FAQ

Can I use the CIP pool computers from home?

Yes, you can use SSH and X2Go to login to a pool computer running under LINUX from your own computer. You can also copy data between a pool computer and your home device. See the Remote Usage section for details.

The web browser Firefox cannot be started; error message: "Another instance is already running"

Please check first if the Firefox process is still running. You can check this with the following command:

ps xua | grep $(whoami) | grep firefox-bin | egrep -v "grep|run-mozilla"

If you still find a process, you must first kill this process with the command kill:

ps xua | grep $(whoami) | grep firefox-bin | egrep -v "grep|run-mozilla" | awk '{print $2}' | xargs kill -9

If Firefox still does not start, please use the command firefox-unlock. This command will try to delete any lock files in your Firefox profile.

The mail client Thunderbird cannot be started; error message: "Another instance is already running"

Please check first if the Thunderbird process is still running. You can check this with the following command:

ps xua | grep $(whoami) | grep thunderbird | egrep -v "grep|run-mozilla"

If you still find a process, you must first kill this process with the command kill:

ps xua | grep $(whoami) | grep thunderbird | egrep -v "grep|run-mozilla" | awk '{print $2}' | xargs kill -9

If Thunderbird still does not start, please use the command thunderbird-unlock. This command will try to delete any lock files in your Thunderbird profile.

Can I keep programs running after logout?

Yes, on the computers in room K08a you can use the command "cip-run" to let programs continue running after logout. This does not work for graphical applications.

All normally started programs are terminated when logging out to avoid that users unconsciously leave "zombie sessions" and thus unnecessarily strain the system performance. This is also true for background processes started e.g. by Screen or Tmux.

However, you can use the "cip-run" command to start processes in the background in such a way that they continue to run even after logging off. Example: "cip-run tmux" starts a tmux session as a background process that survives the logoff. It is also recommended to register longer running background processes with the FIM system support to avoid that the used computer is rebooted for maintenance work.