Communications Lab

Various machines running Fedora Core Linux

The following describes software and services available on computers in the Communications Lab, Room 240 in Jeffery Hall.

How to get permission to use Communications Lab computers?

Contact one of the following professors:

Fady Alajaji, fady@mast.queensu.ca

Glen Takahara, takahara@mast.queensu.ca

Shawn Kraut, kraut@mast.queensu.ca

Navin Kashyap, nkashyap@mast.queensu.ca

David Thomson, djt@mast.queensu.ca

Tamas Linder, linder@mast.queensu.ca

What software is available?

In addition to software included with Fedora Core 2 Linux distribution, the following packages are available:

*Math software*	*To Run, Type:*
MATLAB R14	matlab
Splus 6.0	Splus6
Maple 9	xmaple9

*Development*	*To Run, Type:*
NetBeans - Java development environment	netbeans

*Office Productivity*	*To Run, Type:*
StarOffice 7	soffice

How to read and send email?

Please log on to mast.queensu.ca, e.g.

% ssh <user>@mast.queensu.ca

Run Pine, or open a web browser and go to https://www.mast.queensu.ca/mail/.

How to print?

All computers have been configured for printing. The default printer was set to comm1. Most applications have a Print button or menu item. To print a postscript file, type:

% lpr file.ps

How to log in remotely?

From most Solaris and Linux computers in the department, the following command will work to log on, as an example:

% shh <user>@commlab1.mast.queensu.ca

How to burn CDs?

Run xcdroast program from the menu or the command line.

What hardware capacities are available?

*Hostnames*	*Hardware*	*Description*
commlab1, commlab4	-Dual Intel Xeon CPUs 2.4 GHz -2Gig RAM	A very fast computer, everything starts in seconds. If you run two CPU-hungry processes, the operating system will allocate them to different CPUs. This you will be utilizing the capacity in full. You can parallelize your program
commlab2, commlab3 commlab5, commlab6	-One Athlon XP CPU 2.2GHz -1Gig RAM	Up-to-date performance, good for typesetting and some computations

How to get extra hard disk space?

If you need large and/or fast-access disk space, you can use partition /xcdroast-temp. It has been allocated for CD burning storage area, however you can also use it as temporary space. Unlike your home directory which is stored on a server and is accessed across the network, this area is on a local hard disk.

How to get help?

Please get paper for the printer at the main office, and let them know if the cartridge needs replacement. Please email the computer team at mastop@mast.queensu.ca for any furthur support.