Table of Contents
What is a Mac OS X Workstation?
This document introduces you to using the University's Macintosh (Mac)
OS X workstations in the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Computer
Labs. It covers basic concepts and a few more advanced Mac.
Macs can be used to run software stored on the hard drive. The Macs
connect to the Internet via a high-speed Ethernet connection.
Printed copy can be sent to a high-speed printer located in each lab.
For more information about printing, see
Pay-for-Print Documentation.
Note: Access to the OIT Computer Labs at the University is
limited. You must
have a valid University ID to use the labs.
Where Can I Find a Mac?
Where to Go to Use a
Computer lists the hours and room numbers of the workstation labs at
the University.
OIT Computer Labs supporting Macs:
- Computer & Space Science building - room 3330 Note: Access to
this lab is not allowed during instructional periods - see the
posted schedule for instructional and lab hours.
- McKeldin Library - room 1137
- Parking Garage 2 - room 0504
- Worcester Hall - room 0111
What Can I Do on the Mac?
The OS X Macs in the OIT Computer Labs run MAC OS X 10.5. The application
software available on the Macs includes, but is
not limited to the following applications: Adobe CS3, Fetch, Final Cut
Pro, Firefox, Mathematica 5.2, MATLAB, Office 2008, and Safari.
The Dock, located at the bottom of the Desktop, is a shortcut
for
launching applications on
the hard
drive.
Logging In
When you approach the Macintosh, you will see the Mac OS X
window. Type
your Directory ID at the Name: field. Type your Directory ID
password at the
Password: field. Click the Log In icon to begin using the
workstation. A bar with icons will appear at the bottom of the screen. This
is the Dock; it is used for launching commonly used applications. Other
applications may be launched by clicking the Applications icon.
To see the Applications folder contents, select
Applications from The Dock.
Help and Information
Help can often be found in the Help menu, near the right
side of the menu bar. Most
software programs also add help options to the Help menu.
It's the first place to look for help in any application that you use.
Starting an Application
To open an application that has a shortcut on the Dock,
place the mouse pointer on the icon of the application on the
Dock and click the mouse button once. Other applications that do
not have a shortcut in the Dock may be launched by double clicking
the corresponding icon in
the Applications folder in the Finder. Once the application
has started, you will see a small triangle below the icon
on the Dock.
When starting some applications, a blank window appears with
the word Untitled in its title bar (top of window). You can
use this window to begin your
work immediately if you are starting a new file.
To retrieve an existing file, choose Open from the
File menu. A dialog
box will open to locate and open your file. If
you do not see your file, use
this dialog box to navigate to your disk. To do this, select the
folder of your choice from the list
on the left-hand side of the window. Files that are saved to this
folder appear on the
right-hand side of the window. Select the file you wish to open
from the list and click
Open. This should open your file in the appropriate
application.
At times, applications may stop responding. If this
occurs, you may have to force the application to quit. To force quit an
application, click on the Apple Menu in the upper left hand corner
of the screen and select Force Quit. A window
appears with a list of applications that are currently running.
Select the name of the application that you wish to quit and
click the Force Quit button. You will then be prompted to confirm
your selection.
Note: You may also force quit applications by pressing the
Command, Option, and Esc keys simultaneously.
Saving a Document
It is wise to save your work frequently during your computing
session. If the machine
malfunctions, the power supply is interrupted, or an error occurs
in the software itself, you
will lose any work that has not been saved. It is recommended that
you save your work on other
media. The Mac OS X computers in the OIT Computer Labs are
equipped with CD-R/DVD burners which you
could use to save data.
Another way to save files is to use the storage area in your
TerpConnect account. You will see a folder on the Desktop labeled
My Documents. Anything saved in the My Documents folder
is saved to your TerpConnect account and is accessible from any OIT
Computer Lab workstation. Note: Any work saved anywhere else (Ex: on the
Desktop) will be deleted once you logout.
To save your work in a new document, choose Save as...
from the File menu and a dialog box will open. Type a name for the
file in the Save As: field. Use the Where:
pull-down menu to choose where you wish to save your file. You
may also select where to save files from the list on the left hand
side of the window. Make your selection and then click the Save
button. You can then continue work
on that document, open a new or different document, or quit the
application.
To save an existing file, select the Save from the
File
menu.
To make a new (backup) copy of your document, use Save
as... and give the file a different name. You will then have two
identical copies of your work saved with two different names. Each time
you finish working on a document for that session, you should be sure to
save both the copy on which you are working and use Save as... to
save a backup copy.
Deleting Files with Finder
To delete a file or folder, drag the folder/file icon to the
Trash. Then select the Empty Trash command from the
Finder menu.
CAUTION: This operation cannot be undone.
Connecting to a Host Computer
To connect to a host computer, such as TerpConnect, click once
on the Finder icon. A window will appear. Click once
on the Applications icon at the top of the window and then
double-click the Utilities folder. In the Utilities folder,
you will find two applications that will allow you to make connections to
TerpConnect: Terminal and X11. Terminal is
best for running text-only applications such as pine, vi, emacs, or pico.
X11 is best for running applications that use an X environment with
a graphical interface, such as Eclipse, Mathematica, Matlab, or SAS.
To begin using Terminal with SSH:
- Double-click the Terminal icon to launch the application and
a Terminal window will appear with a command prompt.
- Type in ssh your-login-name@terpconnect.umd.edu at the
prompt.
- Press Return and you will be prompted to type in your Directory
password.
- Type in your Directory password.
- Once you successfully log in, a TerpConnect command prompt will
appear and will be ready to launch text-only applications.
To begin using X11 with SSH:
- Double-click the X11 icon to launch the application and an
X11 window will appear with a command prompt.
- Type in xhost +terpconnect.umd.edu at the prompt.
- Press Return.
- Type in ssh -X your-login-name@terpconnect.umd.edu at the
prompt.
- Press Return and you will be prompted to type in your
Directory password.
- Type in your Directory password.
- Once you successfully log in, a TerpConnect command prompt will appear
and you will be ready to launch graphical applications.
Note: For more information on using X Windows applications,
see:
http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/documents/4/4637/.
Finishing Your Work
To log out, double-click once on the Log Out icon on the
Desktop.
Warning: Any files not saved to the My Documents folder
on the Desktop will be deleted once you log out.
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