Jekyll2021-02-28T01:22:04+00:00https://alykhan.com/feed.xmlThe website of Alykhan Kanji. See Alykhan's social media profiles and professional portfolio.2015-07-16T00:00:00+00:002015-07-16T00:00:00+00:00https://alykhan.com/blog/2015/07/16/ssh-configuration<p>If you use <a href="http://www.openssh.com">OpenSSH</a> to connect to <a href="https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4251">SSH</a> servers on a regular basis, you may benefit from using an <a href="http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi/OpenBSD-current/man5/ssh_config.5">SSH configuration file</a>. This will help you to shorten long commands:</p> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>ssh <span class="nt">-p</span> 2222 alykhan@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca </code></pre></div></div> <p>into an easily customizable shortcut:</p> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>ssh cs </code></pre></div></div> <p>This is accomplished by creating a text file located at <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.ssh/config</code> on your local machine with a few pieces of information and ensuring a specific set of permissions are applied to that file.</p> <h2 id="setup-instructions">Setup Instructions</h2> <ul> <li>Make the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.ssh/</code> directory if it does not already exist:</li> </ul> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">mkdir</span> ~/.ssh/ </code></pre></div></div> <ul> <li>Set the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_system_permissions#Symbolic_notation">permissions</a> for the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.ssh/</code> directory such that it is readable, writeable, and executable for <strong>only</strong> the current user (i.e. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rwx------</code>):</li> </ul> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">chmod </span>700 ~/.ssh/ </code></pre></div></div> <ul> <li>Create a text file at <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.ssh/config</code> following this example format:</li> </ul> <div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>Host cs HostName student.cs.uwaterloo.ca User alykhan Port 2222 </code></pre></div></div> <p>Note that this file must also meet specific permissions requirements as specified by the <a href="http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi/OpenBSD-current/man5/ssh_config.5"><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ssh_config</code> man page</a> (i.e. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rw-------</code>):</p> <blockquote> <p><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.ssh/config</code> — Because of the potential for abuse, this file must have strict permissions: read/write for the user, and not accessible by others.</p> </blockquote> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">chmod </span>600 ~/.ssh/config </code></pre></div></div> <h2 id="usage">Usage</h2> <p>Congratulations! You may now connect to the SSH host via:</p> <div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>ssh cs </code></pre></div></div> <p>Feel free to add multiple <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Host</code> entries to the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">config</code> file, to have quick access to different <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">HostNames</code> via shortcuts like <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ssh website</code>, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ssh work</code>, etc. Each of these entries may also have different <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">User</code>, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Port</code>, and other configuration values.</p>

If you use OpenSSH to connect to SSH servers on a regular basis, you may benefit from using an SSH configuration file. This will help you to shorten long commands:

2014-09-19T00:00:00+00:002014-09-19T00:00:00+00:00https://alykhan.com/blog/2014/09/19/friendly-uw-email-addresses<p>If you have a number in your University of Waterloo email address (e.g. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">j9smith@uwaterloo.ca</code>), log in to <a href="https://watiam.uwaterloo.ca/idm/user/">WatIAM</a>, navigate to “Update Profile”, switch to the “Email Configuration” tab, and check if you have a “Friendly email address” available to you. You may be able to claim the alias for your <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">firstname.lastname</code> (e.g. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">john.smith@uwaterloo.ca</code>)!</p>

If you have a number in your University of Waterloo email address (e.g. j9smith@uwaterloo.ca), log in to WatIAM, navigate to “Update Profile”, switch to the “Email Configuration” tab, and check if you have a “Friendly email address” available to you. You may be able to claim the alias for your firstname.lastname (e.g. john.smith@uwaterloo.ca)!

2014-08-28T00:00:00+00:002014-08-28T00:00:00+00:00https://alykhan.com/blog/2014/08/28/learning-by-struggling<blockquote> <p>…praising someone's process ("I really like how you struggled with that problem") versus praising an innate trait or talent ("You're so clever!") is one way to reinforce a growth ­mindset with someone. Process­ praise acknowledges the effort; talent­ praise reinforces the notion that one only succeeds (or doesn't) based on a fixed trait.</p> <footer> <cite title="Huffington Post"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/salman-khan/the-learning-myth-why-ill_b_5691681.html">The Learning Myth: Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart</a></cite> </footer> </blockquote>

…praising someone's process ("I really like how you struggled with that problem") versus praising an innate trait or talent ("You're so clever!") is one way to reinforce a growth ­mindset with someone. Process­ praise acknowledges the effort; talent­ praise reinforces the notion that one only succeeds (or doesn't) based on a fixed trait. The Learning Myth: Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart

2014-08-27T00:00:00+00:002014-08-27T00:00:00+00:00https://alykhan.com/blog/2014/08/27/writing-an-outstanding-resume<blockquote> <p>Being strikingly different is sometimes just a matter of doing what everyone ought to do, and then doing it a bit better.</p> <footer> <cite title="Strikingly"><a href="http://blog.strikingly.com/tips-and-how-tos/5-ways-make-resume-work/">How To Write A Resume That Will Take You To The Top</a></cite> </footer> </blockquote>

Being strikingly different is sometimes just a matter of doing what everyone ought to do, and then doing it a bit better. How To Write A Resume That Will Take You To The Top

2014-08-26T00:00:00+00:002014-08-26T00:00:00+00:00https://alykhan.com/blog/2014/08/26/hello-world<p>Hello, World!</p>

Hello, World!