Your Account

Since almost all UNIX systems are multi user systems you will need to have a logon name and password to authenticate yourself to the system. At UMBC, when you sign-up for a GL account, you are given a username and password, which is your means of logging on to any computer system, be it UNIX, Windows or Mac.

Where is UNIX / Linux available?

As mentioned there are many labs in the Engineering/Computer Science (ECS) building where there are dual boot-able Windows 2000 and Linux PCs. You can simple reboot one of these machines and select Linux as the operating system. There are also a couple of other places across the campus where you can sit directly in front of a UNIX computer. UMBC's Office of Information Technology (OIT) maintains a list of the labs it maintains as well as descriptions about the operating systems in those labs. This list is online at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/classroomtechnology/labs/lablocation.html.

Rebooting from Windows to Linux on a GL PC

If the PC that you decide to sit down in front of is a dual boot-able PC in on of the labs specified in the above link and it is currently running Windows, follow these steps to reboot the PC into Linux...

1. Press Control-Alt-Delete as if you were going to login to Windows.
2. When the login dialog box is displayed, press the Shutdown button on the right hand side.
3. Depressing this button will bring up the Shutdown dialog box, click on Shutdown and Restart.
4. When the machine reboots use the down arrow to choose Linux and press Enter.
5. This will boot the PC into Linux, eventually giving you the logon screen.

Logging in

Once you have rebooted the computer into Linux, you are prompted with a logon screen

You have to...

1. Type in your username then press Tab
2. Then enter you password
3. Lastly you have the option to choose you session type, you can choose from Gnome, KDE, or failsafe. Choose either Gnome or KDE. Failsafe is similar to Windows safe-mode for those of you that may be familiar with that.

Logging Out

Gnome

1. Click on Gnome's Main Menu (looks like a foot)
2. Then select Log out
3. Gnome will then ask you if you really want to log out, click on the Yes button to do so. There is a check-box that can be checked to save any changes that you may have made within Gnome.

KDE

1. Click on KDE's Start Application menu (looks like a K with a gear)
2. Then select Logout
3. KDE will then ask you if you really want to log out, click on the OK button to do so. There is a check-box that can be checked to save any changes that you may have made within KDE.

If all else fails in Gnome or KDE

If your session seems to have froze up, or if you are just lazy like me you can press ctrl-alt-backspace to restart the X windows server, thus in the process logging you out. Note that by doing it this way, you risk losing unsaved work.

Command Line

If you have logged on remotely via a command line interface, all you need to do is to type "logout" at the prompt to log out out.

linux1-(04:25pm): logout
Connection to linux.gl.umbc.edu closed.
cshc-pc-02 $