How to Log In to Linux

To do some of the exercises in this class, you have to connect to the Linux server at Evergreen Valley college. Once connected, you may type commands as if you were sitting at its keyboard.

Linux users, see below

Windows Users

If you are using Windows, you must use a SSH program called “putty” to connect to the server. Once you have connected, you will type certain UNIX commands–exactly as shown!

You may download putty from this site. Here is a direct link to the download.

1. Start the putty program. In the lab, you do this by going to the Start menu, “All programs”, then choose putty (near the bottom of the list).

2. Where it asks for host name, type evc-cit.info, as shown in the screenshot below. Click SSH radio button. (SSH stands for “Secure Shell,” which is a more secure way of connecting to a server.)

   You may want to use the Colours option in the left-hand menu to set the foreground color to black and the background color to white. This is much easier to read than the default gray-on-black.

   Finally, click the Open button.

   

3. The first time you connect to a new server with secure shell, you will get a warning message as shown in the picture below (click the picture to see it at full size). Just click the Yes button.

   

4. In a few seconds, you will be connected to the server. It will ask you to login as: and you will type your user name (linuxnnn, where nnn is the number assigned by the instructor).

5. The server will then ask for your password. Type in the password the instructor gave you; it will not show up on the screen! Not even little stars will show up.

   If you did it all correctly, you will get a message that you have logged in, and you will get a prompt where you can type commands.

   

Linux Users

If you are on a Linux system, you already have a Secure Shell client built in. To invoke it, you need to create a terminal. On a KDE-based system, use this menu/submenu sequence: KDE → System → Terminal → Konsole. For GNOME, use this menu/submenu sequence: Applications → System → Terminal → Gnome Terminal. The following screenshot shows the Konsole on KDE.

1. At the prompt, type the following, where nnn is the number assigned to you by the instructor.

   ssh linuxnnn@evc-cit.info

2. The server will then ask for your password. Type that in; it will not show up on the screen! Not even little stars will show up. Use the password your instructor gave you.

   If you did it all correctly, you will get a message that you have logged in, and you will get a prompt where you can type commands. Those commands will be executed on the server. If you typed the password wrong, you will be prompted again. (The login message you get may be slightly different than the one shown in the following screenshot)