Accessing the DIVMS Linux Machines

Background

• DIVMS is the Dividing of Mathematical Sciences (Computer Science, Mathematics, and Statistics and Actuarial Science).
• CSG is the Computer Support Group for the mathematical sciences departments
• CSG operates two Linux labs in MLH and one in 346 SH. In addition, there are several Linux servers that can be accessed by logging into linux.divms.uiowa.edu.
• All machines have shared home directories.
• The machines in 346 SH are intended for use by Statistics students and classes, so you should use one of these rather than machines in other labs or the servers.
• The lab machines in 346 SH are named l-lnx200.divms.uiowa.edu through l-lnx217.divms.uiowa.edu.

On Campus Remote Access

• The DIVMS lab machines are directly accessible from machines in the uiowa.edu domain using a secure shell (SSH) client.
• To log into the machine l-lnx207@divms.uiowa.edu from a terminal window on a Linux console on campus, use

  slogin YourUserID@l-lnx207.divms.uiowa.edu -X
  

  • The -X enables graphics forwarding. This means windows created on l-lnx207 will be displayed on your Linux console.
  • A similar approach works if you are using a Mac and have the X server installed.
• To log into the machine l-lnx207@divms.uiowa.edu from a Windows machine on campus, you can use an SSH client such as SecureCRT or SSH Secure Shell available from the ITS software download site.
  • This will not allow you to create graphics on l-lnx207 and have them displayed on your computer.
• You can also use the Windows NoMachine NX client to log into linux.stat.uiowa.edu and get a full Linux desktop. More information is available on the DIVMS NX help page.
  • Once you are logged in to linux.stat.uiowa.edu you should open a terminal window and log into one of the 346 SH lab machines as described for on campus access from a Linux console.

Off Campus Remote Access

• To log into the 346 SH these machines from off campus you must first log into linux.divms.uiowa.edu and then into a particular workstation.
• If you are using the NoMachine NX client, the on and off campus procedure is identical.

Uploading Files

You have several options for uploading files:

• You can use scp, the command line secure copy program that comes with many SSH clients, if you have it available.
• The SSH Secure Shell distribution for Windows, available from the ITS software download site, includes a GUI client for file transfer.
• You can also use a secure FTP client; see the CSG help on file transfer from Windows.
• From on campus you can mount your DIVMS home directory as a network drive.
• You can use a USB device on the workstations in 346 SH (I assume this is not disabled but have not checked).
• You can avoid the issue by working on one of the 346 SH workstations, either on the console or remotely using SSH or the NoMachine NX client.