The FAQ is currently under chaotic construction (and probably "always" will be).

The FAQ was last revised on 12/05/2004 at 10:27

• Southwestern Adventist University Official Page.
• Southwestern Adventist University Official Local Page.
• David Sowder's Alternative SWAU Homepage
• David Sowder's Link Collection

• [1.1] What is a FAQ?
• [1.2] Why was the FAQ started? (11/28/2004)
• [1.3] How do I contact OIS?

• [2.1] How do I get an account on cosmic? (11/28/2004)
• [2.2] How do I get an account on cs for my Computer Science class? (11/28/2004)

• This section is currently empty. It used to talk about case sensitivity problems in Email addresses, but the question and the answer are much less relevant now. (02/11/2004)

• [4.1] How can I make a homepage on the Cosmic? (11/28/2004)

• [5.1] How do I transfer a file between the Alpha and a PC?
• [5.2] How do I FTP a file from the Alpha to a PC? (11/28/2004)
• [5.3] How to I FTP a file from a PC to the Alpha? (11/28/2004)

• [6.1] How can I send my friend a short one line message in realtime? (11/28/2004)
• [6.2] How can I chat with a friend in realtime? (11/28/2004)

• [7.1] How do I setup a plan on cosmic? (11/28/2004)

• [8.1] How can I find out if my friend is logged in right now (11/28/2004)
• [8.2] How can I use the Internet from home? (11/28/2004)

• [9.1] How can I find out who is using cosmic at the moment? (11/28/2004)

• [10.5] How do I change the paper on the SYS$PRINT printer? (12/05/2004)

[1] General Info

[1.1] What is a FAQ?

A collection of answers to frequently asked questions. This FAQ is maintained by David Sowder and is not an official publication of Southwestern Adventist University.

[1.2] Why was the FAQ started? (11/28/2004)

Because FAQs make information accessible in a fast, easy, and hopefully understandable way. Because I no longer work at SWAU, I cannot be nearly as helpful now that their network and servers have been changed so much. The information that remains here is what I know about the things that this FAQ used to be able to be authoritative about.

[1.3] How do I contact OIS?

If you are experiencing difficulties or have a question or comment, send Email to helpdesk@swau.edu. If you are unable to send Email, call the User Services Manager at campus extension 411. You could also stop by the Computer User Services Manager's office in the Findley Administration building in the office just south of the Records office by the outside double glass doors.

[2] Accounts

[2.1] How do I get an account on cosmic? (11/28/2004)

Note: cosmic.swau.edu appears to have been replaced by several machines, one of which is student.swau.edu. I'm not sure how a student gets an account on that system. The information here can somewhat apply to the new systems, but I'm not sure how much. cosmic.swau.edu is the official Email and web server for general student use. Cosmic runs Linux, one of the many flavors of unix, as it's operating system. Cosmic provides the Pine program for Email reading and composition, which is entirely menu driven. IMAP and POP3 are provided as remote Email access protocols. Web services are provided by the market leading Apache web server. Lynx is provided for fast text-based web browsing. Various programming languages are provided include C/C++, Assembler, and Java. To get an account on cosmic, see the Computer User Services Manager. Information on where to find her is located in the contact OIS section of this FAQ.

[2.2] How do I get an account on cs for my Computer Science class? (11/28/2004)

cs.southwesternadventist.edu is a computer system run by the Department of Computer Science and is, of course, running the popular Linux flavor of Unix (It looks like it might be running Mac OS X now. Xserves are cool that way). In this way, it is very similar to what cosmic was, though accounts are created only for Computer Science majors and students in Computer Science classes. Currently (as of 2000), accounts are created by Dr. Thomas, whom you should contact if you need an account on that system. He can be reached at extension 772, in person at the Department of Computer Science in Scales Hall, or by Email at thomas@cs.southwesternadventist.edu

[3] Email

This section is currently empty. It used to talk about case sensitivity problems in Email addresses, but the question and the answer are much less relevant now. (02/11/2004)

[4] Homepages

[4.1] How can I make a homepage on the Cosmic? (11/28/2004)

Note: This information applies to the old cosmic.swau.edu system. I'm not sure how they're doing web pages for students now, if they're doing them at all.

1. At the cosmic $ prompt type cd ~
2. At the cosmic $ prompt type chmod a+x ~
3. At the cosmic $ prompt type mkdir www
4. At the cosmic $ prompt type chmod a+x www
5. At the cosmic $ prompt type cd www
6. At the cosmic $ prompt type joe index.html if you want to create a new webpage or use FTP to transfer a page you've already created elsewhere.
7. If you use the joe text editor, use control-X to save your work once you've finished. Now is when you make your HTML file, and save the file. Because there is a lot to HTML we are not going to teach you how to do that here. There are a lot of HTML tutorials out there on the Internet, a good one for beginners is at Case Western Reserve University.
8. At the cosmic $ prompt type chmod a+r index.html
9. Now surf over to see your handiwork at http://www2.swau.edu/~username/ where username is your username
10. If you are having problems with any of these steps contact OIS and we will do everything we can to help you.
11. If you transfer files via FTP as described above, you'll need to use the chmod command to change the permissions on those files to be world readable. You would use something like: chmod a+r filename where filename is the name of the file you just uploaded. Or you could use chmod a+r *.html if you are sure you want to give access to the world to access all of your HTML files. I believe the FTP server will create the files with the proper permissions for webpages, just make sure you transfer your files to the www directory. If you get access denied messages, use the commands above to set the proper permissions.
12. If you create directories inside your www directory for use in your website you would use chmod a+x directory where directory is the name of the directory you created.

