Miscellaneous Questions

Contents

Miscellaneous Questions

How do I connect to Oracle?

Before you can access your Oracle database schema, you must contact the system administrators to request an account.

Once the administrators have notified you that your account has been created, you may connect using the following instructions.

Connecting from Microsoft Windows

You can contact the Oracle server from any Windows lab machine by logging in as yourself (using your CIS username and password) on the machine. Then go to:

Start > All Programs > Oracle - OraHome90 > Application Development > SQL Plus

Now, logon to Oracle using your Oracle username and password. In the Host String: field you should enter oracle.

Connecting from Linux

You can connect to the Oracle server from any machine in the department using the sqlplus client as follows:

sqlplus username@oracle

where you put your username in place of username and then enter your Oracle password.

Connecting from Java

First, you will need to locate the JAR file for the version of Java that you will use to connect to the server. The drivers are available for download from the CIS Oracle web server.

The file you need will depend upon the version of Java you will be using:

classes111: Java 1.1
classes12:  Java 1.2, 1.3
ojdbc14:    Java 1.4, 1.5

The names of the files will have a trailing .zip or .jar. It makes no difference which you choose. Unless you know you need them, you can ignore the files labeled _g or named somethign else.

Once you've added that appropriate Java JAR file to your CLASSPATH, you will need to include this code snippet in your program:

   1 Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver");
   2 Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(
   3     "jdbc:oracle:thin:@oracle.cis.ksu.edu:1521:ORACLE", 
   4     "username", "password");

where you will replace username and password with your Oracle username and password.

Connecting from the web

You can find the iSQL*Plus web gateway at http://oracle.cis.ksu.edu/isqlplus. You will be redirected to a secure connection from URL.

General Connection Information

If you are connecting from another language or need more advanced support, you may find the following information helpful:

Oracle Host: oracle.cis.ksu.edu
Oracle Port: 1521
Oracle Home: /oracle/home/product/9.2.0.1.0
Oracle SID:  ORACLE
Oracle UID:  oracle.cis.ksu.edu

We also keep a local copy of the Oracle server documentation on the Oracle web server for your convenience.

If you have any other questions or problems, please send a request to the system administrators.

How do I change my Oracle password?

Connect to the Oracle server using sqlplus on the commandline, or via the iSQL*Plus web interface.

Once there, issue the following SQL statement:

alter user user_name identified by new_password;

Where user_name is your user name and new_password is the password you wish to use.

Oracle passwords must meet all of the following restrictions:

Passwords can be from 1 to 30 characters.
The first character in an Oracle password must be a letter.
Only letters, numbers, and the symbols “#”, “_” and “$” are acceptable in a password.

How do I connect to MySQL?

Before you can access your MySQL database, you must request an account. You will receive an email once your account has been created.

Once your account has been created, you may connect using the following instructions.

Connecting from Linux

To connect from Linux, you must first logon to one of the lab machines (or you may connect from your own laptop). Once logged in, you can connect to the MySQL server by typing:

mysql -p -h mysql.cis.ksu.edu

and then enter your MySQL password when prompted.

Using phpMyAdmin

To administer your database through a web interface, you can use phpMyAdmin from any Internet-connected computer.

How do I change my MySQL password?

There are a couple of ways to change your password:

Connect using the command above. Once connected, type the following at the prompt
```
 set password = password("yournewpassword");
```
Where yournewpassword is your new password.
Or use this form to submit a request for change.
Or you can change your password in phpmyadmin.

How do I reset my MySQL password?

Use the form at this link to submit a request for a new password.

General Connection Information

You may find the following information helpful:

MySQL Host: mysql.cis.ksu.edu
MySQL Port: 3306

A copy of the MySQL 5.0 documentation can be find at the MySQL homepage.

If you have any other questions or problems, please send a request to the system administrators.

What happens when I leave? How long do I keep my account?

Please see the "Alumni Accounts and Account Removal" section of UserGuide/Accounts.

Can you guys help me with my homework?

We want to make our policy on helping students clear. The CIS support staff is responsible for making sure the computing systems, networks, services, and programs on those systems function. We will help anyone who has a problem using these systems.

However, we draw the line at looking at any source code or server or program configurations students themselves have installed. This is due to the fact that CIS faculty are frequently asking students to configure and manipulate software on their own as part of homework assignments. As such the CIS support staff explicitly do not examine source code or other issues for students.

If you are convinced that this problem is indeed an issue related to a CIS systems bug or misconfiguration, you may contact your professor and ask for assistance. At the specific request of faculty members we will look into source code or other issues, but only in order to determine the location of the problem.

As an additional clarification, this policy doesn't preclude us from answering questions and giving advice to students. The systems coordinator and students may volunteer to render help or give advice at their discretion. Please be sure your requests for advice are keeping with your professors' honor code requirements for the applicable course.

What do I do when the printer is out of paper?

If one of the printers runs out of paper, you just need to contact the system administrators. We get paper and load the printers on request.

Alternately, if no one is available at those locations you may either email support or talk to one of the staff members in the main CIS office, Nichols 234.

How do I use VMWare in the Computing Labs

Please read our guide for full details on using a VM image for classwork.

How do I install JPF (Java PathFinder)?

Initial Steps

The JPF install script must be run from viper.cis.ksu.edu (cislinux).

Step 1. Log into viper.cis.ksu.edu

Step 2. Next we need to add a library to your class path. For example if you use the bash shell, then add the following lines to your ~/.bashrc file:

viper$ vim ~/.bashrc

Add this to bottom of the file and save it:

CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:/usr/share/bcel/lib/bcel.jar
export CLASSPATH

Step 3. Reload your .bashrc

viper$ source ~/.bashrc

Step 4. Now you can run the install script which will place the JPF files in your home directory:

viper$ installjpf

Running JPF

Documentation is available in ~/jpf/trunk/docs in the form of html files, just open with a web browser or you can visit http://javapathfinder.sourceforge.net/

You run it from the ~/jpf/trunk directory using:

bin/jpf

Usage is covered in the documentation.

For More Information

Please see the Java PathFinder site:

http://javapathfinder.sourceforge.net/

How do I use PC^2 for the ACM Programming Contest?

PC² is used for submitting solutions and scoring for the ACM Programming Contest. To use it, you must install it in at least one team member's home directory.

Installation

Login to a Linux lab machine, or open an SSH session using PuTTY or another SSH client to cislinux.cis.ksu.edu
Run the install script
- ```
$ /common/public/bin/install_pc2.sh
```

Running

In Windows
1. Open a Command Prompt window (click Start->Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt, or Start->Run and type cmd)
2. Change to your home files (U: drive) and enter the pc2 directory
  - ```
  > U:
  > cd pc2
```
3. Setup environment
  - ```
  U:\pc2>pc2env.bat
```
4. Start the PC2 client
  - ```
  U:\pc2>pc2team
```
In Linux
1. Open a terminal window
2. Enter the pc2 directory in your home directory
  - ```
  $ cd $HOME/pc2
```
3. Setup environment
  1. for bash
    - ```
     $ source pc2env.bash
```
2. for tcsh/csh
  - ```
  $ source pc2env.csh
```
4. Start the PC^2 client
  - ```
  $ pc2team
```
Login using the credentials provided to you by the judges.
Note: if you wish to view the current scoreboard, you may run the application pc2board instead of pc2team in the last step listed above.