To log into Linux, use one of the following methods.
Go to Austin 208 and log into one of the machines. They are set up to log in using a tool called NoMachine (NX). See the starting NoMachine.
Your login ID and password are your pirate ID and password — the same ones you use for your email.
See using the desktop for how to open a termimal window, a text editor, etc. when you are using NX.
Log in from your own computer using NX and the VPN. For that, you will need to get two pieces of software.
Get the Cisco AnyConnect client from student virtual private network.
Get the NX client from NoMachine.
To log in, start the VPN software and log into the student VPN. The VPN host address is piratesvpn@ecu.edu. Your id and password are the same as you piratemail id and password. After that is successful, start NX and log in. See the starting NoMachine.
Log in using NX but without the VPN. You can do that by selecting port 2200 instead of port 22. For reasons that I do not understand, this does not appear to work with Windows 8 with default security settings.
Log in using a text-only SSH interface. For a simpler but crisper interface to the same server, use the SSH client. You can get a Windows version here. Run it to install the client. You can also use Putty for a similar interface.
Run the SSH client and select Quick connect. Enter your login id and the host (xlogin.cs.ecu.edu). Press connect, then type your password into the box that pops up.
The interface that you get is text-only! Read about how to use the text-only ssh interface.
To transfer files between your computer and the server, I recommend one of the following methods. Others are also available.
Use the SSH client, mentioned above. You will find a yellow symbol with blue dots on it in the row of buttons across the top of the screen. Click on that. It opens a file transfer window. The left-hand panel shows files on your computer. The right-hand panel shows files on the server. Drag files from one panel to the other to transfer them.
Use a tool such as WinSCP. It is designed for copying files between a Windows machine and a server.
Why do my files look different on different computers?
Which pieces of software do you need to log into xlogin.cs.ecu.edu from your own computer using NX? Answer
How can you transfer files between your computer and xlogin.cs.ecu.edu? Answer