Contents
Why Use CAEDM Linux
There are many reasons to use Linux, some philosophical, financial, and technical. As a CAEDM user in engineering, Linux is incredibly useful when dealing with large models, fine meshes, huge datasets, massive files that use gobs of memory. CAEDM has Linux machines with dozens of gigs of memory and processors (ssh.et.byu.edu). There is also the batch cluster for processes that will run for an extended length of time. Also, some software is only available on the Linux machines.
Desktop Environments
The Linux workstations in the labs use the GNOME desktop environment by default. The K Desktop Environment (KDE) is also available. You can select between the to environments from the login screen (Menu->Session Type). GNOME and KDE are designed to be as user-friendly as possible, so it shouldn't take long to pick ether of them up. In the GNOME there are two panels, one at the top, one at the bottom. The bottom panel displays all windows open in your workspace, as well as the trash icon in the lower right-hand corner. The upper panel shows system information to the right, and menus and applications to the left. These menus are used to navigate and use the system. Their purposes are more or less self explanatory. The Applications menu allows you to navigate the applications available on the machine. The Places menu is for navigating the file system, and the System menu is for system administration. You shouldn't have to use the latter menu in the context of the CAEDM labs. In KDE, there is just a single panel at the bottom. The guy wearing the red fedora is like your start menu in Windows, with a Applications tab where your programs will be. These are also pretty self explanitory, Caedm Local Apps will have your CAEDM specific applications, Development will have some programming tools, Office will have your office suit, an so on.
The File System
GNOME uses a program called Nautilus and KDE uses a program called Dolphin to navigate the file system. The file systems on the Linux workstations are set up much like those on the windows workstations--there is a local system (whose contents are deleted upon logging out) and a map to the J drive, where you can access your CAEDM files.
The Shell
The other way to navigate a Linux system is using bash/tcsh, two kinds of shells available in CAEDM. To log into a shell on a workstation, go to Applications >> System Tools >> Terminal. Or, simply access one of the virtual terminals by pressing ctrl+alt+f[2-6] (use ctrl+alt+f1 to get back to the GUI). To log into a shell from home or on campus, use SSH from the terminal on your Linux/Macintosh machine or through Putty on your windows system. How to use the shell is not explained extensively on the Help Pages, but there is plenty of documentation online.
Linux account options
Most Linux account configuration is done in various configuration files on the J Drive. They will start with a period, for example: .config.
To choose which shell to use, select the desired shell from the drop down list in the CAEDM Account Manager under "Linux Settings".
