Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh
School of Engineering >> IT Services

Frequently Asked Questions

Note new FAQ entries now at: https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/engineeringitpublic/FAQ2

Contents

1.  Contacting the Engineering IT support team

Normally you will reach us through the IS Helpline by emailing SeeSup@ed.ac.uk or telephoning extension 505636. There's also a handy Web form you can use to submit formal requests to the IT support team.

If you need to visit us in person then you can visit the IT Helpdesk on the 1st floor of the Alrick building, room A116 at the end of the corridor from TLC. The Helpdesk is normally open between 10:00/12:00 & 14:00/16:00 [not Wed pm].

2.  The Network

Questions about network connectivity.

2.1.  If I want to bring in my laptop PC, how do I connect it to the School network?

There's a certain amount of red tape to get through before you can plug your own PC into the School's network. First you must have your PC PAT tested. Ask your building's Technical Support Officer about this or email pat@see.ed.ac.uk.

When the PC has been PAT tested you can fill in the registration form and wait to receive a w-number. See http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/physical/devicereg.html for details.

If your laptop has a wireless interface (supporting 802.11a or 802.11g), you can connect that way instead. First you need to have your laptop PAT tested (as above). Then you connect via the Central network and the School's VPN. Details are given here.

Naturally, a wireless connection will be slower than a cable connection, but it can be set up more quickly and is probably more convenient if you're only with the School for a short time.

2.2.  How do I connect to the SEE domain?

Before you connect a Windows PC to the SEE domain you should do the following.

  1. If possible, upgrade to Windows XP Professional or similarly capable operating system. We can advise you about that.
  2. Ensure the PC has no viruses or worms by running an up-to-date virus scanner on it. We can do that for you. Contact us and arrange to bring your PC to our office.
  3. Register the laptop with us (see above) to get a w-number.

When we are satisfied that the PC is suitable for connection to the SEE domain, follow the instructions at http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/domain/ and you're up and running.

2.3.  May I move my computer to a different network port?

Yes, normally you can do this but it can take up to 15 minutes for the network to notice the change. If there is a problem then please fill in the Web form at http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/~wwwuser2/bin/move_request.cgi will guide you.

2.4.  The network has stopped working. What gives?

Oh dear. Either your computer has lost its network connection or the server on the other end has gone down. In either case you should contact It Support who will try to diagnose and remedy the situation, if they're not already trying.

2.5.  How do I connect to the Engineering network from home?

The best way id by using NX see: http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/remote/

3.  Accounts and File Storage

Questions about user accounts and file servers.

3.1.  I've forgotten my password. Can your remind me what it is?

No, but we can give you a new one. Visit us in person to sort it out. Remember to bring your matric card or staff card as proof of ID.

Remember, NEVER GIVE ANYONE YOUR PASSWORD. If anyone else knows your password then not only can they interfere with your work but they can steal your identity and use it for illegal activities. When you get a new password you should change it so only you know it. If you suspect someone else knows your password then change it immediately.

3.2.  How do I change my password?

We recommend that when you get a new password you change it as soon as possible to something you can remember so you don't need to have it written down. As far as the School is concerned you will have two passwords, one for the Unix/Linux systems and one for Windows. These must be changed separately because they're stored in separate places but you can use the same password for both.

There is a Web form for changing either password available at

Choose which password you want to change by ticking the appropriate box, enter your universal username (i.e. the name you give when you login) and your old password. If you've forgotten your old password, see above. Enter your new password twice in the spaces provided and click on "Change Password". Note: the form will only accept passwords that are eight characters long. If your password is longer, use only the first eight characters.

Here are some guidelines on choosing a good password.

  • Start with a memorable word or phrase, remove the spaces and add or change characters so you've got a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, digits and punctuation symbols. Try to make it exactly eight characters long because that's all the form will accept.
  • Use characters that you will associate with whatever the password makes you think of. For example, if the password reminds you of money, work the $ symbol into it somehow.
  • After you've decided what password you're going to use, wait for at least a day before you set it with the web form. That will ensure you won't forget it as soon as you've set it.
  • Don't choose an obvious password and don't write it down or tell it to anyone. That would ruin the whole point of having a password in the first place. If anyone else discovers your password they can use your identity to commit crime.
  • See also http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/docs/passwords/index.html for more advice.

3.3.  How do I request a new login account for someone?

New accounts are requested through your Institute Administrator.

3.4.  How much disk space am I using? What's my quota?

You can get information about your file storage and quota here.

You might need to use your EASE password. If you don't have one, information is provided.

Alternatively, in Windows, right-click on the N: drive's icon and choose Properties. Among other things it will tell you how much space is left on the disk.

