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General Information
Hardware
Software
Shell commands
General Information
Where can I go to get help with my computer or with a
question I have about hardware and/or software?
- Check the on-line documentation
- Send e-mail to: help@astro.caltech.edu
This is very best way to get in touch with one of us,
as several people monitor this e-mail address.
Please be descriptive and complete when you ask for assistance.
The more information you can provide, the better we can serve you.
- If the question is urgent, you may try calling us:
Patrick Shopbell x4097
Anu Mahabal x4006
How do I register for an ADPF account?
Please see:
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/resources/login.html
Hardware
What public printers are available, and where are they?
| Printer | Location | Description |
| ps | Robinson 52 | B & W; duplex; letter+legal |
| colorps | Robinson 52 | color; duplex;letter+legal |
| posterastro | Robinson 53 | color;42"-wide poster |
| ps2 | Robinson 053 | B & W; letter+legal+11x17 |
| lw2 | Robinson 211 | color; duplex; letter+legal |
| boomps | W Bridge 58 | B & W;duplex; letter |
What are the basic print commands on the Unix computers?
| To send a Postscript file | lpr -P <printername> <filename.ps> |
| To send a text file | genscript -P <printername> <filename.txt> |
| To check the queue | lpq -P <printername> |
| To kill a print job | lprm -P <printername> <jobname> |
How can I use print options like simplex/duplex/transparencies?
| Printer | Option | Command |
| ps | simplex | lpr -Pps -o Duplex=None <filename.ps> |
| lw2 | simplex | lpr -Plw2 -o Duplex=None <filename.ps> |
| colorps | simplex | lpr -Pcolorps -o Duplex=None <filename.ps> |
| colorps | MPTray | lpr -Pcolorps -o Duplex=None -oInputSlot=MPT <filename.ps> |
| All | examine all options | lpoptions -d <printer> -l |
How do I print 2-up, that is, two columns in landscape orientation?
For ASCII files, use: genscript -2r file.txt
For PostScript files, use: psnup -n 2 file.ps | lp
How do I set my default printer for lp or genscript?
Add this to your .cshrc file :
setenv PRINTER <printername>
setenv LPDEST <printername>
You will then need to log out and back again, or run source .cshrc
for the settings to take effect.
Where can I find scratch disk space?
Once a user account has been created, the scratch disk space made
available to the user on all public machines :
| Scratch Directories | Host computer | Location |
| /scr | chandra | Robinson 52 |
| /scr | draco | Robinson 52 |
| /scr | fornax | Robinson 52 |
| /scr | pathos | Robinson 52 |
| /scr | tycho | Robinson 52 |
Note that scratch space is not cross-mounted between the computers;
it is available only on the host machine. Unused files are purged from
scratch disks every 2 weeks; an e-mail warning is sent before the purge.
What tape drives are available, and where are they?
| Tape Drive | Host computer | Operating system | Location | Description |
| /dev/rmt/2 | chandra | Solaris 10 | Robinson 52 | LTO /HP Ultrium 3(C7971A), Capacity 100/200 GB |
| /dev/rmt/1 | chandra | Solaris 10 | Robinson 52 | 8mm Exabyte Eliant 820, Capacity 7/14 GB |
| /dev/rmt/0 | chandra | Solaris 10 | Robinson 52 | DLT 4000, Capacity 20/40 GB |
| /dev/st0 | draco | RedHat Enterprise WS 4 | Robinson 52 | 8mm Exabyte Eliant 820, Capacity 7/14 GB |
| /dev/st0 | pathos | RedHat Enterprise WS 4 | Robinson 52 | 4mm DAT DDS4, Capacity 20/40 GB |
| /dev/rmt/0 | tycho | Solaris 9 | Robinson 52 | 4mm DAT DDS4, Capacity 20/40 GB |
Is there a CD/DVD writer available? If so, where is it?
There is a CD/DVD writer attached to the computer named draco and
pathos in Robinson 52. For detailed information on its use
please visit :
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/resources/cdrw-dvdrw.html
Is there a scanner available? If so, where is it?
There is a scanner attached to the computer taurus, in Robinson 52.
In order to use it, login to taurus as a user "ADPF Guest".
For more information please see http://www.astro.caltech.edu/resources/epsonscanner.html
How do I access the network with a modem?
Dial-up into the astronomy department network is provided at the campus level
by a large banks of fast modems. For informatioon on accessing these
modems, please see :
ITS Network and Remote Access Page
Note that you will need to get an ITS computer account (free to all associated
with Caltech), in order to use these modems.
Software
Where do I get more information on installed software packages?
- Visit :
ADPF Software database and
ADPF Software Central
- Use the apropos command to check for man pages : apropos <keyword>
- Check the info database: info
How do I access e-mail?
E-mail is accessed directly on the local workstations, simply by running
your preferred e-mail client (e.g., pine, evolution, etc.).
E-mail can be also be accessed through our web mail service at the URL:
https://astro.caltech.edu:443/
Finally, e-mail can be accessed remotely through clients such as Eudora
Mac Mail, and Outlook by using the following configuration settings:
| account type | IMAP |
| download (IMAP) host | astro.caltech.edu |
| download encryption | yes: SSL |
| download port | 993 |
| upload (SMTP) host | astro.caltech.edu |
| upload port | 25 |
| upload encryption | yes:SSL (optional) |
| upload authentication | password (optional) |
Why can't I send e-mail from off-campus?