[5] Transferring Files

[5.1] How do I transfer a file between the Alpha and a PC?

• We used to have a blurb about the evils of DECNET and Pathworks, but we've annihilated them from the campus computers, so we'll cut to the good stuff.
• See [2.2] for how to FTP a file from the Alpha
• See [2.3] for how to FTP a file to the Alpha.

[5.2] How do I FTP a file from the Alpha to a PC? (11/28/2004)

Note: Very few people have accounts on alpha.swau.edu, though I'm guessing it's probably _still_ being used.

1. From the DOS prompt on the PC, type ftp alpha. If you get the annoying Bad command or filename error, contact OIS.
2. Then type your username and your password. If you accidentally type the wrong username or password, then type quit when you get the ftp prompt and start over.
3. Once you've done this you will need to type ascii if the file is a text file that wasn't created in WordPerfect or similar word processor, or type bin if the file is a binary or isn't a plain ASCII text file. Use bin if you're not sure or if you already put the file on the Alpha from a PC using bin.
4. Then type get filename.ext where filename.ext is the name of the file you want to transfer from the Alpha.
5. Then type quit and you should be at the DOS prompt again. You're done.

[5.3] How do I FTP a file from a PC to the Alpha? (11/28/2004)

Note: Very few people have accounts on alpha.swau.edu, though I'm guessing it's probably _still_ being used.

1. From the DOS prompt on the PC, type ftp alpha. If you get the annoying Bad command or filename error, contact OIS.
2. Then type your username and your password. If you accidentally type the wrong username or password, then type quit when you get the ftp prompt and start over.
3. Once you've done this you will need to type ascii if the file is a text file that wasn't created in WordPerfect or similar word processor, or type bin if the file is in a binary format or you're not sure. If while at the DOS prompt you could type the file and get no funny characters, then use ascii, otherwise use bin. Most of the time, if you won't access the file while on the Alpha, it's easier to always use bin, which puts FTP in binary transfer mode.
4. Then type put filename.ext where filename.ext is the name of the file you want to put on the Alpha.
5. Then type quit and you should be at the DOS prompt again. You're done.

[6] Realtime Communication

[6.1] How can I send my friend a short one line message in realtime? (11/28/2004)

Note: Since cosmic.swau.edu's not up anymore, now you'll probably want to use something like Jabber, AIM, MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger.

• Type page username="message" where username is your friend's username and message is the message you want to send.
• For more details on page, type page at the $ prompt.

[6.2] How can I chat with a friend in realtime (possibly across the Internet)? (11/28/2004)

Note: Since cosmic.swau.edu's not up anymore, now you'll probably want to use something like Jabber, AIM, MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger.

1. Check to make sure they're logged in with finger.
2. Type talk email_address where email_address is your friend's Email address.
3. Wait for them to answer.
4. You can exit talk by hitting control C.

[7] Plans

[7.1] How do I setup a plan on Cosmic? (11/28/2004)

Note: Since cosmic.swau.edu's not up anymore, there may not be a .plan capability for students anymore.

1. At the $ prompt type cd ~
2. Create and edit a .plan file by typing joe .plan
3. Type in your plan.
4. When finished, hit the Ctrl and K keys simultaneously, then hit the X key.
5. Type chmod a+r ~/.plan
6. Type chmod a+x ~
7. Type finger username where username is your username to test your plan. If your plan isn't displayed, you forgot a step or made a mistake. Repeat steps 1-7, making sure you do all the commands without errors. If your test (step 8) still fails, contact OIS, describe your problem, and ask for help.

[8] Other Internet

[8.1] How can I find out if my friend is logged in right now (11/28/2004)

Note: Since cosmic.swau.edu's not up anymore and because most people on the Internet don't even know the finger service existed, you'll probably want to use something like Jabber, AIM, MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger

• Type finger email_address where email_address is your friend's Email address.
• Most systems will give you information about when they last logged on or where they are logged in from if they are currently logged in. Some large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Compuserve or AOL may not provide finger services because of their non-Internet beginnings. Other ISPs will not provied finger information because they are paranoid about security.

[8.2] How can I use the Internet from home? (11/28/2004)

This is a service that OIS offers to the students, faculty, and staff of Southwestern.