In Solaris or Linux you can find out how much space you are using on your home disk by typing:

    df -k ~

which reports the size of the disk, the amount used and the amount available, all in kilobytes. There's also a command:

    diskuse -o

which you can use to get a breakdown of your home disk's usage on a per user basis. This is only updated once per day so you won't see any changes if you run the command immediately after deleting some files.

3.5.  Can I get back some files I deleted by accident?

If the files were in your N: drive or Unix home directory then the answer is probably yes. Every night, any files that have been created or changed in the last 24 hours are backed up to tape. If you want a file restored from the backups, email SeeSup@ed.ac.uk with the location and name of the file or directory and the date when it was last changed. We will then try to find it on the tapes and restore it for you.

For security reasons, Unix has no undelete command. If the file you deleted was not backed up (i.e., it was created that day), it cannot be recovered. Sorry.

3.6.  Why can't I get to my files?

Perhaps the file server has gone down or your network connection has broken. Don't worry, the files are still there somewhere. You should contact the IT support team and they will try to fix the problem. Server down times are usually no longer than five or ten minutes.

If you can't access your network store and need to save a file quickly, save it to your local hard disk. Remember to copy it to your N: drive when it becomes available.

See http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/filestore/ for more information about the network file store.

3.7.  My N: drive icon has disappeared! How do I get it back?

Assuming the server is accessible you may need to remap your N: drive. If a reboot doesn't do it, try the following.

  1. Open ``My Computer''.
  2. Choose Tools -> Map Network Drive.
  3. Select the appropriate drive letter (N:).
  4. Enter the UNC server path to the Samba share: 
        \\nasXXX.see.ed.ac.uk\uun
    where nasXXX is the name of your server and uun is your universal username.
  5. Optionally, tick the ``Reconnect at login'' box to maintain the connection after you restart your machine.

4.  Windows

Questions about using and installing software on Windows computers.

4.1.  What applications are available for me to install on my PC?

If you have a School managed PC it will already have a number of useful applications installed on it. More applications may be available via Machination. See http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/applications/windows/ for further information.

4.2.  How do I install an application/driver/language/etc. on my School-managed PC?

If it isn't already available for installation through Machination (see above) you can request for it to be added. There is an online form for this purpose.

We apologise for all the red tape but recent security problems have forced us to tighten up our Windows software management. Note that some software can be installed without special access rights so you might not have to go through Machination.

4.3.  How do I access the School's network from my home PC?

The best way is by using NX see: http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/remote/

If you use the School's email service (i.e. not SMS or Staffmail) you can access the server in two ways:

4.4.  Can I run Unix/Linux programs on my Windows PC?

The best way is by using NX see: http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/remote/

You can also access via the "UnixMenu". There should be an icon on your desktop if it's not there, go through the following steps.

  1. From the Start menu, choose My Computer.
  2. Double-click on your N: drive, then the packages folder, then Unix Session.
  3. Right-click on UnixMenu (the icon with a cog) and choose Copy.
  4. Right-click on your desktop and choose Paste Shortcut.

You should now have an icon called "Shortcut to UnixMenu".

  1. Double-click on the "UnixMenu" shortcut icon.
  2. In the black window that appears, type in your SEE username and wait for Hummingbird Exceed to start.
  3. Bring the black window back into focus by clicking on it and type in your SEE password. Nothing will show up on the screen when you do this except for the flashing cursor at the password prompt.
  4. If it says "Authentication successful", you've successfully logged into one of the TLC Suns. Minimise the black window and you'll see another window behind it called "Unix Application Launcher".
  5. If the application you want appears as a button in that window, click on it and the application will start. Otherwise, click on the Xterm button and type the required command(s) into the xterm window that appears.
  6. To close the connection to the TLC Sun (and kill any applications you're running), click on the round, red X button in the bar at the very top of the screen.

4.5.  My eXceed doesn't start up properly. What's wrong?

It could be starting up too quickly. Try adding the line

    sleep 2

to your ~/.start file in Unix/Linux.

4.6.  Can you recommend a C/C++ compiler for me to use in Windows?

There are several commercial C/C++ programming environments and some of them are very good but they cost money. There are a couple of free compilers which may suit your needs.

4.7.  How do I access my filestore from Vista or Windows 7

Please see the new FAQ https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/engineeringitpublic/FAQ2

5.  Solaris and GNU/Linux

Questions about using the Solaris and GNU/Linux operating systems.

5.1.  What are Solaris and GNU/Linux? How do I learn more about them?

Solaris is a commercial Unix operating system produced by Sun Microsystems for their SPARC-based computers. The SEE has been using Sun hardware and software for many years because of its reliability and we've got a lot invested in it. Most of our servers and all of the workstations in TLC are runing Solaris, as well as many machines in staff offices and research labs.

