Updated: 08/19/03: Cleanup of the Public (P:\) Drive is complete.

• As noted on 04/07/03 (below) the Public (P:\) drive has been cleaned of all files dated before 1/1/03. Roughly 10 Gigs of data was deleted.

Updated: 08/11/03: Computer Information for people in Geology and Geophysics

• The Computer Info for New People documentation has been updated and put on the web. This has lots of info useful for established geo people as well.

Updated 06/16/03: Appletalk has been turned off in Pillsbury

• Appletalk has now been turned off in Pillsbury Hall. More information on how to live without Appletalk can be found at http://www.geo.umn.edu/computer/appletalk.html
• Information on why this change is occurring can be found at the OIT Appletalk site

Updated 4/07/03:

• After finals end (May 17th), all of the computers in the lab will be rebuilt. All data kept on the local Hard Drives (c:\ d:\ etc) will be lost, as I won't be backing them up. Please copy your data to CD or to floppy/zips, or to your PRIVATE drive on the file server.
• The PUBLIC drive will also be cleaned out. Any files older than this term (Jan 1, 2003) will be deleted. If you would like to keep your data, please ask System Administrator for a private account, where you can store the data long term, and where it will be backed up regularly. You will need to swing by the Computer lab in order to set the password on this account, or call System Administrator to set the account up. You can also write your data to CD or onto Zips.
  
• The Public drive is supposed to be for temporary files, and those which need to be shared (for classes, projects, etc.)
• A few quick notes about backup media: CD-RW (read-write) are great, because you can write to them as many times as you like. Be aware, though, that those CD-RWs are sensitive to light, which can erase the data after a while. So keep them in the dark (and preferably out of the building when you're out). Zip disks and floppies are fine for short term storage, but they are notorious for going bad at the most inopportune times. Do not use them for long-term storage (use CDs instead). CD-Rs are extremely cheap these days, and hold ~700 megs of data.

Added 03/11/03 The Lab Software page has been updated.

• The 206 Lab Software page has been updated to reflect the addition of the Microsoft Windows/Office site license available through Campus Agreement.
• MSDN/AA Software can also be obtained through the ITLABS website, http://www.itlabs.umn.edu/msdnaa.html. This is where IT students who don't qualify for Campus Agreement can get some software (like Windows XP Pro).

Added 02/07/03 Using Wireless Networking Safely is now up for your perusal.

• There will also be presentations given, see your e-mail for more info. I highly recommend that everyone who will be using wireless networking either here or at the U. or anywhere else at the very least read all of this presentation and better yet, come to the presentation.
• Times:
  Wed, Feb. 12th at 11:ish - 12:30 in PillsH Rm. 110
  Wed, Feb. 12th at 3:30ish - 4:30 in PillsH Rm. 110
  Fri, Feb. 14th at 11:ish-12:30 in PillsH Rm. 110
  

Added 01/06/03 Appletalk is being Retired

• Appletalk is being retired at the University of Minnesota within the next few months. OIT has written some fine pages, available at: http://www1.umn.edu/oit/ipx-appletalk/ which people are encouraged to read.
• In addition, the File Server. page has been updated to reflect the change, and a new page on dealing without Appletalk can be found at: http://www.geo.umn.edu/computer/appletalk.html.
• An Informational meeting will most likely be given to the dept. at various times to answer questions.
• Please direct any questions to System Administrator.

• This is not a theological statement.
• Please be courteous to your fellow users.
  With the heavy need for computers near the end of the semester, leaving your stuff at a computer and leaving prevents others from using the computers when they need to.
• If a computer is seen idle with no one sitting at it for longer than 20 minutes, the SysAdmins reserves the right to log the person off. If the SysAdmin doesn't know where to save the file, it'll go on Public.

