This document answers some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the computer facilities located in the CS Graduate Student Workstation Room. It is intended for new students, guests, occasional or frequent users to complement the official FAQ with up-to-date information written by actual users of the workstation room, and other CSD computer facilities.
Because this alternative FAQ is run by users only, your contribution is vital. Feel free to add, correct, or organize the information in this document, and share YOUR experience. You have write permission to this file: /r/share1/faq/faq.html.
A plain text version of this document is /r/share1/faq/faq.txt.
On the Web the documents are
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/r_share1/faq/faq.html
and
http://www.cs.ucla.edu/r_share1/faq/faq.txt.
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
_ a green light: ok, welcome ! _ a red light : card read but your database entry says "access not allowed" _ both lights : couldn't read, try again
egouriou@cs, 09/25/95
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
tsai@cs, 03/06/96, 09/16/96
* Unix workstations
-- Solaris --
otter SPARCstation 4 Solaris 2.3 (SunOS 5.4) X11R6 Motif 1.2
sealion " " " "
walrus " " " "
oyster " " " "
dolphin " " " "
seal " " " "
coral " " " "
murex " " " "
limpet " " " "
kelp " " " "
clam " " " "
shell " " " "
tusk " " " "
cowry " " " "
chiton " " " "
abalone " " " "
mussel " " " "
scallop " " " "
octopus " " " "
purpoise " " " "
owl " " " " & streamer
condor SPARCstation 5 " " "
hawk " " " "
eagle " " " " & magneto-optic drive
plover SPARCstation LX " " "
-- SunOS --
makaha SPARCstation 1 SunOS 4.1.3 X11R5 Motif 1.2
ewa " " " "
moby " " " " & magneto-optic drive
hana " " " "
killer SPARCstation ELC SunOS 4.1.3 " "
* Macintoshes
Quadra 630 System 7.5.1
Mac SE/30 System 7.1
* Printers
pub3 (aka "LaserJet 4" HP LaserJet 4M Ps level 2 300dpi
by AppleTalk)
pub5 (unix only) " " " double-side
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------+---------+ | | | | | | | oyster | walrus | | +---------+ +----------------------------------+---------+ | | | | | owl | | seal | | | | | | | | | | sealion | | dolphin | | | | | | | | | | otter | | makaha | | | | | +---------+ | | | | ewa | | | | | +---------+ | | | | | +------------------------------------------+ +---------+ | coral murex limpet | | pub3 | | | | | | kelp clam shell | | pub5 | +------------------------------------------+ +---------+ | | | | | +---------+ +------------------------------------------+ | | | moby hana killer | | Quadra | | | | 630 | | tusk cowry chiton | | | +------------------------------------------+ | Mac | | | SE/30 | | | | | | Mac | +------------------------------------------+ | SE/30 | | abalone mussel scallop | | | | | | Quadra | | condor eagle hawk | | 630 | +------------------------------------------+ | | | +---------+ | | | | +------------------------------------------+ | | octopus porpoise plover | | | | +-------------------------+------------------------------------------+
pierre@cs, 12/14/95 georgel@cs, 02/23/96
You don't need an account to use the Macs.
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
They have among many other programs: - Microsoft Word - Microsoft Excel - NCSA Telnet - Fetch - Netscape - Symantec C++ v7 (on Mac Performa only) No games.
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
This often happen after someone has exited an X server in a dirty way.
Log on an other workstation and run:
rsh kbd_mode -a
This reset 's console keyboard to a rational state.
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
Insert the floppy. Enter the command 'volcheck' The floppy's files (dos or unix) will be mounted in /floppy/floppy0
You can use MTools to access Zip disks while on sealion. The Zip drive is labeled `Z:'. For example, `mdir z:' and `mcopy z:\myfile.txt .' should work. Try `man mtools' for more help.
pedro@cs, 04/12/99
This is a hard problem: because of hardware and software heterogeneity,
it usually takes months to find out a setup that works on (nearly all)
the workstations.
Shells:
sh, csh and tcsh are installed on all Sun workstations. Tcsh on the Sun 3/60s
is very old and does not have tab-completion.
