Developer Guides

Essential tools and tutorials for CS students at MSUM

Git & Version Control MSUM Server Access WSL Setup (Windows)

Git & Version Control

Master the essential skill every software professional needs

Git is the industry-standard version control system used by developers worldwide. Whether you're working on personal projects or collaborating with teams, Git helps you track changes, manage code, and work efficiently.

Essential Commands

Command Description
git init Initialize a new Git repository in your current directory
git clone <url> Download a repository from GitHub/GitLab to your computer
git add . Stage all changes in the current directory for commit
git commit -m "message" Save staged changes with a descriptive message
git push Upload your commits to the remote repository (GitHub)
git pull Download latest changes from the remote repository
git status Check which files have been modified or staged
git branch List all branches in your repository
git checkout -b <name> Create and switch to a new branch

Branching Best Practices

  • Main/Master Branch

    Keep your main branch stable and production-ready. Never commit directly to main when working on teams.

  • Feature Branches

    Create a new branch for each feature: git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature

  • Descriptive Names

    Use clear branch names like bugfix/login-error or feature/user-dashboard

  • Regular Commits

    Commit often with meaningful messages. Good: "Add user authentication". Bad: "Fixed stuff".

Learning Resources

Official Git Documentation Interactive Git Tutorial (Highly Recommended!) GitHub - Host Your Code
💡 Pro Tip: Join our Git workshops for hands-on experience and personalized guidance. We help students at all skill levels!

MSUM Server Access Guide

Connect to Smoke and Alduin for your CS courses

MSUM provides three Linux servers for computer science students to develop and test server-side applications. These servers are essential for many CS courses including Server-Side Scripting, Network Programming, and Database courses.

💨 Smoke

smoke.minnstate.edu

🐲 Alduin

alduin.minnstate.edu

Setup Instructions

  1. Install Microsoft Authenticator

    Download Microsoft Authenticator on your phone from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). You'll need this for two-factor authentication.

  2. Enable MFA on your MSUM Account

    Visit aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in with your MSUM credentials (StarID@go.mnstate.edu).

    Follow the prompts to add Microsoft Authenticator as your authentication method.

  3. Generate SSH Keys (First Time Only)

    Open your terminal (PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux) and run:

    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

    Press Enter to accept the default file location. You can set a passphrase or leave it empty (press Enter twice).

    📁 Note: Your SSH keys will be saved in ~/.ssh/ directory. The public key is id_rsa.pub and the private key is id_rsa. Never share your private key!
  4. Copy Your Public Key

    Display your public key with this command:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

    Copy the entire output (starts with ssh-rsa and ends with your email/computer name).

  5. Connect to Broker Server

    First, you must connect through the broker server. This is a security gateway:

    ssh StarID@broker.mnstate.edu

    Replace StarID with your actual MSUM StarID (lowercase). For example: ab1234cd@broker.mnstate.edu

    You'll be prompted for:

    • Your MSUM password
    • Microsoft Authenticator approval (check your phone)
  6. Add SSH Key to Authorized Keys (One Time Setup)

    Once connected to broker, create the SSH directory if it doesn't exist:

    mkdir -p ~/.ssh
    chmod 700 ~/.ssh

    Then add your public key to authorized_keys:

    echo "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
    chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

    Replace YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE with the public key you copied in step 4.

  7. Connect to CS Servers

    From the broker server, you can now SSH to any CS server:

    # Connect to Smoke
    ssh smoke.mnstate.edu

    # Or Alduin
    ssh alduin.mnstate.edu

    Since you've set up SSH keys, you won't need a password!

Quick Reference

# Full connection sequence:

# 1. Connect to broker (requires password + MFA)
ssh StarID@broker.mnstate.edu

# 2. From broker, connect to a CS server (no password needed)
ssh smoke.mnstate.edu

# 3. Do your work on the server
# 4. When done, disconnect:
exit # exits from CS server back to broker
exit # exits from broker
💡 Troubleshooting:
  • If you can't connect, make sure you've enrolled in MFA at aka.ms/mfasetup
  • Use lowercase for your StarID
  • If SSH keys don't work, verify permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
  • Need help? Come to ACM office hours or ask on Discord!

WSL Setup for Windows

Run Linux natively on your Windows machine

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets you run a complete Linux environment directly on Windows without dual-booting or virtual machines. This is essential for CS students who need Linux tools for development, testing, and coursework.

Why Use WSL?

Native Linux Tools

Access bash, gcc, python, and other Linux utilities directly on Windows

Better Performance

Much faster than virtual machines with less resource usage

File System Integration

Access Windows files from Linux and vice versa seamlessly

Installation Steps

  1. Check Windows Version

    You need Windows 10 version 2004+ (Build 19041+) or Windows 11. To check:

    Press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter.

  2. Install WSL (Easy Method)

    Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click Start → Windows PowerShell (Admin)) and run:

    wsl --install

    This single command will:

    • Enable WSL and Virtual Machine Platform features
    • Download and install Ubuntu (default Linux distribution)
    • Set up everything automatically

    Restart your computer when prompted.

  3. Set Up Ubuntu

    After restart, Ubuntu will launch automatically. You'll be asked to:

    • Create a username (can be different from your Windows username)
    • Set a password (you won't see characters as you type - this is normal!)
    ⚠️ Important: Remember this password! You'll need it for sudo commands.
  4. Update Your System

    Once setup is complete, update Ubuntu packages:

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
  5. Install Essential Development Tools

    Install build-essential (includes gcc, g++, make):

    sudo apt install build-essential git curl wget -y

Using WSL

# Open WSL from PowerShell or Command Prompt:
wsl

# Or search for "Ubuntu" in Windows Start menu

# Access Windows files from WSL:
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Documents

# Access WSL files from Windows:
# In File Explorer, type: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\yourusername

# Install packages:
sudo apt install package-name

# Exit WSL:
exit

Useful WSL Commands

Command (PowerShell) Description
wsl Start your default Linux distribution
wsl --list List all installed Linux distributions
wsl --shutdown Shut down all running distributions
wsl --update Update WSL to the latest version
wsl --install -d <distro> Install a different distribution (e.g., Debian, Kali)

Recommended VS Code Setup

  1. Install VS Code

    Download from code.visualstudio.com

  2. Install WSL Extension

    In VS Code, install the "WSL" extension by Microsoft. This lets you develop directly in WSL.

  3. Open Projects in WSL

    From WSL terminal, navigate to your project and type:

    code .

    VS Code will open with full WSL integration!

💡 Pro Tips:
  • Store your projects in WSL file system (~/projects) for better performance
  • Use Windows Terminal for a better command-line experience
  • Install zsh and oh-my-zsh for a prettier terminal
  • WSL 2 is automatically installed with wsl --install and offers the best performance
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