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Volume 2, Issue 1

This is Volume 2, Issue 1 of Occasional Downtime, the extremely occasional newsletter of HMC's Department of Academic Computing. This much-delayed edition should answer some of the many questions you may have about some of the changes we've been working on over the last six months. Future editions will be published approximately bi-weekly, and will include articles of general interest, and a summary of the latest developments in the department.

Occasional Downtime is edited by Josh Smith, AC's User Support Coordinator. Articles are written by the various staff and student employees of the department.

Availability

Occasional Downtime is available in several formats:

  • On the Claremont gopher server, in HMC -> Computing -> Occasional Downtime, accessible by the gopher client of your choice.
  • On the HMC World Wide Web Server, via a link on the Academic Computing page, accessible by the Web client of your choice (e.g. Mosaic).
  • By e-mail, from the mailing list downtime-dist-l: subscribe to the list to receive a copy of the plain text version of the newsletter when it's published. (This issue will be sent to the list in about a week.)
  • By netnews, on the newsgroup mudd.acsv.
  • On paper: copies are available in the AC department office in Parsons 269, or at the Consultant's desk in the downstairs Mac lab.

Note that in the plaintext versions, words in italics are surrounded by tildes (~), like the word ``italics'' earlier in this sentence. Those tildes are not part of the words they surround.

In This Issue

In this issue of Occasional Downtime, you'll find:

If you're reading this from the Web server, you can jump to a section by clicking on the highlighted text in the above index.

Who Does What?

It's not always obvious who's responsible for what in Academic Computing: we each know what we do, but people outside the department sometimes find the boundaries fuzzy or confusing. In many cases, it turns out that they actually are fuzzy, but this list of our staff and job descriptions should help make them seem less confusing.

Richard Parker, Director of Academic Computing

As Director, Richard supports the Academic Computing staff in their efforts to make computing an integral part of the curriculum at Harvey Mudd. This includes meeting with people to consider future uses of technologies at the College and planning for its implementation. If you have questions about the directions computing is headed (or suggestions along those lines) contact Richard.

Andy Davenport, Network Manager

Working half time, Andy supports the network at HMC. This ranges from fiber and wire, to terminal servers and Ethernet hubs, to bridges and routers. He oversees the addition of new devices to the network and monitors the network's performance. If you have questions about the network, talk to Andy. (In his other half time, Andy is Network Manager for the Claremont Colleges.)

Chris Marble, UNIX Systems Manager

As the Unix Systems Manager, Chris supports the Unix systems on campus, particularly systems manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. One of his primary responsibilities is the Engineering Design Center computers. He monitors performance of the systems; implements performance, reliability, and ease-of-use enhancements; and oversees account creation and modification. If you have questions about Unix systems (particularly HP systems), Chris is the person to contact.

David Williamson, VMS Systems Manager

As the VMS Systems Manager, David supports the VMS systems on campus, including the AC systems (HMCVAX and the Peanuts characters), the Math DE's machines (NEWTON, SIF, et al), and the Physics VAXen (TAU and MEMPHY). Similar to Chris, he monitors performance of the VMS systems; implements performance, reliability, and ease of use enhancements; and oversees account creation and modification. If you have questions about any of the VMS systems, contact David.

Ron Wood, UNIX Math Intern

Ron maintains the computer resources for the Mathematics department, and functions as the Academic Computing liaison to the Math Department. He's responsible for all sorts of different systems, including Math's new HP Unix classroom and the Math machines in the VMS cluster (naturally, he works closely with both Chris and David). If you have questions about any Math department systems, Ron can help you out.

Patience Brooks, Microcomputing Systems Manager

Patience supports Macs and PCs, as well as the software on the Netware file servers (Kato, Lurch, et al). Her primary responsibilities are the Academic Computing PC Lab and Mac Labs (si and ci), and she's in charge of hiring Consultants to work in the labs. Similar to Chris and David, she monitors performance of the systems; implements performance, reliability, and ease of use enhancements; and oversees account creation and modification. If you have questions about Macs or PCs, or the peculiarities of the Netware file servers, contact Patience.

