=============================================================== The Course Linux Server - idallen-alinux - 10.50.254.148 =============================================================== -Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca - www.idallen.com The Course Linux Server "idallen-alinux" is accessible for remote login while on-campus at Algonquin College or while using the Algonquin VPN, using the private IP address 10.50.254.148. You may also use the name idallen-alinux-alg.dyndns.org, but note that any typing errors you make in the host name "dyndns" (e.g. dnydns or dynndns) will connect you to a cracker Phishing site that will capture your password and compromise your account and all your files. Use the IP address, or don't make any typing mistakes in the name! Note the letter "a" in "idallen-alinux". Web pages on this server have a public address usable anywhere on the Internet. See the section on "Your Personal Web Directory" below. Any issues you have regarding the Course Linux Server must be dealt with *only* through your instructor. Neither Algonquin ITS nor the Help Desk know anything about this Linux machine. All issues, including password resetting, must be resolved directly with your instructor. Your instructor can tell you your special Linux Server password. The Linux machine is located behind an Algonquin College firewall. You must use the Algonquin VPN to access the machine from off-campus. ITS has on-line help for the VPN; search for VPN on the College Home Page. (Contact your instructor for alternate access methods.) Some examples of file transfer commands are at the bottom of this file. Index to this file: * Connecting from Unix/Linux * Connecting from Windows * Copies of the Course Notes * Your Personal Web Directory - public_html * File Transfer to/from the Course Linux Server at 10.50.254.148 Connecting from Unix/Linux -------------------------- To login to the Course Linux Server from the shell prompt at another Unix machine (including from Knoppix or from a Macintosh OSX Terminal), use the SSH command: $ ssh abcd0001@10.50.254.148 [...answer yes to accept the host key, if asked...] [...enter your Course Linux Server password...] Replace the userid abcd0001, above, with your usual Algonquin userid. Your instructor can tell you your special Linux Server password. On your first connection, you will be asked to accept the server encryption key. Say "YES". If you need your password reset, see your instructor. Do not go to ITS. Connecting from Windows ----------------------- If you use Windows (e.g. in Algonquin Microsoft labs), you can use the free PuTTY program (or other SSH-capable program) to connect to the server at 10.50.254.148 using the SSH protocol and default ssh port 22. (In some labs you may have to do a Google search for PuTTY and download it first.) Before you connect, you should set the following PuTTY options (and save them as a Saved Session so you can use them again): Connection: Seconds between keepalives: 55 Enable TCP keepalives: ON Internet protocol version: IPv4 Window: Rows: 44 (or choose whatever fits on your screen) Host Name (or IP address) 10.50.254.148 Connection type SSH On your first connection, you will be asked to accept the server encryption key. Say "YES". Login using your usual Algonquin userid. Your instructor can tell you your special Linux Server password. If you need your password reset, see your instructor. Do not go to ITS. Copies of the Course Notes -------------------------- You can find a copy of all the course Notes files on the Linux Server under Linux directory: ~idallen/public_html/teaching/ (Note: The Linux shells will expand a leading "~idallen" on a pathname to be the home directory of the "idallen" account, which is currently /home/idallen, but could change, which is why ~idallen is better since it's always correct.) Under the above directory, pick the sub-directory corresponding to the current course, and under that course directory pick the current term. The notes are in a sub-directory under the term. You can copy files from this directory to your own account for modification or study, if you like. (To avoid plagiarism charges, you must credit any material that you copy and submit unchanged.) You can also search the notes directory using "grep" to find things quickly. (The "-i" option to "grep" is useful here.) Your Personal Web Directory - public_html ----------------------------------------- If you create a directory named "public_html" in the home directory of your account, and make it readable and searchable by "others" (the default), any publicly readable files you put there will be visible to the web server and anything inside that public_html directory can be browsed (e.g. in Firefox) via either of these two URLs: http://cst8281.idallen.ca:8080/~abcd0001/ http://10.50.254.148/~abcd0001/ (: PRIVATE DO NOT USE) Replace abcd0001 by your account userid. There is a tilde character preceding the account userid, above. The first (cst8281) URL above is public and will work to see your web pages from anywhere on the Internet. You can