Frequently Asked Questions

[1] Contacting Systems

[1-1] What is the quickest way of contacting the EE Systems People?

[2] Card Access

[2-1] Can I use my UCR ID Card to enter Engineering Building Unit 2 and use the machines 24/7?
[2-2] I am an old student, how come my card access has expired?
[2-3] How do I get card access? What information do I need to provide?
[2-4] You guys have said that I have card access (and have verified that my information has been correctly entered into the system), but why can't I still gain access to Engineering Building Unit 2?

[3] Home Directory

[3-1] What is a home directory?
[3-2] Is there a limit to how much space I have (quota) on my home directory?
[3-3] How do I check the amount of space that I have used?
[3-4] What files are good candidates for deletion?
[3-5] Are the files in my home directory backed-up?

[4] Printers and Printing

[4-1] General Information

[4-1-1] What do I do if the printer is out of paper?
[4-1-2] Is there a limit of how much I can print?

[4-2] Windows 2000/XP

[4-2-1] How do I know the printers available to me under Windows 2000/XP?
[4-2-2] How do I know which is the default printer under Windows 2000/XP?
[4-2-3] How do I set a printer as the default printer under Windows 2000/XP?
[4-2-4] How do I cancel a "print job" under Windows 2000/XP?
[4-2-5] How do I check the status of the print jobs under Windows 2000/XP?
[4-2-6] I cannot print under Windows 2000/XP because no printers show up in the dialog box/it just does not print even after I have selected a printer. I cannot select a default printer under Windows 2000/XP. What can I do?

[4-3] Linux/Unix

[4-3-1] How do I check the status of the printer/jobs that I sent to the printer under Linux?
[4-3-2] How do I know the printers available to me under Linux?
[4-3-3] How do I know which is the default printer under Linux?
[4-3-4] How do I print a PostScript document to a printer under Linux from the command line?
[4-3-5] How do I print an ASCII document to a printer under Linux from the command line?
[4-3-6] How do I print an PDF document to a printer under Linux from the command line?
[4-3-7] How do I set a printer as the default printer under Linux?
[4-3-8] How do I cancel a "print job" under Linux?

[5] Web Page Creation

[5-1] How do I get myself a web page on the Department of Electrical Engineering Web server?
[5-2] Do we have Microsoft Frontpage installed?
[5-3] What tools are available to create web pages?
[5-4] How do I create a link from the Student Homepages (http://www.ee.ucr.edu/people/index.html) to my homepage?[5-5] How do I redirect my EE URL (web-page) to another URL(web-page)?

[6] FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

[6-1] What is FTP?
[6-2] Do we have a FTP server?

[7] Accessing our machines from outside...

[7-1] If you are not connected to the Internet........

[7-1-1] What number do I need to dial in to the department ?

[7-2] If you are already connected to the Internet........

[7-2-1] How do I connect to our compute server storm.ee.ucr.edu from Linux/Unix?
[7-2-2] How do I connect to our compute server storm.ee.ucr.edu from Windows 2000/XP?
[7-2-3] What is ssh? What is putty? Where can I get them?
[7-2-4] How do I connect to our compute server storm.ee.ucr.edu from a Macintosh?

[8] Passwords

[8-1] Can I have a different password on Linux and Windows 2000/XP?
[8-2] Which is my email password?
[8-3] How do I change my password under Linux?
[8-4] How do I change my password under Windows 2000/XP?

[9] Email

[9-1] What is my email address?
[9-2] What are the protocols supported by the EE Deparment?
[9-3] Can I check my email over the web?
[9-4] How do I check my email using Outlook with Secure IMAP?
[9-5] How do I check my email using Netscape Messenger with Secure IMAP?
[9-6] How do I check my email using Outlook Express?
[9-7] How do I change Outlook to use Secure POP instead of POP?
[9-8] How do I check my email under Linux using pine?
[9-9] How do I check my email from outside of the department?
[9-10] How come I cannot send mail from home, but I can receive it?
[9-11] How do I forward my email to another email account?