(incomplete list)
To set up a simple C shell environment, do:
mkdir bac; cp .cshrc .login bac
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/cshrc .cshrc
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/login .login
To set up a simple Tcsh environment, do:
mkdir bac; cp .cshrc .tcshrc .login bac
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/cshrc .cshrc
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/cshrc .tcshrc
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/login .login
Window managers:
Solaris SunOS 4.1.3 SunOS 4.1.1
mwm nope /usr/local/bin/X11/openwin/mwm nope
twm /opt/X11R6/bin/twm /usr/local/bin/X11/twm /usr/local/bin/X11/twm
fvwm /opt/X11R6/bin/fvwm nope /usr/local/bin/X11/fvwm
olwm /usr/openwin/bin/olwm /usr/local/bin/X11/olwm /usr/local/bin/X11/olwm
olvwm nope /usr/local/bin/X11/olvwm /usr/local/bin/X11/olvwm
(incomplete list)
An often tricky problem is to design configuration files that run on both
the workstations that run the X Display Manager (xdm), ie. owl, condor,
eagle, and hawk, and those who don't. On these machines, after you log,
xdm reads /opt/openwin/lib/xdm/Xsession where it modifies some environment
variables (including $PATH) and exec your .xinitrc file. Beware that your
.cshrc has been bypassed in the process. When .xinitrc is read, your $PATH
variable may not be correctly set and commands in the .xinitrc (or in the
startup file of the window manager you spawn in the .xinitrc) may not be
found. One solution to this problem is to "source" your .cshrc at the
beginning of the .xinitrc.
To set up an example Twm environment, do:
mkdir bac
cp .xinitrc .Xdefaults .twmrc bac
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/xinitrc .xinitrc
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/Xdefaults .Xdefaults
cp /r/share1/setup/sample1/twmrc .twmrc
This works on all workstations of the CSGSWR, except maybe the IBM RTs
(could not try, they are out of order). On SunOS 4.1 machine, start X
with xinit>/dev/null.
pierre@cs, 09/25/95
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
"1620" or "450" (Diablo 1630) "5410" (AT&T 5410 monitor) "6300+" (AT&T PC 6300+) "a980" (ADDS consul 980) "gt101" (General Terminal 101) "microbee" (Micro Bee series) "regent" (ADDS regent series) "tvi910" (Televideo 910) "tvi925" (Televideo 925) "tvi950" (Televideo 950) "teleray" (Teleray 1061) "vt100" (DEC VT100) "vt102" (DEC VT102 and network connections) "wy100" (Wyse 100) "sp" (dumb terminal)
pierre@cs, 09/26/95
The -g option changes the gecos (finger) information.
Normal users may change the nis or nisplus repositories.
shill@cs, 10/16/00
The -e option changes the login shell.
Normal users may change the nis or nisplus repositories.
The choice of shell is limited by the requirements of getusershell(3C). If the user currently has a shell that is not allowed by getusershell, only root may change it.
shill@cs, 10/16/00
Log on your server machine (flamingo/pelican) and use:
flamingo>yppasswd
Changing NIS password for egouriou
Old yp password:
New password:
Retype new password:
(Question: Aren't yp services deprecated ? nispasswd doesn't work)
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
(Answer: We probably are still using NIS (yp) services to maintain backwards
compatibility with the old SunOS systems, which don't have NIS+.
And besides, if we were to switch entirely to NIS+, that might make
too much sense for our system admins.
kahn@cs, 09/11/96
_ a LaserWriterII is connected to the Macs
_ pub3 (Apple LaserWriter II) and pub5 (HP LaserJet 4)
can be used from the workstations
_ pub1 and pub2 are in the 4800 hall. pub1 is an HP LaserJet 4.
You should set the PRINTER/LPDEST environment variable accordingly:
.cshrc:
SunOS: setenv PRINTER pub3
Solaris: setenv LPDEST pub3
.profile:
SunOS: export PRINTER; PRINTER=pub3
Solaris: export LPDEST; LPDEST=pub3
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
Killing a print job
On SunOS machines you can use the commands lpq to get the status of
a print job and lprm to kill it.
Example:
humpback>lpr .tcshrc
humpback>lpq
pub5 is ready and printing
Rank Owner Job Files Total Size
active egouriou 25 .tcshrc 2973 bytes
humpback>lprm 25
kona: dfA000humpback dequeued
kona: cfA000humpback.cs.ucla.edu dequeued
humpback>lpq
no entries
On Solaris machines, use lpstat and cancel:
Example:
eagle>lp .tcshrc
eagle>lpstat
pub5-200 eagle.cs.ucla.edu!egouriou 2973 Sep 24 20:26 on pub5
eagle>cancel pub5-200
request "pub5-200" cancelled
eagle>lpstat
eagle>
Note: under Solaris, use lp rather than lpr and make sure that the environment
variable LPDEST is set. (see: man lp)
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
How do I print a .dvi file?
