• Register for your account
• Authenticate your account (if the system insists...)

However, they have different versions of programming software installed and different capabilities. For our programming, we'll be using nice, although you can check e-mail or transfer files on either of them.
 
Once your account is set up, you'll need the software to be able to connect. If you're on a Mac, you can look in Applications/Utilities/ and find the Terminal program. Open a window, and at the prompt type:

     ice1:~ % ssh username@nice.harvard.edu
  
Replace username with your FAS account name. Type your password when asked, and you're in.
 
If you are on a PC, you will need to download some software from Harvard to make your connection. Go to the FAS Computing page (http://www.fas-it.fas.harvard.edu/) and click the link for Software Downloads. After you log in with your HUID and PIN, you'll be taken to a downloads page. You should get copies of SecureCRT (for telnet sessions) and SecureFX (for file transfer). Harvard has a group license covering all students which includes Extension students. Install this software on your computer. When you start SecureCRT, it should open a dialog box with a list of Harvard connections, and allow you to select FAS or NICE. If you need to create the connection, you can type the hostname into the connection box. Be sure the protocol is set to SSH2, enter your username, and click Connect. As the connection is made, you may be asked to save an authentication key, and you should click Accept and Save. You will then be asked for your password, and you will be connected to your account.

We do sometimes use FAS e'mail, which you can get to by either going to http://webmail.fas.harvard.edu in a browser, or by typing 'pine' at the telnet prompt. I generally point new users to Harvard Computer Society's Unix PDF for more on how to use your account. To submit homework, we'll ask you to first upload it to your FAS account, then run a built-in program named 'submit'. This is described in the link above for submitting homework.