Forgotten your password? Go to http://www.cs.ucc.ie/reset/ and enter your umail address. This is the quickest way to get back in. You have one CS password, and it works on the Windows and Linux lab PCs, the Mac labs, csgate and cs1.

If your Windows account has been deactivated, email help@cs.ucc.ie from your UCC student email account. Include your CS username, your full name and your student number, and we’ll sort it out for you.

4. Make help@cs.ucc.ie a mailto link.
5. Save changes ▾ › Save and approve.

If your test shows the reset unlocks accounts, put this paragraph above the one you’ve just pasted:

If you’ve been locked out after too many wrong passwords, try resetting your password at http://www.cs.ucc.ie/reset/ first.

You must log into Linux using your original password from your log in sheet given to your be CS helpesk.

If you change your windows password – that does not change your Linux password.

If you have lost this sheet or have forgotten your password you can easily reset it by following the instructions on our Password Reset Page.

However… If you really want to change your password to a particular one in linux AND already know your password then

SSH to csgate and log on with your username and password.At the prompt, type “yppasswd”.
You will be asked to enter your current password followed by your new password.Re-enter your new password to confirm it.The new password will be effective from your next log on.

Note: this will ONLY change your Ubuntu/Linux password.

Chrome keeps asking for your old password (Linux labs)

If you’ve reset or changed your password, Chrome on the Linux lab PCs may keep asking you to unlock your “login keyring” with your old password. To fix it, close Chrome, open a terminal and run:

rm ~/.local/share/keyrings/login.keyring

Then open Chrome again. It will create a new keyring with your current password. Any passwords you had saved in Chrome on the lab PCs will be lost.

Your CS home folder

Every CS student has a home folder on our file server. You can get to it in all the CS labs:

• Windows: your Z: drive
• Linux: your home directory (cd ~)
• Mac labs: click the globe icon in the dock after you log in. Your home folder appears under “Computer” in Finder.

You have 1GB of space for the whole year. When it’s full you can’t save anything else until you delete some files, so clear out what you don’t need regularly.

Your personal website

Your home folder has a folder called public_html. Anything you put in it is published on the web at:

http://cs1.ucc.ie/~YOURUSERNAME

It’s mainly for websites you build as part of your course. You can save files into public_html from any lab PC, or from home using sftp or FileZilla (see the File Transfer section).

Making your pages visible

Visitors can only see your files if they’re readable by everyone. To set this, SSH to csgate from a terminal (Windows, macOS and Linux all have ssh built in):

ssh YOURUSERNAME@csgate.ucc.ie

Off campus you’ll be asked for your verification code as well as your password. Then run:

cd ~/public_html
chmod ugo+r index.html

Do the same for any other files you add.

It may not be obvious to you, but it is possible to copy and paste to and from a PuTTY window. This tutorial will show you how to do that

Copying and pasting in PuTTY is very easy, but different from the way it’s done in most other programs

1) You’ll need to be logged in to a PuTTY session before you begin

2) All you have to do is left click and drag to make a selection

As soon as you let go of the mouse button, the selection is instantly copied to your clipboard and ready to be pasted

3) Simply click off of the selection to deselect it

4) Now, let’s paste the selection into another window. For this tutorial, we’ll just use a Notepad window that we already have open

5) Right click, then Paste

The selection has been copied and pasted successfully

Now, let’s try copying and pasting an SSH command we’ve stored in a different Notepad window

6) Right-click and Copy

7) Return to PuTTY

8) Simply right-click to paste

9) Press Enter to execute the command

You can also select and copy a rectangular region in PuTTY. For our purpose, this is useful to copy just the filenames in this directory listing

10) Hold down ALT, then click and drag from the top left corner to the bottom right

11) Switch back to Notepad

12) Press CTRL+V to paste

From https://kb.site5.com/shell-access-ssh/putty/putty-how-to-copy-and-paste-to-and-from-a-putty-window/

To launch VScode in the CS Mac labs with pre installed extensions, run the command "code" from the terminal

Most modules use SQLite, which needs no setup. It just stores your database in a file in your own folder.