GNU/Linux (often just called Linux) is an Open Source operating system based on Unix. It is being developed by thousands (millions?) of enthusiasts across the world. A GNU/Linux system comprises a Linux kernel with shells and utility software from the GNU project. GNU/Linux has been ported to many hardware platforms but we use it primarily on IA32-based PCs. Many of the School's managed PCs are dual boot with both Windows and GNU/Linux.

If you want to learn more about these Unix-like operating systems, here are some of your options.

  • Buy a book (from a good book shop like Blackwells or Waterstones).
  • Find a book in the University library?
  • There's online documentation. Try ``xman''.
  • http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~memos contains information about locally installed software packages.

The University of Edinburgh has provided a set of online tutorials for people who want to become more familiar with UNIX. They can be found at:

Some of the things described there may not apply in the School. If in doubt, try it out. It's hard to do serious damage to a Unix system.

5.2.  What software is available on Solaris?

To find out about academic software packages available on the system, look at http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/online/memos/packages.html (available as text: /home/memos/packages).

If you want information about the Cadence software, look at http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/online/memos/cadence.html (also available as text at /home/memos/cadence).

5.3.  Who's using up the software licences?

You can find out who's using floating licences with this web form.

The form can only be accessed from within SEE.

5.4.  What can I use for word processing and document preparation?

You have a choice.

OpenOffice.org
This is a state-of-the art, full-featured Office-style environment with facilities for word processing, Web authoring, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing and image manipulation and various other things. OpenOffice.org is gradually becoming the standard document processing software for the School. To run it in Solaris or GNU/Linux, type the command 
    ooffice
It is also installed as standard on all School Windows PCs and is available freely through the Automatic Installation Manager for anyone connected to the School's network.
mkdoc
Until recently this was the School's standard publishing software. It is a mark-up language that can be used to produce text files, Web pages and printed documents from the same source. For more information, see http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~memos/mkdoc/ . This FAQ, like most School documentation, was made using mkdoc.
LaTeX
This is a more powerful mark-up language for typesetting technical documents like theses and journal articles. While the IT team makes it available to staff and students, none of us are particularly experienced with it. If you have any problems you're free to ask us but we probably won't be much help. Information about how to use it can be found at http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/~memos/using_tex.html . For detailed help in using the LaTeX language I can recommend A Guide To LaTeX by Helmut Kopka and Patrick W Daly (Addison Wesley, 1999).
IslandWrite
This is a conventional, though somewhat dated, office-style application for Unix. It is not fully supported by the IT staff so you're pretty much on your own. To use IslandWrite, type the following: 
    islandsetup
    IslandWrite
Note the upper/lowercase -- it is significant. IslandWrite has its own online help accessible from the Help menu.

5.5.  Can I/you install some new software on the system?

You can install personal software in your home directory if you want but be considerate. Other people use the same disk that your home directory is on. They will not be happy if you fill it up.

If you want other people to be able to use your software, first check that it isn't already on the system. If it isn't, email seesup@ed with your request.

We don't like people using software in other users' home directories. If you want to use something in someone else's home directory, ask them to talk to us or their research group about installing it properly.

5.6.  My task bar has vanished! How do I get it back?

If your FVWM95 task bar disappears (as it does occasionally) then you obviously can't get to the Start button to log out. If this happens you can still bring up the Start menu by pressing Control+F1. If you want a new task bar without disrupting anything, select Restart from the Shutdown sub-menu. FVWM95 will restart (everything else will keep going as normal) and a new task bar will appear.

Sometimes, for inscrutible reasons of its own, the task bar starts at the top of the screen. If this happens, restart FVWM95 as above and it will give you a new task bar in the right place.

5.7.  My computer is stuck! What should I do?

First, do not switch off the computer, especially if it's a Sun. If the computer is jammed by a crashed process (Matlab is notorious for this) then you can free it by killing the process. Here's how:

  1. Login to a different machine and remote-login to the frozen machine with the rlogin command. No password is needed. For example, if the frozen machine is fortwilliam, type:
      rlogin fortwilliam
  2. Kill the offending process. There is a handy command called murder which will do this. If you want to kill Matlab, for example, type:
      murder matlab
    Note: You can't kill other people's processes and other people can't kill yours.
  3. If that doesn't unfreeze the machine, you can resort to desparate measures by killing your window manager:
      murder fvwm95
    This will most probably kill everything you're running on that machine and log you out. Sometimes it can leave the keyboard in the wrong state. Tell SeeSup@ed.ac.uk if the keys produce gibberish on the screen or no login screen appears.
  4. When you've unfrozen the frozen machine, remember to logout if necessary. Just type:
      logout

If you have any doubts or problems with the above, contact seesup@ed. Remember, whatever you do, do not switch off the computer.

5.8.  How do I find out what's running on my machine?

The best command to use to find out how the computer is spending its time is top. Just type:

    top

and you will be shown a list of the 15 or so most active processes. It updates itself every few seconds. The numbers on the left are the PIDs (Process IDentifiers) and the words on the right are the names of the commands that started the processes.