[10] Servers

[10-1] What is the Computing Server?
[10-2] What is the Mail Server?
[10-3] What is the Anonymous FTP Server?
[10-4] What is the Web Server?
[10-5] What is the Secure POP Server?
[10-6] What is the APOP Server?
[10-7] What is the Secure IMAP Server?
[10-8] What is the SMTP Server (Only for computers in the EE domain)?

[11] Miscellany

[11-1] Can I lock my workstation?
[11-2] What do I do if I see a problem and I want to report it to the EE Systems Group anonymously?
[11-3] How do I setup a password protected screensaver?
[11-4] When someone types finger on my login name how do I provide additional custom information ?
[11-5] How do I access storm using putty?

Subject: [1] Contacting Systems

Subject: [1-1] What is the quickest way of contacting the EE Systems People?

The quickest way of contacting us is by emailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You will receive an automated reply with a request number assigned to your request. Always reference this number when emailing us in future about the same request. You will be informed when your request has been taken care of.� If you want to stop by our office you may do so from 8am - 5pm.� However, do to the nature of our work we are constantly in and out of office.� An appointment can be arranged if you like.

Subject: [2] Card Access

Subject: [2-1] Can I use my UCR ID Card to enter ENGR II and use the machines 24/7?

Once you have card access you will be able to enter Engineering Building Unit 2 and the labs 24 hours a day , 7 days a week. You are welcome to use the labs at anytime of the day or night.

Subject: [2-2] I am an old student, how come my card access has expired?

As a matter of course, everyone's access to ENGR II based on expected graduation date. So you will need to email us or drop by rm107 and give us some information before we can reactivate your card.

Subject: [2-3] How do I get card access? What information do I need to provide?

The information we need is the last eight digits of the number (For older cards it is the number at the top on your UCR ID card.� For newer cards it is the numbers to the right of the bar code under your picture).� If you email us your request, please include your First Name, Last Name, Login Name, Expected Year of Graduation, and your major (CE/EE) in addition to the number. After verifying that you are eligible to receive card access your card will be activated.

Subject: [2-4] You guys have said that I have card access (and have verified that my information has been correctly entered into the system), but why can't I still gain access to ENGR II?

Try your card on a few doors which you know you have access to. If it doesn't work on any and we have already verified that we have your correct information entered into our system then it is unlikely that the card readers are broken. It is likely that the surface of the magnetic stripe of your UCR ID card is scratched or some such thing...which has warped the information stored on it. You will need to obtain a new card in this case...(a new copy of your card.)

Subject: [3] Home Directory

Subject: [3-1] What is a home directory?

Your home directory is a directory for your exclusive use where you may store your files. It is the H: drive under Windows� and is the directory you are taken to when you log into Linux.� All of the files in your home directory are backed up to tape every other night.��

Subject: [3-2] Is there a limit to how much space I have (quota) on my home directory?

The limit on space is set to 100MB for undergraduate students and 500MB for graduate students. If you exceed these limits you will not be able to add anything to your home directory until you reduce your space utilization. If you exceed your quota you may not be able to log in using Linux. You will have to log in using Windows and then delete files. You will also not be able to receive, nor send email.

Subject: [3-3] How do I check the amount of space that I have used?

Subject: [3-4] What files are good candidates for deletion?

You can look for object files created after compiling a program. Object files will have a .o extension if you compiled a C/C++ in UNIX/Linux. You can also try to look for duplicate files you can delete.�
NOTE:� Do not delete the following files:

.bashrc
.profile
Maildir/
.forward
.procmailrc

Subject: [3-5] Are the files in my home directory backed-up?

All the files in your home directory are backed up every other night to tape.� In addition to tape backups, snapshots are also taking of your home directory on a hourly, daily, and weekly schedule.� These snapshots can be accessed from your home directory in the .snapshot folder.

Subject: [4] Printers and Printing

Subject: [4-1] General Information

Subject: [4-1-1] What do I do if the printer is out of paper?

Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it asking for paper and specify the name of the printer and the lab that it is in. You can also stop by rm 137 and ask Dan Giles for some paper.

Subject: [4-1-2] Is there a limit of how much I can print?

Yes. The limit for the number of pages you can print in a quarter is 300. After you reach that limit you will not be able to print at all. Only under really special circumstances we will increase your print quota.

Subject: [4-2] Windows

Subject: [4-2-5] How do I check the status of the printer/jobs that I sent to the printer under Windows?

Click on My Computer, then Printers and then on the name of the printer that you printed to. A list of "print jobs" that are waiting to be printed will appear in a window.

Subject: [4-2-6] I cannot print under Windows because no printers show up in the dialog box/it just does not print even after I have selected a printer. I cannot select a default printer under Windows. What can I do?

Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and let us know the machine name where you are trying to print from.

Subject: [4-3] Linux/Unix

Subject: [4-3-1] How do I check the status of the printer/jobs that I sent to the printer under Linux?

You need to use the lpq command. If the printer name is foo then you would execute the following command:

lpq -Pfoo

Subject: [4-3-2] How do I know the printers available to me under Linux?

In the xterm of the machine that you want to print from execute the printers command. This will give you a list of the printers that are available to you in addition to any aliases for them.

Subject: [4-3-3] How do I know which is the default printer under Linux?

In the xterm of the machine that you want to print from execute the printers command. This will give you a the current default printer.

Subject: [4-3-4] How do I print a PostScript document to a printer under Linux from the command line?

You need to use the lpr command. If the file is of the PostScript type then you can execute the following command:

lpr foo.ps

where foo.ps the the file you want to print. The file would go to the default printer. If you wanted to print to a non-default printer bar then execute the following command:

lpr -Pbar foo.ps

Subject: [4-3-5] How do I print an ASCII document to a printer under Linux from the command line?

If the files is an ASCII file (plain text ) use the a2ps command (which converts the ASCII file to PostScript) as follows:

a2ps -Pbar foo.ps

Subject: [4-3-6] How do I print an PDF document to a printer under Linux from the command line?

If the files is a PDF file use the pdf2ps command (which converts the PDF file to PostScript) as follows:

pdf2ps -Pbar foo.ps

Subject: [4-3-7] How do I set a printer as the default printer under Linux?

Execute the following command in Linux:

export PRINTER=

If you want to set some printer as the default permanently you will need to put the above line in the .bashrc file which is located at the root of your home directory. Don't forget that the file has a period at the beginning of its name.

Subject: [4-3-8] How do I cancel a "print job" under Linux?

Since a single printer is shared among multiple users, whenever you send a print job to the printer it is put into a queue. The printer picks of the jobs from the queue one-by-one and prints them on a first-come-first-served basis. Each print job in the queue is assigned a unique number. You may view the print jobs on a printer by executing the command:

lpq -P

For example,

lpq -Psolar1

will list all of the print jobs currently on the queue of the printer solar1. If you want to remove a job from this queue, then execute the command

lprm -P

For example, if I wanted to remove a print job which has the assigned number 14 on solar1 I would execute the command:

lprm -Psolar1 14

Of course, to determine the number assigned to the print job I would need to use the lpq command. You would only be able to remove print jobs that you sent to the printer. If you executed:

lprm -P -

then all of your print jobs will be removed from that printer queue.

Subject: [5] Web Page Creation

Subject: [5-1] How do I get myself a web page on the Department of Electrical Engineering Web server?

Create a directory called .html in your home directory at the root if it does not already exist. In Linux you do this by executing the command mkdir .html .Create a file called index.html in it and put all your html material in it. You can put many additional files in this directory or sub directories thereof and put links to them from your index.html file.

The .html directory (or any other directory where you put html stuff that you want accessible be everyone) you must have execute permissions set for user type other. In Linux you would do this by executing the following 2 commands:

chmod 711 .html
chmod 711 ~
chmod 644 index.html

when you are at the root of your home directory... For the any files you create in the .html directory (or any other files where you put html stuff that you want accessible be everyone) you should give the following permissions:

chmod 644 FileName
chmod 711 DirName

Subject: [5-2] Do we have Microsoft Frontpage installed?