If your module needs a MySQL database, your lecturer will normally have asked us to create one, and you’ll get the details by email. If you haven’t received them, or you’ve lost your password, email help@cs.ucc.ie with “Database request” in the subject line, and include your CS username and the module code.

MySQL databases are on cs1 and can only be reached from the CS lab PCs. From home, SSH to csgate.ucc.ie, then SSH to cs1.ucc.ie and use the mysql command there.

We’ve set up a dedicated SSH gateway server called csgate.ucc.ie. You need to use it to SSH in from home or eduroam to access our services.

Verification codes: When you connect from off campus (for example, from home), csgate asks for your password and then a 6 digit code from your authenticator app. On the UCC network or eduroam you only need your password.

1. To access your home directory and transfer files:

SSH to csgate.ucc.ie with your CS username and password. All your files are on this server.

2. To connect to a CS server such as cs1.ucc.ie (for MySQL access etc.):

SSH to csgate.ucc.ie first. Then, from there, SSH to cs1.ucc.ie with your CS username and password.

Getting blocked: csgate blocks your address after 5 failed logins to keep out would-be hackers. The block lasts 30 minutes. A “connection timed out” error usually means you’ve been blocked, not that your network is down. Wait 30 minutes without trying to connect, or email help@cs.ucc.ie with your CS username and we’ll clear it. When you try again, enter the code promptly and only once. If your code keeps being rejected, check that your phone’s clock is set to update automatically.

If you think your password might be wrong, reset it before you get locked out. Go to http://www.cs.ucc.ie/reset/ and enter your umail address. Your one CS password works on the lab PCs, csgate, cs1 and the Mac labs.

Logging out properly: For security and performance reasons, csgate and other CS servers limit the number of sessions each user can have open at once. When you’ve finished, log out fully with the logout command. If you went through one server to reach another (for example csgate.ucc.ie and then cs1.ucc.ie), log out of both.

If you don’t log out properly, or your session drops or times out, that session can be left hanging. Eventually you’ll hit the limit and won’t be able to log in until we clear your old sessions. If that happens, email help@cs.ucc.ie with your CS username and the server name.

1. Your normal CS account password
2. A 6-digit verification code from your authenticator app

• Password
• Passcode
• Verification code
• Keyboard-interactive authentication

• Make sure you are using the current code.
• Check that the date and time on your phone are correct.
• Make sure you are using the authenticator account registered for the csgate.ucc.ie.
• Try again with a newly generated code.

You can copy files to and from your CS home directory with the sftp command. It’s built in to Windows PowerShell, macOS and Linux, so there’s nothing to install. If you’d rather drag and drop, see the FileZilla FAQ below.

Before you start

• Your CS username is your initials followed by a number, e.g. on1. It is not your UCC email name.
• Off campus, you’ll also need a code from an authenticator app (Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator or Authy). Set it up by scanning the QR code in the “csgate MFA Setup” email sent to your umail. If you can’t find that email, contact help@cs.ucc.ie.
• The code changes every 30 seconds, so type it as soon as you’re asked.

Connect

Run this, replacing on1 with your own CS username:

sftp on1@csgate.ucc.ie

You’ll be asked for your password and, if you’re off campus, your verification code.

Copy files

At the sftp> prompt:

put report.pdf (upload a file)
get report.pdf (download a file)
exit (finish)

Copy a whole folder

lcd ~/Documents
put -r myproject

lcd changes the folder on your own computer. On Windows, use a path like lcd C:\Users\yourname\Documents. The folder lands in your CS home directory unless you cd somewhere else on the server first. To download a folder, use get -r myproject.

Finding your way around

ls (files on the server)
lls (files on your own computer)
pwd (where you are on the server)
lpwd (where you are on your own computer)

Lab pcs do not have external access for security reasons. However, if you ssh to csgate.ucc.ie (which has external access) with your unix username and password, you can then ssh to the server without issue

FileZilla is a free program that lets you drag and drop files between your own computer and your CS home directory. It connects through csgate. From off campus you’ll need your password and a code from your authenticator app. On the UCC network or eduroam, just your password.