Added 11/22/02 New Search page

• We added a new page which allows users to search just on *.geo.umn.edu webpages. It's located at: http://www.geo.umn.edu/search
• You're welcome to link to it from any other pages, and we'll start placing links to it on departmentally maintained pages as well.
• Let us know if you have any problems.
• In addition, we have some cartoon images which were drawn up for a news letter awhile back, which people are welcome to use on U. Mn geo pages as well. See them at: http://www.geo.umn.edu/local/cartoons.html
  (Only available from within Pillsbury)

Added 10/29/02 The List of Available Software has been updated

• The 206 Computer Lab Software, and Site Licensed Software for the Dept. page has been updated to reflect new software aquisitions and site license changes.
• The main changes are the addition of the Keyserver to allow software to be installed on more computers (but only used by as many people as we have licenses) and that soon the Dept. will be buying into the Microsoft Campus Agreement in order to aquire a Site License for Microsoft Office, which we do NOT currently have. Stay tuned for more info.

Added 10/28/02 Computer Lab Hard Drive Clean up

• The software on all of the lab computers (PCs and Macs) will be re-installed over the next few weeks, and in the process the data on all of the hard drives will be deleted. So, if you've been saving files on the hard drives, instead of on the P:\ (Public) drive or in your private space, or on your own media (floppies, zips, CD, etc.) please move them to a safe place ASAP.
• Files should only be kept on the hard drives of the lab computers while you're actively using them, or while you're printing them. The hard drives should not be used for long term storage, as they can be lost or wiped at any time, and they are not backed up.

Added 09/04/02 The Public drive is back up, mostly.

• The public drive is mostly back, but there are some files (things created since 8/29/02, I think) which are still missing. I'll restore them one at a time as I get around to them. If you're missing anything critical, let me know: I need the filename and the folder it was in.
• This was a reminder that the Public drive is temporary file storage only, and this sort of thing is going to occur, since everyone can access it. If you'd like safe, secure storage, ask System Administrator).

Added 09/04/02 The Public drive is down until further notice.

• Sometime between 1:00 and 2:00pm Sept. 4th, 2002, most of the data on the Public drive was erased. While I'm sure this was an accident, if you were accessing the public driver around that time, would you let me know? I need to figure out what happened so I can protect against it in the future.
• A complete backup does exist, I have started the restore process. Once the files are back, Public will be open for business once again.
• Remember, the Public drive is for temporary file storage. If you would like a secure, private place (where no one else can accidentally delete you files, except me) let me know. The public drive gets cleaned out anyway on a regular basis.
• For those of you going "Huh?"", the 'Public' drive is a public place that anyone (in the dept.) an access for temporary file storage. See the Fileserver page for more info.

Added 08/30/02 Be safe and secure when you're on-line

• Remember, whether you are at home or at work, when you're on-line, you're vulnerable to being hacked by nasties on the internet. These days, the internet is being scanned regularly by scripts which automatically hack your computer and then inform their human writers of all of the computers available for the hacker's use. Human intervention is no longer required. The Federal Trade Commission just put out a four page paper written for the home user about how to stay secure. It's well worth taking a look at it.
• It's available as either a Text file or a PDF.
• I also wrote a page on Why Internet Security is important for home and work. Check it out.

Added 08/16/02 Mathematica is active again

• The mathematica 4.1 license had expired on the PC just next to the front door of the lab. It has been reactivated. I will upgrade Mathematica to 4.2 as soon as I get a chance.

Added 7/31/02 The Printing to the Geology Plotter page has been significantly updated.

• The Printing to the Geology Plotter page has been significantly updated to reflect the new HP DesignJet 800 PS printer. Check it out at: http://www.geo.umn.edu/computer/geo_plotter.html.

Added 07/10/02 The Buying a new computer: suggestions page has been updated.

• Please check out the Buying a new computer for the Geology Dept: Suggestions page before buying a new computer for departmental use. Especially if you're thinking about buying a Mac, since the networking in the department still doesn't really support OS X.

