Getting Started at the Faculty of Informatics

Welcome to the Faculty of Informatics! In this text, you’ll find out what opportunities the faculty offers you and how to use its technical facilities. You’ll find even more information in our Technical Information section: fi.muni.cz/tech/.

Computers and facilities

• Students have free access to the computer lab, which contains computers running Windows (titan), Linux (nymfe) and macOS (luna).
  • Availability is limited during the holidays and the exam period; see the Rules.
• Computer labs:
  • Windows classrooms: A215, C118, C119, C403.
  • Linux computer rooms: A219, C121, C122, S405.
• You can find the locations of all computers on the room map.
• You can connect your own laptop to the monitors at selected computers using an available video cable marked with a yellow label.
• Some of these computers can be accessed remotely; see the Remote Access section below.
• Students may also use the kitchenette with a microwave in C226a, the study room in A214, or the library/study room in A105.
• In some classrooms, lessons are streamed and recorded.
• Printing on the photocopier in the library is possible from Windows. You must have sufficient funds in your SUPO account. For more information, see the ‘Paid SUPO printing’ page in Technical Information.

Accounts and access

Access to the computer hall and some classrooms is granted via an ISIC card (you need to ‘tap’ it by holding it up to the reader).

Every MU student has a student account and:

• Primary password – for logging into IS and for services using the MUNI single sign-on.
• Secondary password – other services (printing via SUPO, the Eduroam wireless network, etc.).

FI students also have a faculty account:

• Faculty login + faculty password. You can find your login in IS; first-year students can also find it on the noticeboard at the entrance to the computer hall and in corridor C1.
• The faculty login is often referred to as ‘xlogin’. In procedures and guides, always replace it with your actual faculty login. The word ‘xlogin’ should never appear directly in commands, etc.
• You can change your faculty password in the IS at is.muni.cz/auth/system/heslo_fi, or in the Faculty Administration, go to Change Password.
  • Initially, the faculty password is the same as the secondary password; however, they are not synchronised in any way thereafter – they are two different passwords.
• It is used to log in to faculty services: the Aisa server, faculty computers, GitLab, etc.
• You will also be assigned the email addressxlogin@fi.muni.cz (which is redirected to the IS by default).
  • Please note that you are required to read any emails sent to this address. You should therefore only disable the forwarding if you intend to check this mailbox.
• Settings and services linked to your faculty account can be found in the Faculty Administration portal: fadmin.fi.muni.cz.

Home directories and storage

• Each user has two network home directories: one for Unix systems (Linux and macOS, the directory/home/xlogin) and the other for Windows (the drive H:).
• On Windows, the Unix home directory is automatically mounted as the network driveJ:.
• Home directories are backed up (please contact the administrator by email to request data recovery).
• The amount of data that can be stored is limited by a disk quota.
• On both platforms, you can also use additional storage (though it is slower and not backed up): the directory/data/xlogin or the driveK:.
• For further details, see ‘Storage and Quotas’ and ‘Windows on student computers’ in the Technical Information section.

Programmes on Linux

• If you are missing a particular programme, you can ask the administrator to install it or use the package management system on Linux.
• For short-term experimentation and testing, you can use the cloud environment Stratus.FI.

Remote access

• Aisa is a Linux server that allows students to access it remotely via SSH in a standardised environment.
• Connect from anywhere using the command `ssh xlogin@aisa.fi.muni.cz ` in the terminal (Linux, macOS); on Windows, use the command prompt (`cmd.exe`) or PowerShell.Check the server key in the Technical Information section.
• Information on remote access to university PCs (bothLinux and Windows) and information on the faculty VPN can be found on the Remote Access to Services page.

Wi-Fi

• Please use Eduroam where possible. Instructions can be found at it.muni.cz/sluzby/wifi.
• It is also possible to connect to the unsecured faculty network wlan_fi. However, you will need to authenticate via the captive portal or at wifi.fi.muni.cz (using your faculty login and password).

Rules

• The faculty is open Mon–Fri 6–22.
• The computer lab and classrooms are available Mon–Thu 7–22, Fri 7–20. Opening hours during the holidays are usually specified on the noticeboard in IS. During the exam period, the computer hall and classrooms are used for exams; please check the timetables in IS.
• Eating and drinking are not permitted in the computer classrooms or the computer hall.
• Do not leave your PC without locking it (for a maximum of 10 minutes) or logging out.
• Do not restart computers running Linux; users may be remotely logged in to them. If the computer freezes, follow the instructions on the poster at the entrance to the room.
• Illegal sharing of content is prohibited.
• Please also observe all other rules, which can be found in the Technical Information section under the link ‘Operating Rules for FI Computer Systems’ .

Your faculty account may be blocked for breaching the rules.

Technical Information and Contacts

In the Technical Information section (fi.muni.cz/tech/) you will find a wealth of useful information and guides. You should read through them, or at least familiarise yourself with the main directory for an overview.

Is something not working? You can check the availability of key services on the status page: status.fi.muni.cz.

If you’re having problems with Windows, Unix systems or Wi-Fi, please use the technical support contacts: win@fi.muni.cz , unix@fi.muni.cz , or wifi@fi.muni.cz respectively.

Earlier versions of this document: Archive Getting Started with FI.