Quick Introduction to the Computer Lab for Windows Lovers

<BODY > <HR><center> <table border=1> <td><img height=36 width=36 alt="" src="../../../icons/latex2html/previous_fade.gif"></td> <td> <A NAME="tex2html1" HREF="../../../classes/Lab_Manual/contents.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="UP" src="../../../icons/latex2html/up.gif"></A></td> <td> <IMG WIDTH="81" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next_inactive" SRC="../../../icons/latex2html/nx_grp_g.gif"></td> <td><a href="contents-quick_start.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="CONTENTS" src="../../../icons/latex2html/toc.gif"></a></td> </table> </center> <HR>  <P> <P> <H1>Quick Introduction to the Computer Lab for Windows Lovers</H1> <P> <P> This document explains how to use the SunRays for browsing (including WebAssign), editing simple Microsoft Office documents spreadsheets, and accessing flash memory drives. <P> <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000010000000000000"> Computer Accounts</A> </H4> <P> You need to get a Physics department computer account to use these machines. These accounts are NOT the same as your University mail account. See your instructor or ask the receptionist in 201 JFB. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000020000000000000"> Logging on to the SunRays</A> </H4> You should already see a login screen. Enter your assigned login user name and password in the space provided. Pay careful attention to upper and lowercase. If you are successful, you will get the window manager screen. There are several possible window managers. Our classes have adopted the Java Desktop manager. If you see the Java logo coffee cup at the bottom left on the Launch button, you have the Java Desktop. If not, see the next paragraph to change it. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000030000000000000"> Selecting the Window Manager</A> </H4> You shouldn't need to do this, but if you get an unfamiliar window manager when you log in, just log out. Then on the login Welcome screen, use the mouse to select Options->Session->Java Desktop System. After that, enter your username and password to log in. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000040000000000000"> Changing Your Password</A> </H4> If this is the first time you have logged in, you <EM>must</EM> change your password. See below for instructions. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000050000000000000"> Web Browser</A> </H4> <P> Use the Launch button at the lower left of your window to select Netscape or Firefox. <P> <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000060000000000000"> Editing Windows documents</A> </H4> <P> The OpenOffice.org application understands and can edit simple Windows documents. This includes Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Word documents. <P> To run Open Office, select Launch->OpenOffice.org 2.0. If the document already exists, you can also start it ``Window's style'' from your desktop by clicking on the Documents icon and chasing through the file tree until you get to the file. Double clicking on a document with a filename extension <B>.doc</B> or <B>.xls</B> will, by default, open it with the OpenOffice application. <P> <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000070000000000000"> USB flash memory drive</A> </H4> <P> You can bring files to the lab and take them home with a personal USB flash memory drive. The SunRay terminal unit has a spare USB port in the back. When the drive is active the files should appear in the folder reached from the desktop under <B>This Computer->File System->tmp->SUNWut->mnt-><your username></B> where <B><your username></B> should be replaced by your user name. We have created a shortcut to this location on your Desktop, called USB_Devices. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000080000000000000"> Logging Out</A> </H4> It EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to log out when you leave the console so the next user won't have access to your account. Select Launch->Log Out. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00000090000000000000"> Locking the Screen</A> </H4> Please do not lock your screen unless you are just taking a quick bathroom break. The terminals are shared by everyone. Locked sessions will be killed by the administration. <H2><A NAME="SECTION00001000000000000000"> Changing Your Password</A> </H2> Do this in three steps explained in the next four paragraphs: (1) Choose a good password. (2) Open a terminal window. (3) Use the Unix <B>passwd</B> command to make the change. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00001010000000000000"> Selecting Your Password</A> </H4> Your password is a string of letters, numbers, and/or special characters that you can remember easily but others would find it very difficult to guess. Unix distinguishes upper and lowercase letters. For the sake of security on this system, we urge you to choose your password wisely. Don't use names and words found in dictionaries. A combination of letters and numbers, upper and lowercase and/or special characters is good. Your password should contain at least six characters. For example, you could create a password from the first letters of a mnemonic phrase, such as ``H,llwht!'' for ``Houston, looks like we have trouble!''. (But don't use this one, now! Make up your own.) <H4><A NAME="SECTION00001020000000000000"> Getting a terminal window</A> </H4> Open the root window menu by right-clicking with the mouse in an empty space on your screen. Select ``Open Terminal''. <H4><A NAME="SECTION00001030000000000000"> Typing in a Terminal Window</A> </H4> The terminal window is the basic interface for typing in commands. Any command or other information you type will not be interpreted until you hit <B> <Enter></B>. Before that, you may hit <B><Backspace></B> to redo the previous character. To redo the entire command from the beginning, hold down the <B><Ctrl></B> key while typing <B>u</B>. (This operation is abbreviated <B>C-u</B> in these notes.) <H4><A NAME="SECTION00001040000000000000"> Changing Your Password</A> </H4> After you have invented a new password, type <B>passwd<Enter></B> (it i.e. the letters <B>passwd</B> followd by the Enter key) at the prompt in a terminal window to run the procedure that changes your password. You will first be asked for your old password, then your new choice, and you will be asked to repeat your new choice to verify that you didn't make a typing mistake. You may change your password as often as you want using this method. It takes about one hour for the change to take effect, so you may have to continue to use your old password for a while. <P> <P> <H2><A NAME="SECTION00002000000000000000"> About this document ...</A> </H2> <P> This document was generated using the <A HREF="http://www.latex2html.org/"><STRONG>LaTeX</STRONG>2<tt>HTML</tt></A> translator Version 2002 (1.63) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, <A HREF="http://cbl.leeds.ac.uk/nikos/personal.html">Nikos Drakos</A>, Computer Based Learning Unit, University of Leeds.<P> The translator was augmented by "uces.sty" and "uces.perl" (version 3.0b), which are available from the <a href="http://www.cs.utah.edu/~hamlet/">Hamlet Project</a> at the University of Utah.<HR><center> <table border=1> <td><img height=36 width=36 alt="" src="../../../icons/latex2html/previous_fade.gif"></td> <td> <A NAME="tex2html1" HREF="../../../classes/Lab_Manual/contents.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="UP" src="../../../icons/latex2html/up.gif"></A></td> <td> <IMG WIDTH="81" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next_inactive" SRC="../../../icons/latex2html/nx_grp_g.gif"></td> <td><a href="contents-quick_start.html"><img height=36 width=36 alt="CONTENTS" src="../../../icons/latex2html/toc.gif"></a></td> </table> </center> <HR>  </BODY>