Added 06/04/02 Fileserver Diskspace Cleanup Completed

• The P:/ drive (Public) has been cleaned. Thanks, everyone, for doing your part.
• The Hard drives on the lab computers have yet to be cleaned, but will be at various times this summer ('02).

• Printing Overview , PC printing , and Mac printing have all been updated. The other printing pages have not.

Added 4/19/02: Matlab 6.1 Site License available.

• The versions running on the Lab machines have been updated to the new version. This version does not have matrix limits.
• See System Administrator for details

Added 4/19/02: CD Writers in the lab working again

• For a long time, the CD burners on the Win2K machines in the computer lab weren't working too well. That has been fixed. So please back up your data.
• Know, though, that if you use them to break copyright, there are consequences. See the Acceptable Use Policy for more information.
• There is one more Mac CD burner as well, on the Mac which has the scanner attached.

Added 4/19/02: SigmaPlot has been fixed

• It is installed on the PC closest to the main Lab doors.

Added 03/19/02: Sick of SPAM?

• Well, so are the rest of us. But OIT security has put out a webpage with more information , including how to correctly report it, and some resources for filtering it, if you're really determined to.

Added 03/19/02: New site licensed Virus Protection

• The University of Minnesota has recently bought a site license for Norton Antivirus for both Macs and PC's. The link just above goes to where you can download it for free, if you want, or you can borrow a CD from the Dept. of Geology/Geophysics to install it (PC only for now). Instructions on how to actually do the install will be linked in here soon, but it's pretty easy.
• If you are connecting a PC (running Windows) to the Geology network, See System Administrator for setting up the virus protection to be managed from the central server.

Added 03/19/02: Webpage counters available on Geology webpages

• Webpage counters are now available. Please use these only when necessary, as they do affect the performance of the server.
• This page is only available from within Pillsbury Hall or certain other select IP addresses. If you'd like to access it from elsewhere at the U., contact System Administrator with your IP address, and she'll give you access.

Added 03/19/02: "Secure" websites available:

• If, for any reason, you need to have a website which is readable only from the Department, or only from the University (including the modem pool), talk to System Administrator or Sharon. Such protected sites now exist.

Added 01/10/02: Windows SSH (connecting to servers) page updated

• The Setting up SSH and Port Forwarding (Windows Version) page has been significantly updated, and includes information on a much easier product to use than Tera Term. That product is the Commercial (free for academic) SSH, with more info here.
  The SSH/Port forwarding page has a list of the ways to access the servers using SSH, and some of their advantages and disadvantages.

Added 01/10/02: Netscape on Win2K

• Netscape was having problems when used on Win2K with multiple users (like in the computer lab). I now have a fix for this (update to Netscape 4.79). It hasn't been installed on all of the lab computers, but will be. If you would like it installed elsewhere, let me know.

• We have a new Poster Plotter available, called the PAS-800-PS. There is not yet any on-line documentation for it, and the drivers have to be installed by System Administrator. So if you would like to print to it for AGU, let her know soon, so she can install the drivers.
• It costs $1/SQUARE foot to print, as opposed to the old $1/LINEAR foot.
• It can take paper up to 42 inches wide.
• The old plotter, PAS-206-Plotter, is still available.

• There is now a short page on how to print using Transparencies on the Pas-Tek-580DP color printer.

• There is a preliminary How to Scan Images webpage written for the Macs up. The directions are very similar on a PC, so it should be useful there too.
• In addition, the Mac scanner has been moved to one of the new grey G4's. This machine has signficantly more memory, and has a newer copy of Photoshop. This will hopefully help out with many of the scanning memory problems.

Added 10/31/01: Access to the lab improved.

• The mechanical locks on the lab doors have been replaced, so hopefully access via combination and by key should be much improved. Please report problems to System Administrator.

• The grey G4's in the lab will be able to print very soon. We're re-installing the OS, back to OS 9.1. OS 9.2.1 does not yet work with PAS.
• Those of you who have had printing accounts added in the last few days but who have been unable to print SHOULD be able to now. Let me know if you can't.

