How do I get firefox to be the default web browser?

• Gnome - start up the Gnome Control Center, click Advanced, double click Preferred Applications, choose Web Browser, select Firebird/FireFox from the pull down menu.
• KDE - choose Settings, choose Gnome Control Center, then follow the instructions for Gnome.

How do I get firefox to use thunderbird as the e-mail client?

• Gnome - start up the Gnome Control Center, click Advanced, double click Preferred Applications, choose Mail Reader, select Thunderbird from the pull down menu.
• KDE - choose Settings, choose Gnome Control Center, then follow the instructions for Gnome.

How do I get iceweasel to use icedove as the e-mail client?

In the Location Bar, type in about:config and hit enter. This will bring up the iceweasel configuration screen. Then either change or add the string configuration parameter network.protocol-handler.app.mailto and set it to be icedove.

How do I set up an OS X Macintosh for use as a Unix workstation?

An OS X Macintosh combines all the features of a Unix/linux box and a classic Mac or Windows PC in a single workstation. All linux software and traditional Unix-based atmospheric science tools (NCAR Graphics, Matlab, IDL, c, fortran) run on OS X, and you can NFS mount department Unix/linux machines on your Mac. However, some additional work is needed to add these capabilities. See this web page for detailed instructions.

How do I set up X under Microsoft Windows

1. Install X-Win32, the X-windows Server site licenced for the UW. Instructions may be found at http://www.washington.edu/computing/software/sitelicenses/xwin.
2. Run X-Config. Under "Security" click the "Add" button and for host type "127.0.0.1". Click "Apply" button.
3. Still in X-Config go to "Sessions", select "My Sessions", chick the "Wizard" button. Select the type "StartNetSSH" and type in the name of your choice, click "Next". Type in the name of the machine you wish to connect to, click "Next". Type in your login name and password, click "Next". For command, click the OS of the machine you are connecting to (usually Linux), click "Finish".
4. Exit X-Config.

You are now done with the installation and configuration. To use X under Windows, do the following:

1. Start up X-Win32. When it is running you will see a blue "X" in the lower right of the toolbar.
2. Click on the blue "X" icon. You should see the name of the session you set up in X-config. Click on the name of the session. This will connect you to the machine and start up an xterm. You can now type any command in that xterm and if it uses X-windows the window will appear on your computer.

How do I use the Johnson 75 Auditorium Podium?

75 Johnson Auditorium Podium Instructions: Per Cecilia Bitz, Atmos Sci Dept February 06

1) The "touch screen" monitor controls most equipment in the room. Touch it if asleep (black). The password is 1234, but it is only needed if you (or someone else) has pressed the "system off" button (not recommended!).

2) "buttons" on the screen appear yellow if pushed and blue if out

3) The "Room Control" button (lower right) brings up a screen giving you access to room lights mic volume speaker volume projector big screen (redundant with button mounted on wall at podium left)

4) Look at the projector. It should be sending at least a little visible light. If not, you probably need to touch the "projector on"button again under "room control". When the projector goes to sleep, the "projector on" button remains yellow. You must press it again anyway, to wake up the projector. The projector should start sending a little light almost immediately.

5) Connecting your laptop : a) Select the "laptop" button on the left of the touch screen b) I always connect to the video cable when my computer is asleep (lid down). c) When I open the lid, my mac screen flashes immediately and changes modes. I get a reduced size image with a black frame around it. If there is potential trouble, it will flash and there will be no black frame. d) The image on my laptop shows up on the touch screen, provided you followed part (a) e) Press the green "send to projector" button at the bottom left. The image should be visible immediately on the big screen if the projector is warmed up enough. f) If you get nothing, make sure the "projector hide" button isn't pressed (upper center), by repressing the "projector on" button. Make sure the projector is lit. g) If you still get nothing on the big screen, try changing the image resolution. It seems like just changing the resolution a few times will eventually create a proper image that appears on the big screen. (On a mac, go to "displays" under system preferences. Once we made it work this way, no choice of resolution failed to work. It seems like the important step here is to change the resolution. Anything will do.)

Note, my older mac laptop has never failed to work. The problems we had with guests this quarter were with newer titanium macs.

6) Some alternatives -- in case you fail with a laptop

The room has wireless and ethernet. You can secure copy the presentation file to the atmos sci www server. Then logon* to the J75 computer. Bring up a browser and download the file from our server.

OR even easier - bring a memory stick and transfer it. You will need a key to access the usb port on the classroom computer though. (The IOPA classroom podium key works)

*logging on to the classroom computer is no easy task. You must have an account already. You can request one from CSS. It takes a day or so to make one. Then nowhere will you learn that your login is your full uwnet id email address (e.g., mine is "bitz@u.washington.edu") Your password is your uwnet id password. The monitor is on the podium left and keyboard pulls out of a drawer. Press the "classroom computer" (or maybe it is just "computer") button on the left side of the touch screen. The image on the computer monitor should appear on the touch screen. Press "send to projector" on the touch screen. Cross fingers that your powerpoint presentation is not weird. --

How do I add password protection to my website?

• Log into the appropriate web server (www.atmos.washingon.edu or www.jisao.washington.edu)
• 'cd' into the directory you want to protect
• Run the command 'mkhtaccess' and answer the questions
  • It will ask you for a realm name to display in the password box - this must be 1 word or in quotes
  • It will ask where to put the password file
  • It will then let you add users and passwords.
• To add users later run the command 'addhtaccess' and follow the instructions.

