How to connect to LINCOMM with SecureCRT (Windows)

This guide shows you how to sign in to a LINCOMM node from Windows using SecureCRT, an SSH (Secure Shell) client available free to UW–Madison users. LINCOMM is short for Linux Community Servers.

Prerequisites

• A UW–Madison NetID and password.
• If your computer is not on the wired Taylor Hall network, set up the campus VPN (Virtual Private Network) first: Campus VPN for Windows. Connect to the VPN before the steps below.
• The name of the node you want. To pick the least-busy one, open https://lincomm.aae.wisc.edu in a browser. If you are reconnecting to work you left running, use the node you started on instead — you can only be on one node at a time.

Steps

1. Download SecureCRT from the UW Software Library and sign in with your NetID. Choose the VanDyke SecureCRT download.

2. Run the installer and accept the default settings. SecureCRT usually opens on its own when the install finishes.

3. When SecureCRT opens, click Cancel in the Quick Connect box.

4. Create a new session. Hover over the Session Manager tab in the upper left and click the + button.

5. Choose SSH2 and click Next.

6. Fill in the connection details:

   • Hostname: the node you chose, such as lincomm-node01.aae.wisc.edu
   • Port: 22
   • Firewall: None
   • Username: <netid>@AD.WISC.EDU (for example, jdoe@AD.WISC.EDU). "AD" is the campus Active Directory account system, and this part is required.

7. Give the session a name (the node name is a good choice so you can tell sessions apart) and click Finish.

8. In the Session Manager, right-click your new session and choose Properties.

9. Go to Connection → SSH2. Check only Password and PublicKey. Click Password and use the arrow buttons to move it to the top.

10. Go to Terminal → Emulation. Set Terminal to Xterm and check ANSI Color with 256 colors.

11. Go to Terminal → Appearance and set Character encoding to UTF-8. Click OK.

12. Double-click your session in the Session Manager to connect. The first time, click Accept & Save when asked about the host key, then enter your NetID password.

Because you connect to a specific node, create a separate saved session for each node, or edit the hostname in the session's properties when you need to switch nodes.

Verify it worked

You should see a command prompt ending in the node name. To confirm which node you are on, run:

hostname

It should print the node you connected to, such as lincomm-node01.

If something went wrong

• Sign-in is rejected: Check that the username is <netid>@AD.WISC.EDU and that Password is at the top of the SSH2 authentication list. Make sure the VPN is connected if you are off the wired Taylor Hall network.
• Connection times out or is refused: Confirm the hostname is spelled correctly and that the VPN is connected.
• You are told you are already logged in elsewhere: You can be on only one node at a time. Disconnect from the other node first, then reconnect here.