Hills (Linux) Access and Use Information

hills account info

Your hills login name is the same as your CCSFmail account user name. To find this user name, Login to Web4, go to the "Student Services & Financial Aid" tab, and scroll down to the "Student CCSFmail" link near the bottom of the page. Then click on "CCSFmail info". If you need help determining your login name, ask an ACRC staff member. Your initial password for hills is your birthday and first, last initials in mmmddyy.fl format, for example, if I, Craig Persiko, were born on January 3, 1980, my password would be jan0380.cp   These two initials are actually the first two characters of your login name. You will be forced to change this password the first time you login, using this password as your "old password", and a new one of your choice for future use. Even if you've logged onto hills before, you have to use this new password. Ask the ACRC staff for help if you can't login.

To connect to hills, use a terminal emulation program such as SSH Client or PuTTY. From a Mac or Linux computer, you can open a terminal window and type:
ssh uname@hills.ccsf.edu
(Put your hills username in place of "uname" above.)

Linux Basics

One common mistake with hills is when people use the mouse. On hills, we are using Linux with a text-only interface, so your mouse does nothing to interact with hills. When you're using hills, forget about the mouse. Another common mistake is that people don't know Linux is case- sensitive. So file and program names must always be in the correct (upper or lower) case.

When you log in to hills using your own username, you will automatically be placed in your own directory on hills. So you can save any files you wish in that directory or any subdirectories you create. All the files you create will be there for you next time you login.

Here is a list of basic commands you should know, all of which you type at the main Linux (bash) prompt:

ls

list files in current directory. Use ll to list all files (including hidden ones)

rm myfile

remove (delete) the file specified (replace myfile with your file's name)

cp oldfile newfile

copy file: above will make a new copy of oldfile, calling it newfile

mv oldfile newfile

move file: above will change the name of oldfile to newfile

mkdir newdir

make directory: above will make a new directory called newdir

cd newdir

change directory: above will make newdir the new working (current) directory

cat myfile

concatenate (display): above will print the contents of myfile to the screen

more myfile

same as cat, except it shows only one page at a time. Hit space to see next page, or "q" to stop display.

script myscript.txt

create a script file called "myscript.txt" (use any name you wish, but please end it with .txt). Script file will contain all future screen output. Don't forget to type "exit" to stop scripting!

exit

exit, or logout, from hills. Or if you're in the midst of a saving your output to a script, this will stop the scripting.

Ctrl-C

To terminate a program - if you need to stop a program and get back to your Linux prompt (maybe your program is in an infinite loop or something) - type Ctrl-C (Control and 'c' together). If you just close your terminal emulator without stopping your program or logging out, the program will continue to run indefinitely, and you won't be able to delete that program file!

man xxx

manual page: Linux online help: above will tell you more about xxx. So to learn more about ls, type "man ls"

quota -v

Used to find out how close you are to your quota and maximum limit of storage space on hills.

There are two main programs you'll use on hills: nano for text file editing (including writing programs) and javac to compile your java programs. Following are some basic directions on how to use these programs:

nano(text editor)

javac (Java compiler)

Logging Out

Summary: Step-by-Step Instructions for Doing Homework with hills

1. Sit at a computer that is connected to the Internet. If personal account login is necessary, see "ACRC account info" above.
2. Run a terminal emulation program such as SSH Client or PuTTY. (Or open a Terminal window if using Mac or Linux.)
3. Connect and Login to hills.ccsf.edu
4. Use a text editor to write your java program. For example, to create a program called "HelloWorld" type the following at your Linux prompt: nano HelloWorld.java and then in the nano window type the java code for your program, such as this one. When you are finished writing your program, save it and exit nano by typing Ctrl-X followed by Y, then Enter to save.
5. Compile your program using javac. Continuing with the HelloWorld example, type the following at your Linux prompt: javac HelloWorld.java
   If you just get another Linux prompt, then your program compiled successfully. If you get any error messages, use nano to fix the problems in your java code and compile again.
6. Run your program using java. For this example that's: java HelloWorld (if that doesn't work, try ./java HelloWorld )
7. Once your program works and you're ready to turn it in, it's time to save its source code and output in a file. Start this by using "cat" to display your file on the screen: cat HelloWorld.java
8. Run your program again: java HelloWorld
   Make sure to show a variety of test-cases to demonstrate your program's behavior (by running it as many times as necessary).
9. You should turn in the entire program listed by your "cat" command, as well as all your sample output. The easiest way to do this is by copying and pasting. So highlight and copy the program and output, and open a text editor on your computer (such as Notepad) then paste into a new document. Make sure your document contains the entire program and all its output. Save the document in a plain text file.
10. Now use your web browser to access https://ccsf.instructure.com and log in to this course in Canvas. Click on the assignment you want to turn in. Then click on the Submit Assignment button. Select the text file with your program and its output. Then click on Submit Assignment. On the right side of your screen it should now say Submission Turned In!
11. Don't forget to log out! In your terminal emulator window, log out of your hills account by typing exit. And of course log out of Canvas by clicking Account (your face) on the top left, then clicking Logout.

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