Log into the cse system via SSH, as above.
  2. At the command prompt in your CSE account, type: vncserver
  3. Hit enter twice.
  4. You'll see something that says you have a new desktop named [greekletter]:[num], where [greekletter] is a greek letter like kappa or mu, and [num] is a small number.
  5. Leave SSH open and run VNC viewer. It should ask you for an address to connect to.
  6. Connect to [greekletter].cse.ohio-state.edu:[num] and use your CSE username and password, again.
  7. You're in! You should have a Solaris desktop through VNC.
  8. IMPORTANT: When you are finished, be sure to type in the SSH window: vncserver -kill :[num]
If you don't log out properly you'll leave a bunch of sessions open, and that makes the CSE people cross. So log out of your sessions!

Alternatives

An alternative to the above is to use a simple SSH client to connect without graphics. For Resolve programs, you can use a text editor to edit files, then FTP them to your account. Resolve programs can be compiled at the command line by typing "rcpp-make". This is how I usually do it.

If you're unable to do anything remotely you can always use the CSE Labs do complete your work.