Getting Started

Welcome to SENS Computing with UBiquity!

Hello and welcome to SENS and the UBiquity computing environment! We have a one-sheet handout that briefly introduces us and has instructions for new users on getting a SENS account, setting up email, finding a computing lab on campus, and other useful information. It is available near our offices on the first floor of Bell Hall (Enter the CIT/SENS public computing lab and turn right), and we welcome you to stop by and get a copy if you are unfamiliar with our services. Here is a PDF copy for your convenience (you will need Adobe Reader or some other PDF viewing utility to read this document).

Assistance

If you need assistance with anything covered on this page, or any other computer-related issues for that matter, please read our support and assistance page.

Setting up your SENS account

You are eligible for a SENS account if:

You are currently affiliated with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or Natural Sciences & Mathematics (including Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, or Physics)
You are not affiliated with either school, but are taking a class in Engineering (including Computer Science & Engineering), Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, or Physics that requires access to a SENS-supported lab.

Please note that accounts will be granted ONLY to students in classes that require them. If you do not know whether a SENS account is required for your course, please check with your instructor.
You are a student in another department who wants to use the Bell 101 or Fronczak 408 lab

To request a SENS account, please fill out the form here.

SENS computing policies and practices

All SENS account holders are expected to abide by the SENS Computing Policies and Practices.

Changing your Password

Once your SENS account has been created, the initial password will be set to your 8-digit person number. It is extremely important for you to change this password immediately in order to protect your account from unauthorized access.

To do so, First log in to a SENS timeshare system or Public Unix Lab system, as described in the following sections. Then, open an SSH session to password.eng.buffalo.edu for Engineering accounts, or to password.nsm.buffalo.edu for Natural Sciences and Mathematics accounts. Enter your UBITName, then your 8-digit person number, without any spaces or punctuation, as your password. At the prompt, type this command:

passwd

You will be asked for your current password, and then twice for a new password. The passwords you type will not be displayed on the screen.

Accessing the SENS Timeshares

To access certain SENS services, you'll need to log in to a timeshare computer. Timeshare, in this case, does not refer to a vacation home that you share with other people, although the concept is similar: you're sharing processor time on the timeshare computer with other users.

Accessing the SENS timeshares from an on-campus computer

To access the SENS timeshare systems from an on-campus computer, you'll need to first open an SSH connection and log in to the appropriate server. For SEAS users, the server is unix.eng.buffalo.edu. For NSM users, the server is unix.nsm.buffalo.edu.

Accessing the SENS timeshares from an off-campus computer

For the protection of SENS user data, direct connections from computers outside of the local UB network to the SENS timeshare systems is blocked. SENS gets a large number of break-in attempts, and it was deemed necessary to put this policy in effect.

There are several ways to access SENS from off-campus, described on this page.

Logging in to the SENS timeshares

Once you've established a connection, using one of the methods listed in Accessing the SENS Timeshares, you can log in. Your username is your UBIT name, the same as your UBUnix username. Your initial password is your person number, 8 digits without any punctuation. Please change this password immediately, using the directions shown above.

Using SENS or CIT Public Unix Labs

To log in to a Unix (Sun, SGI, Hewlett Packard, or Linux) workstation in any UBiquity Unix laboratory, simply type in your username and your password. As with the SENS Timeshare systems, Your username is your UBIT name, the same as your UBUnix username. Your initial password is your person number, 8 digits without any punctuation. Please change this password immediately, using the directions shown above.

In the Bell 101 CIT/SENS public Linux lab it is necessary to use your UBIT password instead of your SENS password.

For a complete list of UBiquity Unix labs, please refer to our facilities page.

Get a computer on the network

If you've got a new computer, or one that is not currently on the network, you'll need to submit a request for an IP address. Fill out all areas of the IP Request Form and submit it. Your request will be handled by the end of the next business day.

Configuring your email

For instructions on configuring your email, please visit the Managing SENS Electronic Mail page.

Special Commands

use: This command sets up your sessions environment for using various software programs. For more info, please refer to this page.
mksenspage: Creates a directory named "public_html" under your home directory, and builds a small web page that can be used as a template for your own personal web page. For more information on SENS-hosted personal web pages, please refer to this page.

University at Buffalo - State University of New York

Science & Engineering Node Services (SENS)

Quick Links