Account Setup and Backup

Please make sure you set up your Resolve/C++ environment ASAP. In CSE 221, this is something you do as part of an early-quarter assignment; see The CSE Environment - Getting Started. In CSE 222, CSE 321, and beyond, you may follow the above-referenced instructions for CSE 221 students, or you may follow the abbreviated instructions given below. In either case, remember to revisit the account expiration and backup information at the end of the term!

Second Things First: Account Expiration and Backup

It is very important to realize that your CSE computer account will expire and hence disappear shortly after exam week unless you are a CSE or CIS major. You don't get a "permanent" CSE account unless and until you officially become a major, which (if you apply for the major at the normal time, i.e., during CSE 222) happens when you are in CSE 321. We strongly recommend that you backup your account at the end of each quarter. Some of your lab work might be helpful to you in future quarters, even in more advanced courses.

To backup your environment and all your files so you can restore them the next time you take a CSE course, one option is to visit the CSE Help Desk (SOC Lab) in DL 895. The operator there will be happy to assist you. If you wish to use removable media for this backup, please take a USB memory stick or a CD-R disk with you. Another alternative is to use file transfer protocol (ftp) to transfer these files to your own computer. It may help to organize the files and folders you want to keep in one "keeper" folder. It may also help to use the Unix utilities zip and unzip or tar on stdsun. If you wish to see your files on your Windows computer, check out winzip or winrar on your computer; on a Mac, by default you have the Unix utilities mentioned above. More information about the stdsun programs is available through their manual pages, available through the man program, e.g., "man zip". (Note, however, that when this manual page says "-R", it appears to mean "-r".) Typical uses of two of these stdsun programs are: "zip -r my-221-archive keeper" and "unzip my-221-archive". To transfer files between stdsun and your computer, at your computer you can use an ftp client program or (probably easier) use a web browser as an ftp client. Use the following "location" or URL: "ftp://your_stdsun_user_name@ftp.cse.ohio-state.edu". Again, the SOC operator will be happy to assist you if you need help.

First Things: Setting Up a New Account

In order to use Resolve/C++, e.g., to do the labs in the Software Component Engineering courses, you will have to make some minor changes to your .emacs file, which controls some of the behavior of XEmacs. Please note:

The changes you make will take effect the next time you login. So you should follow the instructions below (making changes in one of the ways suggested), then logout, then login again.
In the unlikely event that things get really messed up for some reason, you should ask a consultant for assistance. And you can always get back to the default environment for a new account by typing this command in a terminal window:

get-defaults

You may use either of two basic ways to make the changes needed to use Resolve/C++:

Option 1: Copy a new .emacs file from the course directory. Use this option if you are new to XEmacs, or you're willing to sacrifice some previous changes you've made to your XEmacs environment or to manually fix them up.
Option 2: Edit your existing .emacs file. Use this option if you have been using XEmacs on the Suns, and you want to keep previous changes you've made to your XEmacs environment.

Option 1: The Easy Way

At a prompt in a terminal window type the following command:

/class/sce/bin/getsetup

Unless you intend to read your CSE account e-mail separately from your other e-mail, we strongly recommend that you create a file called .forward in your home directory, containing a single line: the e-mail address to which you want to forward e-mail that is sent to your CSE account.

Option 2: A Little More Control

At the beginning of the .emacs file in your home directory, add the following line:

(load "/class/sce/rcpp/setups/.emacs")

Actually, this is already more than is technically required to use Resolve/C++ mode in XEmacs. The file /class/sce/rcpp/setups/.emacs starts with a line that loads rcpp-mode -- this really is required -- and then contains several lines that set up reasonable colors for XEmacs to use when you're editing a Resolve/C++ file, make sure you can scroll with the mouse wheel, make sure that sub-shells run using csh, and put XEmacs' "saves" files in an out-of-the-way place. As an alternative to loading this entire file, then, you may decide to copy the lines of this file into your own .emacs file and then to selectively edit them to your own liking; just be sure you know what you're doing.

Use the "subscribe" command to add the "Resolve" package to your subscriptions. This puts /class/sce/bin on your path, giving you direct access to the Resolve/C++ tools.
Unless you intend to read your CSE account e-mail separately from your other e-mail, we strongly recommend that you have a .forward file in your home directory, containing a single line: the e-mail address to which you want to forward e-mail that is sent to your CSE account.