Linux - System Setup

This page is meant to help you get your computer ready to connect to the CS server.

This page is a part of the Linux and CS Systems - Getting Started.

Video demo, one per OS, coming soon.

CS User Accounts

Below we guide you through getting software setup on your computer. In order to connect to the CS server you will also need your CS user account. CS accounts are normally distributed during the first week of classes. If you are a CS major, you can also request a permanent CS account. See CS Accounts and CS Lab Computers.

Your Personal Computer

You need to have access to a computer that you can install the following on - (a) terminal program used to connect to the CS server and execute commands on the CS server, (b) file transfer program for transferring files between your computer and the CS server, (c) text editor to use on your computer.

There are good options for (b) and (c) that are cross-platform - are available and work the same on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Cross-Platform - File Transfer and Text Editor

Choose a file transfer program and a text editor to install. Note that

• File Transfer Program
  • FileZilla - FileZilla download Note - If given an option of what port to connect to, use port 22 (this is the "secure" port, so data is encrypted while transferring over the public internet).
    Note - another option that is good but only available on Windows is WinSCP
• Text Editor - Kate Atom Emacs Vim - all are good editors for programming that are available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Pick one to use, you can ask your instructors which they prefer (and can help you with).

Terminal Program

If you are using MacOS or Linux you already have a terminal program installed. You don't need to install anything, you just need to follow some steps to use the terminal program that is already installed. For Windows, you need to install a terminal program.

• On Mac OS
  • Built-in Terminal - Use the built-in Terminal program in Mac OS to connect to the cs server, and you can also use the Terminal program to run commands on your local computer. You open the terminal by opening Finder, then click on Applications, then click on Utilities, then open Terminal. When you get the terminal program open, you can login remotely to the CS server by typing "ssh username@cs.indstate.edu".
• On Linux
  • Built-in Terminal - Similar to MacOS, a terminal program is already built-in. How to get to the terminal program (also called the "shell") depends on which distribution you are running - ask the internet where to find the terminal program for your distribution.
• On Windows - Choose one of the following to install
  • Putty - download Installing Putty on Windows video demo - use this to start off, it is the minimum you need in terms of a terminal.
  • Windows Subsystem for Linux - Luke May's tutorial - this includes more than just a terminal and allows you to install additional linux utilities (allows you to run most programs on your computer that we use on the CS systems)
  • Cygwin - download/install [video demo - coming soon] - similar to the previous option but software that is provided by the open source community rather than Microsoft.
  • Virtual machine - VirtualBox download Ubuntu Linux download - a virtual machine runs on your computer and looks and acts like a separate computer running as a program, you could install Linux as a virtual machine.

Other OS-Specific Notes

If you are using Windows and have Putty installed as your terminal program, it installs a text-based file transfer program as well - psftp - which you should be able to find in your list of programs.

If you are using MacOS or Linux, a text-based file transfer program - sftp - is normally installed by default.

Chromebook

• Secure Shell - install this app to be able to use a terminal connected to the CS server (same as what Putty does on Windows).
  Download Chrome Extension configuration

ISU CS Lab Computers

The computers in ISU CS labs (Root Hall A-015, A-017, A-019) are already configured with Linux. You can use these computers as long as you have a CS account.

Other Software

There are other development environments and software that you might use on your personal computer. A few other options that are common but which we do not provide support for are the following.

• MS Visual Studio - the best option to develop GUI programs for Windows, not a good option for developing for Linux.
• Eclipse - a cross-platform IDE that can be used for Java, C/C++, and some other languages.