• Update to Mac OS X at your own risk. Currently, PAS is not compatible with it, nor is our file server. And, System Administrator has not yet had a chance to play with it, so she can't help you either (yet).
• Also be aware that a significant amount of software does not yet run on it.
• If you do want to run it, make sure you update to Mac OS 10.1. See Mac OS X - How to Upgrade

• Kurt Larson has been hired to be the Student System Administrator Assistant. He works Tues/Thurs. afternoons, and at other times as well. You're welcome to come and introduce yourself to him late tuesdays and thursdays, and ask him questions as you would me.

• The Printing Problems website had been updated, to include the main Macintosh printing problems. Graphics and images often cause problems, read this page to find out how to minimize them.

• Two of the new G4 Macs in the lab now have floppy drives. They're the slim little things sitting next to or on top of them. Unlike most Mac floppies, to eject the floppy itself you must push the button. Dragging it into the trash isn't enough.

• We now have a CD writer for the Macs in the lab. It's on 'Selmac,' the mac closest to PAS-206-laser. Be careful for now when ejecting the CD tray, it tends to bump into the handle on the Mac. Toast Titanium 5.0.1 is the software you use to write CD's. Copyright protections apply.
  (from the Acceptable Use Policy:)
• Violations include but are not limited to:
• Copying software that is copyrighted or otherwise restricted.
• Using the CDwriter or other media writer to copy software, music or other copyrighted media.

• The Software page has been updated.

• The department has a new file server, named Epidote. See the File Server web page for more information on how to connect to and use it.

• The Department is looking to hire an undergrad student to be an assistant to System Administrator, maintaining the Dept. computers. See the job description for more information, or contact System Administrator.

• Two new grey Mac G4's have been set up in the back of the computer lab. For now, these only have Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint in them, so they are only for writing papers, doing grades and things like that. They do not have internet connections so you CANNOT print from them either. But hopefully this will help a bit with the finals computer crunch. Once finals are over, these two will be moved in to replace the scanner mac and the slide-maker mac.
• These two have Zip (250, but will read Zip 100 format) drives, they do not currently have floppy drives. I'll get some later. You can move files from floppies to zips on the white macs.

• Information on how to connect to the Departmental Unix machines from home/off-campus/out of the building is currently being written up. It is now possible to connect with Windows machines from anywhere. The Macintosh solution will take a while longer. See the following pages for more information:
  • An overview of the whole mess, entitled SSH and (vs.) VPN
  • How to use FTP over an SSH connection (Windows)
    (This will allow you to FTP into the Unix machines and update your webpages from off campus.)
  • How to use Fetch across an SSH connection (Macs)
    (This will allow you to Fetch into the Unix machines and update your webpages from off campus.)
  • Using teraterm SSH ( from outside the U.) Written by someone else.
• There is also a bit of information on the How To... page.
• This information is still being written, and there may still be some mistakes. Please let me know if there are mistakes, or if there are bits I could clarify.

• The Lab will be without power tonight, thursday, Feb. 8th. I don't currently know when the power will be turned back on. Hopefully by the end of the night. However, the web servers will be down until they're turned back on, which will probably be Friday morning. The print server will be moved, so printing should continue uninterrupted.

• The lab may be closed periodically over the next few days as the electricians and the window people do their stuff. I will be putting signs up and/or sending out e-mail when I know more.
  As of Tuesday afternoon, the electricians will be here "Sometime this week."
• The sound cards on the three dells in the front of the lab (Sokar, Seth and Yu) have been fixed. So you can now listen to music on them again. However, if you want to use your headphones (please use headphones if the lab isn't empty!) you must plug your headphones into the back of the computer, into the green plug. Plugging them into the CD drive doesn't seem to work. I'll work on fixing this.
• The Windows 2000 box (Apophis) that has been sitting in the middle of the back row is now up and running. This machine also has a CD writer that is open to the geology community. However, it doesn't currently (as of 2/6/01) get the H:\ drive, I'm working on this. Also, the printers are not yet connected. Using this CD-writer to create CD's of copyrighted material (music, software, etc) is strictly forbidden. It is for data backup purposes only. Feel free to play with this new Operating System, it is a bit different than the other Windows OS's. But don't mess with the settings!
• Visual Basic Help for Excel has been installed on the front three PC's (Sokar, Seth and Yu). It will be installed on the rest as I get to it.
• There is now room on H:\ Geo_Workspace again.

