CS Accounts and CS Lab Computers

This section contains information for CS majors to help get you started with logging into the CS server and do the sorts of programming that goes on in most of the CS courses

Operating System and Class Accounts

Many of the CS courses make use of the CS server, which runs Linux. For courses that use the CS server, your programming assignments will be compiled and run on the CS server.

If your class makes use of the CS server, you will be given a "class account". These class accounts allow you to login to the CS server remotely and login to the computers in the CS lab and classroom (Root Hall, A-015, A-017, A-019). The class accounts will be given to you by your instructor. The class account login names all start with cs and then the number of course. For example, CS 151 students get class accounts that begin with cs151 (e.g., cs151000, cs151001, ...). Note that the class accounts are deleted at the end of each semester, so you need to backup your files at the end of the semester (transfer the files to your home computer). If you are a CS major and would like a permanent account on the CS server you can ask the CS lab/server coordinator. For how to backup your files see CS Account Backup

CS Account Policies

Prohibitions

For any accounts that you have on the CS server (whether class accounts or permanent accounts), you should follow all ISU policies. In particular the following are prohibited -

• using your account to store or distribute anything that is against its terms/copyright/etc. (e.g., no movies, textbooks, answers to HW problems)
• using your account to do anything that is illegal
• using a password that is too easy to guess (i.e., a password cracker that we run finds your password)
• overloading the CPU or GPU of the system, or filling up any of the system drives
• anything that is along these lines that we have not thought to state explicitly

A violation of any of these will result in your account being locked and no longer being allowed to have an account on the systems.

Inactivity

Accounts that are not used for a period of 6 months will likely be locked as a security precaution. You can write to root@cs.indstate.edu to ask to have your account unlocked again.

Using Linux and Logging into CS Systems

See the Linux and CS Systems - Getting Started for getting started in Linux - getting software setup on your personal computer, basic commands to use, text editors, logging into the CS systems, etc.