CS 112
System FAQ's


How do I telnet to hermite.csc.smith.edu using the PCs in Burton basement (B01 and B17)?

  1. From the Start Menu choose Programs/Internet Tools/PowerTerm.
  2. From the menu select Communications and then Connect...
  3. In the box for Host Name enter hermite.csc.smith.edu and click the connect button.
  4. Then enter username and password (112b-xx, your class account).


How do I change the name associated to my class account?

  1. Log onto your class account on grendel (NOT on hermite!!!).
  2. Type "chfn" at the Unix prompt.
  3. Type in the correct name and other information requested.
Explanation: "chfn" stands for "change finger information". "finger" is a Unix utility which allows you to know a few basic things about the owner of an account, such as the name, whether she is or not currently logged on, etc. Try it!

How do I know in what account I am currently working? I have too many accounts, it is confusing...

Type "whoami" or "who am i" at the Unix prompt.

How do I know in what directlry I am currently working? I have too many directories, it is confusing...

Type "pwd" at the Unix prompt. "pwd" stands for "print working directory".

I'm logged on grendel or hermite from a PC or Mac elsewhere, but the terminal screen looks scrambled. What's wrong?

Type "resize" in the UNIX shell. This will set up the terminal parameters correctly. If this does not fix it, email to Ileana a short message describing the problem, specifying the room, machine number and type of software used to connect to grendel or hermite (e.g. PowerTerm; QVTNet; telnet, etc.)

I cannot make pine work correctly from my class account! The text on the screen is all scrambled!! What's wrong?

Try typing:

resize

at the unix prompt. This will set up the terminal parameters correctly and hopefully eliminate your problem. If it persists, email Ileana describind the problem.

I'm logged on my 112a-xx class account but I cannot run java! What's wrong?

You probably are logged on grendel, not on hermite. You see the same files in your 112a-xx account, from both machines, but in fact there are two different accounts that you are using: one on grendel, one on hermite. Java runs only on hermite.

How do I create a log of what I type in at the Unix prompt, and of the results printed by the commands I typed?

  1. Type "script" at the Unix prompt. After you do this, everything you type in and everything that the various programs print for you on the terminal screen is sent to a file called typescript.
  2. Type "exit" when you want to stop recording.
  3. Now you can look into the "typescript" file using "more", "emacs", etc.

Emacs doesn't work properly.

Maybe you can't use the arrow keys to navigate. Or, if you try to use emacs when you are on hermite, you get a message about xhost or display (this usually happens when you use a QVT terminal).

To fix it:

Type "emacs -nw filename." You will have to do this each time you want to use emacs unless you edit the .cshrc file. To do this type

emacs -nw .cshrc

to open with the editor the c-shell resource hidden file. Find the list of aliases, and type

alias emacs 'emacs -nw'


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