No, we do not have it installed. You will need to use notepad, MS Word, or another program.

Subject: [5-3] What tools are available to create web pages?

At this time, we do not have any WYSIWYG type programs installed on the lab mach ines to create web pages, if you are familiar with html code, then you know any text editor will work.�

Subject: [5-4] How do I create a link from the Student Homepages (http://www.ee.ucr.edu/people/index.html) to my homepage?

This is an automated process which is done once a day at night. It looks for the directory .html in your home directory and for the index.html file in it. If it exists it will automatically create a link from your name on the Student Homepages to your homepage.

Subject: [5-5] How do I redirect my EE URL (web-page) to another URL(web-page)?

If you wanted to redirect all request coming to your homepage to another homepage at http://www.bar.edu/~foo, then go to your .html directory in your home directory and create a file called index.html and put in the following lines:

http://www.bar.edu/~foo">

Subject: [6] FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Subject: [6-1] What is FTP?

FTP is an acronym for the File Transfer Protocol. This protocol provides a mechanism whereby you can transfer files from one machine to another over the Internet.

Subject: [6-2] Do we have a FTP server?

No, ftp sends your password in plain text and therefore has been removed as a security precaution. We recommend you use scp or winscp.

Subject: [7] Accessing our machines from outside...

Subject: [7-1] If you are not connected to the Internet........

The Electrical Engineering Department does not provide any internet service outside of the College of Enginerring.� To connect to our computers remotely you must already have an established internet connection.

Subject: [7-2] If you are already connected to the Internet........

Subject: [7-2-1] How do I connect to our compute server storm.ee.ucr.edu from Linux/Unix?

Use the program called ssh.

Subject: [7-2-2] How do I connect to our compute server storm.ee.ucr.edu from Windows?

Use the program called putty.

Subject: [7-2-3] What is ssh? What is putty? Where can I get them?

SSH is a protocol which allows you to open an interactive shell with a Linux machine. When you log in, your password information is encrypted when it is sent on the wire. This is the main advantage of ssh over telnet (where the password is sent in plain text---which means that any one sniffing the wire can pick your password off it) and is the chief reason why we use ssh and not telnet to allow interactive shell access from outside to our compute server. The programs ssh and putty implement this protocol. If you are running Windows and would still like to open an interactive shell with storm then you can use the program called putty. Under Linux you could just use the ssh command. If you don't have it you will need to download it.

You can get putty for Windows online at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html.

Subject: [8] Passwords

Subject: [8-1] Can I have a different password on Linux and Windows?

No.� Your Windows and Linux passwords are the same.� This also goes for email.� If you change your password in Windows, then this password change will be reflected in accessing Linux and your email.

Subject: [8-2] Email password?

Your email password is the same password you use to log into Windows and Linux.

Subject: [8-3] How do I change my password under Linux?

Log in to storm or bender.� Then issue this command "kpasswd ".� You will be prompted for your current password, then your new password twice.� This password change will be relected in Windows and email.

For example, to change the password of a user name testuser one would type:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > kpasswd testuser

Subject: [8-4] How do I change my password under Windows?

Hold the Ctrl key, the Alt key and the Del key down simultaneously in exactly that sequence. You will get a window which pops up at the center of the screen. Choose the Change Password option and follow the prompts.� This password change will be reflected in Linux and email.

Subject: [9] Email

Subject: [9-1] What is my email address?

If your login name is jdoe then your email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it � All email is forwarded to your UCR student email account by default.

Subject: [9-2] What are the protocols supported by the EE Deparment?

Secure POP (Port 995) using SSL encryption Secure IMAP (Port 993) using SSL encryption APOP (Port 995) using MD5 authentication

Subject: [9-3] Can I check my email over the web?

