e-mail

Even if you're not a CSE major you will be getting a CSE e-mail address, which comes free of charge with your temporary CSE account that comes with taking this CSE course. The format of this address is id@cse.ohio-state.edu. This address is in no way connected to your standard campus e-mail lastname.n@osu.edu.

If you do not want to check yet another e-mail address, do one of the following:

• Have your CSE e-mail automatically forwarded to another e-mail address:
1. log on to UNIX using your CSE id and password
2. create a file named '.forward' (in your root directory - don't forget the period before 'forward')
3. this file contains one e-mail address, which is where all mail received from this point on will be forwarded. It doesn't have to be your osu.edu address, it can be any valid e-mail address
4. save the file
5. exit the editor
• Set up your home (or work) e-mail package or internet browser to download your CSE e-mail. Each package does this differently, but the necessary info is:

• Your CSE id and password
• POP server = pop.cse.ohio-state.edu
• SMTP server = smtp.cse.ohio-state.edu

Note that using either method will remove the mail from your CSE mailbox as well as forwarding it.

If you're interested in downloading your osu.edu e-mail to another location the POP server for that is pop.service.ohio-state.edu and the SMTP server is smtp.service.ohio-state.edu.

News Groups

There is also a news server available for use with your CSE account. There are several newsgroups available, especially concerning computers and programming. Several, if not all, CSE course have their own newsgroup.

The server is nntp.service.ohio-state.edu (I think news.cse.ohio-state.edu also works). To configure Netscape to access this:

1. Select Edit
2. Select Preferences
3. Under Mail & Newsgroups highlight Newsgroup Servers
4. Enter the name of the news server

The server should appear at the bottom of your mail folders.

As you probably have guessed other news servers can be added, too.

To configure other software, like Forte or Outlook, for reading newsgroups you will have to supply the news server name as well as your id and password. The school news server requires you to log on.

Note that there is certain protocol to follow when posting to news groups.

Connecting from Home

To connect to the system from home you can use SSH. You will connect to stdsun.cse.ohio-state.edu and will have to log on as you would if you were here. This will give you a text-based environment which may not be that useful to you. For example, e-macs will be a challenge if you do not the keyboard commands. A good, free, SSH client is Putty.

Files can be sent back and forth from campus using ftp, included with most operating systems in some fashion. You would connect to ftp.cse.ohio-state.edu for that and would also have to log on.

There is software out there that can give you a better interface (graphical) to work with. A couple of popular FTP clients are CuteFTP and BulletProof FTP, both of which have a nice and intuitive graphical user interface. Both are easy to configure, also.

To connect to the CSE box and have a graphical environment in which to work there are several options, only one of which I would recommend.

• XWin-32
• Exceed
• VNC
• Reflections

VNC, IMO, far and away, is the best option. It's free, small and easy. And, at least with a cable modem, it's almost just like being in one of the labs. If you can get some geeky bit-head to sit next to you and whine about all the work he has to do then it will be exactly like being in the lab.

UPDATE: For VNC, follow this link, and watch the ScreenCast that is linked from there. There have been changes made to the CSE system to tighten security, and it has affected VNC.

The link above will take you to the "unofficial" Ohio State support page for vnc. The short version:

1. Go to http://www.realvnc.com/, the home page for vnc. Download vnc for whatever platform you want to connect from (Windows, linux, etc.). There's even a Mac version but no one in a CSE class would consider a Mac.
2. Install the software you downloaded. There will be 2 pieces (server and client). Install them both.
3. Log on to your CSE account (either on site or through SSH) for the initial, one-time setup
1. subscribe to contrib by entering subscribe then picking option 6.
2. log off, then log back on so that the subscription takes effect
3. enter vncserver. It will come back and ask for a password (only the 1st time). Doesn't have to match your CIS password, but it can. You will have to enter it twice to verify.
4. In order to connect from off-site you need to have a vnc server running in your CIS account. The command is :
   
   vncserver -depth 24 -geometry 1280x1024
   
   The depth has to do with the colors, this setting is the equivalent of Windows 24-bit true color display setting. The geometry is for the screen resolution. If you find this setting gives you a window too large or too small then tweak it.

• You don't necessarily have to be on site to start the server. You can SSH in (discussed above) and launch the server. SSH-ing in limits you to a text environemnt, but if you're only launching a server then that is more than sufficient.
• This command can be a bitch to remember. You can edit the .cshrc file in the root directory of your CIS account. Carefully. In there you will see a bunch of alias lines. Add one to create a shortcut to this command and give it a nice, short name like 'vn'.
4. You will get a message back saying your New 'X' desktop is delta:3. Won't necessarily be delta:3 but you'll need to note exactly which Greek letter and number you get.
• If you forget you can always look in the .vnc folder in your account. A running server will have a .log file and a .pid file, while a server that is no longer running only has a .log file.
5. You can log off your CSE account and the server will keep running. But if you don't need it running then don't leave it running. Killing it is discussed below.
• After it's been running a while, like a few days, it will be terminated because it looks like a runaway task. Just start a new server when you need it.
6. To connect remotely you need to (on the remote machine, at home or work) fire up the vnc viewer (what you downloaded and installed). It'll ask you for the vncserver. If your server is delta:3 then you enter delta.cse.ohio-state.edu:3. Greek letter in the front, the number in the back. It then asks for your password (the one you set for vnc earlier). Then you're in. Like magic.
7. To stop the server (on CIS account) the command is vncserver -kill :3 (or whatever number you had).