Steps to Access the New Server and Set up a Webpage

The Computer Science program at Texas Wesleyan University provides multiple servers for students and faculty to use for projects and coursework. The instructions on this page primarily apply to the Linux servers running Redhat Enterprise. These new Linux servers are hosted on Amazon Cloud (AWS) and require key-based login for secure access, rather than traditional password-based login.

For Windows

If you are a new user, you need to create an SSH key pair (public and private) and upload your public key to this file. Afterward, the server administrator will create an account for you and copy your public key to the server. Instructions for generating an SSH key pair are provided in the document. An example of a public key is shown below:
```
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIAWb8FBr+mDZ+eddtraHFiZeH082Ie6isf16KQRAopFf
```
Once your public key is uploaded to the server, you can log in using your private key. You can follow the instructions provided in this document or consult fellow those students who have completed this process if you need help.
To set up a personal website on the server, log in to the server and create a directory called "public_html" in your home directory (i.e., /home/jdoe). This directory will serve as your web directory, where all the web files will be stored. Typically, users create a landing web page named "index.html" within this web directory. Below is a sequence of commands used to set up a website for a sample user, "jdoe," on the server.
```
[jdoe@ip-172-31-84-83 ~]$ pwd
/home/jdoe
[jdoe@ip-172-31-84-83 ~]$ mkdir public_html
[jdoe@ip-172-31-84-83 ~]$ cd public_html
[jdoe@ip-172-31-84-83 public_html]$ nano index.html
[jdoe@ip-172-31-84-83 public_html]$ ls
index.html
```
Below is the website link for the user "jdoe" hosted on the new server:
```
https://cs.txwes.edu/~jdoe/
```
To upload web files to the server, you can use a command-line tool such as PSFTP or a GUI application software like FileZilla. This document provides instructions on how to upload web files using FileZilla.

For Mac

For Mac users, you can open a Terminal window and enter the following command to generate an SSH key pair from your home directory (e.g., /Users/jdoe):
```
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
```
When prompted, you are asked to enter a file name in which to save the key. If you don't provide a file name and press the return key, a default file name will be used: id_ed25519 for the private key file and id_ed25519.pub for the public key file, and they will be stored in a hidden directory called .ssh within your home directory (e.g., /Users/jdoe). Also, you will be prompted for a passphrase for your private key file. You can view the public key file using the command "cat .ssh/id_ed25519.pub" within your current directory. Copy the public key and submit it to the server administrator for uploading to the server. To login to the server from a Terminal window, just type the command below:
```
ssh jdoe@cs.txwes.edu
```
Then type your passphrase for your private key file. Below is a sequence of commands for this process.
```
jdoe@AdministorsAir2 ~ % ssh-keygen -t ed25519
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/jdoe/.ssh/id_ed25519):
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter the same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in /Users/jdoe/.ssh/id_ed25519
Your public key has been saved in /Users/jdoe/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
jdoe@AdministorsAir2 ~ % cd .ssh
jdoe@AdministorsAir2 .ssh % ls -l
total 32
-rw-------  1 jdoe  staff   484 Aug 20 23:50 id_ed25519
-rw-r--r--  1 jdoe  staff   117 Aug 20 23:50 id_ed25519.pub
-rw-------  1 jdoe  staff  1125 Jan 25  2024 known_hosts
-rw-------  1 jdoe  staff   941 Jan 25  2024 known_hosts.old
```

If you choose to enter a file name for the keys when prompted, the file name will be used for your keys. For example, you enter a file name called "mykey" and the public key will be "mykey.pub" and the private key is "mykey" within your current working directory. Below is a sequence of commands for this situation:

jdoe@AdministorsAir2 ~ % ssh-keygen -t ed25519
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/jdoe/.ssh/id_ed25519): mykey
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter the same passphrase again:
jdoe@AdministorsAir2 ~ % ls
Desktop                                 
Documents                               Pictures
Downloads                               Public
Library                                 mykey
Movies                                  mykey.pub

To login to the server from a Terminal window, just type the command below:

ssh -i mykey jdoe@cs.txwes.edu