Linux Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the Linux machines?

The Linux machines are in the main CCIS computer lab, 102 West Village H. They are located in the rear right corner of the room (by the windows), and in the front (by the wall across from the elevators). There are currently eight systems: Venom, Kingpin, Mr-Freeze, Mystique, Bullseye, Carnage, Nekron, and Sinestro.

How do I get an account?

Accounts may be requested by anyone with an active CCIS account. Email linux@rt.crew.ccs.neu.edu to request a Linux account. Note that Linux account names are required to be the same as CCIS account names.

Where are my files stored?

The Linux project no longer uses the CCIS file storage, but has its own file server. Users receive 30MB of storage, which is completely separate from your CCIS space. This data is stored on a RAID-1 volume but does not have .snapshot or backup. It is each user's responsibility to back up any valuable data (to their CCS home directory, for example).

Users may also wish to store data on a removable USB drive. USB drives may be connected to any port (front or back) and mounted with the command mount /mnt/usb-store.

How do I check my quota usage?

To check your quota usage, run the linquota command. This is a port of the ccsquota command.

What about email?

Each Linux account comes with an email account, user@crew.ccs.neu.edu. Outgoing mail may be sent from the Linux machines through latveria.ccs.neu.edu. Incoming mail is available in /var/mail/username on the Linux machines, and may be read with your choice of local mail reader. Currently POP/IMAP access is not available.

Will it eat my CCIS e-mail?

No! Since the Linux machines use a completely independent e-mail system, using e-mail on the Linux machines should not affect your regular CCIS mail.

How do I login in a different language?

The Linux machines support approximately 100 different languages. Simply select your preferred language from the "Language" menu on the login screen and login as usual. Note: Chinese/Japanese fonts have not yet been installed.

How do I change my login shell?

Run /usr/local/bin/chsh to change your shell. /etc/shells contains a list of available shell programs.

When is scheduled downtime?

The Linux machines update their software and configuration each Wednesday from 11:45 for 1:45. The process takes usually takes about 15 minutes, and the machines reboot when it completes at around 12:00. This is the only scheduled downtime. Systems may occasionally need to be rebooted at other times for the installation of critical fixes, but such events should be infrequent.

What software is available?

See ProvisionalLinuxSoftware

I can't login with the Windows SSH client on CCIS machines! What's wrong?

The CCIS Windows SSH client only supports the old SSHv1 protocol, and the Linux machines only support SSHv2 (for security reasons). As a workaround, you may use another SSH client (such as PuTTY) or SSH to a Solaris host first and then SSH from there to the Linux host you wish to login to.

How do I stay updated with what is going on in the project?

We have a list for users of the project linux-users mailing list. Please feel free to send your questions and comments.

I keep getting logged out right after I log in. How do I fix this?

You have two ways of bypassing your windowing system configuration. The first is to press Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get to a console. The second is to select Session->Failsafe Xterm from the login screen, and then log in as normal.

Once you are in a terminal, look at the .xsession-errors file (usually that's where errors live) to find out what errors you are receiving. Chances are that you have problems with your .xsession file, such as wrong paths to programs.

The machine I was using was accidentally turned off and I can no longer log in because of a lockfile problem. How do I fix this?

You must first bypass your windowing system configuration using one of the methods described above. Then, run the following two commands to remove the stale lockfiles:

rm ~/.gconfd/lock/ior
rm ~/.gconf/%gconf-xml-backend.lock/ior

How do I add a specific printer to OpenOffice?

Run the command /arch/unix/packages/openoffice-1.1.0/program/spadmin. Click "New Printer," click Next twice, then in the text box type: lpr -Pescher. You can replace escher with the name of the printer you would like to add. Click Next, then enter a name you'd like to give to the printer. Click Finish, then close out the spadmin program. The next time you use OpenOffice, your added printer should show up in the printers list when selecting File->Print.

Where should I report bugs?

Report any bugs to linux@rt.crew.ccs.neu.edu. Please do not contact Systems, as the Linux project is a beta project and is not supported by Systems.

I want to use a software package, but it isn't installed. What can I do?

If you would like a package installed, please email linux@rt.crew.ccs.neu.edu and we will evaluate your request. Existing Debian packages can usually be made available more quickly, but source packages can be installed as well.

The Linux project will have a "beta" software area similar to that of the CCIS Solaris environment so that users may experiment with new software on their own, but this feature is still in development.