If you want to kill one of the processes, press K and then type the PID of the process you want to kill and press Return. To quit, press Q.

If there is someone else's process at the top of the list using a lot of CPU time, this usually isn't a problem. Check its nice level (column headed NICE or NI). If it is greater than zero the process shouldn't cause problems -- it's being nice to the system.

Note: In Solaris 8, top might not work. Use prstat instead.

5.9.  How do I get a pound sign or other symbol not on a Sun keyboard?

You use the Compose key (bottom-right of the keyboard). Hit Compose, then type "L-" (L followed by a dash). A pound sign should appear.

Here's a list of other symbols you might find useful. Hit Compose first and then type the two keys shown.

Keys Character Keys Character Keys Character
!! upside-down ! ?? upside-down ? OX currency
L- British pound C/ cent sign Y- yen
SO section P! paragraph "" dieresis
CO copyright RO registered trademark
_a ordfeminine _o ordmasculine __ broken vertical bar
<< guillemotleft >> guillemotright
-| notsign -- hyphen +- plusminus
^- macron ^* degree ^. periodcentered
^1 onesuperior ^2 twosuperior ^3 threesuperior
14 onequarter 12 onehalf 34 threequarters
** multiply -: division /u mu
AE AE ae ae
OE OE oe oe
A` A accent grave A' A accent acute A^ A accent circumflex
A~ A accent tilde A" A dieresis A* A ring
a` a accent grave a' a accent acute a^ a accent circumflex
a~ a accent tilde a" a dieresis a* a ring
C, C cedilla c, c cedilla
D- Eth d- eth
E` E accent grave E' E accent acute E^ E accent circumflex
E" E dieresis
e` e accent grave e' e accent acute e^ e accent circumflex
e" e dieresis
I` I accent grave I' I accent acute I^ I accent circumflex
I" I accent dieresis
i` i accent grave i' i accent acute i^ i accent circumflex
i" i dieresis
N~ N tilde n~ n tilde
O` O accent grave O' O accent acute O^ O accent circumflex
O~ O accent tilde O" O dieresis O/ O slash
o` o accent grave o/ o accent acute o^ o accent circumflex
o~ o accent tilde o" o dieresis o/ o slash
P| Thorn p| thorn ss German ss (s-zed)
U` U accent grave U' U accent acute U^ U accent circumflex
U" U dieresis
u` u accent grave u' u accent acute u^ u accent circumflex
u" u dieresis
Y' Y accent acute y' y accent acute y" y dieresis

Note: The compose characters might not work in all applications. Also, since these are not standard ASCII characters, they might not be transmitted properly in email messages.

5.10.  How do I change the sensitivity of my mouse?

This is done with the xset command. It is normally executed in your .xinitrc file but you can run it from a shell prompt like any other command. The syntax is:

    xset m accel threshold

where accel is the amount of mouse pointer acceleration (its relative speed) and threshold is when acceleration starts. It's probably the first number that you want to change. Staff accounts are set up with an acceleration of 6, which may be too high for some people. You can try typing the xset command with lower numbers to find an acceleration you like, then change the xset command in your .xinitrc file.

If you use

    xset m default

then it will use an acceleration of 2 and a threshold of 4.

The xset command can do lots of other things besides changing mouse settings. Try ``man xset'' for more details.

5.11.  How do I farm out jobs to Solaris machines?

For confusing historical reasons, the Solaris machines are grouped under the alias ``tlc''. Information about farming out long jobs on Solaris machines is given in the tlc(1L) man page.

    man tlc

Please make sure your jobs are niced to at least 5, as described in the man page. Basically the command to use is

    nohup tlc -n nice -5 program &

where

  • the nohup command allows the program to keep running even after you logout. Normally logging out will kill any background processes by sending them the SIGHUP signal. nohup allows the process to ignore that signal.
  • the tlc command runs the program remotely on the lightest loaded machine in the pool.
  • the -n tells tlc it is being run with nohup.
  • nice -5 tells the operating system to reduce the process's priority so it doesn't take too much CPU away from the console user. It's the polite thing to do.
  • program is the program you want to run remotely and any options and arguments it may require.
  • the & runs the program in the background by disconnecting its standard input from the keyboard.

For more information on all this, consult the man pages for tlc, nohup, nice and bash.

You can also use machines in your research group if it's OK with your colleagues. Please do not use machines in other research groups.

If you need further information on farming out jobs with a particular piece of software, consult its documentation or your supervisor.

Note: the Solaris machines all have 64-bit SPARC architecture. Make sure your programs are compiled for this architecture or they won't run.

