Login to the Math CIP Server via SSH

Step 1: Connecting to the university network

For accessing the CIP by ssh you need to first establish a connection to the network of the university as there is no possible direct entry from the outside. An instruction manual for different operating systems can be found here

https://www.anleitungen.rrze.fau.de/internet-zugang/vpn/

Be reminded that an Idm-Identification is essential.

Step 2: SSH

Only enrolled students that study at the Department of Mathematics as their main subject can sign in into the CIP and will be therefor able to sign in by ssh.

Linux

After establsihing the VPN-Connection, you will be able to sign into the server with the means of ssh. The command line prompt for this is

ssh idm-identification@131.188.54.22

After entering your Idm-password, you will be connected to the server and granted access to your home as usual.

Now you can for example start Matlab, by typing

matlab

into the command line or if you prefer the older version of 2017:

matlab.2017

MacOS

For signing in with a Mac, the procedure is exactly the same as with Linux as you can enter the same prompts into the command line.

Windows

If your device runs on Windows, a software like PuTTY is recommended which can be found here https://www.putty.org/.For further information about PuTTY please feel free to look into the documentation.

When you execut the software, you can enter the following command in the section Sessions right underneath Hostname:

idm-identification@131.188.54.22

Your Idm-identification has the shape of ab01cdef. Every other setting like Port 22 or SSH can remain untouched and you only need to press open. SSH will by default warn you of spoofing attacks and then a command line window will open and request your Idm-password. Having entered this, you will have reached your Home-directory of the CIP.

Be reminded that the remote ssh-connection only works by command line and a graphical interface will not be possible.

For terminating the connection, just enter

exit

in the command line.

Please be aware that all ssh connections will be terminated once every night.

Step 3: Managing data

it is recommended to save files on your own devide. Herefor the command ‘scp’ comes in handy. For Windows the software WinSCP  can be used instead.

Choose scp as transfer protocol and “131.188.54.22” as server address (without the ” “) and use port 22 as port

Corona

Due to the current pandemic all CIPs are closed and signing in there is no longer possible. Thus one has to use the server 131.188.54.22 to start working.

For example enter:

Matlab

Now one can work with Matlab within the command line. For further Information visit the Matlab page.

A more comprehensive and elaborate instruction of how to sing in as a student of mathematics follows now:

Extensive instructions for externals and beginners with a terminal

If you want to use the CIP in this special times please follow the steps below:

  1. Connect to the university network by VPN. In this way you were already able to remotely use the library for example and RRZE has made a detailed guide available: https://www.anleitungen.rrze.fau.de/internet-zugang/vpn/
  2. Now sign in with a ssh-client on your device. For this you need to follow some steps:

a) Install an ssh client on your device. There is a broad spectrum of possibilities to choose from now on we will assume PuTTY (https://putty.org/) on a device operating with windows. For other operating systems just google “SSH-Client” and your system.

b) Connect to the server. For an SSH-Connection there are three key ingredients:

-The host-address: 131.188.54.22

-Your username: IDM-identification (e.g. ab01cdef)

-Your password: Your password for the CIP, by default identical with your Idm- password.

Your ssh-client will need those. We will describe it in detail for PuTTY:.

-When opening PuTTY you will get the correct page by default, otherwise click on “Session”.

-Enter the given host-address into the according entry field (Host Name).

-Make sure, that the type of connection is SSH and leave the rest be.

-Verify your connection with the button below.

-SSH will by default warn you of spoofing attacks. Compare the shown identification data with official sources before continuing .

-A command line window will upon up and request your username and password (see above). Commit your entries by pressing Enter.

  1. You are now remotely connected to the server and the command line window is in your Home-directory.  Just as if you had physically signed in to the CIP and decided to only work in the shell window from there on.

If you are not sure of how to properly use a terminal, you will find many information on the internet like https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/command-line-for-beginners .

Now you can use licensed software of the university in your command line window, like e.g. MATLAB, just by entering the name in the terminal. In case of matlab it would be matlab -nodisplay

  1. Copying data from the CIP to your device and back again: Your work will probably require you to transfer results and data between the Server and your device at home. A useful command for this is ‘scp’.

PuTTY has such a function, and for further information you can look up the details here in the documentation (https://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.73/htmldoc/Chapter5.html#pscp) or use one of the many alternatives.

  1. Terminating the connection: Enter logout into your command line window for terminating the connection to the server.