1. The latest information should hopefully be available here.

[9] cosmic.swau.edu Host Specific Information

[9.1] How can I find out who is using cosmic at the moment? (11/28/2004)

Note: Now that cosmic.swau.edu is not up anymore, this not available anymore that I'm aware of.

1. At the $ prompt type finger, and press return.
2. You will get a list of all of the users logged in, and how many times each is logged in. See [6.1] to find out how to contact them.

[10] alpha.swau.edu Host Specific Information

[10.5] How do I change the paper on the SYS$PRINT printer? (12/05/2004)

Assuming alpha.swau.edu is still up, this is the full command way of changing paper on the primary printer used by alpha.swau.edu. Note that the queue name may not be SYS$PRINT anymore as my guess is that the old printer has been retired, but then who knows... The following steps are the procedure to change the paper and set the form type on the alpha's SYS$PRINT queue.

1. stop/queue/next sys$print This tells the alpha to stop printing on the current paper after the current job finishes, or stops printing immediately if there is no job printing.
2. show queue/all/full/page sys$print This will show you the current jobs in the computer will full details. If you just need to know what's in the queue, but not what form is needed, etc, you can type show queue/all sys$print Look for /form= to determine the needed form name for a particular job. Jobs for WICKERS can usually be ignored because Sharon Wicker handles them personally.
3. set queue/form=form sys$print where form is the form name you're changing to. This tells the alpha what type of paper you are putting in the printer to print on next.
4. Once the printer stops printing if it hasn't already, set the printer offline with the Offline key on the printer.
5. Press the Form Feed key on the printer until the last page of the last printout has cleared the back of the printer.
6. Separate the last page from the first unprinted page still in the printer.
7. Separate the individual printouts for the various users and place the student printouts in the student printout holder and sort out the staff/faculty printouts into stacks for each employee and lay them on the counter.
8. Remove the paper from the printer tractor feeds (the door on the front of the printer can be opened by gently pushing in on the right front and then releasing it and letting the door swing ajar) and place the paper back in the box. Customarily the default paper is left in the printer, since it is used the most frequently, and any other form is fed over the top of the default paper box.
9. "Install" the new paper into the tractor feeds, moving the right tractor as necessary. The tractor can be moved after flipping the black lever. After "installing" the paper and closing the "lids", adjust the paper so it is straight and then flip the lever back the opposite direction on the righ tractors to hold the tractor in place. Make sure that the paper coming out of the box is straight with the printer tractor feeds so it won't snag and be a big mess. If you're installing DEFAULT, you can go ahead and close the door to lessen the noise. You can also close the top lid for the printer.
10. Press the Clear key on the printer to clear the error caused by changing the paper. If the printer starts printing the same characters over and over in a test pattern, don't panic. This just means that either there miraculously wasn't an error to clear and you started the test pattern, or you pressed the key twice. Just press the Clear key again to stop the test.
11. Press the Select key and then the Length to set the page length to the appropriate number of lines. Press the +1, +10, and +100 keys as needed until the display reads correct length in lines for the specific form you are loading. DEFAULT (green bar) and FS050 have line lengths of 66. Line lengths for other forms can be looked up in the forms reference book should be in the computer room next to the printer.
12. Press the Save key to save your page length setting. Press the Offline key and then press the Reset to make the saved change take effect.
13. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys as needed to line up the paper with the top of form mark listed in the forms book. For DEFAULT and FS050, I usually set the marker (It's the small black thing pointing towards the paper on the middle inside of each of the two sides of the top tractor feeds.
14. Now press the TOF key to set the top of form to the mark you just lined up with. The paper with move a little to actually adjust the print heads over that mark.
15. Now press the Online key (same as the Offline key) to allow the printer to take jobs from the alpha again.
16. Now type start/queue sys$print to tell the alpha that it can start sending the jobs for the current form (the one you just told the alpha about and "installed" the paper in the printer for) to the printer.
17. Rejoice in your success and take a break from your hard work. A drink of water might help cool off your taxed mind. (The author claims that mental overheating is the cause of his hair loss.)
18. If there are more jobs for a different form type, repeat these steps as needed. Customarily, we change the paper back to DEFAULT after everything has run (unless we know something else will be needed very shortly) since that form type is used the most frequently. Thank you for the answer to yet another question in David Sowder's FAQ, where you'll get at least one answer on how to do various things on the SWAU campus computers... Have a nice day!

The FAQ is maintained by David Sowder, sowder.com owner and former Network Manager/Lead Software Technician at Southwestern Adventist University (and currently Supervisor of the Language Acquisition Center at The University of Texas at Arlington). He also maintains other pages including his Alternative SWAU Homepage and his Link Collection
Portions of David Sowder's FAQ were originally from questions and answers submitted by Marlene Morley (now Marlene Sowder)
If you have a question you think should be in the FAQ, a suggestion or comment, a question to add or even a question with an answer, just drop the author a line at david@sowder.com.