5.12.  How do I farm out jobs to Linux machines?

The Linux machines in TLC are grouped under the alias ``vlx''. Using them is pretty much the same as using Solaris (see above) but use the hostname ``vlx'' instead of ``tlc''. You can see the load on the machines by using ganglia.

Note: the Linux machines all have 64-bit Intel architecture. Make sure your programs are compiled for this architecture or they may not run.

5.13.  How do I take a screenshot?

There are several ways to do this. in Solaris I would recommend using xv because it's relatively simple and allows you to save the screen shot in a variety of useful formats. You can also use it to do some basic editing of the grabbed image but let's keep things simple.

  1. At a command prompt type the command ``xv''.
  2. When its title window pops up, right-click on it to bring up the xv controls window.
  3. Click on the Grab button at the bottom-right. The xv grab window appears.
  4. Change the delay to 5 seconds or so.
  5. Click on AutoGrab and then bring the window you want to copy to the front, leaving your mouse over it until xv beeps and grabs a copy of it.
  6. Back in the xv controls window, click on the Save button on the right side. The xv save window will appear.
  7. Choose an appropriate file format (e.g. GIF) and type a file name into the ``Save file:'' box at the bottom. Remember to add the file extension to the name, e.g. a GIF file will be called something like ``myfile.gif''.
  8. Click on the OK button and the file will be saved.
  9. Quit xv by clicking on the ``Quit'' button at the bottom-right of the controls window.

If you want to take a screenshot of the whole screen, in step 5 you would place the mouse pointer over the screen's background until xv grabs a copy of it.

Linux users can use KDE's snapshot utility: K->Graphics->KSnapshot.

5.14.  Are there any graphical file managers in Unix?

On the Suns you can run a thing called File Manager by typing the command

    dtfile &

It allows you to move, copy, rename, open, print, view, run, etc. files in a visual way. It also provides a wastebasket where deleted files are placed. This gives you the opportunity to undelete files if you need to. You may only undelete files that were deleted from File Manager.

File Manager is part of a larger desktop environment called CDE or Common Desktop Environment. When you login to a Sun you can choose this from the Options->Session menu on the login screen. You can also use KDE if you're more comfortable with it. GNOME is currently available but not supported.

On Linux machines you will normally use KDE or GNOME which provide a full graphical environment.

5.15.  What are these files whose names start with a dot?

These are ``hidden'' files. Most of them contain settings and startup info for various pieces of software. Some of them are vitally important for your account so it's not a good idea to change them unless you know what you're doing. If you break one of these files and find you can't login anymore, contact us and we'll put you right.

5.16.  How do I view, edit and print Chinese text?

Type the command cxtermsetup to get access to the following commands:

cxterm
A version of `xterm' which has support for Chinese text.
cvi
A version of `vi' which has support for Chinese text.
cless
A version of `less' which has support for Chinese text.
cnprint
A program for converting Chinese text to PostScript so it can be printed.

Documentation for these programs can be found in /usr/local/pack/cxterm/doc/.

5.17.  How do I play movie files?

We don't have much in the way of movie playing software on the Suns but there are a few programs which may do the job. xanim can handle most common formats while mpeg_play and mtv can play MPEG-1 files.

There may be other options available in Linux. Check the program menus and see what you can find.

5.18.  How do I create a PDF file?

You can convert PostScript files to PDF (Portable Document Format) on either a Sun or a Linux PC by using the command:

    ps2pdf input.ps output.pdf

If you use OpenOffice.org (ooffice) it can convert files to PDF. Open the file in OpenOffice.org, choose Print from the File menu and choose the printer called "PDF Converter".

5.19.  I've got a file with ``^M'' on the end of each line. How can I get rid of them easily?

This happens with files that have been copied from a DOS/Windows machine. DOS text files have a slightly different format from Unix text files. The ^M things are extra control characters that won't do any harm on Unix but they can look unsightly.

There is a command called ``dos2unix'' which can convert them. Type:

    dos2unix -ascii old_file new_file

where old_file is the name of the file you want to convert and new_file is the name of a new file where the results should be written. If you use the same name for both files then the original file will be overwritten.

If you want to convert a whole directory full of files, do:

    dos2unixdir -v directory_name

where directory_name is the name of the directory containing the files.

5.20.  Where can I find an EPS image of the University crest?

On Unix systems the crest can be found in

    /usr/local/share/lib/drawings/UniCrest.eps

5.21.  How do I extract or uncompress this archive file?

It depends on the type of the archive/compressed file. This is usually denoted by the end of the filename.

