Recommended CentOS base configuration.

centos_setup.sh

# Set up a new Centos 6.3 instance

# install tools with Yum
sudo yum -y install emacs git-all screen gcc \
    tree iotop \
    nc lynx

# install Spark from source
wget --no-check-certificate https://raw.github.com/holman/spark/master/spark
chmod a+x spark
sudo mv spark /usr/local/bin/

# install htop from rpm
cd /tmp
wget http://pkgs.repoforge.org/htop/htop-1.0-1.el6.rf.x86_64.rpm
sudo rpm -Uvh htop-1.0-1.el6.rf.x86_64.rpm
cd -

# install iftop from rpm
cd /tmp
wget http://pkgs.repoforge.org/iftop/iftop-0.17-1.el6.rf.x86_64.rpm
sudo rpm -Uvh iftop-0.17-1.el6.rf.x86_64.rpm
cd -

# Enable syntax-highlighting in less.
#
# First, add these two lines to ~/.bashrc
#     export LESSOPEN="| /usr/bin/src-hilite-lesspipe.sh %s"
#     export LESS=" -R "

sudo yum -y install boost boost-devel ctags

wget http://springdale.math.ias.edu/data/puias/unsupported/6/x86_64/source-highlight-3.1.4-1.puias6.x86_64.rpm
sudo rpm -Uvh source-highlight-3.1.4-1.puias6.x86_64.rpm
sudo yum -y install source-highlight

# update locate's DB so you can search through all the assets you just
# downloaded, if you need to do that
sudo updatedb

# set up my users and home directories

# become root
sudo su -

# then run these commands as root:

useradd auto
passwd auto

# optionally repeat the above stanza for other users

# add this line to /etc/sudoers: 
#     %princess       ALL=(ALL)       ALL

sudo groupadd princess
sudo usermod -G princess auto

# now stop being root
exit

# set up SSH keys
ssh-keygen
touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod go-rwx ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
# then copy your ssh key to the clipboard by saying this on your laptop or iMac:
#     cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | pbcopy
#
# then open ~/.ssh/authorized_keys in an editor and paste.

# optionally add auto to sudoers and/or set up passwordless sudo for auto

# note you cannot run screen as a user you have su'd to, only as the
# user with which you ssh'd to the host