Shell access to Maseeh College UNIX/Linux systems

Users with MCECS UNIX/Linux (*nix) credentials may access the general access *nix systems in the MCECS computer labs much like they would while on-campus, by using SSH. SSH clients are available for all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X and, naturally, any *nix distribution.

If you know the hostname of a particular computer you that wish to connect to, you may use that. Alternatively, you may connect to one of the following generic hosts.

How to Connect

Once you know the hostname of the machine you want to connect to, follow the instructions below that correspond to the operating system that you are trying to connect from.

From Windows

On Windows, you must use a third-party SSH client. This article includes instructions for using PuTTY.

• PuTTY is available on MCECS supported Windows hosts at P:\Programs\tools\putty\PUTTY.exe

  • PuTTY is freeware that can be downloaded on your home computer from: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

To connect:

1. Run PuTTY. The configuration window will appear. It looks like the screenshot below.
   

2. Enter the hostname of the machine you want to connect to.

3. Press the Open button.

4. If this is the first time you have attempted to connect to this host, PuTTY will warn you that it cannot guarantee that the computer you're connecting to is who it says it is. Press 'Yes' to save the key in PuTTY's cache.

5. Enter your MCECS *nix credentials to log in.

From *nix

1. From any *nix machine, bring up a terminal and use the ssh (Secure Shell) command:
   
   ssh hostname
   
   If you need to login as a different user, specify your user name before the hostname like so:
   
   ssh username@hostname

2. If this is the first time you have attempted to connect to this host, ssh will warn you that it cannot guarantee that the computer you're connecting to is who it says it is. Enter 'yes' to save the key in ssh's cache.

3. Enter your password when prompted.

From Mac OS X:

1. Click on the Spotlight icon (the magnifying glass in the top-right corner of your screen) and enter “Terminal”.

2. Click on the Terminal utility when it appears in the drop-down list.

3. In the Terminal window, enter:
   
   ssh username@hostname

4. If this is the first time you have attempted to connect to this host, ssh will warn you that it cannot guarantee that the computer you're connecting to is who it says it is. Enter 'yes' to save the key in ssh's cache.

5. Enter your password when prompted.

All MCECS *nix hosts require SSH protocol version 2.0. Our SSH servers also support RSA public/private key authentication . For more assistance connecting via SSH, email support@cat.pdx.edu.