[This only affects people using VNC or xRDP to access our Ubuntu Linux systems.] We have switched back to the MATE desktop as the default when you remotely access our Ubuntu Linux systems via VNC or xRDP. The desktop is the graphical user interface you interact with when you initiate a graphical session on a [...]
During Finals week, starting on Tuesday, December 10th, the CS Penguin Lab (FAB 88-10) will be going offline as we remove everything in there to facilitate furniture replacements. CS students needing to use Linux machines can use the adjacent Particle Lab (FAB 88-09). There are no lab reservations in either of these spaces for Finals [...]
The CAT has been busy throughout the Summer, making some substantial changes to our computer infrastructure. These changes may affect both onsite and remote users. Here are some highlights: All Windows systems in computer labs have been migrated to Windows 11. All Ubuntu Linux end-user systems have been upgraded to the 24.04 (“noble”) release. The [...]
At about the same time last year, we announced that we were locking off our LInux lab "proxy" addresses behind the firewall. Due to a number of factors, this task was postponed and we are finally going to make the change on Wednesday, Sep 11. Read the included message for details. Note, existing CS login servers (ada/babbage/quizors) are [...]
How to Copy Your CAT Linux Files Remotely This is a guide on how to copy the files in your CAT Linux home directory to a personal computer. Using SFTP This way is pretty quick and easy, but if you want to connect to the Linux computer with a graphical desktop, go to [...]
Copying Files to a USB Drive This guide is about copying files from a CAT loaded Linux computer to a thumb drive physically connected to the machine. Using a File Explorer This is the graphical way to copy over your files if you aren't super Linux or terminal savvy. First, make sure [...]
Starting Spring 2023, access to services running on "high ports" (ie: network ports numbered 1024 and higher) on remotely accessible MCECS Linux systems will be blocked to external users. You will still be able to ssh into those systems. However, if you are running any services (programs) on these systems that listen at high ports, [...]
CS Users! Please run resource heavy programs on babbage.cs.pdx.edu - not ada (linux.cs.pdx.edu). Some clarification of the lore about ada and babbage, the two primary multi-user Linux systems available to CS students. ada.cs.pdx.edu (aka linux.cs.pdx.edu) Used as a general workhorse. Designed to handle users going through the edit - compile - execute cycles of general [...]
We will be making a slight home directory permissions change for all users on our systems. The end result will lock down access to user home directories so that only the owner of the account can access the files. We expect this to only affect a very small minority of users who have specifically opened [...]
Dealing with SSH Host Key Changes The CAT periodically updates the SSH host keys on its servers for security purposes, which can result in users seeing an error message similar to below when attempting to connect with an MCECS Linux system. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @ WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED! @ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ IT IS POSSIBLE THAT [...]