Lab: using VS Code & mantis

This term, we will study computer systems partly by using the C programming language and its relationship to the Intel x86_64 machine language and assembly language. To ensure that we all have a consistent computing environment, we will do our work on the Linux server mantis.mathcs.carleton.edu. This short lab will help you get started working on mantis.

In case you want a demo of the elements of this lab, here's a short video explaining why we are working on mantis and demonstrating how.

Install Visual Studio Code

If you're working on a lab computer on 3rd Olin, you do not need to do this section, since VS Code and the Remote-SSH extension are already installed.

Connect to mantis

Set up your working space on mantis

Log out of mantis

Click on the bottom-left icon ("SSH: mantis.mathcs.carleton.edu"), scroll to the bottom of the resulting drop-down menu, and select Close Remote Connection.

A typical work session

You're all set up now, and won't need to do most of the steps above anymore. This section describes a typical session with VS Code and mantis.

One caveat about working on the lab computers

When you logout of the computers on 3rd Olin, your changes on that computer are discarded. So, for example, if you did Add New SSH Host on an Olin 310 computer, the resulting menu option would not be there anymore when you returned to that computer later. This is one of many reasons I encourage you to do most of your work on your own computer.

That's it!