PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Win32 and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator. It is written and maintained primarily by Simon Tatham.

Installing PuTTY

Because PuTTY is continuously updated, you should download the latest version of the installer from http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html (filename will be something like putty-0.58-installer.exe) and install it on your machine. Once PuTTY is installed, double-click the icon created on your desktop or go to Start -> Programs -> PuTTY and start PuTTY.

Setting up sessions in PuTTY

When starting PuTTY, you will see a dialog box. This dialog box allows you to control everything PuTTY can do. In the 'Host Name' box, enter helix.nih.gov or biowulf.nih.gov.

You don't need to change most of the configuration options, but here are a few suggestions for Helix systems' use:

The Backspace Key

The Window Title

Enable X11 Forwarding (for running X-Windows applications)

After making your configuration changes, be sure to save the session so you will not have to reconfigure PuTTY each time.

Creating icons on your Windows desktop

Right-click the PuTTY icon on your desktop, then left-click "Properties".

In the "Target" box under the Shortcut tab, type -load "helix" or -load "helix.nih.gov" after putty.exe:

Click on the 'General' tab and change the name from PuTTY to helix, then click the OK button.

Double-click on the helix icon to login to helix

To create an icon for any of the other systems, be sure to make a copy of the helix or PuTTY icon, then change the properties of the copy.

Documentation

For more in-depth knowledge of PuTTY, see the PuTTY Documentation Page