How do I get my mac to stop giving cryptic error messages when sending mail using Mozilla or Thunderbird?

If you get messages such as "can't access /tmp/ns_xxx" or "Can't open sent folder" The problem is very likelythat you are out of available file descriptors. OSX only allows each process 256 by default. To change this for things launched from the terminal you can issue the command ulimit -d unlimited (or some big number). However, this will not help anything launched from the GUI. To fix this:

• For 10.4 or higher:
  • Edit the file /etc/launchd.conf and add the line: launchctl limit maxfiles unlimited unlimited
• • Reboot Inspired by http://ruminate.net/pdm/mt/os_x_tips/os_x_tiger_104_process_limits_solution.html
• For 10.3 or possibly a 10.4 system upgraded from 10.3 (try above first)
  • Open a terminal and type sudo bash
  • cd /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/
  • cd Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/Resources/
  • mv WindowServer WindowServer.orig
  • emacs -nw WindowServer and write the following shell script:

#!/bin/zsh
 ulimit -u 2048
/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/ Resources/WindowServer.orig $*

• • chmod a+rx WindowServer
  • reboot

How can I log in using ssh without typing my password everytime?

To do this you need to set up a private ssh key. Here are the instructions for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X:

• Generate a public/private key pair on the machine you are connecting from (the ssh client) using the command: ssh-keygen -t dsa. You will be prompted for a location. The default one will be in your home directory in your ".ssh" subdirectory and will be called "id_dsa". Go ahead and use the default. If you use another name, substitute that name for "id_dsa" in the instructions below.
• You will be asked for a passphrase. You can use anything you want and it can be as long as you want, and you will only type it once per time you log into your client. You don't have to give a passphrase, but we strongly recommend that you make one, otherwise anyone who gets access to your client will be able to log into any of your accounts.
• Copy the public key portion of the key id_dsa.pub onto the home directory of the machine you want to log into (the ssh server).
• ssh into the machine the usual way and type the following commands:
  • cd
  • cat id_dsa.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
  • rm id_dsa.pub
• Note that since you have the same home directory on all departmental Linux/Unix machines, you only need to do this once.
• If there is more than one client machine you log in from, you will have to copy the files "id_dsa" and "id_dsa.pub" into your home directory on these client macines. Again, since you have the same home directory on all departmental Linux/Unix machines, you only need to do this once.

You now have the keys all set up. To use the keys, each time you log into your client machine type the command ssh-add if you used the key name "id_dsa", otherwise use ssh-add ~/.ssh/KEYNAME. You will be prompted for your passphrase. After this, you can ssh to any machine without typing your password. You will have to go through the "ssh-add" step each time you log out of the client machine and log in again.

How do I add the department printers to my MAC Laptop?

1) Type sudo emacs /etc/cups/cupsd.conf and enter your password when prompted

2) Find the line:
#BrowsePoll address:port

3) Under it add the line:
BrowsePoll advect.atmos.washington.edu

4) Restart (or kill and start the cupsd process). One way is by typing these commands:

sudo killall cupsd

sudo cupsd

How do I connect to the file servers in ATG using a mac?

While in the ATG building, it's very useful to be able to browse and access the files in your department home directory or on the department machines in the same manner you would access files on your local hard drive. To connect to your home directory on the atmos machines on a mac, do the following:

Prequisite - You must first have a department samba account
1) In the finder, select the 'Go' menu, and choose the 'Connect to Server' option. 2) in the 'server address' text box of the window that appears, type:

smb://advect.atmos.washington.edu/USERNAME

where you will replace USERNAME with your department username (lower case).

3) This should pop up a window that asks you for your username on the DEPARTMENT's network, as well as your password for your department account.

If all goes well, this should immediately open up a finder window showing the files in your home directory. You can navigate this file share through the finder, or they will also be available through the command line at /Volumes/USERNAME .

IF it complains that your username or password is incorrect, first verify that you've entered your username for your department account (not your local mac password) and that you've entered the proper password for your atmos account. If you've done both of those things properly and it still won't let you in, you've likely, at some point, changed your password using the 'passwd' command, and not gone through the proper web interface for changing your password here, then your passwords for the unix and windows sides of the atmos network have gotten out of sync. You need to go and see David Warren or Harry Edmon to fix the issue, and then you'll be able to connect as above.

If you don't just want to connect to your home directory, but to a different file server on the department network, you may be able to do something similar to do so. For example, if you wanted to connect to the /home/disk/atmos share, you would follow the instructions above and connect to:

smb://advect.atmos.washington.edu/atmos

Many of the department disks are available this way -- if the one you wish to connect to doesn't appear to be, you can contact support about making it available.

If you don't wish to go through the hassle of doing all of this to connect every time, once you've connected you can make a shortcut to this network connection in the dock. Connect to the server, open up a finder window, click the computer icon in the top left position in your finder sidebar (it will be named the same as your mac), and then from within the right hand pane drag the icon corresponding to your atmos account on to the right side of your dock. From there you can just click on it while you're in the building and the share will mount.

Unmount the network shares as you would unmount or eject it on a mac -- drag it into the trash, or click on the eject icon to the right of it in the finder.

(NOTE: If you are not in ATG, but are rather in JISAO, in all of these instructions replace 'advect.atmos.washington.edu' with 'squalline.atmos.washington.edu'. You will likely need to have David or Harry give you an account on squalline).

-- r18 - 24 Mar 2008 - 14:23:41 - TWikiGuest