Resources

Using CS Lab PCs in GS228 & GS930

Rules

You must abide by the policy Appropriate Use of Computing Facilities (http://www.cs.arizona.edu/policies/computing.html).
There are various signs in the labs to address specific issues. Pay attention to them!
All CS equipment, including the PCs in GS228 and GS930 are for CS related work only. This applies especially to consumables such as printer paper and toner.
No food or drink OF ANY KIND is allowed in the CS labs.
If you are logged into a lab computer and need to leave briefly (e.g., for a restroom break), lock the screen. However, never lock a lab computer for more than 5 minutes. If a machine is found locked for a longer period, it may be rebooted -- causing any unsaved work to be lost.
Always log off when you leave.
The Secure Disposal Bins are for disposing of copies of assignments to prevent someone else from using your work. They are for white paper only, and the contents are recycled. Do not place printouts of your assignments in other trash or recycling containers.

Failure to abide by the rules can result in temporary or permanent deactivation of your CS account, loss of printing privileges, or deactivation of your access card, depending on the infraction. Section leaders should notify the lab staff of offenders.

CatCard access to Labs

Your CatCard will open the doors to the GS228 and GS930 labs. Simply swipe it through the card reader and the door will open. If you have problems before 7:00 AM, after 5:30 PM, or on weekends, call the Amer-X support line at 626-9345 and ask for the "tech on call". Otherwise, send email to and we will investigate.

Note that it may take a couple of days after the beginning of the semester (or after you add a class) for your CatCard to work on the lab doors.

Navigating Lab Computers

Logging on
Enter your username and password. The first time you logon, you should change your password. To do this, open a terminal window. It will display a message about changing your password and direct you to ssh to lectura. Once logged into to lectura, you will be prompted to change your password. Note: it can take up to 10 minutes for your password change to be propagated to other machines in the labs. See the Knowledgebase FAQ article on Password change questions (How do I change my password ?) for more information on changing your password.
Logging off
- iMac - Click on the 'apple' icon in the upper left corner and click on Log Out
- Ubuntu Linux - Click on the red 'power switch' icon in the upper right corner or click System...Log Out from the menu panel
Locking a PC
- iMac - To lock: Click on your name in the upper right corner and select Login Window; To unlock: log in again
- Ubuntu Linux - To lock: Select System...Lock Screen. To unlock: press any key or move the mouse to bring up the unlock dialog box. Enter your password and press Enter (or click Unlock)
Changing your password
ssh to lectura, run passwd and follow the prompts.
Home Directory
This is where you should save your work. Your home directory is available by
- iMac - clicking Finder in the Dock, then selecting Go...Home
- Ubuntu Linux - selecting Places...Home Folder
Keyboard Hint
As in Windows, the Tab key takes you to the next field, and Shift-Tab takes you to the previous field. Pressing the Return/Enter key when a button is highlighted (e.g., the OK button) is the same as clicking that button. For example, you can logon by typing your Username and pressing Enter, then typing your password and pressing Enter again (no mouse clicks required).

Email

It is required that you read email that is sent from the CS department, which will be sent to your official UA email address. Telling your section leader/TA/instructor that your preferred email address is something different is not sufficient as CS department email may come from a variety of sources. Not reading important announcements from the department (e.g., over quota messages) is no excuse for failing to remedy a problem that has been reported to you. Failure to remedy problems will result in loss of access to your accounts.
For information on accessing your UA email via CatMail, see the instructions at http://uits.arizona.edu/services/catmail?id=2278.

Problems

(Note: click the following link for the email address for lab staff: .)

Accounts are created automatically at the beginning of the semester based on class registrations and should be available on the first day of classes. For those who add a class after the semester has begun, accounts should be available within 24 hours of adding.
If you are logging on for the first time, your initial password will be the password emailed to you when the account was created (Note: the subject of this email is "Welcome to the Department of Computer Science" and it comes from "Arizona CSc application account <>"). If you have problems logging on, check that your username and password are correct. Check that Caps Lock is not on, and for digits use the keys across the top of the keyboard, not on the keypad. If you are logging on to a reactivated account, the password will be whatever you left it set to at the end of the prior semester.
If the machine appears to be powered off, check that the monitor is on and move the mouse to 'wake up' the display. If there is no response, try pressing the power button (on the back of the iMacs, on the front of the Ubuntu machines) to turn it on. If that doesn't help, check that power cords are securely plugged in, both at the back of the unit and at the power receptacle. There may be an on/off toggle switch on the back of the unit; check that it is in the ON position. After checking power cords, check that the unit is turned on.
If the keyboard and/or mouse do not appear to be working, check their connections at the back of the machine. If still no response, reboot the machine by pressing the reset button on the front of the case.
If you are unable to resolve any of the above problems, have problems with your account, or notice problems in the CS labs (PC that won’t boot, DVD drive doesn’t work, printer problems, lights burned out, etc.), send email to lab. Please include a detailed the description of the problem, including your CS username (if an account problem) and the name of the machine (if a machine problem). Without the necessary details, the resolution of the problem will take longer. Note: all email to lab should include a subject line.

Other sources for help

There are many helpful web pages supplied by the department. For information about accounts, email, newsgroups, the snapshot utility on lectura, connecting to the department from home, etc., go to the department home page (http://www.cs.arizona.edu/) and click on Resources in the upper left quadrant of the page. There are links to Help Pages and a Knowledgebase (FAQ) that you may find helpful. You can also use the Search link in the top right corner of most CS web pages or access the FAQ directly at http://faq.cs.arizona.edu.

Free Microsoft and VMware software

The Computer Science Department has agreements with Microsoft and VMware that make development software available to our students at no cost. For more information, see
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/computing/facilities/msdnaa.html
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/computing/facilities/vmap.html

Last updated January 16, 2015, by Tom Lowry
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