Sections

• General
• Operating Systems/Hardware
  • HP Workstation
  • SUN Workstation
  • Linux Workstation
  • SGI Workstation
  • General Unix
  • Windows NT
• Programming
• Webpages

• Q: How do I get an account?
  A: All students who register for an Engineering class have an account generated automatically for them. Your account id is eight characters long consisting of your first initial and up to seven characters of your last name. If you have a common name there may be a number attached to the end of your account id eg: John Smith = jsmith3. Your account id is the same for Unix and NT systems. Your password is initially your 11 digit student id number on both systems. Passwords are stored independently so they can be different between systems. Users should change their password on first usage and periodically thereafter. The lab monitor on duty in the Design Center can help you determine your account id. To get your password reset you must present a picture id to a system administration staff member.
• Q: Do you have documentation for ..... ?
  A: We have documentation for most software we have online. Some packages you must see the professor of your course(s) for the manuals. You can check documentation out from the lab assistant on-duty (an ID card is required for checkout). NO OVERNIGHT CHECKOUT OF MANUALS! Some packages have online documentation. We recommend the use of that in most cases.
• Q: Can I access the Internet from here?
  A: Yes! From telnet/rlogin/ftp, you can use either names or IP numbers. You can use the World Wide Web to access all kinds of information on the internet.
• Q: Can I send Internet mail from here?
  A: Yes. Check 'helpme email' for more details.
• Q: Do you have a POP server?
  A: Yes. The server is pop.engr.scu.edu. See "helpme imap" for more information.
• Q: Do you have an IMAP server?
  A: Yes. The server is imap.engr.scu.edu. See "helpme imap" for more information.
• Q: Do you have a news server?
  A: Yes and no. SCU does have a server, but it is not maintained by the Design Center; if there is a problem with it, you will have to talk to the Academic Computing Center. The server name is news.scu.edu. See "helpme news" for more information.
• Q: How can I request software be installed?
  A: Generally, a faculty member must submit a Software Request Form (available on-line or from department administrative assistants or the Design Center Systems Manager). However, we will consider software requests from students if the software is free and could be of use to many students. Please try to make sure that the software supports our hardware before making a request.

• Q: How can I switch between the CDE and OpenWindows desktops?
  A: Log out. Enter your username on the login screen, but not your password. The login window should list the desktop environment you will be using. If you wish to change, select Options->Session and choose the desktop you would like to use. Finally, enter your password to complete the login sequence.

• Q: Can I download files from the Unix machines onto a PC disk?
  A: Yes. See "helpme ftp" for information.
• Q: Can I access my Windows NT home directory from Unix?
  A: Yes. It is /users/nt/homes/username. Note that if you use NT filenames with spaces in them, you will have to surround the filename with quotation marks to do anything with it on the Unix side.
• Q: Can I connect to my account from work or home?
  A: Yes. Read the helpme on dialin or telnet-in for information.
• Q: How can I run Emacs in no-windows mode?
  A: Invoke it with the command emacs -nw [ <filename> ]

• Q: Can I download files from the Unix machines onto a PC or disk?
  A: Yes. See "helpme ftp" for information.
• Q: Can I access my Unix home directory directly, without using ftp?
  A: Yes, if you're willing to do some work. In Unix, create a symbolic link in /users/nt/homes/username pointing to /home/username. Your Unix home directory will now appear as a subdirectory under E:\.

• Q: How come I can't execute the program I just compiled?
  A: Probably because the current directory (".") is not in your path. You have to type ./program_name to execute it.
• Q: I included math.h, but I still get errors when I use math functions.
  A: The header file describes the math functions, but you must link with the math library to access the actual code. To do this, add the flag -lm at the end of your compilation command line.
• Q: I compiled a program on one of the HP machines and it ran fine, but now it's not working.
  A: If you are sitting at an older workstation, you may not be able to run programs compiled on newer workstations. Log in to hpux.dc.engr.scu.edu to get a random newer workstation. If you need to be able to run your program on older workstations, see "helpme compilers" for instructions on how to get around this problem.

• Q: Where is my webpage located?
  A: The URL to view your web page on the net is http://students.engr.scu.edu/~username
• Q: Wait, I don't see my name ... Do I have a webpage?
  A: The student webpages are not automatically created, you have to put in a request to create one by using the command "webpage" from a Unix terminal.
• Q: How can I edit my webpage once it is there?
  A: Your webpage directory in the Unix system is in /webpages/username. To be visible on the web all files must be placed in this directory or a subdirectory of it. Your main webpage is called "index.html" which you can edit with any text editor.
• Q: My webpage has been disabled, what does that mean?
  A: Your page may not comply with the current webpage-policy. Remember you must add the disclaimer: "The content of these web pages is not generated by and does not represent the views of Santa Clara University or any of its departments or organizations." to your main "index.html" exactly as shown here.
• Q: I put the disclaimer in a frame on my webpage. Why was my webpage disabled?
  A: Disclaimers are checked automatically by a program that reads your main page with a text-based browser (Lynx), so the disclaimer must be free of typing errors and display on your main page even if you use frames.
• Q: How do I enable my webpage now that it is fixed?
  A: Use the "webpage" command. Select option 4.
• Q: I put my page up but my web-browser says it is "Forbidden" Why can't I see it?
  A: You have to change the permissions on all files you want to be accessed through the web to world-readable. Use the command chmod to do this. Remember subdirectories must also be world-executable so their files can be seen on the net. Examples:
  $ chmod 744 index.html
$ chmod 755 images/
• Where can I find more info on the Design Center webpages?
  Check out "helpme webpage"
• Who can I contact with other requests regarding webpages?
  You can email webmaster@dc.engr.scu.edu.

Other Topics of Interest

• Click here for Design Center information.
• Click here for a list of available tutorials.
• Click here to return to the Helpme menu.