ssh
USERNAME@athena.dialup.mit.edu
". To
run graphical programs, replace "ssh
" with "ssh
-Y
". (On a Mac, Terminal is in /Applications/Utilities, as is X11,
needed for graphical programs. If you don't have X11, you can install
it from the Mac OS X CDs.)
The athena.dialup machines are Sun Solaris servers, which
sometimes are slow to respond and do not support Linux-only
software. If you want to use a faster Linux server, SIPB maintains
linux.mit.edu ("Linerva"), a
Linux dialup that runs Debian-Athena. If you're using SecureCRT, you
can open the "Athena" connection's properties and change the server
to linux.mit.edu.
You only need the VPN if you are connecting from off-campus; dorm and FSILG residents are already on MITnet. The MIT VPN Client is available for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows. You can download the VPN software from http://web.mit.edu/ist/services/network/vpn.html. Be sure to read the "Known Issues at MIT" page for your platform.
hesinfo
[printer] pcap
." (If you need the name of a printer, try the command "cview printers
".) The output will look something like:
athena% hesinfo ajax pcap
ajax:rp=ajax:rm=PAPER-PUSHER.MIT.EDU:ka#1:mc#0:auth=kerberos5:xn:
From this, note the "rp" and "rm" values, which name the print queue and server, respectively. Now go to your computer's Add Printer dialog, and choose the option to create an "LPR" or "LPD" printer. (On Windows, this is considered a type of local printer.) Enter the print queue and print server names when prompted. If you need detailed instructions, see one of these pages:
Yeah. Another option is to use quickprint.mit.edu. This website, created by a SIPB member, allows you to upload a PDF, PostScript, or plain-text document and select (from a map!) a cluster to print it to. Moreover, Windows XP or Vista users can install quickprint as a network printer, so they can print from any application. When you print a document, it will be uploaded to the quickprint website, and you can choose when and where to print it.
There's a nice student-written "Course Catalogue Pickr" web app, which leverages Web 2.0 to keep track of your weekly schedule, units, and so forth. It boasts several features that the official course catalog doesn't. Check it out at http://picker.mit.edu/.
Another useful website is course.mit.edu, which redirects you to the current home page of a course. You can access it with the URL http://course.mit.edu/[course number]
, e.g., http://course.mit.edu/6.001. If it doesn't have the current home page saved, it attempts to search for it and gives you the option to save the correct choice. It's good for visiting many classes' home pages when deciding what to take, as well as for remembering your classes' URLs during term. (Incidentally, course.mit.edu was also written by a SIPB member.)
Quickprint, the course picker, and course.mit.edu are all hosted by another SIPB project, scripts.mit.edu. This popular service provides reliable hosting for CGI scripts in a number of languages (PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.); a sister project provides MySQL databases. Both individual users and group lockers can sign up for this service. scripts also allows you to host a website at somename.mit.edu; over 100 individuals and groups, including a number of student groups, have taken advantage of this feature. Visit http://scripts.mit.edu/ for instructions on how to get started.
athena% add scripts
athena% scripts-start
SIPB's LAMP service (the Library Access to Music Project) allows you to listen to a large collection of CDs via MIT cable TV. All you need to do is visit http://lamp.mit.edu/, search for the music you want to listen to, and tune to the appropriate channel.
As MIT Network Manager Jeff Schiller mentioned in Tuesday's issue of The Tech, downloading MP3s via peer-to-peer file sharing services is an easy way to end up on the wrong end of a hefty lawsuit. Unlike P2P music sharing, LAMP's design (which uses MIT's analog music license) is guaranteed not to get you into legal trouble.