Computer backup policy (Sept 25, 2000)
One of the most frequent questions the MCG staff hears is: "What gets backed up here, anyway, and how long to you keep it around?". In a nutshell, here's what happens.
On our departmental Sun servers, everything gets backed up to tape every evening. These tapes are intended for disaster recovery (i.e., the computer room is struck by a meteor), but we can usually retrieve a deleted file from them provided we're alerted right away. The situation is similar for the various desktop Suns scattered throughout the department, except that only portions of the disk that contain user data are backed up (it's easier to recreate the operating system portion of these machines than it is to save it).
On the PC side of the deparment, the backup policy is similar. All Windows NT servers are backed up each night, and the tapes are retained for two weeks. These server backups include the contents of everyone's Z: drives. However, unlike the Suns, we DO NOT backup individual PC's. If you have files that you need to save, you should put them on your Z: drive. Disk drives can and do break, and data stored on local drives (C:, D:, etc.) are at risk should a disk fail.
In addition to the nightly UNIX and PC backups, all servers are backed up to tape at the end of each quarter (right after grades are submitted). These backups are retained for a full year. Many of these tapes are stored off-site for safety.
Maple, Matlab, and Mathematica (Sept 25, 2000)
Several specialized software packages are available for use within the Math department.
Maple 6, from Waterloo Maple, is available on the Sun servers. Just type "maple" for the line mode version, or "xmaple" if you're running X-windows. Under the terms of our floating license, only a very few simultaneous sessions of Maple can be run under UNIX, so please be sure and exit the program when you're done with it. A PC version of Maple is available on several public and quasi-public PC's in the department. In addition, the Univsersity has negotiated an agreement with Waterloo for individual purchases of Maple.
Matlab from the Mathworks is another popular package. The department maintains an 8-user floating license for our UNIX servers, and numerous toolboxes (Control, ID, Signal, Symbolic, Image and Wavelet) are available for use with the package. To use this software, just type "matlab".
Wolfram's Mathematica is also available on the Departmental UNIX servers. To use it from X-windows, just type "mathematica". The currently installed UNIX version is 3.0. In addition, a recent University agreement has made version 4.0 of Mathematica available for the PC platform. The package must be purchased through the University, and costs $98 the first year, and $73 in subsequent years. If you're interested in buying Mathematica, please send mail to bugs@math.ucla.edu.
New Scanners Installed (June 6, 2000)
Brand new scanners have been installed in the Applied Computing Lab (MS 6187) and the Graduate Computing Lab (MS 3347). These scanners are high-end Hewlett-Packard models, and are excellent for converting both text and images into digital format. Scanned materials can be saved in HTML, PDF, JPEG or Word formats. Software support for these devices includes Adobe PageMill, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, HP ScanJet Copy and OCR software. The scanners are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Slow PC Logins (June 2, 2000)
Does it seem to take forever when you login to your PC? If your answer is yes, don't despair! Help for this problem is available!
Windows NT systems have always had a feature where certain commonly used files are copied to your local PC when you first login. This allows quick access to the file contents, and generally helps performance. However, as a result of some recent changes by Microsoft to Windows NT, in some cases too many files are being transferred, causing the login process to drag on for several minutes (or even longer in some cases).
If your logins are taking a long time and you'd like to do something about it, please send a mail message to bugs@math.ucla.edu. We'll take a look at your startup files and do our best to streamline your login process.
Virus Protection in the Math Department (May 4, 2000)
Due to the recent virus/worm problems on the Internet, the Math Department has implemented a two-tiered virus prevention system designed to stop both the current and next generation of malicious viruses.
All incoming mail is now automatically tested for the presence of executable attachments and known virus content. Suspicious mail messages are moved to quarantine, where they are disinfected and then delivered. In addition, all department PC's have had their anti-virus software upgraded to the most recent release, and are configured to update their virus definition databases on a weekly basis. Together, these two measures should provide good protection from future virus and worm infestations.
You can help keep virus problems to a minimum by practicing safe computing: insist on using only computers with anti-virus software installed, be careful with foreign floppy disks, and never execute an E-mail attachment unless you're absolutely positive of the content.