Yes. Go to http://webmail.ee.ucr.edu and log in with your UNIX login name and password. It uses IMAP so whatever folders your created using IMAP you will be able to see them there.

Subject: [9-4] How do I check my email using Outlook with Secure IMAP?

The instructions are illustrated at this page: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/Outlook.dhtml.

Subject: [9-5] How do I check my email using Netscape Messenger with Secure IMAP?

The instructions are illustrated at this page: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/netscapemessenger.html.

Subject: [9-6] How do I check my email using Outlook Express?

For the instructions to use Outlook Express with Secure IMAP go to this page: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/outlookexpimap.html. For the instructions to use Outlook Express with Secure POP go to: instructions coming soon.

Subject: [9-7] How do I change Outlook to use Secure POP instead of POP?

For the instructions go to: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/tospop.html.

Subject: [9-8] How do I check my email under Linux using pine?

Once you have logged into your Linux account and have a terminal type in pine at the command prompt. This will bring up the mail reader called pine. You can read and send email using pine. All of the commands to manipulate messages in pine are at the bottom of the screen. The carat symbol (^) before a letter means hold down the CTRL key while you depress the key which has that letter on it .You can get this terminal either by using putty under Windows NT to connect to storm.ee.ucr.edu or by actually logging into a machine running Linux and opening a terminal by clicking on its icon (the image of a computer monitor/screen) at the bottom of the screen.

Subject: [9-9] How do I check my email from outside of the department?

One way of doing this is by using ssh (or some other program which implements the secure shell protocol) to open an interactive shell with our compute server called storm.ee.ucr.edu and then using pine. See section (7) for information on how to access storm.ee.ucr.edu. You can also use Secure POP or Secure IMAP. The instructions are shown in the previous questions.

Subject: [9-10] How come I cannot send mail from home, but I can receive it?

For security reasons, our SMTP server does not allow connections from outside the department. Therefore if you are using mail programs such as Outlook, Navigator, etc, that require a SMTP server, you will not be able to send your mail. There are two ways to work around this: 1) You can ssh to storm.ee.ucr.edu and use pine (see above) or 2) You can use a different SMTP server such as the one provided by your ISP ( i.e. my ISP is Charter Cable so my SMTP server will be mail.charterpipeline.net).

Subject: [9-11] How do I forward my email to another email account?

You will need to use this facility if you want all the email that you receive at your EE/CE email account to another email address. If This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it is the email address of this other email account then to set up forwarding you will need to log into your account under Linux and execute the following command echo:

echo This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > .forward

Do not forget the period at the front of the forward word.

Subject: [10] Servers

Subject: [10-1] What is the Computing Servers?

�� storm.ee.ucr.edu
�� bender.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [10-2] What is the Web Server?

www.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [10-4] What is the Secure POP Server?

pop.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [10-6] What is the APOP Server?

pop.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [10-7] What is the Secure IMAP Server?

imap.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [10-8] What is the SMTP Server (Only for computers in the EE domain)?

smtp.ee.ucr.edu

Subject: [11] Miscellany

Subject: [11-1] Can I lock my workstation?

You may lock your workstation for a short period of time.� If you leave for any great length of time you will need to log out. Though this may cause a little inconvenience to some we must keep the computers open and avaliable to other students who need to use it.� If you are found to have locked your workstation for any great length of time your account privileges will be removed.

Subject: [11-2] What do I do if I see a problem and I want to report it to the EE Systems Group anonymously?

If you have any problems in labs, if you see equipment abuse, or if people are being too loud in lab you can report this problem to the EE Systems Group anonymously using this form: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/forms/eesysabuse.html. Please note that you can only use this from within the College of Engineering computers to prevent people from the outside from abusing this form.

Subject: [11-3] How do I setup a password protected screensaver?

To setup a password protected screen saver please see this tutorial at http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/ScreenSaver.html.

Subject: [11-5] How do I access storm or bender using putty?

For the instructions go to: http://www.ee.ucr.edu/EESystems/FAQ/putty.html.

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