.zip
To list the contents: unzip -l filename.zip
To extract the files: unzip filename.zip
To get help: unzip -h
.rar
To list the contents: unrar l filename.zip
To extract the files: unrar e filename.zip
To get help: unrar
.Z
To uncompress the file: uncompress filename.Z
To get help: man uncompress
.gz
To uncompress the file: gunzip filename.gz
To get help: gunzip --help
.bz2
To uncompress the file: bunzip2 filename.bz2
To get help: bunzip2 --help
.tar
To list the contents: tar tvf filename.tar
To extract the files: tar xvf filename.tar
To get help: man tar

5.22.  The Matlab cache seems to have a problem. What do I do?

If switching between Solaris and Linux versions, your Matlab cache can get confused between architectures. If you get an incomprehensible error, to clear the cache:

Under File -> Preferences...

Select the General node and click on ``Update Toolbox Path Cache''

(Under Windows the cache is stored in a completely different place, so that should not interfere with also running under *nix.)

6.  CDs, Floppies and Other Removable Media

Questions about using removable media.

6.1.  How do I use the floppy drives on the Suns?

First, you need a formatted DOS/Windows floppy disk in the drive. Since these are multi-user machines, you have to allocate the floppy drive to yourself. To do this, type:

    fdalloc

(floppy drive allocate). This will give you a directory called ``floppy'' in your home directory. This directory contains the contents of the floppy disk. You can copy files to the disk by using the usual Unix commands, e.g.,

    cp myfile ~/floppy

You can copy files from the floppy in the same way:

    cp ~/floppy/myfile .

The final dot (.) means the current directory. The ~/floppy directory can be used almost like any other directory so it can be accessed from Mozilla, File Manager, cmacs, etc. (~/floppy is actually a symbolic link to a mount point hidden somewhere in the murky depths of the filesystem.)

IMPORTANT: When you have finished with the floppy drive, BEFORE you physically eject the disk, you must de-allocate it. This is done by typing:

    eject

and waiting for it to tell you that you may eject the disk. If you don't do this you can mess up the floppy drive.

If ``eject'' tells you that the floppy drive is still busy, something is still accessing your floppy directory. Make sure you are not in that directory before typing ``eject''.

Note that the newer models of Sun workstations, such as those in TLC, don't have floppy disk drives. On those machines we recommend the use of USB storage devices instead.

6.2.  fdalloc says that the floppy is already mounted, but it isn't. What should I do?

Someone probably forgot to type ``eject'' before ejecting their disk. Contact SeeSup@ed to get it sorted out.

6.3.  How can I use USB storage devices on the Suns?

It's similar to the floppy drive:

  1. Plug the device into one of the USB sockets on the front of the base unit.
  2. Type: ``usbmount'' at a command prompt.
  3. The storage device is now accessible using the usual Unix commands or file managers. The directory name is ~/usbHD/. (This is actually a symbolic link to the real mount point.)
  4. When you've finished, before you remove the device, type ``usbunmount''.

IMPORTANT: Don't remove the device before usbunmount says it's safe to do so or you might damage the device.

For some reason, Solaris's USB drivers are quite choosy about what storage devices they will accept. Some just don't work. We haven't yet got to the bottom of this problem so if your USB stick won't mount it's probably just Solaris being pernickety.

6.4.  How can I use the CD-ROM drives on the Suns?

It's similar to the floppy drive:

  1. Put the CD into the drive.
  2. Type: ``cdmount hsfs'' (or, if that doesn't work, ``volcheck'')
  3. The CD drive will be mounted in a directory called /cdrom. Do what you want with the files.
  4. When you've finished, type: ``cdunmount''
  5. Take out your CD and close the drive.

Of course, you can't copy files to a CD-ROM because it's a read-only disk.

6.5.  How do I write files onto a CD-R/RW?

In the entrance to our office (Alrick A116) there is a PC with a CD writer for public use. You will need to supply your own disks which are available for purchase in the SEE Stores. Writing a CD can take a while so please be considerate of other users.

6.6.  How do I play audio CDs on the Suns?

There's a web page explaining this. See:

7.  Email, the Web and the Internet

Questions about using Internet services. Those regarding email will mostly only be of interest to people still using the old EE mail server.

7.1.  What email software does the School support?

Most users are now using SMS or Staffmail but those still on the old School mail system will normally use Thunderbird. Other mail clients (pine, mush, dtmail, Outlook Express, etc.) may be used but are not completely supported by the School's IT team.

7.2.  How do I access my mail on the SEE mail server?

If you're a visitor who has not been given an SMS or Staffmail account, your email will be on the local SEE mail server. To access it, use your favourite mail client and set it up as follows.

  • For incoming mail, use the server ``imap.see.ed.ac.uk'' (or, if that can't find your mail folder, try ``imap2.see.ed.ac.uk''). Make sure you turn on SSL encryption because the IMAP server doesn't accept unencrypted connections.
  • For outgoing mail, use the server ``smtp.see.ed.ac.uk''. If you are outside the University network (i.e. connected to a network other than EdLAN), you will need to enable TLS and authenticate with your SEE username and password.

