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Job Aid:
Activating Web services on Ouray using SshClient on a PC

On this page you will find the following sections:

 

Step 1: Determine your Ouray user name and password

Visit https://ouray.cudenver.edu/prfw/chpass.cgi. On this Web page, click the "Student account activition form" link as shown below:

The Ouray Account Activation Web Site

On the page that's displayed, click the "acceptable use policy" link. Read these policies and then click the Back button on your browser. if you agree to follow the UC Denver Acceptable Use Policies, click the check box and enter your Student ID Number and PIN (these are the login numbers you use for the SMART system).

Click the "Proceed" button on the form. On the new page that's displayed, you will see your Ouray user name. Also, follow the instructions on this page to set your Ouray password. You can either have the server select a random password or you can choose your own password. You will need to use your Ouray user name and password for many Web authoring activities.

If you forget your password, you can return to https://ouray.cudenver.edu/prfw/chpass.cgi and select the top link (see the image above).

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Step 2: Download, install and run SshClient, and connect to Ouray

  1. Visit http://ftp.ssh.com/pub/ssh/. SshClient version 3.2.9 is free for non-commercial use (note: in case you're interested, the info page for the non-commercial version of SshClient is https://support.ssh.com/rqcustomer/servlet/faq?page=faq_detailed&faqid=40).
  2. Click the link for "SSHSecureShellClient-3.2.9.exe" as circled in red below. This will generate a file download for the SshClient installer.
    SshClient (non-commercial) download page
  3. You can choose to "Run" the installation setup program directly from the dialog box that appears or you can choose to "Save" the setup file to your computer. If you choose to save it and then run it from its saved location on your computer, it is suggested that you save it to a common location on your computer like the Desktop so that you can easily find the installer file.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screens of the installer program as it runs. Use the default installation settings that the installer displays during the installation process.   
  5. Once the software is installed, launch it. The SshClient window will display as shown below. Click the "Quick Connect" button (circled in red):
    The 'Quick Connect' option for SshClient
  6. The "Connect to Remost Host" dialog box appears:
    Connect to Remote Host dialog box
    Enter ouray.cudenver.edu as the Host name. Enter your Ouray user name. The Port Number should default to 22. Select Password from the Authentication Method drop down list. Click the Connect button.
  7. The first time you connect to a server, the Host Identification dialog box will display. Click the Yes button as shown below.
    The Host Identification dialog box
  8. Now, the Password dialog box will appear:
    The Password dialog box
    Enter your Ouray password and press the Return key. If your password is not accepted, try again. If on the second try your password is still not accepted, you may need to reset your password (see the info on this near the top of this page).
  9. Momentarily, the Add Profile dialog box will display:
    The Add Profile dialog box
    Adding a profile makes it faster to connect using the software the next time you use it (which will be next week and several times over the next four weeks). Type Ouray for the profile name and click the Add to Profiles button.

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Step 3: Activate your Ouray Web services

Once your password is accepted, more information will start to display in your Ssh window.

  1. The SshClient window will now show that you are connected to the Ouray server:
    The SshClient window after connection to the server
  2. Near the bottom of the window, you'll see a % sign prompt. Type makehomepage (as shown circled in red below):
    The makehomepage command
  3. Press the Enter key and follow the instructions on the screen. When prompted to enter your first and last name, use regular name capitalization and press the Enter key. You'll be prompted to enter a title or nickname. This is not required--if you don't want to enter a title or nickname, simply press the Enter key to complete the process.
    More of the makehomepage command
  4. Make a note of the reminder about UC Denver WWW Policy. The UC Denver Computing policies are located at http://www.cudenver.edu/Resources/Policies+and+Procedures/Computing/default.htm. Take time now to review them.
  5. When the % sign prompt returns, you will have completed the process. Disconnect from Ouray either through the command in the File menu or by clicking the Disconnect icon (fifth from the left--a small computer with a red slash).

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What the "makehomepage" command does

This command will create a public_html directory in "root" directory of your Ouray account. The public_html directory is the directory to which all of your HTML files and folders should be uploaded. The administrators of the Ouray server have also programmed the makehomepage command to create two files and place them in your public_html directory. One of these files is named index.html and the other is named .homeidrxc .

Executing the makehomepage command is typically a one-time only process. If you execute the command on an account that already has a public_html directory, it will erase that existing public_html directory and its contents, and replace it with a fresh public_html containing just the index.html file and the .homeidrxc file.

At this point, you may want to test your account in a Web browser. Point your browser to http://ouray.cudenver.edu/~yourOurayUserName . You should see the index.html page generated by the account activation process. Don't worry that it looks strange when you view your index.html through a Web browser:

A portion of what the generic Ouray home page

As was indicated earlier, your Ouray home page (a portion of which is shown above) is an auto-generated page created by the "makehomepage" command. It looks kind of funky because none of the graphics are displaying correctly (that's what that box with the red X in the screen shot above means). That's not your fault--the Ouray server administrators have misplaced the images! Since the administrators of the server control this particular set of images, there's nothing you can do at this point to make the images display.

Over time, you will acquire Web authoring skills and will replace this auto-generated home page with one that looks much better and is personalized to you. And, you'll be in control of your own images.

 

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