lmn(faq)

FAQ

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1. What are the rules around here?
   The basic rules can be found here.

2. What resources are available to me?
   We have a lot of stuff already available for you to use but if something you are looking for is not on this list please let us know. We can install most any tool or service (within reason) that you would like to use.

3. How do I connect?
   For interactive login sessions the only way to connect is using an SSH client. SSH is a Secure SHell protocol that protect your data from being "sniffed" during transmission (and it protects our server from being compromised).

   UNIX users:
   See http://www.openssh.com/

   Windows users:
   See http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

   MacOS X users:
   MacOS X comes with OpenSSH

4. How do I transfer files to the server?
   Due to a change in our security policy the only way to transfer files to the server is via scp. scp is included in almost all Unix ssh distrobutions. If you're a Windows/Mac user you can find a client here: Resources:
   Windows SCP Client (PSCP)
   Windows GUI SCP client (iXplorer)
   
   MacOS X GUI SCP client (Cyberduck)

   SSH also supports the "sftp" program. If you're a unix user that is using either the ssh.com or OpenSSH versions of ssh, you should be able to use this to transfer files.

5. How do I change my password?
   When you login to the server (via ssh or other means) you can run the command: passwd. Here is what a sample session might look like:

   (bob@toxic) $ passwd
   Changing local password for bob.
   Old password: 			(type old password)
   New password: 			(type new password)
   Retype new password: 		(retype new password)
   passwd: updating the database...
   passwd: done
   (bob@toxic) $ 
       

   This command will change the password for everything that you do on the server.

6. How much disk space can I use?
   Currently we do not have any restrictions on disk usage. We do monitor disk usage though. You will be notified if there is a problem. Please email us if you have a project or something that you think is going to take up a lot of space and we will let you know if it's ok or not.

7. Can I get mail here? How do I get it?
   Yes you can recieve mail here. Your address is yourusername@magnesium.net. Most people read their email in the shell with programs like Pine or Mutt but you can also get your mail with a standard IMAP client like Netscape Mail or MS Outlook as long as your client supports Secure IMAP (IMAPS)

   Incoming Mail Settings:

   IMAP Server:	mail.magnesium.net
   Port:	993
   Username:	yourusername
   Use SSL:	YES
   Use Secure Authentication:	NO
   IMAP Server Directory:	mail/

8. Can I use magnesium.net as my outgoing mail server?
   As long as your mail client supports authenticated outgoing mail (SMTP-AUTH) and the use of encryption for outgoing mail connections (SSL/TLS) you can use magnesium.net as your outgoing server. Most clients support this.

   Outgoing Mail Settings:

   Outgoing Server:	mail.magnesium.net
   Port:	25
   Use SSL:	YES
   Use Authentication:	YES

9. What about webmail?
   You are in luck my friend! We have recently (06/27/02) added a very nice SSL-enabled webmail application called SquirrelMail. SquirrelMail is a PHP-based webmail client that retrieves your email via IMAP. It is highly configurable, with support for multiple personalities, SPAM reporting, filtering, spellcheck, etc. We trust that you will enjoy being able to retrieve your email securely from any web browser with this fine program.

   Log in with your regular username and password either here or here.

10. Can I run a service (listening on a tcp/udp port)?
    It depends. If the service relates in any way to IRC, probably not. However, if you are developing an open source application that needs to listen on a TCP/UDP port, we may allow it. If your service falls into this category, send an email to us describing your project in full detail before starting any listener. If we feel that the service you want to run meets with our security requirements, we will notify you by email.

11. How do I edit files in the shell?
    There are several editors installed for your use. If the editor you like is not on our resources page let us know and we can install it for you.

    The easiest editor for the newbie to use is pico. Just type in pico filename at your shell prompt to edit a file called "filename".

    We also have vi, vim, emacs, joe, etc...