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OS X resources

Secure Connections

If you want to know why you can't use telnet and ftp (Fetch) anymore to access department servers, read the blurb.

OS X has ssh, scp and rsync built-in. Command line Terminal is in Applications → Utilities.

Filezilla is a GUI program for both SSH File Transfer or SFTP. Install using your distribution's software manager or download from filezilla-project.org. Lauch the program, choose File > Site Manager > New Site. Configure SFTP connection to gauss:

Host: math.dartmouth.edu
Servertype: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
Logontype: Ask for password
User: your username on gauss

Click OK to save configuration or Connect to save and connect at once.

VPN

Dartmouth VPN

Search for VPN on IT Services' website.

Math VPN

  1. Download DigiCert root certificate.
  2. Get Math VPN configuration file MathVPN.conf
  3. Download Tunnelblick. It's an OpenVPN client and GUI for Mac OS X. Open downloaded disk image and launch Tunnelblick. Select the following, when prompted:
    • I have configuration files
    • OpenVPN Configuration(s)
    • Open Private Configurations Folder
    • Drag DigiCertCAroot.pem and MathVPN.conf into Finder window, which was just opened by the Tunnelbick.
  4. Click on a tunnel icon, which should have appeared at the right end of the desktop menu bar. Select Connect ‘MathVPN’. When asked for Username and Password, use your Math (“gauss”) username and password. After a few moments you should see the light in Tunnelblick icon. You are connected to Math VPN now.
  5. To disconnect click the tunnel icon again and select Disconnect.

Math Email

If you have Math Dept. user account (also known as “gauss” account), you also have a corresponding email account. Your Math email arrives at (and can be sent from) math.dartmouth.edu server. It can be accessed instantly and globally via Webmail — this does not require any configuration! As for email applications, all of them, including mobile, can be configured to use your Math account using these generic settings:

  • Incoming server: math.dartmouth.edu, type: IMAP, port: 143
  • Connection type/encryption: TLS
  • Username: your Math username
  • Password: for the username above
  • Outgoing/SMTP server: math.dartmouth.edu, port: 587, protocol: STARTTLS; authenticate with Math username and password

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to add your mathusername@math.dartmouth.edu account to Thunderbird and Apple Mail.

Thunderbird

  1. Tools → Account Settings → Account Actions → Add Mail Account
    Your name: Your real name
    Email address: mathusername@math.dartmouth.edu
    Password: password for the above
    Continue — Thunderbird will probe servers and should detect correct connection settings:
        Incoming: math.dartmouth.edu  IMAP  143  STARTTLS
    Outgoing: math.dartmouth.edu  SMTP  587  STARTTLS
    If settings were detected correctly — click Create Account.
    Otherwise click Manual Setup and enter correct settings under Server Settings and Outgoing Server (SMTP).
  2. Tools → Account Settings
    Server Settings: Advanced: IMAP server directory: mail
    Composition & Addressing: Uncheck “Compose messages in HTML format”.

Apple Mail

  1. Preferences → Accounts → +
    Full Name: Your real name
    Email Address: mathusername@math.dartmouth.edu
    Password: password for the above
    Continue. Accept certificate for math.dartmouth.edu.
    Incomig Mail Server
    Account Type: IMAP
    Incoming Mail Server: math.dartmouth.edu
    User Name: mathusername
    Password: password for the above
    Outgoing Mail Server
    Outgoing Mail Server: math.dartmouth.edu
    Check Use Authentication
    User Name: mathusername
    Password: password for the above
    Create
  2. Preferences → Accounts → Advanced
    IMAP Path Prefix: mail
  3. Preferences → Composing
    Message Format: Plain Text


Vacation Autoreply

  1. Start Filezilla. Connect to gauss using Math username and password.
  2. Edit autoreply message text:
    • Find .vacation.msg
    • Ctrl-click on it, choose View/Edit, make any changes, save, close editor window.
    • Filezilla will offer to upload changed file back to the server. Choose “Yes”.
  3. Enable autoreply:
    • Find .procmailrc
    • Ctrl-click on it, choose View/Edit, find these two lines:
      #:0c
      #|/usr/bin/vacation username
    • Remove any leading # characters from both lines, save, close editor window, “Yes” to upload.
  4. Send an email to yourself from another mail account as a test.
  5. To disable autoreply, edit .procmailrc and comment out the two lines by putting back # characters at the beginning of each line.

Backing up your files

Ask Laurie Johnson in 102B about backing up Mac and Windows.

Making X connections to UNIX/Linux machines

X Window system for Mac OS X — XQuartz — can be downloaded from xquartz.macosforge.org.