Computer Resources

Introduction

The Mathematics Department currently offers a variety of computer resources to graduate students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Below you will find a description of all services offered.

Getting an Account

Departmental computer accounts are available for faculty, staff, and graduate students. Visitors, undergraduate students, and other persons are eligible to receive an account with a departmental sponsor. Account forms may be picked up in 430 Math Tower and must be returned to the same location in person.

Changing your Password

Once an account has been created, you must change your password within two weeks. You can change your password by logging in to math or any of our other UNIX machines and running the passwd command. You may also change your password by visiting the web page https://www.math.ohio-state.edu/passwd/ [1] (please note the s at the end of https).

When you attempt to change your password, it will be checked against several dictionaries (including foreign language dictionaries) to test if it can easily be guessed. The password must be at least 6 characters long, it should contain both numbers and letters, and it cannot contain any known dictionary words.

Account Removal

IMPORTANT: Please read the following carefully so that you understand when and how your account will be disabled. It is your responsibility to retrieve any files and mail from our system before you leave.

• Graduate Students: grad accounts will expire 1 year after they were created. At that time, we will check to verify the student is still with the department. If so, the account will be extended another year and the process will repeat. <\li>
• Staff: accounts will be removed when you are no longer an employee of this department.
• Faculty: accounts may be kept for life, however if you are no longer with the university, we may contact you to check if you still need the account.
• Visitors: accounts will be kept for 2 weeks after the date you indicate you will be leaving.

Unix Systems

Currently we support both Solaris and Linux in the department. Public access is provided to UNIX machines in the graduate student lab in MW 152. This lab contains 5 Sun workstations that may be used by anyone in the department, a key is required to access the lab.

Unix Software

Below are the commands from some common UNIX software installed on our workstations.

• netscape - Netscape Navigator web browser
• mozilla - the Mozilla web browser
• iexplorer - Internet Explorer web browser (sun only)
• pine - email program
• mutt - email program
• C/C++/Fortran/Java - compilers and libraries
• tex/latex - The TeX document formatting system
• gv - postscript viewer
• acroread - Adobe Acrobat PDF viewer
• xdvi - dvi viewer
• soffice - StarOffice (word processor, spreadsheet, etc)
• realplay - Real Audio player
• emacs/vi - text editors
• gimp - graphics editor (similar to photoshop)
• xfig - drawing program
• Mathematica - symbolic mathematics package
• maple - symbolic mathematics package
• matlab - vector based mathematics package

Common Unix Tasks

• Printing - Printing from the UNIX systems should be done with the command print. By default, it will print to the printer defined in the environmental variable $PRINTER (this is MW152 for new accounts, can be changed by editing the PRINTER line in your .bash_profile). To print to a different printer, use the command print -P printer_name filename.
• Forwarding Mail - you may have any email sent to your math account forwarded to another email address by setting up an email forward. To do this, log into any of our UNIX machines and run the command forward. To forward your osu.edu mail account to our system, you will need to contact 8help@osu.edu [2] or call 688-HELP.

Macintosh Systems

We currently have a variety of Macintosh systems available. Public Macintosh computers are available in MW 152. All of our grad and public Macintosh systems require a valid departmental account to log in.

For help with these systems, please visit http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/support/macosx/ [3]

Printing

Laser Printers are available in the following locations:

• Math Tower: 152, 430, 502, 605, 705
• Math Building: 315

Color printing is available by request, please contact computer support for more information.

Email

Email is available for anyone with a departmental account. You can read your mail locally by logging in to a UNIX workstation and running pine or mutt. In addition, you can check your email remotely using the POP or IMAP protocol.

All email access from outside the department must use secure connections. For information about setting up your mail program to check your departmental email, please see http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/support/email/ [4]

Remote Access

sFTP - for transferring files to and from your account. Please see http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/support/ftp/ [5] for more information.

SSH - remote terminal access.

Please see http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/support/ssh/" [6] for more information.

Important: we do not allow FTP or Telnet access from outside the department, you will need to use one of the secure replacements above.

OSU Account

Every student and employee at OSU will have an account with the university. This is separate from your account in the math department. Your username will be of the form lastname.n where n is a number. Your OSU account is used for email (lastname.n@osu.edu) and for access to restricted web pages (such as viewing grades and scheduling classes). You will automatically be given an OSU account, however you must activate it to be able to use it.

Please see http://www.oit.ohio-state.edu/userpass.html [7] for more information.

Keep in mind that both your OSU account and your Math account provide you with email. Generally the best way to handle this is to have one account forward email to the other. We recommend forwarding your OSU mail to your Math account. To do this, email 8help@osu.edu [8] and request an email forward or call OIT at 688-HELP.

Support Information

Computer support is available from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Email is the preferred method of contact for non emergency questions.

Office: 430 Math Tower
Phone: 292-4962
Email: support@math.ohio-state.edu [9]