Linux - System Setup

This page is meant to help you get your computer ready to connect to the CS server. What you need to do depends on your operating system.

This page is a part of the Linux and CS Systems Bootcamp.

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

Windows

You will need to install software that will allow you to connect to the CS server. The following are all options that would work.

• Putty or WinSCP - these allow you to connect to the CS server and gives you a text-based terminal to run commands on the server.
  Putty download Installing Putty on Windows WinSCP download [video demo]
• Cygwin - this gives you a text-based terminal that you can use on your local computer as well as allowing you to connect to the server.
  download/install [video demo]
• Virtual machine - you can install VirtualBox on your computer and then install Linux inside VirtualBox.
  VirtualBox download Ubuntu Linux download [video demo]
  You could use a different Linux distribution other than Ubuntu as well.

To transfer files between your computer and the CS server you need an sftp program. One that is free and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux is FileZilla.

• FileZilla - a free sftp program.
  download [video demo]
  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).
• WinSCP - another popular GUI sftp program that works on Windows
  download [video demo]
• psftp - comes installed with Putty on Windows, is a text-based sftp program.
  [video demo]

Mac OS

On a Mac you already have the software needed to connect to the CS server, or you can install the Virtual machine just like on Windows. The following are options that work.

• Built-in terminal - you can 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".
  video demo
• Virtual machine - you can install VirtualBox on your computer and then install Linux inside VirtualBox. You could also install Windows inside of VirtualBox, if you have software that you need to run that requires Windows.
  Download / video demo - see above under Window - Virtual machine above

To transfer files between your computer and the CS server you need an sftp program. One that is free and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux is FileZilla.

• FileZilla - a free sftp program.
  download video demo
• sftp - is built-in and can be run from the Terminal.
  [video demo]

Chromebook

If you have a Chromebook, please be in touch with Jeff Kinne or Steve Baker so we can get you setup and also put some instructions here for others to have.

Linux Desktop

If you are already running Linux on your computer, then you already have the software needed to connect to the CS server. As with Mac OS, you can also install VirtualBox and virtual machines if you would like.
[video demo]

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.
[video demo]

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.