Don’t use the Quick Connect bar at the top of FileZilla. It doesn’t work reliably with csgate. Set up a saved site instead, as below.

Set up the site (you only need to do this once)

1. Open FileZilla, click the File menu and choose Site Manager.
2. Click New site and name it csgate.
3. On the General tab, fill in:
   • Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
   • Host: csgate.ucc.ie
   • Port: leave blank
   • Logon Type: Interactive
   • User: your CS username, e.g. on1
4. Click the Transfer Settings tab, tick Limit number of simultaneous connections and set it to 1.
5. Click Connect.

FileZilla will ask for your password. If you’re off campus, it will then ask for your verification code. Type the code as soon as you’re asked, and only once.

Next time, just open File, then Site Manager, choose csgate and click Connect.

Things to know

• Your CS username is your initials followed by a number, e.g. on1. It is not your UCC email name.
• The limit of 1 connection matters. Without it, FileZilla opens several connections at once, and off campus each one needs its own code, so transfers stall or drop.
• If a login fails, don’t keep retrying. After 5 failed attempts you’ll be blocked for 30 minutes.
• If FileZilla still gives you trouble, use the sftp command instead. See “How to transfer files from home to CS servers?” above.

Most class notices come through Canvas. The School also has some email lists. If you’re getting emails meant for a different class, or you think you’re missing emails you should be getting, email help@cs.ucc.ie with your CS username and your class, and we’ll check it.

Its possible for some reason that your email address is not included in the class mailing list. Send an email to help@cs.ucc.ie, giving your username and what class you should be in. We will check this out and fix this for you.

Every CS student has 1GB of space in their home folder (your Z: drive on Windows). That’s your allowance for the whole year. When it’s full you can’t save anything else until you delete some files, so clear out what you don’t need regularly. Browser caches and Python packages fill it up surprisingly fast.

If you’ve deleted or lost a file by accident, email help@cs.ucc.ie straight away with your CS username, the file name and roughly when you last had it. We may be able to get it back.

End of year: after the repeat exams, and before the next academic year starts, home folders are cleared out to free up space. Your username and password stay the same. If you want to keep anything, copy it to a USB key or your Google Drive before then.

SSH to csgate.ucc.ie, run:

du -sh ~

This shows how much of your 1GB you’re using. To see what’s taking up the most space, run:

du -sh ~/* ~/.[!.]* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -15

The biggest items are at the bottom. Common culprits are:

• .cache: browser and program caches. Safe to delete: rm -rf ~/.cache/*
• .local/lib: Python packages you’ve installed with pip. Remove any you don’t need.
• Downloads, old zip files and copies of datasets.

To delete a file, use rm filename, or delete it in File Explorer on your Z: drive.

Don’t delete .bashrc, .profile, .ssh or .google_authenticator. You need these to log in.

Once you’ve used your 1GB, you can’t save any more files until you free up space. This can catch you out in the middle of an assignment: a file may fail to save, or save as an empty file, and you lose your work.

To avoid this, check your space now and then, especially before a deadline (see “How can I check how much file Storage I have available?”). If you’re close to the limit, clear out what you don’t need.

If you can’t free up enough space, or you think the limit is wrong, email help@cs.ucc.ie with your CS username.

Yes. When your home folder is full, the Linux desktop can’t save its settings when you log in, so it logs you straight back out. You can still get in to free up space in any of these ways:

• Log in to Windows on a lab PC instead, open your Z: drive and delete files you don’t need.
• SSH to csgate.ucc.ie from any computer and delete files from the command line.
• Use a text login on the Linux PC. At the login screen press Ctrl+Alt+F3 and log in with your CS username and password. Delete what you don’t need (see “How can I check how much file Storage I have available?” for the commands). Clearing ~/.cache is usually the quickest win: rm -rf ~/.cache/*

Then type logout, press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to get back to the normal login screen, and log in as usual.