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Resources

Using CS Lab PCs in GS228 & GS930

Rules

• You must abide by the policy Appropriate Use of Computing Facilities (http://www.cs.arizona.edu/policies/computing.html).
• There are various signs in the labs to address specific issues. Pay attention to them!
• All CS equipment, including the PCs in GS228 and GS930 are for CS related work only. This applies especially to consumables such as printer paper and toner.
• No food or drink OF ANY KIND is allowed in the CS labs.
• If you are logged into a lab computer and need to leave briefly (e.g., for a restroom break), lock the screen. However, never lock a lab computer for more than 5 minutes. If a machine is found locked for a longer period, it may be rebooted -- causing any unsaved work to be lost.
• Always log off when you leave.
• The Secure Disposal Bins are for disposing of copies of assignments to prevent someone else from using your work. They are for white paper only, and the contents are recycled. Do not place printouts of your assignments in other trash or recycling containers.

Failure to abide by the rules can result in temporary or permanent deactivation of your CS account, loss of printing privileges, or deactivation of your access card, depending on the infraction. Section leaders should notify the lab staff of offenders.

CatCard access to Labs

Your CatCard will open the doors to the GS228 and GS930 labs. Simply swipe it through the card reader and the door will open. If you have problems before 7:00 AM, after 5:30 PM, or on weekends, call the Amer-X support line at 626-9345 and ask for the "tech on call". Otherwise, send email to and we will investigate.

Navigating Ubuntu Linux

• Logging on
  Enter your username and password. The first time you logon, you should change your password. To do this, open a terminal window. It will display a message about changing your password and direct you to ssh to lectura. Once logged into to lectura, you will be prompted to change your password. Note: it can take up to 10 minutes for your password change to be propagated to other machines in the labs. See the Knowledgebase FAQ article on Password change questions (http://faq.cs.arizona.edu/idx.php/0/178/article/Password-change-questions.html) for more information on changing your password.
• Logging off
  Click on the red 'power switch' icon in the upper right corner or click System...Log Out from the menu panel.
• Locking a PC
  To lock: Select System...Lock Screen.  To unlock: press any key or move the mouse to bring up the unlock dialog box. Enter your password and press Enter (or click Unlock).
• Changing your password
  ssh to lectura, run passwd and follow the prompts.
• Home Directory
  Your home directory is available by selecting Places...Home Folder. This is where you should save your work.
• Keyboard Hint
  As in Windows, the Tab key takes you to the next field, and Shift-Tab takes you to the previous field. Pressing the Return/Enter key when a button is highlighted (e.g., the OK button) is the same as clicking that button. For example, you can logon by typing your Username and pressing Enter, then typing your password and pressing Enter again (no mouse clicks required)..

Email

• It is required that you read email that is sent from the CS department, which will be sent to your official UA email address. Telling your section leader/TA/instructor that your preferred email address is something different is not sufficient as CS department email may come from a variety of sources. Not reading important announcements from the department (e.g., over quota messages) is no excuse for failing to remedy a problem that has been reported to you. Failure to remedy problems will result in loss of access to your accounts.
• For information on accessing your UA email via CatMail, see the instructions at http://uits.arizona.edu/services/catmail?id=2278.

Problems

(Note: click the following link for the email address for lab staff: .)

• Accounts are created automatically at the beginning of the semester based on class registrations and should be available on the first day of classes.  For those who add a class after the semester has begun, accounts should be available within 24 hours of adding.
• If you are logging on for the first time, your initial password will be the password emailed to you when the account was created. If you have problems logging on, check that your username and password are correct. Check that Caps Lock is not on, and for digits use the keys across the top of the keyboard, not on the keypad. If you are logging on to a reactivated account, the password will be whatever you left it set to at the end of the prior semester.
• If the machine appears to be powered off, check that the monitor is on and move the mouse to 'wake up' the display.  If there is no response, try pressing the power button on the front of the machine to turn it on.   If that doesn't help, check that power cords are securely plugged in, both at the back of the unit and at the power receptacle. There may be an on/off toggle switch on the back of the unit; check that it is in the ON position. After checking power cords, check that the unit is turned on.
• If a system has been locked and the user has been gone more than 5 minutes, tell the section leader or email lab. If the user doesn’t return for over 15 minutes, and you need the machine, feel free to reboot the machine by pressing the reset button on the front of the machine.
• If the keyboard and/or mouse do not appear to be working, check that their connections at the back of the machine. If still no response, reboot the machine by pressing the reset button on the front of the case.
• If you are unable to resolve any of the above problems, have problems with your account, or notice problems in the CS labs (PC that won’t boot, floppy stuck in drive, floppy won’t go into drive, CD drive doesn’t work, printer problems, lights burned out, etc.), send email to lab. Please include a detailed the description of the problem, including your CS username (if an account problem) and the name of the machine (if a machine problem).  Without the necessary details, the resolution of the problem will take longer.  Note:  all email to lab should include a subject line.

Other sources for help

There are many helpful web pages supplied by the department. For information about accounts, email, newsgroups, the snapshot utility on lectura, connecting to the department from home, etc., go to the department home page (http://www.cs.arizona.edu/) and click on Resources in the upper left quadrant of the page. There are links to Help Pages and a Knowledgebase that you may find helpful.

Free Microsoft software

The Computer Science Department has an agreement with Microsoft Corporation that makes development software available to our students at no cost. See http://www.cs.arizona.edu/computing/facilities/msdnaa.html for more information.

Last updated August 18, 2011, by Tom Lowry
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