=================================== Using the ACADUNIX IBM Unix machine =================================== -IAN! idallen@ncf.ca ACADUNIX is an IBM RISC computer running the IBM proprietary version of Unix named "AIX". The machine is accessible using "telnet" from most anywhere in the world: telnet acadunix.algonquincollege.com The "telnet" program is available for most any operating system, including Windows, Linux, and MACOS-X. You can also use the more secure "ssh" program to make your login safer. (Windows users should look for a program namded "PuTTY" and select the "ssh" protocol to connect.) ssh -l abcd0001 acadunix.algonquincollege.com (Replace "abcd0001" with your Algonquin College acadunix login userid.) You cannot currently connect directly from ACADUNIX to machines in "T" building; however, you can connect from machines in "T" building to ACADUNIX. (Machines in "T" buidling have private IP names and addresses that are not visible from ACADUNIX.) ------------------------------ Your Login Userid and Password ------------------------------ Your login userid is your usual Algonquin userid and your initial password is your PIN number. (Your PIN number is available by logging in to ACSIS first.) You should change your ACADUNIX password using the usual Unix "passwd" command. If you forget your password, contact ITS at extension 5555. (Your instructor cannot reset your password.) ITS limits each account to only five simultaneous logins into the ACADUNIX machine (five simultaneous logged in telnet sessions). ------------------ The ACADUNIX Shell ------------------ The shell you first get when logging in to ACADUNIX is the Korn shell (/bin/ksh). This shell is somewhat less powerful than the bash shell used in Linux, but somewhat more powerful than the original Bourne shell. You will note that the arrow keys do not navigate your command history in the Korn shell. A copy of the open-source bash shell, version 2, commpiled for AIX Unix, is available on ACADUNIX by typing "bash" at the shell prompt. This shell is almost identical to the bash shell running on recent Red Hat Linux systems. The arrow keys work in this shell. You can automatically start the bash shell upon login by inserting it into your ".profile" file. --------------------------------- Terminal Type and Erase Character --------------------------------- Depending on the kind of system you use to connect to ACADUNIX, your terminal type and erase character may not work correctly. Read the file telnet_usage.html for details. DO NOT USE VI or VIM until you have configured your terminal correctly! ---------------------------------- The VI and VIM editors on ACADUNIX ---------------------------------- The text editor you get by typing "vi" on AIX is the stock Berkeley version of "vi" distributed with most commercial versions of Unix, including AIX. It is *not* the open-source "vim" editor available under Linux. Many of the commands are identical; but, some things are different. Two important differences are the lack of feedback when you are in input mode, and the undo command having only one level of undo. A copy of the open-source vim editor, version 6, compiled for AIX Unix, is available on ACADUNIX by typing "vim" at the shell prompt. This version of vim is similar to the version of vim running on most recent Linux systems. You might want to define and save this alias on ACADUNIX: $ echo "alias vi=vim" >>$HOME/.profile $ source $HOME/.profile $ vi <--- now vi starts new vim instead of old vi The vim editor starts up in "vi-compatible" mode, which means all the nice vim features are turned off (the editor behaves much like the stock "vi" command) unless you explicitly ask for them to be turned back on. Typing ":help cp-default" in vim will explain how to set "nocompatibility" mode to get the full vim features you are used to under Linux. As a quick start, you can do this to get the some good features of vim going: $ echo "set showcmd showmode confirm ruler" >>$HOME/.vimrc $ vim (Note that the stock IBM AIX version of VI will not read .vimrc.) Read these files for further VI/VIM help on ACADUNIX: vi_basics.txt chapter08guide.txt ------------------------------------- Commands for a multi-user Unix system ------------------------------------- These commands are useful for looking at or interacting with other people on the same machine (e.g. on ACADUNIX): - who - w - finger - write - talk Both talk and finger take user@machine name command line arguments, allowing interaction with people on other machines (if they permit it, and if the network permits it). Note: The Algonquin ITS department usually blocks finger and talk from working between machines. To prevent users from writing on your screen, use: mesg n when you log in. To enable writing, read the man page for "mesg". To exit from write, type your EOF character at the beginning of a line. To exit from talk, type your Interrupt Character. (The Unix EOF character is often ^D [CTRL-D] and the Interrupt Character is often ^C [CTRL-C].) Remember: all these programs have manual pages! "man write" -------------------------------------- Sending and Receiving mail on ACADUNIX -------------------------------------- ACADUNIX student accounts contain a file named ".forward" whose contents forward all your email to the main Algonqin email server. You normally won't ever receive any email on ACADUNIX because of this. If you want to bypass this forwarding temporarily, you can preface an ACADUNIX userid with a backslash (two backslashes, if you're typing into a Unix shell). For example, to send mail to "abcd0001" on ACADUNIX: $ mail \\abcd0001 Subject: this message will not be forwarded Hi! Userid abcd0001 can read this using the ACADUNIX mail command. ^D $ XXXX NOTE: Mail to acadunix from other machines has been disabled by ITS. XX XX If you want to send mail to ACADUNIX from another machine, the backslash XX trick still works; but, you must specify the full ACADUNIX host name: XX XX $ mail \\abcd0001@acadunix.algonquincollege.com XX Subject: this message will not be forwarded XX Hi! XX Userid abcd0001 can read this using the ACADUNIX mail command. XX ^D XX $ XXXX If you are typing an email address directly into a mail program (such as Netscape Messenger, Pine, Eudora, etc.), you don't need to double the backslash. One is sufficient: \abcd0001@acadunix.algonquincollege.com Only use double backslashes if typing at the Unix Shell. If you want to permanently disable the ACADUNIX forwarding of email to your main Algonquin account, you can remove or rename the .forward file in your ACADUNIX $HOME directory. You can also put two addresses into the file, so that your email goes to two places, e.g. \alleni alleni@algonquincollege.com The above contents of my .forward file means that email sent to me on ACADUNIX will go both into my real ACADUNIX mailbox as well as having a copy of the email sent to my main College mailbox. Note the use of the backslash on the local address to prevent further forwarding. -------------------------------------- Reading your College Email on ACADUNIX -------------------------------------- The "fetchmail" program available under Linux has not been compiled and installed on ACADUNIX, so you can't use it to get a copy of your main Algonquin email for reading on ACADUNIX. (Since the source code to this program is available, you could download it and try to get it to compile yourself, if you're adventurous!) What you can do (from anywhere) is use TELNET to look at individual messages on the POPmail server, by typing the POPmail commands directly into the server (Windows users will have to replace "pop3" on the telnet line below with the number "110"): $ telnet inmail.algonquincollege.com pop3 Trying 205.211.30.2... Connected to algmail.algonquincollege.com. Escape character is '^]'. +OK algmail POP3 Server (Version 1.020i) ready. USER alleni +OK please send PASS command PASS mypassword +OK 2 messages ready for alleni in /var/mail/alleni STAT +OK 2 1378 LIST +OK 2 messages; msg# and size (in octets) for undeleted messages: 1 669 2 719 . RETR 1 ...message 1 prints here... RETR 2 ...message 2 prints here... QUIT