In order to avoid the propagation of spam through our mail server, we do
not accept third-party e-mails (e-mail to addresses outside of Caltech
from addresses outside of Caltech), unless the
e-mail uploaded is encrypted and authenticated with the user's password.
The major impact of this is that users connected to the Internet outside
of Caltech (e.g. SBC DSL, AOL Dial-up, etc.) will not be able to upload
e-mail addressed to non-Caltech recipients, unless they use the upload
encryption and authentication noted as "optional" in the previous FAQ
question. There are four simple ways to work around this:
- Use e-mail upload encryption and authentication, as noted in the
previous FAQ question.
- Use the SMTP server provided by your ISP.
All ISPs through which you are likely to obtain Intenet access (e.g.,
AOL, Earthlink, SBC-Yahoo DSL, Charter Cable) should have a mail server
for e-mail upload. Usually it is called something like "smtp.[ISP]",
so "smtp.aol.com", or "smtp.earthlink.net", for example. The correct
name should be available on the ISP's web site. The only (possible)
drawback to this solution is that your e-mail will appear to come from
that ISP, not from Caltech. You may wish to set your "Reply-to" address
in your e-mail program to your Caltech address, in order to help
alleviate confusion.
- Use the VPN system
The Virtual Private Network software from ITS allows a user to obtain
a Caltech IP address for their machine, anywhere on the Internet.
Authentication is through the user's ITS account. The VPN system is
not only useful for e-mail, but also for accessing Caltech-only
network services, such as electronic journals.
- Use the web mail system
The web mail system provides an e-mail interface that is accessible
through any standard web browser, from anywhere on the Internet.
What compilers are available?
Linux:
| gcc | GNU C compiler (vers 2 & 3) |
| g77 | GNU FORTRAN 77 compiler |
| g++/c++ | GNU C++ compiler |
| icc | Intel C compiler |
| ifc | Intel FORTRAN compiler |
Mac OS X:
| gcc | GNU C compiler (vers 3) |
| g77 | GNU FORTRAN 77 compiler |
| g++/c++ | GNU C++ compiler |
Solaris:
| gcc | GNU C compiler (vers 2 & 3 |
| g77 | GNU FORTRAN 77 compiler |
| g++/c++ | GNU C++ compiler |
| cc | Sun C compiler (vers 6 & 7 |
| f77 | Sun FORTRAN 77 compiler |
| f90 | Sun FORTRAN 90 compiler |
How can I create my own web page?
Please see :
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/resources/making.homepage.html
How can I put files on our ftp site ?
Your personal FTP files should be placed in your
home directory, in a subdirectory 'public_ftp/'.
For example, the
files in
~<username>/public_ftp/
are available on the FTP
server and can be accessed with the URL :
ftp://ftp.astro.caltech.edu/users/<username>
Please note:
- For security reasons, you can only use this area for exporting
files so your outside colleagues can pick them up.
Outsiders cannot drop of files in our anonymous ftp area.
Please do not make any of your files or directories
group or world writeable.
- For incoming files, outside collaborators may deposit the items
in a global incoming subdirectory of the ftp site (URL:
ftp://ftp.astro.caltech.edu/incoming/. Once deposited, these
files becoming invisible to outside users, and the administrative
staff receive an e-mail notifying of us of the files deposited
and the e-mail address of the anonymous user who deposited them.
Please let us know if you are expecting files to be delivered
anonymously to the incoming FTP area, and we will notify you
when they arrive. This approach, while a bit complex, avoids a
number of security issues associated with incoming FTP sites.
How can I restore files from our backup system ?
If you find yourself needing to restore files from the backup system,
there is a graphical tool for this purpose:
/usr/bin/nsr/nwrecover (Solaris)
/usr/bin/nwrecover (Linux)
This program must be executed by the user whose data is to be recovered, on
the computer which contains the data. The program has an extensive on-line
help menu.
To determine exactly when your machine is backed up, check :
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/computers/imap/
Type your computer name in the box and click "Go". The fifth line of
the resulting output lists the days on which your computer is backed
up. Note that all backups occur between midnight and 8:00am of the
specified date.
To exclude/skip a directory from backup :
Create a file ".nsr" containing the following single line in that directory:
+skip: *
Shell Commands
How do I change my shell?
How do I turn off the autologout on the astro cluster?
Try adding the following line to your .cshrc :
unset autologout
Then log out and back in again, or run source .cshrc for the
settings to take effect.
Oops, I just started a process but forgot to background it with
'&'. How can I put it in the background without starting over?
Use control-Z to halt it, and then type bg to make it resume as a
background process. You can also fg to start it up again in the
foreground, or use jobs to manage multiple jobs.
Can I get a background process to keep running after I log out?
Instead of just command followed by '&', use:
nohup <command> &
To move to a directory temporarily and return with a minimum of fuss:
Instead of cd <dir>, use
pushd <dir>
Then popd will return you to your starting location. It's actually a
stack (listed with dirs), so you can nest multiple pushes & pops.
I just compiled a new C program but when I try to run it from the
command line it says 'Command not found'. What do I do?
Evidently the current directory is not in your path. You have two
choices :
- Invoke the command as:
./<command>
- Add the current directory to the end of your PATH by adding
something like this to your .cshrc file:
set path = ($path .)
You will then need to log out and back again, or run source .cshrc
for the settings to take effect.
The first solution is slightly better, for security reasons.
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