Note: Most of these instructions will work on Linux as well.
Connecting through SSH
Connecting from a remote computer:
- In a Terminal, run the command
ssh username@ssh.cs.brown.edu
(where username is your CS login). - Enter the password you use to log in to your CS account.
- You will receive a prompt that asks if you you're sure you want to connect (yes/no). Type yes and hit enter.
- You are now connected to a CS department computer.
- If you want to connect to a specific computer, for examble cslab6a, change the command to
ssh -t username@ssh.cs.brown.edu host=cslab6a
FastX (for graphical sessions)
- To run programs with GUIs, like gedit, sublime, or Eclipse, the department recommends using FastX. The guide for FastX can be found here.
Optional (In Case You Dislike FastX) - X11 Forwarding
If you want to stick with regular ssh and still run programs with GUIs written according to the X display protocol, like gedit or Eclipse, you need an X server. With most Linux distributions, this should work out of the box, but for Macs, you'll need to download an extra bit of software.
Start by downloading the program XQuartz here.
Once the install wizard finishes, log out of your personal computer and log back in to finish the installation process.
From now on, instead of using Terminal to ssh, open XQuartz. (Note: Depending on your version of Mac OS, you might see the program referred to as X11).
- In an XQuartz Terminal (on Linux, a regular terminal should do), run the command
ssh -Y username@ssh.cs.brown.edu
(where username is your CS login). - Enter your password.
- You are now connected to a CS department computer and can use graphical applications.