Technical Orientation and FAQ for New UW CSE PMP Students

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1. Where to get help with technical questions about UW and CSE computing infrastructure.
2. Information about computer accounts and credentials which PMP students will need.
3. How to login to CSE Unix systems.
4. Information about mailboxes and mail forwarding.
5. Descriptions of PMP-specific mailing lists .
6. Access to NNTP news.
7. Access to UW library databases .
8. Options for remote access .
9. Information about Distance Education classes in the PMP.
10. Streamed media of interest to PMP students.
11. The minimum steps which should be taken by new students.
12. What to do in case of a lost password
13. Free Software and Discounted Hardware for Personal Purchase
14. Wireless Access in the Allen Center

Where to get help with technical questions about UW and CSE computing infrastructure.

• For general departmental technical help , visit the CSE Support page: http://www.cs.washington.edu/lab/support-index.html .    The page features a FAQ (much more extensive than this one.)  You may also make support requests via email, web form, telephone, or in person.
• For PMP-specific technical help, contact:
  • Fred Videon , 206-543-4725
  • Rod Prieto
• For help with UW computing facilities such as MyUW and UW NetID, contact help@cac.washington.edu
  

Information about computer accounts and credentials which PMP students will need.

There are three accounts and three corresponding sets of credentials which PMP students should be aware of:

• UWNetID. This is managed by the UW department of Computing and Communications, and is used for access to campus-wide computing facilities such as MyUW, a modem pool, campus labs, protected areas in the UW web space (under www.washington.edu), and your 'u.washington.edu' mailbox.  To create a UWNetID, visit: http://www.washington.edu/computing/uwnetid/.
• CSE Kerberos.  This is account will be automatically created for you when you enroll, and your credentials will be delivered to you during orientation.  You will use these credentials to access  
  • Protected areas in the CSE web space (under www.cs.washington.edu).
  • CSE Linux systems via SSH.  Some courses will require that you use these systems.  Log in to:
    • attu.cs.washington.edu
  • POP/IMAP access to your CSE mailbox (@cs.washington.edu).
  • Allen Center Wireless network
• CSE Windows. This account will also be automatically created for you when you enroll.  This account will be used to log in to the domain CSEPCLAB when you are in one of the department's PC labs.  These labs are located in the basement of the Allen Center.  This account may also be used to log in to departmental Windows terminal servers such as aria.cs.washington.edu. 

Please note that these accounts use independent authentication domains.  This means that changing one password will have no effect on the other two.

How to login to CSE Unix systems.

You will need to install a SSH 2 client (SSH1 and plain-text telnet will not work).   A decent Windows SSH 2 client called "SSH Tectia Client" is available to you as part of the UW Internet Connectivity Kit Starter Set(UWICK):  https://www.washington.edu/uware/.   The starter set also contains a SSH client called "Teraterm 2.3.4" which is not SSH 2 compatible, and will not work.  The client to use installs in "UWICK Applications->SSH Secure FTP->Terminals."  The one to avoid installs as "UWICK Applications->SSH Telnet."   Note that you will need a UW NetID to download this software.   

Once the software is installed, log in to attu.cs.washington.edu, and authenticate with your CSE Kerberos credentials.

To be allowed to connect, your host must have a registered name, and your ISP or DNS server must support reverse DNS. 

If you are having problems logging in, note that CSE Kerberos passwords that have not been changed from the initial value for a reasonably long period of time may expire.  If this happens you will need to use the web-based password changer tool to reset your password (https://www4.cs.washington.edu/cgi-bin/kpasswdu.cgi).  See this page of the CSE Support FAQ for more information: http://www.cs.washington.edu/lab/support/cantlogin.html . 

Information about mailboxes and mail forwarding.

There are two mailboxes to be aware of:

• <you>@cs.washington.edu  Note that your program advisor will be sending important mail to this mailbox.
• <you>@u.washington.edu This mailbox is optional as far as we are concerned.

