MobaXterm
| Version | 12.1 Home Edition |
|---|---|
| Download | MobaXterm Download |
| Cost | free |
| Web Page | MobaXterm |
| Pundit Updated | 8/26/2019 |
"MobaXterm is an enhanced terminal for Windows with an X11 server, a tabbed SSH client and several other network tools for remote computing (VNC, RDP, telnet, rlogin). MobaXterm brings all the essential Unix commands to Windows desktop, in a single portable exe file which works out of the box."[1]
Contents
Installation
To install MobaXterm for Windows, simply go to the download link above. You should install the free version, and it is most convenient to download the Installer edition. After you download the installer edition zip file, open it, and Windows will open a window for the installer that includes a section in pink labeled "Compressed Folder Tools." Click "Extract" and then "Extract All." You can use the default location for the extraction - leave the "Show extracted files..." checked. When the MobaXterm Installer window opens, double click the installer (the one with the number in the file name).
For the installation process, all the defaults should be fine. Once done, you will have a shortcut on your desktop and you will also have a link through the list of applications. Because of the frequency with which you are likely to use MobaXterm, you will likely want to create a quick-launch icon for it as well as a desktop icon. You will also need to make sure that MobaXterm is allowed to work through your firewall -- most likely, your computer will ask you the first time you run the program.
Creating a Remote Connection
Once you have the program installed, you can start it by double clicking the icon on the desktop or through the applications list. Depending on how it was installed, there are different ways to make it work:
Start Local Terminal
Upon opening, MobaXterm may have a button that says start local terminal. If you click that, you will open a local terminal that will let you type the
ssh -XY NetID@login.oit.duke.edu
command. If the system responds with a prompt that is more complicated then just Password, asks for your password three times, asks for your password a fourth time, then closes the connection, you will need to use a slightly different process for logging in, which is:
ssh -XYo PreferredAuthentications=keyboard-interactive NetID@login.oit.duke.edu
Also, typing the command out in the terminal is just one option -- you can also follow the instructions below for Session to create a session in Mobaxterm which will be saved to your computer.
Session
Upon opening, MobaXterm may also only have a button to create a new session. Alternately, you can click the Session button at top left. When the session settings window opens, click the SSH link at far left. Put login.oit.duke.edu in the Remote Host box. If you are on your own computer, you can also check the Specify username box and put in your NetID. When you click OK, you will be asked for your ID (if you didn't enter it already) and then your password. From that point forward, when you start MobaXterm, you can click the login.oit.duke.edu session to connect to the Duke machines.
Duke Public PCs
On August 25, 2014, Duke deployed MobaXterm as a part of its public Windows distribution; it is available in the Start menu at
All Programs -> File Transfer & Remote Access -> MobaXterm Personal Edition
Use
MobaXterm contains both the terminal window and the x-server; no second program is required to have graphics sent over to your PC from a remote host. As a result, all you need to do is:
- Start MobaXterm
- Type:
ssh -XY NETID@login.oit.duke.edu
where NETID is your NET ID (in lower case).
Alternately, if the New Session button comes up or you want to start a new session (by clicking the session icon at top left and then choosing SSH), you can use
login.oit.duke.edu
for the Remote Host and then connect. From the point forward, whenever you start MobaXterm there should be a session called login.oit.duke.edu listed on the left; you can double-click it to connect.
Troubleshooting
Warning! CTRL-D in MobaXterm will log you out! The only time you might need to hit CTRL-D is if, in LaTeX, you get a missing file error. Otherwise, please be careful with CTRL-D!
Questions
Post your questions by editing the discussion page of this article. Edit the page, then scroll to the bottom and add a question by putting in the characters *{{Q}}, followed by your question and finally your signature (with four tildes, i.e. ~~~~). Using the {{Q}} will automatically put the page in the category of pages with questions - other editors hoping to help out can then go to that category page to see where the questions are. See the page for Template:Q for details and examples.
