To get your Mason account go to http://mason.gmu.edu and click on Obtaining Your Mason academic research system (mason.gmu.edu) Account. Follow the instructions.

Logging Into Your Account/Logging Out of Your Account

1. Make sure you have a connection to George Mason University’s network. (You can do this from any academic lab on campus, or from home.) Keep in mind this is a UNIX system and all commands are case sensitive.
   
   
2. We recommend that you use SSH Secure Shell (which includes Secure FTP) This client is a replacement for both Telnet and FTP. To download and install SSH Secure Shell, go to http://itusupport.gmu.edu/help/keywordcontent.cfm?contentid=214,
   click on Downloads, click on Secure Shell, and follow the directions to install. After installing SSH, double-click the SSH Secure Shell Client desktop icon (or from the Start menu, select Programs, then select SSH Secure Shell). When the SSH Secure Shell dialog box appears, press ENTER. In the Connect to Remote Host dialog box type the following: In the Host Name field, type mason.gmu.edu In the User Name field, type your Mason username. Click Connect. If the Host Identification dialog box appears, click Yes. (Note: This dialog box will only appear if you have never logged into mason.gmu.edu before.) In the Enter Password dialog box, type your Mason password. Click OK. In the next dialog box, you should see the Mason prompt for mason.gmu.edu.
   
   
3. When you are ready to log out of your account, make sure you are at the system prompt. Type the word logout and press <ENTER>.

The best way to find out about use of commands on this Unix system is to use the online manual. Type man [command] with [command] being what you want to look for. You can also type man man to find a list of commands that you can use.