You also have the option of accessing the SEE mail server over the Web at the following page.

You just need to login with your SEE username and password; no setting up is required.

7.3.  Someone wants to send me a PGP encrypted file. How do we do this?

The sender should send the encrypted file with your public key, so you can use your private key to decrypt it. To generate a key pair for PGP in Unix do

    mkdir ~/.pgp
    pgp -kg

You then extract your public key from your keyring with

    pgp -kxa

and send them the file containing the ASCII version of your public key that this command creates.

When you get the encrypted message, save it into your Unix filespace and type

    pgp -d filename

to decrypt it.

I don't know how this is done in Windows.

7.4.  How do I set up automatic mail forwarding?

If you use the old EE mail system, see http://www.ee.ed.ac.uk/~memos/Mail_Box.html otherwise see the help pages for Staffmail or SMS.

7.5.  How do I make use of these spam lines in the message headers?

This only applies to the old EE mail system. You will have noticed that for some time we have attempted to identify spam messages. You can now elect to have messages identified as spam processed in a couple of different ways.

METHOD 1. This uses a similar mechanism to "vacation" to divert spam into a separate folder, simply use the command: vacation -spam

This also creates a .spamassassin directory in your home directory so that you can then set the threshold score to reject on. The default is 7.5 but some of the computing staff find lower values between 3 and 5 more satisfactory.

To set the threshold, you need to create a .spamassassin/user_prefs with, for example, the line

    required_hits 4.0

You can allow persistent exceptions from real correspondents that seem to send messages that look like spam, eg:

    whitelist_from spammyheaderpal@hotmail.com

METHOD 2. Spam messages will still go into your inbound folder, but you can highlight them in the subject line as ***SPAM** and, by also eyeballing the sender in header summary, quickly verify the correct detection or otherwise.

Again, you need to create a .spamassassin/user_prefs file and set the option:

    rewrite_subject 1

Set a theshold as above. Add a white list as above.

7.6.  Any hints and tips on email etiquette?

See these URLs:

7.7.  How do I find out someone's address or a list address?

Contact details for all staff and students in the University are on the web.

A list of commonly used email lists and aliases.

A web form for finding out who's in a given mail alias.

7.8.  How do I set up a personal Web page?

In Unix, you will first need to create a directory within your home directory called WWW to keep Web files in. Note that it is all capitals. Type:

    mkdir ~/WWW

Your home page should be in a file called index.html within the WWW directory. How to actually write Web pages is beyond the scope of this FAQ.

When you have all the files and directories in place, set the permissions by typing these commands:

    chmod o+x ~ ~/WWW
    chmod o+r ~/WWW/*

In Windows, the equivalent folder is N:\myhome\WWW

Your Web page should now be accessible by anyone as:

    http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/~username/

where username is your universal username.

7.9.  How do I protect some pages by EASE authentication?

Pages to be protected by EASE must be placed in a subdirectory called auth containing a .htaccess file as follows.

    CosignProtected On
    AuthType Cosign
    AuthGroupFile /home/www/SEE/admin/htgroup
    require valid-user

To restrict access to a specific group or groups, add a line like

    require group iie civteach

The groups are defined automatically from the mail aliases and listed in the file /home/www/SEE/admin/htgroup. If you want to create your own groups you can put them in a file of your own and put its full path in the AuthGroupFile line. Put your own group file outside your WWW directory so people can't download it.

If you have any executable scripts in the auth directory, the EASE username is passed to them in an environment variable called $REMOTE_USER.

7.10.  How can I view Web pages containing Chinese/Greek/Cyrillic text?

In Unix, you need to make the Chinese fonts available to the X server before starting Mozilla. Type this command:

    xset +fp /usr/local/pack/X11/lib/X11/fonts/Chinese/

(the trailing `/' is important) and then start Mozilla. You can put this line in your .xinitrc file to avoid having to type it every time you login. There are similar directories containing fonts for Greek and Cyrillic text.

    xset +fp /usr/local/pack/X11/lib/X11/fonts/Greek/
    xset +fp /usr/local/pack/X11/lib/X11/fonts/Greek-Type1/
    xset +fp /usr/local/pack/X11/lib/X11/fonts/Cyrillic/

In Windows, you will probably have to install the appropriate language fonts. Visit us in person to borrow a CD-ROM.

7.11.  How do I put non-ASCII characters or mathematics into a Web page?

Jack Ponton has researched this and written up his findings here:

In summary, unusual and foreign characters are usually available in Unicode, as are basic mathematical symbols. More complicated mathematics can be formatted using MathML, assuming the browser supports it.

Failing that, you can always render the text to an image file and include that in your document with an <img> tag.

