FAQ: Windows Help
This FAQ is intended to help users who are new to the Stanford Linux computing clusters and will be working from a Windows machine. I'm not a Windows guru, but hopefully this document will help you get you up and running.

Topics:

  1. Connecting to the Stanford myth Linux Computing Cluster.
  2. Setting up X11 (e.g. the graphics windowing system)
  3. Accessing your AFS Files Locally

Answers:

  1. Connecting to the Stanford myth Linux Computing Cluster [top]
    1. Download and install SecureCRT from Stanford's IT Services. SecureCRT is a simple program which uses SSH to securely connect to a remote computer.
    2. Run SecureCRT. Go to File --> Connect.
    3. In the box which popped up, choose "myth.stanford.edu" if it exists (and go to step #4). If it doesn't then right-click "vine.stanford.edu", choose Properties. In the box which pops up, change the name field to "myth.stanford.edu". Click "SSH2" from the category list on the left side of the window and then change the hostname field to "myth.stanford.edu". Click "Ok."
    4. Click "Connect" to open a connection to a machine in the myth cluster.
    5. Enter your username and password when prompted (same as your Stanford email credentials).
    6. A command-line for a particular machine on the myth cluster will popup. Enjoy.
    7. Note: you can open multiple connections to multiple machines simultaneous. Each connection will appear in a separate tab.
  2. Setting up X11 (e.g. the graphics windowing system) [top]
    Purpose: Enable you to run "emacs &" and have the emacs GUI show up on your machine.
     
    • Tell SecureCRT to forward X11 information to your local machine. This means applications which have a GUI (emacs, firefox, ...) will send display information to your machine.
      1. When connected to the myth cluster, click "Options" --> "Session Options."
      2. Choose the "Remote/X11" category from the left panel.
      3. Check the "Forward X11 packets" checkbox.
      4. Optional: To make SecureCRT display the command-line with the standard Linux color-coded scheme, go to the "Emulation" category from the left panel. Then set the "Terminal" field to "Linux" and check both the "ANSI Color" and "Use color scheme" checkboxes. I also suggest going to the "Appearance" category and changing the "Normal font" to "Courier New 10pt". Finally, under the "Emacs" category, check "Use ALT as meta key" if you like emacs shortcuts.
      5. Click "Ok" and restart SecureCRT (or disconnect and reconnect to the myth cluster).
    • Install and run an X11 server which will take the display information and actually render the program.
      1. Download, install, and run Xming (an X11 server for Windows).
      2. A little "X" icon should now appear in your system tray.
  3. Accessing your AFS Files Locally [top]
    Purpose: This should enable you to access your files from Stanford computing clusters (e.g. myths) from your Windows machine. Your Stanford files will show up as another drive (like your 'C:/' drive).
     
    1. Download the Windows AFS client from here (download link at the bottom of the page).
    2. Follow the directions here to locally mount your Stanford AFS home directory.
CS143 Resources
Outside Resources
Command References