Remote Access to Laboratory Resources

Users have access to several department machines through a variety of means, via remote access.

Remote Access to Linux

Please Note: If you are using a firewall, you must make sure to allow the applications to access port 22 (SSH).

PuTTY

PuTTY is a free implementation of SSH and Telnet for a variety of platforms. It can be used to connect via SSH to any of the Department Labs that run Linux or UNIX.

Setup Instructions

1. Download PuTTY from the PuTTY Download Page, and install.
2. Start PuTTY and enter a hostname (e.g. tuxworld.usask.ca), and make sure that SSH is selected as the Protocol.
3. Enter a name to identify this session (e.g. Tuxworld) in the Saved Sessions box, and click Save.
4. Click Open to connect.

Once you've created this saved session, you'll be able to go directly to it when you start PuTTY again in the future.

NX Client

NX Client from NoMachine is a replacement for Remote X Windows connections. It can be used to connect securely to our NX Server tuxworld.usask.ca, and access a Linux desktop.

Setup Instructions

1. Download the NX Client Desktop Edition for your operating system:
   • Linux RPM (i386)
   • Linux RPM (x86_64)
   • Linux deb (i386)
   • Linux deb (x86_64)
   • Windows Installer
   • Mac Installer (Snow Leopard 10.6 and below)
   • Mac Installer (Lion 10.7 and above)
   and install using the defaults.
2. Run NX Client. The first time you run it will bring up the NX Connection Wizard. Press "Next."
3. Enter the following values for the "Session" screen:
   • Session: Tuxworld
   • Host: tuxworld.usask.ca
   • Port: 22
   • Select type of your internet connection: Most likely ADSL
4. On the "Desktop" screen, make sure that the "Disable SSL encryption of all traffic" checkbox is NOT selected. Use the default values for the rest of the values. Press "Next."
5. On the Configuration completed screen, make sure that "Show the Advanced Configuration dialog" checkbox is selected. Press "Finish". This will launch the program.
6. In your webbrowser, down load the following Key file:
   

   client.id_dsa.key

7. On the "General" tab, Press "Key...". This will bring up the "General - Key Management" window. Press "Import", and select the key that you just downloaded. Press "Save".
8. Click on the "Advanced" tab. Make sure that the "Disable SSL encryption of all traffic" checkbox is NOT selected. Press "Save", then "Ok".
9. Enter your username and password, and make sure that the "Tuxworld" session is selected. Press "Login". The connection should be made shortly.

Remote Access to Windows

Skynet

skynet.cs.usask.ca is the department's Windows Remote Desktop Services farm that is available to all Computer Science faculty, staff, and students. Skynet is accessible from both on- and off-campus and has most, if not all, of the software packages installed that can be found on the Windows lab computers.

Remote Desktop Clients

To access Skynet you need to use a RDP client. Most versions of Windows come with and RDP client called "Remote Desktop Client". RDP clients are also available for Apple Mac and Linux users. Mac users can dowload the Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for free from here. Linux users can download "rdesktop" from here.

To connect to Skynet from on-campus simply point your RDP client at skynet.cs.usask.ca.  Note that you must login with USASK credentials, and that you may need to specify USASK\nsid as your username.  To connect to Skynet from off-campus please refer to the instructions provided by ICT which can be found here.