The analysis of the data obtained within the scope of the laboratory courses can either be done from your computer at home or directly at our laboratory computer after previous date arrangement.

The remote analysis of the data can be done in the computer pool at the physic institute or at your home computer with internet access.

 User:      castor 
 Password:  is given in the seminar   

The password can also be obtained from the supervisors.

Since the computers in the astrophysics are all operated with Linux, it's easy to log in from another computer with the same operating system. So you can do the complete evaluation from distance by logging in with a normal SSH connection on our laboratory computer. This also works for graphical output (i.e. view FITS files or text editors), but the performance crucially depends on the connection speed. In the computer pool at the university this is no problem but with a connection at home the speed may be low.

Login in the console with this command:

ssh -X castor@a12.astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de

You will be asked for the password. The parameter -X (capital X) ensures that graphical output will be transferred so it can be displayed.

Linux uses the X-Window-System to display graphical output while Windows has it's own system. That's the reason why graphical output from a Linux computer can not simply displayed by Windows. To solve this you need to install a X-Window-Server designed to work with Windows. There are many options and programs that offer this functionality and we suggest these, slim freeware solutions:

Required programs

• PuTTY as the SSH-Client
• Xming to display X-Window-Server windows

First install the server Xming, which optimally should be incorporated in the Windows autostart list. PuTTY is an executable that just requires a quick configuration:

• click on the menu item Session and enter a12.astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de in the field Hostname
• in Connection → SSH → X11 check Enable X11 Forwarding to allow graphical output
• in case of problems with the graphical output, enter localhost:0 in the field X display location in Connection → SSH → X11

MobaXterm is a SSH client which already includes the X11 Server.

• MobaXterm

The computer for the laboratory courses shall be used for data reduction. It is in room 2.113 in the Institute in Golm and can be booked, i.e. request a timeslot by email.

These timeslots are already booked:

Also the Linux computers in the computer pool of the Physics Institute (room 2.28.1.101) can be used to login on the lab computer. See the description here: Linux. The computers share the fast internet access of the University and so the transfer rate, i.e. for graphical output it is sufficient to work. To get an account for the computer pool, ask Mr H. Todt (room 2.28.2.004).

This pdf file list the absolutely basic commands for a Linux console. The Bash Cheat Sheet contains some further commands.

Pure file transfer is possible, independent of the computer system, by logging in with SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). All you need is a program that can run SFTP transfers, be it console based or graphical (i.e. WinSCP).

The login information are in principle the same as for the SSH client:

 Server:   a12.astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de
 Protocol: SFTP
 User:     castor
 Password: as before

Attention: In contrast to the login methods described in the previous sections, SFTP is just for file transfer. It will not let you work on data reduction or alike.

We offer a virtual laboratory computer, see here.

Laboratory Courses- overview