Initially the screen may be black. Move the mouse and a gray box will
appear in the middle of the screen, prompting you for a login name
and password.
Make sure your mouse pointer is inside of this box, then type your
login name:
login: bridge01 <return>
Then type your password:
password: mypasswd <return>
Your password will not be echoed; you won't see the characters on
the sreen as you type. If you make a mistake, just press return and log
in again (for common causes of mistyped passwords, keep reading).
If all goes well, the screen should go blank, and soome windows will
begin to appear on the screen.
Common Causes of Mistyped Passwords:
Passwords are case sensitive. CAPITAL LETTERS matter.
Check for characters that look similar: O (the letter) and 0 (the number); l (lower-case L) and 1 (the number).
You may have moved the mouse out of the window you were typing in while
you were typing. Unlike with Microsoft Windows or on a Mac, you can only
type in a window when the mouse pointer is inside of the window. The
highlighted window is the currently active one.
To Change Your Password:
The password you were given to log in with is probably hard to remember and
hard to type, so you'll want to change it right away. To do this:
Go to a shell -- one of the windows on the right side of the screen.
Make sure your mouse is on the window to type in it.
Type yppasswd and press return. You will be prompted for your old
password.
After you have typed your old password (remember it will not be echoed),
you will be prompted to enter a new password twice. This is to be sure you
do not make a mistake.
Valid Passwords:
The password must be at least six characters long. It can be made up of
letters, numbers, and/or random puncuation.
At least five of the characters must be different. (ababab will not work,
for example).
Don't use a password that would be easy to guess. A good idea would
be to choose a password with a mix of letters and symbols
Your password cannot be a dictionary word, and must have at least one
character that is not a letter.
Common Errors When Changing Your Password:
You typed your old password incorrectly. It will prompt you for your
new password anyway. Use the yppasswd command and try again.
The new password you typed the first time was not the same as the
password you typed the second time. Try again.
You used a dictionary word or did not include a special character in
your new password. You will be told to enter a new password.
Windows and Window Operations
When you log in there will be a number of windows on your screen. The two
windows on the right-hand side of the screen are shells, where you can type
UNIX commands. The window on the left side of the screen is running emacs,
a text editor.
You can use your mouse to move the windows:
To Move a Window:
Use the middle mouse button to drag the title bar OR
Hold down the meta key (either of the keys next to the space
bar) and use the middle mouse button to drag
anywhere on the window.
To Resize a Window:
Move the mouse to the edge or corner of the window. The cursor
should change to a picture of an arrow pointing at a line. Click
here and drag the edge to where you want it.
To Raise a Window that is hidden underneath other windows:
Click on the title bar with the left mouse button OR
Hold down the meta key and click anywhere on the window with
the left mouse button.
To Lower a Window that is on top of other windows:
Click on the title bar with the right mouse button OR
Hold down the meta key and click anywhere on the window with the
left mouse button.
To Maximize a Window:
Click on the square in the right hand corner of the title bar of the
window.
To Iconify a Window:
Click on the dot (the smaller square) in the right hand corner of the
window's title bar.
To Restore an iconified Window:
Click on the icon with any mouse button.
To Close a Window:
The button in the left hand corner of the title bar of the window
will bring up a menu. Choose delete from this menu. If the window
contains a menu bar (as in the case of emacs), select Exit from
the File menu.
You will learn how to change what window operations each mouse button does
later in the course.
The Root Window
Your desk top is also a window, called the root window. Different buttons of
the mouse will bring up different menus when you click on the root window.
You will also learn later in the course how to change these menus. Your
left mouse button will bring up a menu of different applications, including
a new shell. Your middle mouse button contains window operations that provide
another way to move windows around without title bars. Your right mouse
button contains some special options, two of which are detailed below.
Xlock
If you ever want to leave your computer for a few minutes, this command allows
you to lock your computer and keep your files secure. To run this, right
mouse click on the root window and select Xlock. To unlock, type your password (which will not be echoed).
Logout
To end your session, first make sure all of your files have been saved. Then
right mouse click and select Logout.