• If you have unused and un-needed files on the H:\ drive, Geo_Workspace, please delete them. The drive is full.
• Most of the PC's in the lab have recently been 'rebuilt.' I've made backups of the data on them, formatted the hard drives, and re-installed the software, including the Operating Systems. I've upgraded the Windows 95 machines to Win98. Any files that were on the D:\ drives, or in user folders on the C:\ drives were backed up, and also probably copied onto the E:\ drive.
• Soon, but not yet, there will be a new file server to replace the H:\ drive, Geo_Workspace, which is actually on one of the Unix machines. I know that Geo_Workspace is full. I'm working on clearing some room. Also there will be a CD-writer available for people to back up their files. You'll have to provide your own recordable CD's.
• All of the PC's will have 250M zip drives. These hold 2.5 times more than the old zips, but the new drives will still read the old zip disks.

• Redundant and duplicate printing accounts have been deleted from the printing system. If you're not using a CUFS number, and just want to bill the print to yourself, either leave the "Billing Code" blank, or choose <none>. Don't type in NONE or your username. See the printing problems page for more information. If you have any problems, see System Administrator.

Added 01/04/01

• There are two new Mac G4's in the lab, over by the black and white color printer. Two more will be set up soon.
• The windows machines in the lab now require the user to log in. Therefore everyone wanting to use them will need to get an account. See System Administrator (geology@umn.edu, 624-6541) to get one, and you'll need to sign an Acceptable Use Policy. See the link on the left. Disabling the ability to hit "cancel" to abort the login process will help significantly with the errors we've been getting with printing.
• I will be rebuilding (erasing hard drives and starting over) all of the machines in the lab in the next few weeks, hopefully to finish before classes start. Therefore, I'll be moving user data files to a new location, the P:\ drive (not up yet on 01/04/01). I will make sure not to delete anything permenantly.
• We have a new file server, a machine called Epidote. On it, there will be two drives accessible to the lab, and eventually to the entire department: P:\ (for "public") and O:\ (for "own" or your own stuff.) Everyones O:\ drive will be their own, this will be a private and secure ¹ place for your data, and will be regularly backed up. There will also be disk space quotas. If you need a quota increase, let me know.
  P:\ will be for data that needs to be shared, such as for classes. This will not be backed up, and the data on it will be deleted periodically. These drives will also be accessible from the Macs across the department, but that will take longer to implement than the Windows side. Geo_Workspace, or H:\ will be retired as soon as the new system is up and running.
  ¹No networked computer is ever completely private or secure. Don't put anything in here you wouldn't be comfortable becoming public. This won't happen, but better safe than sorry.
• The New file server (Epidote) will also be replacing the shared Mac drives GeoDyne_1, 2, 4 and 6. The files on those will be put on the P:\ drive, and directions will be put up here on how to access them.
• We now have a CD-writer for the PC's. I'll have it up soon. This is a great way to back up your own data and put it in an easily transferable form. One of the new Macs also has what's called a DVD-RAM drive, which is essentially a DVD-writer. Don't get excited, you can't write movies to disk. But these will hold up to 20Gigs of data, vs. 700megs on a standard CD. (1 gig = 1000 megs) DVD-RAM disks are not available at the bookstore, the nearest source I know is CompUSA. The disks cost $20-30.
• Most of the machines will soon have a piece of paper on them which lists which software is installed on that machines, and some hardware specs. A list of software that is available in the lab is here