Accessing on-campus computing resources remotely from a PC at home

Getting the Software that you need
- You need to get the following software and install it on your Windows PC before you can work remotely from home:
  - This is X-ming an free X-server. Right click on the link and select "Save Target As" to download it to your PC: click here
  - This is additional fonts for the X-server X-ming: Right click on the link and select "Save Target As" to download it to your PC: click here
  - This is PuTTY - a (free) Secure Shell Terminal tool that you need to connect to compus computers. Right click on the link and select "Save Target As" to download it to your PC: click here
Install the Software
- To install the X-server:
  - Run "Xming-6-9-0-14-setup.exe" (you need to know where you have put it in your PC)
  - Simply follow the instructions...
  - After you install "Xming", you will have 2 new shortcuts on your desktop: "Xming" and "XLaunch" - you don't need the "XLaunch" shortcut...
  - Run also "Xming-fonts-7-5-0-34-setup.exe" to install additional fonts for Xming (you will need them for many applications)
- To install "Putty":
  - Move "putty.exe" to a folder where you keep your downloaded programs in your PC (I keep them in "C:\bin")
  - Create a new short cut and make the short cut point to the "putty.exe" program
    You can create a short cut on the desktop using:
    - Right click on the desk top
    - Select "New"
    - Then select "Shortcut"
    - Browse and find the file "putty.exe"
    - Click OK
Setting up your Secure Shell Terminal tool
Before you can use the "putty" Secure Shell Terminal tool, you need to set it up first.
1. Start the Secure Shell Terminal tool:
  - Double click the "Putty" shortcut (that you made in the previous step).
  You should see the "Putty Configuration" window
2. At the left hand column, you should see:
  +-Session | +-Terminal | +-Window | +-Connection
  Now click on the box before "Connection" to open the "Connection" tab
  If the "Connection" tab is opened, you should see
```
    .....
    - Connection
      |
      +-Proxy
      |
      +-Telnet
      |
      +-Rlogin
      |
      +-SSH
```
3. After you opened the "Connection Tab", click on the the box before "SSH" to open the "SSH" tab.
  If the "SSH" tab is opened, you should see
```
    .....
    - Connection
      |
      +-Proxy
      |
      +-Telnet
      |
      +-Rlogin
      |
      --SSH
        |
        +-Auth
        |
        +-Tunnels
        |
        +-Bugs
```
4. Click on "Tunnels" to select the "X-tunneling" menu
  At the very top of this menu, you should see:
```
    X11 forwarding

    +-+
    | | Enable X11 forwarding
    +-+
```
  Check this box !!!
5. Now go back to the top left hand corner, and click on the "Session" tab:
```
      +-Session      <----- click here
      |
      +-Terminal
      |
      +-Window
      |
      +-Connection
```
6. In the Session menu, fill in the host name of the computer on Emory that you want to connect to.
  To connect to a workstation in the MathCS lab, use one of these names:
  - lab1a.mathcs.emory.edu
  - lab2a.mathcs.emory.edu
  - lab5c.mathcs.emory.edu
  - etc (you can visit the lab and look at the machines to discover their names...)
7. In the Session menu, select SSH.
8. In the Session menu, type in a session name
  This name can be anything you want it to be, it is the name you use to identify setting that you have entered, so be creative.
  For example, if you have entered "lab1a.mathcs.emory.edu" for host name, give the session a name like "lab1a"...
9. Finally, click on "Save" inside the Session menu (the save button" is towards the lower right hand size of the window)
  Now we are ready to connect to Emory system from home...
  You can exit the "putty" program if you want to...
Connecting to a computer on Emory from home
1. Start the X-server:
  - Double click the "Xming" shortcut.
  - You should see an "X" symbol in the program toolbar at the bottom of the screen (towards the right hand size, right next to the clock)
2. Start the Secure Shell Terminal tool by double clicking on the "Putty" shortcut
3. In the Session menu, click on the session name that you have saved in the previous step.
  This will highlight the session name
4. Now click "Load" (at the right of the session name in the Session menu)
  You will see the host name loaded into the "Host Name" field, and the SSH is selected.
  (If you would go to the "Tunnel" menu, you will see that "Enable X11 forwarding" is also selected - this is very important! And if you did go to the tunnel menu, you can run to the "Session" menu by clicking on "Session" at top left in the putty window)
5. After clicking "Load", click "Open" (at the bottom of the "Session" menu
6. Login... and now you are working on a machine on Emory and seeing the output at home !
  You are in fact "Telecommuting"...
7. PS: if you use programs that makes a window pop up (e.g., BlueJ), be prepare to wait... go get a cup of coffee and come back. It can be very slow...
How to do your project from home
- Connect to a computer in the MathCS lab from home (see: click here )
- After a successful connect, you can do anything from home like you were in the lab - things are just slower (I heard that the speed in the dorm is great; but if you have DSL or Cable, graphical applications - like BlueJ can be a bit slow)
- There is no special things you need to be aware of to do the project - except some patience... (graphical applications send a large among of data over the network and it can very very slow....)
Mac Users:
- I don't have a Mac so the only thing I can do is to refer you to webpages that have the necessary information
- This page explain how to set up an X11 server on your Mac: click here
  I have this page saved in case Apple took it away: click here