Computational Physics 2007  >  Network access

Network access to PWF Linux from UNIX

If your local machine is running any version of the UNIX operating system, then you need to use Secure Shell (SSH) to connect to the server. Unlike rsh, rlogin or telnet your password is not sent in plain text to the remote machine, but is encrypted first. This means that any potential sniffers monitoring the network traffic will not be able to grab your password as it travels between computers. If you have ssh installed on your computer, you can connect to the PWF Linux server with
    > ssh -l <userid> linux.phy.pwf.cam.ac.uk

The first time you connect, you may get the following message:

      Host key not found from the list of known hosts.
      Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?

Type `yes' to accept the connection for the first time. You will be prompted for your password, and will then be able to log on as usual. Once connected, SSH should automatically set up your environment to display X windows on your local screen, so that you should be able to use xterm, nedit and emacs in the same way as on the workstations in the PWF:
    linux$ xterm &
    linux$ nedit prog.f90 &

Most recent versions of Linux will include the SSH client in the standard installation. If you don't have SSH on your computer, you should install the latest, secure version from e.g. http://openssh.org/.

You may need to seek help with the installation from your College Computer Officer.