1. use a dvi to ps converter to get a postscript file
(see question "What are the dvi to ps converter available?". )
2. print the ps file (see 17)
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
How do I print a .pdf file?
Use the acrobat reader (see question "how do I view a .pdf file?").
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
How do I print a .gif file?
Use xv
On Solaris machines, you can use /usr/openwin/bin/imagetool
For those of you who are conscientious, xv is a shareware program.
So far, the DCF is refusing to license it, but there are several rogue
versions around, like the SunOS4.1 version in /u/gs3/pub/xv.
See also "Do we have xv?".
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
What are the dvi to ps converter available?
dvips xx.dvi -o xx.ps
dvi2ps and dvitps are available on Solaris.
Only dvips recognizes the \special tag for including eps figures.
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
How do I print a .ps file?
Sun-OS: lpr [-P pub3] filename.ps
Solaris: lp [-d pub3] filename.ps
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
Use xdvi If you include .eps figures in your document, you should convert your file to a .ps file and then view this file (see question "How do I view .ps files?". )
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
The acrobat reader is available on Solaris machines in:
/opt/local/adobe/AcroRead_1.0/bin/acroread
There is an acrobat reader on the newer Macs.
You get the same effect by setting the "Home Page Location" in the
"Preference..." menu under Netscape
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
cardo@cs, 01/18/96
Netscape is installed on Solaris (/opt/X11R6/bin) and (new!) SunOS 4.1.3 (/usr/local/bin/X11). The entry in /opt/X11R6/bin is a symbolic link to the most recent stable version of netscape. If you have an adventurous mind or if you prefer older versions, you can access them in the same directory. You get the same effect by setting the "Home Page Location" in the "Preference..." menu under Netscape Note: Please do not launch Netscape remotely on workstations, if you really need it, launch it from your server (flamingo or pelican) but it's not a good solution.
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
Mosaic is installed on all machines,
Solaris: /opt/X11R6/bin/Mosaic
Sun-OS: /usr/local/bin/X11/Mosaic
Note: _ the command is Mosaic, not mosaic
_ By setting the variable WWW_HOME, you can choose which page will be
displayed when you open Mosaic.
Example: setenv WWW_HOME $HOME/index.html
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
Lynx is a text-only browser that can be useful, especially if you are using a remote connection. Solaris & Sun-OS: /usr/local/bin/lynx
cardo@cs, 09/28/95
AuthUserFile /dev/null AuthGroupFile /dev/null AuthName CSOnly AuthType Basic <Limit GET> order deny,allow deny from all </Limit>If you want to make some sub-directory (and all directories it contains) accessible, create another file called .htaccess in the directory in question:
AuthUserFile /dev/null AuthGroupFile /dev/null AuthName CSOnly AuthType Basic <Limit GET> order allow,deny allow from all </Limit>
cardo@cs, 01/24/96
Copy the files .mime.types and .mailcap in /r/share1/setup/mime into your home directory. To use netscape from a sunos machine in the workstation, don't launch it on a solaris machine through xrsh: most viewing programs would not be found (eg. ghostview is not installed on sunos for instance). Instead, rlogin on a solaris machine, set the display (& do the xhost +), and start netscape.
pierre@cs, 10/18/95
I just installed two HTML editors in /opt/X11R6/bin "asWedit" is free for educational use. "navipres" is free trial for 30 days. I will remove "navipres" after 30 days. Let me know if you have any questions or problems. BTW, if someone can customize the asWedit's toolbar better than the way I did, please send me the config so I can merge it in the global config file.
kbui@cs, 10/12/95
There are two common news servers that you can use:
_ news.cs.ucla.edu: this is the departmental server,
it is the only server where you can find local newsgroups
help, grads, system, etc.
_ news.ucla.edu: is the main server for Ucla, you should use
this server only if you need groups not available otherwise
or if you want to find old posts. (they are kept longer)
The easiest way to specify which server you want to use is to set
the NNTPSERVER variable to the server's name.
