4.1 Setup UNIX account

4.1 Setup UNIX account

Setting up your account on a system is often done by the system administrator, but not always. Often, making a few changes can make an account more usable for the individual. On UNIX systems there are a number of files that affect the way your account behaves. Some of these can be changed by the individual user, others are changed by the system administrator. The files that affect your account that can be changed by you will usually have a period as the first character of the file name. This makes it a "hidden" file that does not show up in most directory listings.

1. Connecting to the system.

   You need to establish a connection to the system. In today's environment there are several ways to connect. Once you have reached the system, go on to the next step -- logging on to the system.

   You are welcome to use any UNIX system that you have access to.

   gort

   • A Network connected Windows system in the Academic Computing Center, Santa Catalina building, room C202. Use putty with
     ssh to access gort from the lab. It is on the desktop. Open a connection to gort.edu-domain.pima.edu or 144.90.49.11.
   • Web Browser.
     Use http://gort.edu-domain.pima.edu/ssh as a URL from most Java^TM equipped web browser programs. The ssh authenication widow can be hidden and difficult. putty and ssh connections is recommended.
   • Macintosh. Several ssh clients, some free, are avaliable for Macintosh computer systems.
   • Unix, Linux & *BSD systems. Most Unix, Linux & *BSD systems have a version of ssh installed. If not there are clients avaliable at www.openssh.org and ssh.
2. Login to your gort account.

   You should have the "login:" message at this point. Your username is: first initial, last name -- no space between -- maximum 8 characters total, all lower case. Enter your username followed by a carriage return or enter. The system will prompt you for your password. Your initial password is: student services number -- no hyphens. Enter your password followed by a carriage return or enter. The system will not echo your password. If you do not get logged on try again a few times, then see the lab about your account on gort.

3. The system prompt.

   The prompt from the system is programmable. In the following examples I will use:

   username@gort ~ $
   

   for the system prompt. "username" will be replaced with your username. "gort" is the name of the system. The "~" will be your current working directry. On gort my prompt looks like:

   ltaber@gort ~ $
   

   Your actual prompt may have other information and look quite a bit different. If you are using bash as your shell, you can change it by editing your .bashrc file.

4. Change your password.

   Choose an 8 character password with digits, upper case, and lower case characters. Use the passwd command.

    
   username@gort ~ $ passwd
   

5. Hidden files in your account.

   Your account will have several files in it when you log on for the first time. These files all start with a ".". This is the UNIX version of a hidden file. To "see" these files you will need to do a ls -al command. ls (list) is the UNIX directory command.

   ls -al
   

6. Print out your line of the password file. Please note the space after your name and before the file name /etc/passwd. It is needed.

   username@gort ~ $ grep your-username /etc/passwd | lpr
   

7. Log off. This is important. System gort has no fixed user license, but it does have limited resources.

    
   username@gort ~ $ exit
   

Turn in the printout from part marked as follows:

your-name
Louis Taber CIS137
Lab 4.1: Setup UNIX account
the number of hidden files in your directory.

Please turn your lab to Louis Taber or to Pima Community College employee in room A-115 of the Santa Rita Building. Ask them to place it in the dark blue folder in Louis Taber's mailbox.

4.1 Setup UNIX account