SSH Login for SSC
Following these steps should get you onto the server. As always, if you have questions email pjj (at) philipjohnjames.com.
1) Start by finding your SSH client. Almost everything that's done on a network happens in a client-server relationship. The server you will be logging into is running SSH server software, and needs a client to access it. If you are on a Mac or UNIX-based machine (Linux, UNIX, BSD, etc.) you can follow steps 1a through 1b. If you're on a Windows machine, follow steps 1c through 1e.
MAC
1a) Start by typing Command-Space. That's the Cloverleaf/Apple key and the Spacebar together. A small blue text box will appear in the top right corner of your screen. Type "terminal" into the box and press enter.
Accessing files/applications the easy way.
By the way, this blue search bar is know as "Spotlight" on the Mac and is a very handy way to find/open files and applications. Play around with it in your spare time and you'll be amazed how much quicker you can find things on the Mac.
If you're on a different UNIX-based machine, you'll want to open up a terminal of some type. There are a few too many variants for me to discuss here.
1b) Once you've opened the Terminal app, you should get something that looks like this:
To start the SSH client on a UNIX system, you'll start by typing "ssh [options] [[username]@[server]]". In this particular example, you'll type "ssh -p443 username@securechaos.ath.cx", replacing "username" with the username you gave when you signed up. Press Enter and you should get something like this:
Type "yes" at the prompt and press Enter. It will ask you for your password (default is "changeme" and you'll be able to move onto step 2!
Windows
1c) Unlike MacOS and other UNIX-based systems, Windows does not come with an SSH client by default. Some of you may already have an SSH client installed because you've had Engineering courses where you needed to use the UCSC Unix server, and if you really like that client you're welcome to use it. When I'm doing anything SSH-based on a Windows system, I tend to prefer PuTTY, a free SSH suite available here. If you look down the page, you'll see a bunch of download options, but for us it boils down to two choices: either run PuTTY as a standalone .exe, or install it as a normal program and run it from the Start menu. If you're on your own system, I would recommend the full installer, available here. After you've got PuTTY downloaded and ready to go, open the program. You'll be presented with a window like this:
The difference is your window will be blank, where the picture above has the crucial fields filled in. Fill out your window so it matches the above and click "Open".
1d) Once you've clicked "Open", you'll be presented with a window like this:
Click "Yes".
1e) A window will open that prompts "login:". Put your username here and press Enter. PuTTY will prompt "username@secure.ath.cx's password:". Type your password (default is changeme) and you're ready to continue to step 2!
2) After the initial password entry, you should be given a message from the system and a prompt to change your password. It will look something like this:
Change your password by typing the current password (default changeme), Enter, the new password you want, Enter, and the new password again, and then Enter. The server will kick you out as it changes your password. Log back in following the methods above, and you should get a successful prompt like this:
Congratulations! You're ready to go.
Some things to be aware of:
- If your password doesn't work, someone might have tried to login to your account before you. Let me know and we'll fix the problem.
-If you think your account has been compromised, type "passwd" at the command prompt on the server, and you'll be able to change your password.
That's it! If you have any questions, you know how to reach me.