Container encryption using Veracrypt
Veracrypt can be used on your own desktop DICE computer to create an encrypted container on the local disk or to encrypt an entire device, such as a USB drive.
How to turn off Mac "Internet Sharing"
Macs have a feature called "Internet Sharing" which lets a computer share its network connection with other devices nearby. This can be useful in the home but it causes havoc on the Informatics network, so has to be disabled.
How to disable Internet Sharing on a Mac
This should work for all recent versions of macOS, although the System Preferences window may look slightly different to the one shown here.
Apple network issues
The problem
This page is about problems caused by Apple's sleep proxy. This can sometimes be turned off on Macs; it's not clear if it can be on their other products. It also cautions against inadvertent enabling of DHCP service behaviour.
Remote file access with sshfs
If you need to get access to files on a remote machine, but the filespace on that machine isn't normally visible from your machine, you can often access it using sshfs.
How do I connect my laptop to the wired network in the Forum?
Here's a brief 'quickstart' guide intended for new staff members and students in the Forum who have been allocated a desk, and who would like to connect their laptop to the wired network:
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Please read the School's self-managed and personal machines policy first. If you connect to the network your use will be governed by this policy.
How do I find the MAC address of my computer?
Detailed information about how to find the MAC address of your computing device, for a variety of platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, etc.)
How to open a terminal window
Linux has a very powerful command line environment. To use the command line, you need to open a terminal window - sometimes called a shell window. This page shows how to open a terminal window.
ALSA Mixer
AlsaMixer is one of the least deceptive of the volume control apps available on DICE. However operating it is still not entirely straightforward.
Launch AlsaMixer in a terminal using $ alsamixer. This starts the mixer with your default ALSA sound card. You'll see something like the following:
Screensaver and display preferences
This page explains how to alter screensaver and display preferences in order to save energy or increase security.
Using ssh on iOS or iPadOS
iOS is the operating system for Apple iPhones, and iPadOS is the version for iPads.
With an ssh app, you can get a text login to an Informatics computer from these devices.
The App Store offers a choice of ssh apps. For security, you should choose a highly rated ssh app such as Termius or WebSSH.