Using SAS Under X Windows

On UNIX workstations, the X window software can be CDE, Sun OpenWindows, or MIT X Windows, among others. In this environment (X Windows on a UNIX workstation), to run the X version of SAS, you need to open a window and make sure the DISPLAY variable is set to your local machine. At USC, the best way to get to the host where SAS will run is to use the ssh (secure shell) command. This command opens a new window, encrypts the transmission between your machine and the host that will run SAS, and sets the DISPLAY variable to the same setting as the window (or console) from which the ssh command was typed.

In general, the following steps will prepare the way for your SAS X Windows session (the example uses almaak, but you may substitute the name of any machine that can access SAS):

First, make sure the DISPLAY variable is set to your local machine in the window where you'll type the ssh command (or in the window where you will be running SAS, if you have not used the ssh command). Type echo $DISPLAY, and if you do not see 'undefined variable', then you should be able to proceed successfully. If you do see 'undefined variable', or if you get errors indicating a problem with the DISPLAY, then define the DISPLAY with some form of the following command:


  setenv  DISPLAY  <machinename>:0


setenv  DISPLAY  cabernet:0
setenv  DISPLAY  128.125.999.999:0

To learn the IP address on a UNIX workstation, go to a console window and type:

sysinfo | grep Address

To learn the IP address of a Windows PC running NT, click on Start>Programs>Command Prompt and type:

IPCONFIG

To learn the IP address of a Windows PC running Windows 95 or 98, click on Start>Programs>Command Prompt and type:

WINIPCFG

To learn the IP address of a Macintosh, click Apple Menu>Control Panel>TCP/IP, and the IP address will be shown in the middle of the box.

Now, to open the window in which SAS will be invoked, at your local machine (e.g., the console window), type:


          ssh  almaak

This opens a window on remote almaak with the DISPLAY set to your local machine. Of course, if your account is in the SCF, you would substitute aludra in the above command.

Then, when you invoke SAS, you should get the X-window version.