send this first link to your family. Don't forget the 8080 port number! The private 10.50.254.148 address above only works when you are on-campus at Algonquin College or using the VPN. Don't use it unless the public address above is not working. You cannot validate any web pages using the private address. Use the public address instead. Note that the public_html directory does not appear in the URL; it is added by the web server when you specify a leading tilde in front of the account name in the URL. The URL component /~abcd0001/ is expanded by the web server to look in Linux path "~abcd0001/public_html/", and Linux expands the leading "~abcd0001" to be the home directory of the abcd0001 account, which is usually /home/abcd0001. So URL path /~abcd0001/ usually expands to be Linux path /home/abcd0001/public_html/. Example: the Unix/Linux file path ~abcd0001/public_html/one/two.txt (i.e. /home/abcd0001/public_html/one/two.txt) can be found at either of these URLs (note how public_html does not appear in the URL): http://cst8281.idallen.ca:8080/~abcd0001/one/two.txt http://10.50.254.148/~abcd0001/one/two.txt (: PRIVATE DO NOT USE) You do not specify the "public_html" directory in the URL; it is assumed automatically by the web browser. You do need to remember to use "public_html" in your pathnames when actually copying files to/from the Course Linux Server. (The web server only looks at web pages that you keep in your public_html directory.) Only directories and files under public_html that have public access for "other" will be able to be viewed in the web browser. You must make sure the files and directories allow public access. Directories under your public_html directory must be readable and searchable (not writable!) by "other". Files under your public_html directory must also be readable (not writable or executable!) by others. Inaccessible files and directories will generate "Permission Denied" errors in your web browser. Files and directories with unwanted "write" permissions will allow other users to delete or erase your web pages. Don't do that. File Transfer to/from the Course Linux Server at 10.50.254.148 -------------------------------------------------------------- The Linux Server supports both FTP and SSH-style file transfers. The Class Notes file "210_file_transfer.txt" has the details. Here are some typical Windows command lines for file transfer from a local (Windows) computer to the public_html directory of the abcd0001 account on the Course Linux Server: > pscp d:\dir\image.jpg abcd0001@10.50.254.148:public_html/a10/image.jpg -OR USING PSFTP- > psftp abcd0001@10.50.254.148 password: psftp> put d:\dir\image.jpg public_html/a10/image.jpg psftp> help Note1: You must replace abcd0001 with your own userid. You will be asked for your password on the Course Linux Server. Note2: You must remember to insert the web directory name "public_html" into all your file names for the Course Linux Server. Note3: Slashes go backwards for Windows pathnames and forwards for Unix pathnames. Note4: The psftp and pscp commands may not be in your Windows DOS search PATH. You can add the directory containing these commands to your DOS search PATH, or you can change to the directory containing these commands when you want to run them, or you can type the absolute path of the command names if you aren't in the right directory. GUI via Windows Explorer The Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer!) will let you open an insecure FTP URI such as the one below, log in with your userid an password, and drag-and-drop files between your machine and a remote insecure FTP machine graphically: ftp://abcd0001@10.50.254.148/ Note1: You must replace abcd0001 with your own Linux userid. You will be asked for your password on the Course Linux Server. Note2: Your password and data are not encrypted when you use insecure FTP. Do not use this method on an untrusted network (i.e. Internet). Note3: You may be able to access a file via FTP that cannot be displayed in a web browser, since the FTP program is logged in as your account name and the web browser accesses your files as "other". You must ensure that your files have read permissions for "other" after you transfer them to the Course Linux Server. Note4: Windows Explorer, using insecure FTP, may create directories and files with the wrong Linux permissions. Directories under your public_html directory must be readable and searchable (not writable!) by "other". Files under your public_html directory must also be readable (not writable or executable!) by others. Inacessible files and directories will generate "Permission Denied" errors in your web browser. Files and directories with unwanted "write" permissions will allow other users to delete or erase your web pages. -- | Ian! D. Allen - idallen@idallen.ca - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Home Page: http://idallen.com/ Contact Improv: http://contactimprov.ca/ | College professor (Free/Libre GNU+Linux) at: http://teaching.idallen.com/ | Defend digital freedom: http://eff.org/ and have fun: http://fools.ca/