KITP Computing FAQ
- General
- How do I obtain help with my computer?
- Try our Mac OS X tip sheet, or computing services guide.
- Visit the contact page for details on contacting the help desk.
- Where can I burn a CD/DVD?
- Most of our computers have built in CD burners, and some have DVD burners. Contact the help desk for details.
- How can I access my KITP computing account remotely?
- Use ssh (shell), scp (copy), or sftp (ftp) to connect to bree.kitp.ucsb.edu. All three of these programs are built in to Linux and Mac OS X systems - for Windows, you may have to download them. Note that ftp, telnet, and ssh1 are not allowed for security reasons For example, ssh username@breeland.kitp.ucsb.edu.
- My computer screen went blank and a white light is throbbing on the front.
- This probably means your computer is sleeping; press the spacebar to wake it up. Note that our computers should not be put to sleep due to our network filesystem. If interested in saving power, you may turn your computer completely off at the end of the day by choosing Shut Down from the Apple menu.
- Your computers don't have floppy drives - where can I access one?
- In the computer lab upstairs, we have a floppy drive. You might want to consider purchasing a 'pen drive'/'usb keychain'/'jump drive' which is the modern equivalent and holds much more data.
- Laptops
- How can I copy a file from my laptop to a KITP computer from my laptop or vice versa?
- Use sftp on your laptop to connect to breeland.kitp.ucsb.edu. Login with your KITP user name and password; this will give you access to the same home directory you see on the KITP computer.
- Use a USB pen/keychain drive.
- Email yourself the file if it's not too big (less than one MB or so).
- How can I connect my laptop to your network?
- Visit our laptop connection page.
- How can I print from my laptop?
- Visit our laptop printing page.
- How can I copy a file from my laptop to a KITP computer from my laptop or vice versa?
- Mac OS X
- How can I become more familliar with Mac OS X?
- Visit our using the KITP computer systems page.
- Read our PDF of Mac OS X tips.
- Use the built in help system (under the Help menu).
- Ask the help desk for assistance.
- My mouse only has one button!
- If you'd like a two button mouse, contact the help desk. You can also simulate a right-click by holding down the control key and clicking.
- How do I eject/insert a CD or DVD?
- Press the key on your keyboard in the upper right hand corner (normally F12).
- Can I use my USB pen/keychain drive on your Macs?
- Yes, OS X will recognize most common file systems including those used on Windows based computers. You may have to plug the drive into the back of the computer since the keyboard USB port doesn't always have enough power.
- How do I eject my USB pen/keychain drive?
- Control click on it and choose eject.
- Or drag it to the trash.
- How can I change my password?
- From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences, click on Accounts, and then Pasword. Note that this only changes your login password and not your e-mail password.
- English is not my native language - how can I change my system language or keyboard layout?
- Open System Preferences from the Apple menu and click on International. Under the Language tab, drag your preferred language to the top. To change your keyboard layout, click on the Input Menu tab and turn on your preferred keyboard layout.
- What web browser should I use on OS X?
- Printing
- Where are the KITP printers located?
- There are four public printers located on both floors. Click here for room numbers.
- How can I print from my laptop?
- Visit our laptop printing page for instructions.
- How can I print from the command line or an X11 program?
- Use the lpr command, for example, lpr -Plw2202 filename will cause the specified file to print on the lw2202 queue.
- For two sided printing, try using the duplex1108 and duplex2202 queues, or lpr -Plw2202 -o sides=two-sided-long-edge filename.
- How can I print double sided?
- For command line printing, see the above FAQ topic.
- For printing from OS X, select Long Edge Binding from the Layout menu when printing.
Note: you may want to save this as a preset.
- Email
- How do I change my email password?
- Go to http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/mail, logon with your current password, and click on the password link to change it.
- How can I set up a vacation response for my email?
- Go to http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/mail and change the appropriate setting.
- How can I access my KITP mail from outside the KITP?
- You can either use webmail through your web browser, or configure your IMAP compatible email software to connect. For help configuring Thunderbird or Apple Mail, click here.
- Do you have any screen shots showing email client configuration?
- Yes, click here for screen shots.
- How can I forward my KITP email to another email account?
- Note that most visitor accounts are set to forward by default.
- Log in via our webmail system, click on Rules, and fill out the forwarding address under the Redirect All Mail to heading.
- What is your SMTP server address?
- mail.kitp.ucsb.edu
- From outside KITP, use port 587 with SSL (secure sockets layer) and MD5 challenge-response authentication.
- From inside KITP, you can also use port 25 without SSL or authentication.
- What is your incoming mail server address?
- mail.kitp.ucsb.edu
- UNIX / X11
- I can't get the output from my X11 based application to display correctly / my X11 command is not found.
- Graphical X11 programs must be launched from the X11 program rather than the Terminal program. X11 should be located in your dock - if not, it's in /Applications/Utilities.
- How can I increase the font size in my terminal window?
- Choose Window Settings... from the Terminal menu, then choose Display from the list and press the Set Font button. Press Use Settings as Defaults to remember this setting for future terminal windows.
- Can I display X11 windows from my home institution on the Mac?
- Yes. The easiest way is to open the X11 application in your dock and then type ssh -X username@my.home.institution.address. Enter the password for your remote account when prompted and then try launching a simple X11 program to see if it's working. For example, try xclock & which opens xclock and sends it to the background. If some programs don't display correctly, try ssh -Y instead.
- How can and learn more about using Unix on Mac OS X?
- Other Services
- Can I test my laptop with your LCD projector prior to giving a talk?
- Yes - please do. If you require assistance, contact the help desk.
- Where can I upload my PowerPoint/Keynote/PDF talk slides to your website?
- Here.
