SYSTEMS STAFF MONTHLY UPDATE - September 2003

WREQ Problem Reporting Tool
Email work requests and problem reports are now being entered into the WREQ problem reporting tool. You should submit all requests directly to WREQ and not to ntadmin or individual staff members. You can do this by posting a request through the web interface at: http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~wreq or simply by sending your email request to WREQ at cs dot sunysb dot edu.

When you use WREQ for your request it goes to the entire staff simultaneously, so that the person best able to help you sees it immediately. It is logged in a central location so that it cannot accidently be overlooked in someone's mailbox. You will automatically receive updates by email when the problem is either resolved or updated along the path to resolution. Finally, you can look it up online yourself at any point to see its status and any notes a staff person may have made.

General Announcements

We would like to remind you all that the funds to pay for printing supplies (paper and toner) come from research monies that also have to pay for research equipment and salaries. Money wasted at the printer is money that is no longer available for research. Printers should be used only for department related research and coursework, and should not be used to print out books or other lengthy material. Printer accounting information is collected and student quotas will be enforced if it becomes necessary.

We would also like to remind you that the grads mailing list is for official department business only, and should not be used for solicitations, advertisements, or other non-official business. There is a voluntary mailing list for grad students who would like to exchange emails of general interest. Information on its use is available at http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/FAQ/EmailGRADTALK.html.

New/Upgraded Software for Solaris

The MailTool mail handling modules have been added to the department Perl installation.

Python has been upgraded to version 2.2.3. Documentation is available on our website.

Figurine has been installed. Figurine is an X11 program for the interactive generation of vector graphics in the Fig file format used by xfig. Man figurine for more details.

New/Upgraded Software on MS Windows

The following packages have been upgraded in the Translab:

  • Fltk V1.1.4
  • Java-3d (OpenGL edition) V1.3.1

The following packages have been upgraded in the Graduate NT lab:

  • JDK 1.4.2_01
  • Acrobat 6.0
  • Norton Antivirus 8.1
  • Perl 8.06 Build 806
  • Jbuilder 9.0 Developer
  • Office XP and Visio 2002
  • DirectX SDK 9
  • Netscape 7.1
  • Xwin32 5.41
  • Xemacs 21.4
  • Quip 2.2.1.1
  • Real One Player 2

New Software

  • Smart FTP
  • XML Spy 2004
  • NS2 2.1b9a
  • Google search toolbar

Web

Information about the Distinguished Lecture Series 2003-2004 has been updated on our website. The Series begins this Friday, October 3, with a talk by Matt Blaze of AT&T entitled "Picking Locks with Cryptology." See
http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/events/DLseries/abstract20031003.html for the abstract and
http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/events/DLseries/index.html for the list of upcoming talks.

Infrastructure Changes and Upgrades

The Multimedia Lab Imacs have been upgraded to G4s.

New labs

Construction has begun on the new Wireless Lab which will be located next to the Systems office suite on the second floor.

Upgrades

The Graduate NT lab (room 1239) has been completely renovated, with new ceiling, carpeting, lighting, and cubicles. The machines themselves are in the process of being upgraded, this will be completed in October.

PCs and Laptops

Microsoft has released Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-039 on September 10, 2003. This bulletin details three critical vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system and provides instructions for applying the patch. For the most current information on affected systems and recommended remediation steps, please read the bulletin posted at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms03-039.asp.

For security updates, see http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/FAQ/MiscWindowsUpdate.html

You can download Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition from our downloads website at http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/Downloads/index.html. To access the downloads, get the login information from /var/adm/sysinfo/info/downloads.password from any of the unix machines in the department.

HOW TO REPORT A PROBLEM or MAKE A WORK REQUEST

  1. First you should check the FAQ pages at: http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/FAQ/index.html There is also a link to an index of FAQs.
  2. If the answer to your question is not in the faq's you should use wreq to report the problem or make a work request.

    There is a short blurb on wreq in the faq area (search by index)

    Wreq lives at:
    http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~wreq/

  3. You can also send email to: WREQ at cs dot sunysb dot edu from your dept account, or campus account. The subject line should cover what is wrong or what you need. The body of the email can supply any details.
  4. Your problem report must include the following information for us to be able to help you promptly:
    1. The room you are working in, either room number or lab name.
    2. The name of the host you are working on (hostname command in Unix, machine number in 1239, the number written on the bookshelf by your desk in the student offices).
    3. The sequence of things you did just prior to having the problem as best you recollect.
    4. The exact text of any error message you see on the screen, or a complete description of the problem that occured.

      Please report problems promptly as they occur so they can be investigated under the same set of conditions as far as possible.

When in doubt, feel free to send email to:

Unix and network problems: ROOT at cs dot sunysb dot edu
PC problems:NTADMIN at cs dot sunysb dot edu

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