Remotely Connecting to CSLAB Workstations. – Computer Science Documents

(Updated September 25, 2025)

Overview

You can remotely connect to the workstations in the CIS 237 lab. This works for lounge machines and other similar devices as well. This is done via another system called a jumpbox. The jumpbox is used to establish a secure connection that then allows you to jump to another system using the same protocol.

But before we can talk about the protocol you’ll use, there’s a question we need to ask first.

Where are you?

Depending on your location, the next step is critical. If you’re using Skidmore computers or a personal device on the Skidmore Secure wireless network, you can move to the next section.

If you’re off-campus, you must connect over the Skidmore VPN. If you haven’t set up the VPN yet, pause here and follow the instructions to download and install the FortiClient software.

Using SSH

The Secure Shell protocol (SSH) allows you to use a terminal window to connect to another system using the command line. The communications between the two endpoints are encrypted.

SSH software is available on most systems these days: Mac, Linux, and even Windows 11 now has it built in. You should not need to download any additional software for this next step.

After opening your terminal window (or command prompt on Windows), type the following.

ssh username@csremote.skidmore.edu

Be sure to substitute your username for username. You’ll be prompted for your password, and then you’re in!

You are now connected to the jumpbox. The jumpbox is called csremote. From there, you can jump to another system where you can then perform your classwork. In the transcript provided below, the user connects to csremote and then jumps to cslab17.

bill@The-MacBook-Air ~ % ssh skidtest@csremote
(skidtest@csremote) Password:



**************************************************************
           Skidmore CS Remote Access Logon Banner
**************************************************************

  These computer and network  resources are  the property of
  Skidmore  College  Computer Science Department.  These are
  provided solely for use by their authorized "system users"
  in  accordance  with  Information  Technology and Academic
  Integrity policies.

**************************************************************


Last login: Thu Sep 11 12:26:28 2025 from 141.222.36.192
skidtest@csremote:~$ ssh cslab17
[skidtest@cslab17 ~]$

Do note that the jump does not require you to enter your password a second time. This is because you’ve already been authenticated in the first SSH connection. The second one knows this and allows you right in.

File Management

Command Line Tools

You can also use csremote to access files in your user account. There are several ways to do this. From the command line, you can use scp (secure copy) and sftp (secure file transfer protocol). These commands are described in a separate document on Linux File Management (under construction).

GUI Tools

There are also tools like FileZilla Client and Cyberduck that provide a graphical interface for moving file objects between your computer and the remote systems at Skidmore. These are often much quicker to learn by delivering drag-and-drop style interfaces.

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