How to read your cs.washington.edu mailbox (It is important that you do one of these!):

• Have mail forwarded to a mailbox which you are already in the habit of checking regularly.
  1. Log in to your CSE Unix account
  2. Edit the file at the root of your home directory called '.forward'.
  3. In the file, put the address to which you would like to have mail delivered.
  4. Send yourself mail at cs.washington.edu and verify that it is forwarded correctly.
• Use a IMAP client such as Outlook Express.  (See configuration instructions for Outlook and Outlook Express.)
• Log in to your CSE Unix account and use a mail program such as pine. 

Descriptions of PMP-specific mailing lists.

• cs-pmp   This is intended for general student discussions.  Membership is optional.  You may subscribe by sending mail to cs-pmp-request@cs.washington.edu, with the body of the message "subscribe".  The mail sent to this alias is also posted to a nntp news group (see next topic).
• cs-pmp-mail .  Your cs.washington.edu mailbox is automatically subscribed to this list.  Your program advisor will use this list to distribute important program announcements.  The list is archived here:  http://pmp.cs.washington.edu/hype/

Access to NNTP news.

A nntp server is available at news.cs.washington.edu.  See http://www.cs.washington.edu/lab/sw/restricted/news-service.html for more information, and for instructions concerning remote access.

Department-specific news groups begin with the prefix 'uw-cs', for instance 'uw-cs.pmp' is available for your use.

Access to UW library databases.

UW Libraries subscribe to a variety of on-line databases.  See http://www.lib.washington.edu/types/databases/ for the complete list.  Some databases may be restricted using host-based security.  To use these restricted databases from off-campus hosts you may want to sign up for a PIN which will permit you to use the library's proxy service.   To find out more, follow the 'UW Restricted' link in the library database index above.

Options for remote access.

• Personal ISP.  Broadband is recommended if it is available in your area.
• UW Modem pool. Information here:  http://www.washington.edu/computing/connect/dialins.html
• Workplace. Many have fairly restrictive firewalls which may prohibit some access.

Information about Distance Education classes in the PMP.

Each quarter, one PMP class is chosen to be the Distance Education course.  More information about how we are currently handling distance education is here:  http://pmp.cs.washington.edu/dl_tech/. 

Streamed media of interest to PMP students.

The PMP distance education course as well as CSE 519/520 will be encoded and streamed live, and archived for on-demand use.  For more information: http://pmp.cs.washington.edu/dl_tech/.

The minimum steps which should be taken by new PMP students.

1. Get a UW NetID. https://uwnetid.washington.edu/newid/.
2. Install a SSH Client. http://www.washington.edu/computing/software/uwick/.
3. Log in to a CSE Unix system.  See above.
4. Change your Unix password. Use the command 'passwd'
5. Configure mail forwarding. See above.
6. Change CSE Windows Password: Log in to aria.cs.washington.edu with a Remote Desktop client, Use Windows Security or Ctrl-Alt-End, then click Change Password.

What to do in case of a lost password.

If you are having problems logging in, note that CSE Kerberos passwords that have not been changed from the initial value for a reasonably long period of time may expire.  If this happens you will need to use the web-based password changer tool to reset your password (https://www4.cs.washington.edu/cgi-bin/kpasswdu.cgi).  See this page of the CSE Support FAQ for more information: http://www.cs.washington.edu/lab/support/cantlogin.html . 

If you do need to have a password reset by the support staff, and if it's not convenient for you to come to the department during business hours, contact your advisor at 206-543-1695.  Your advisor will need to fill out paperwork on your behalf, and coordinate the transmission of the new password to you.  Note that we don't typically use email for this transaction.  If it is convenient for you to come to campus, you may have your password reset without involving your advisor.   Request a password change form from the department's reception desk in the Allen Center, fill it out, and return it.  A day or two later, return to the reception desk, show your ID, and pick up the new password.

Free Software and Discounted Hardware for Personal Purchase

Visit this page for the lastest information.

Wireless Access in the Allen Center

The most convenient method for frequent users is to register the MAC address of your device.  See the official CSE wireless page for more information.

Please send comments, correction or updates to: Fred Videon

Department of Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington Box 352350 Seattle, WA  98195-2350 (206) 543-1695 voice, (206) 543-2969 FAX [comments to Fred Videon ]