Example:
.(t)cshrc setenv NNTPSERVER news.cs.ucla.edu
.profile NNTPSERVER=news.cs.ucla.edu
export NNTPSERVER
Note: if you need to switch from a server to another one, make sure
to use different .newsrc files. Contact pierre@cs if you want to
switch servers often and don't like switching .newsrc files.
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
There are many news readers available, but all text-based (according to the system administrators, Xrn tend to overload the server). In order of personal preference: rtin, gnus ( ESC-X gnus under emacs), rn, nn, trn ...
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
I usually use postnews under emacs (ESC-X postnews), but if you have strong feelings about any other method, please add your contribution to the FAQ. In nn, type ':post' and follow the directions.
egouriou@cs, 09/27/95
Yes. On Solaris machines, including flamingo, pelican, etc, it's
/opt/local/adobe/AcroRead_1.0/bin/acroread
(add /opt/local/adobe/AcroRead_1.0/bin to your PATH
and /opt/local/adobe/AcroRead_1.0/man to your MANPATH)
cardo@cs, 09/29/95
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
Type M-x (ESC x) lpr-buffer and M-x lpr-region, assuming you have set the
PRINTER (LPDEST on solaris) variable.
In your .emacs, you may need: (setq lpr-command "lpr")
To print no header page, add: (setq lpr-switches '("-h"))
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
(UCLA's server has longer retention time, more newsgroup, but does not have
grads, system, seminars, help, classes.xx (*))
Create 2 news files .newsrc-news.cs.ucla.edu and .newsrc.ucla.edu,
and add to your .emacs configuration file:
(setq gnus-open-server-hook
'(lambda ()
(if (y-or-n-p "CSD news? ")
(setq gnus-nntp-server "news.cs.ucla.edu")
(setq gnus-nntp-server "news.ucla.edu"))))
(*) seems to be fixed since nov 95.
pierre@cs, 09/29/95, 12/24/95
I use M-x mail to send mail and M-x rmail to read mail. Emacs manages the folder in a specific format (Rmail format) and not the mbox format. Another mail reader is VM. VM uses the standard mbox format. Use M-x vm to run it. Mh-mail is also installed. I think you need to add to the .emacs: (setq mh-progs "/usr/local/bin/mh/")
pierre@cs, 09/29/95, georgel.cs, 12/11/95
- man emacs - more /usr/local/lib/emacs/19.22/etc/TUTORIAL - M-x info, and 'm' on Emacs: (emacs)...
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
- M-x apropos gives all commands/variables containing a word - M-x info - C-x C-f /usr/local/lib/emacs/19.22/etc/FAQ (on Solaris)
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
M-x ispell-buffer, M-x ispell-region and M-x ispell-word You may need to add to .emacs: (autoload 'ispell-buffer "ispell" "Check the spelling of buffer." t) (autoload 'ispell-region "ispell" "Check the spelling of region." t) (autoload 'ispell-word "ispell" "Interactive spell check." t)
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
M-x shell On Solaris you get the warning "tcsh: using dumb terminal settings" in the *shell* buffer. This is normal, since there is no termcap/terminfo entry for terminal type `emacs'.
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
C/C++ code: compile with "gcc/g++ -g ..."
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
Emacs 19.29.1 is in /r/share1/bin/emacs (libs in /r/share1/src/emacs). Mule (emacs with international fonts support) is in /r/share1/foreign. Older version: /usr/local/bin/emacs (libs in /usr/local/lib/emacs)... Solaris 2.3 GNU Emacs 19.22.3 of Wed Dec 29 1993 on osprey (usg-unix-v) SunOS 4.1.3 GNU Emacs 19.22.1 of Mon Apr 4 1994 on kona (berkeley-unix) SunOS 4.1.1 GNU Emacs 19.16.1 of Tue Jul 6 1993 on fiji (berkeley-unix)
pierre@cs, 09/29/95, 12/24/95
emacs -nw tells Emacs not to use its special interface to X. If you use this switch when invoking Emacs from an xterm(1) window, display is done in that window.
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
Add to .emacs: (setq visible-bell t)
pierre@cs, 09/29/95
1. Edit /r/share1/faq/faq.html.
2. Add your name to the document history at the end of faq.html.
3. Update /r/share1/faq/faq.txt. Netscape is handy for that: open
file:/r/share1/faq/faq.html and run "Save As..." with "Text" format.
4. Save a copy of faq.html in /r/share1/faq/old.
pierre@cs, 12/14/95
tsai@cs, 09/16/96