You must use your CS account and CS virtual lab (vlab) computers to connect to our MariaDB database.
Account Basics
Your CS account shares the same username as your myUSF account, but different passwords. You should use your CS account for the following purposes:
- Logging into the computers in the CS classrooms (Harney 142 and LS G12).
- Logging into the computers in the CS labs (Harney 413).
- Logging into the virtual lab (vlab) computers remotely via SSH.
Alternatively, you use your myUSF username and password to login into myUSF, Canvas, access your @dons.usfca.edu email, and other university-wide resources.
Username and Password
Your CS account username will always be the same as your myUSF username. You can determine your username by looking at the part before @dons.usfca.edu in your USF email address. For example, if my email address is sjengle@dons.usfca.edu then my username will be sjengle.
Your initial password is your student ID. For example, if your student ID is 20123456, then your initial password will be 20123456. You should change your password after logging in for the first time.
Remote SSH Access
If you want to access one of the CS vlab computers remotely (for example, from home or off-campus), you must login using SSH to our [gateway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_(telecommunications) system. From a Linux, Mac, or updated Windows 10 system, open a Terminal window and enter the following command with your own CS username:
Hint: You can edit the text above to replace USERNAME with your CS username before copying/pasting the command.
This will log you into stargate.cs.usfca.edu, which is our network gateway that provides access to the rest of our CS network. However, Java and mysql are not installed on our gateway! You must next log into one of our virtual lab (vlab) computers.
Enter rusers to find which systems are free. Look for a system that starts with vlab and has no (or very few) users listed next to its name. Then, SSH into that computer. For example, if vlab20.cs.usfca.edu is free, you can enter:
You do not need to include your username or the domain “cs.usfca.edu” above, since you are already logged into the stargate gateway on the CS network.
Getting Help
Your CS account is created and managed by our CS Support team. If you run into any issues with your account, please contact them via email at support@cs.usfca.edu.
The instructor cannot reset your password for you, but we do have a test account you can use temporarily if you are having trouble.