7.12.  How do I get files by FTP?

The easiest way is probably to use a Web browser like Mozilla. The URL to enter into the browser will be "ftp://" followed by the FTP server's address followed by the directory name. For example, to download files from the directory /pub/files on a server called ftp.sample.com, the URL would be:

    ftp://ftp.sample.com/pub/files

You will be presented with a list of files in that directory which you can download by clicking on them.

If you're having problems establishing an FTP connection, make sure your FTP client is configured to use Passive mode.

7.13.  Does the School have an anonymous FTP server?

No, we don't run an anonymous FTP server for security reasons. If external people want to download a file from you we recommend they use http. Create a WWW directory (as described above) and put the file in there. They can then download it as if it were a web page.

7.14.  May I use peer-to-peer file sharing software like Gnutella, BitTorrent or EDonkey?

No. Use of these protocols is forbidden according to the School's computing regulations ( http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/security.html ). If you have a legitimate academic need for peer-to-peer file sharing, contact us or ask your supervisor to contact us. We can probably arrange something.

8.  Printing and Scanning

Questions about the use of the School's printers and scanners.

8.1.  Which printer should I use?

Please see WX http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/printers/ http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/printers/ for more details on printers in the School

8.2.  Can I have a personal printer in my office?

Please refer to the School's policy on personal printers.

8.3.  How do I print something on official headed paper in mkdoc?

You may only do so if it is offical; check with your supervisor first! For printers that do not have headed paper loaded in a tray, put a sheet of headed paper in the sheet feeder and run either for an HP Laserjet 5M (or 4M+) printer, eg ps16:

    cat file.ps | mkdoc_ps_head_paper 3 0 | lpr -PpsX

or, for an HP Laserjet 4000, eg ps6:

    cat file.ps | mkdoc_ps_papersel Letterhead Plain | lpr -PpsX

where psX is the name of the printer you want to use. The first sheet will be taken from the sheet feeder (where you've just put the headed paper) and the rest of the pages will be printed on plain paper from the main paper tray.

8.4.  How do I print two pages per sheet?

Many of the printers can be used to print two pages per sheet. To do this from Unix/Linux, add the option -Z2 to the command line. For example, to print 2-up on the TLC printer, use the command

    lpr -Z2 -Ptlc filename

You can also use -Z4 to print four pages per sheet. Note that it's a capital Z, not lowercase.

8.5.  How can I print bigger than A4?

The Canon printes/copiers can print A3, otherwise please use IS printing service. For more details, see:

8.6.  How do I print OHP transparencies?

Try the IS printing service. See

8.7.  How do I print a plain text file on a laser printer?

Unix users can use the command a2ps to print plain text files such as program source to a laser printer. For example, if you want to print the file mysource.c to ps5, use this command.

    a2ps mysource.c | lpr -Pps5

There are many options. Type "a2ps -h" for hints.

8.8.  How do I print a .prn file?

You can print .prn files the same way as PostScript files, so in Unix you would do something like:

    lpr -PpsX filename.prn

where psX is the name of a printer. Make sure that the printer and page settings were correct for the intended printer when you created the .prn file. If, for example, the page settings specified US Letter paper and you try printing it on A4 paper, you might have problems.

8.9.  How do I use the Oce / Canon Printer/Copiers

See http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/printers/copiers.html

8.10.  How do I print address labels?

The label printers are currenly only available from Unix.

Address labels (or labels containing a few lines of any text) are printed using the prlabel command. It's designed to take a mkletter source file and print the address field so it looks for any .AD tags and prints whatever comes after them. To print the address fields in a file called myletter.ms you would use this command.

    prlabel myletter.ms

You can print one-off addresses by not giving it a filename. When you run prlabel on its own it will wait for input. To use it this way you would type something like this.

    prlabel
    .AD
    School of Engineering
    The University of Edinburgh
    King's Buildings
    Mayfield Road
    Edinburgh EH9 3JL

and then hit Control+D to signify end of input.

prlabel will choose a label printer reasonably close to your location. Look for the output line saying "Selecting Printers: lb2" or whatever which will tell you which printer it used. They are:-

lb0
is the label printer in the Faraday photocopying room
lb1
is the IT team's label printer
lb2
is the label printer in the SMC
lb3
is the Head of School's secretary's label printer.
lb4
is the label printer in the AGB

If you're not in SMC or AGB it will probably use lb0.

8.11.  Does the School have a scanner I can use?

Yes, there are a number of networked scanners around the School, for more details see: http://www.eng.ed.ac.uk/it/network/printers/scanners.html

8.12.  Where can I find an image file of the University Crest?

In Windows:

    N:\The-School\School\drawings\

In Solaris/Linux:

    /home/drawings/

Note: the University Crest may only be used for official University purposes.


The School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL
School IT Team Tel: 0131 650 5636      Fax: 0131 650 6554      Email: SeeSup@ed.ac.uk
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