Josh Smith, User Support Coordinator

Josh is in charge of seeing that user support happens. He develops some documentation, coordinates workshops, and provides input on how to make the systems easier to use, but his job is more to support everyone else on staff as they do these sorts of things for their particular systems. He also manages Osiris (our Sun Unix system) and the Claremont Gopher server, and is involved in many of the information systems projects undertaken by AC. If you aren't sure who to call about a problem, or have general comments or questions about user support, get in touch with Josh--he'll have or find an answer.

Cynthia Souza, Administrative Aide/User Support

Cynthia performs all of the ``office functions'' for Academic Computing, from maintaining financial records to purchasing supplies to answering the phone. She also provides support for office productivity software, such as Word, Excel, and Filemaker Pro. If you think we charge too much or have questions about office software, contact Cindy. Also, if you're not sure who to ask about a problem, Cindy can help direct you.

Anh Le, Computer Technician

Anh installs and repairs various types of hardware. This includes: microcomputers (Macs and PCs), monitors, keyboards, Ethernet networks, terminals, printers, and many similar things. Because a system isn't very useful without software, and it can frequently be difficult to determine whether a problem is due to broken hardware, broken software, or both, Anh also occasionally installs and configures software on Macs and PCs. If your system seems to have a hardware problem, get in touch with Anh.

Matt Masterson, Audio Visual Manager

Matt provides support for the college's shared audio visual resources. He coordinates the use of AV equipment and facilities, repairs and maintains the equipment, and instructs people in its use. This includes the photographic equipment and facilities, and the LCD overhead projectors. If you need some AV equipment for an event, or if you have any questions about the AV equipment, contact Matt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I changed my Kato password from a PC, but when I try to log in from a Mac, it says my password is invalid. I thought the passwords were the same for both Macs and PCs.

A. They generally are: you're connecting to the same file server, regardless of whether you're using a Mac or a PC. The PC allows longer passwords than the Mac, though: if the password you set from a PC is longer than eight characters, you won't be able to log in from a Mac. The solution is to log in from a PC, and set your password to something shorter than eight characters: then it'll work on both PCs and Macs.

Q. Where do I look on HMCVAX for local documentation on mail, editing, etc?

A. Try the CLUE utility. Just type CLUE at a prompt, and follow the directions. Once you're in CLUE, you can type `h' in to get help on its use.

Q. Where can I get local documentation about other systems?

A. Our locally-written documentation library is most easily accessible via gopher: from the root of the Claremont gopher server, the documentation library is in HMC -> Computing -> Documentation. Copies of some of these documents are also available in the labs, in the binders marked ``READ ME''.

Q. I've forgotten my password on one of the systems--how can I get it reset?

A. For non-emergency password resets, your best bet is to send e-mail to pwchange@hmc.edu: in your message, include what system you need your password reset for, and your username on that system. The appropriate system manager will reply, and you can pick up your password from Cindy in Parsons 269 after noon of the next day. In an emergency, you can contact the appropriate system list directly, or stop by Parsons 269.

Q. How do I get an IP address?

A. Send mail to ip-request@hmc.edu to get a form to fill out. Fill in the blanks, and send the filled-out form to ip-submit@hmc.edu. Andy Davenport will assign you an address, and send you mail telling you everything you need to use it.

Q. Are you guys still selling cables to connect to the dorm network?

A. We're still selling the cables and connectors, but we won't be for long: Huntley Bookstore will be picking it up in the next few weeks. For now, you can stop by Parsons 269 during normal business hours to buy a cable.

Q. Will I get my money back if I return my dorm cables and connectors at the end of the year?

A. No: they're yours to keep. You're buying the hardware, not just putting down a deposit. You can sell it to your fellow students, but we aren't buying them back.

Q. I'm a student at one of the other Claremont Colleges, but I'm taking classes at Mudd. Can I get an account on your machines?

A. Yes: all we need is a note from the professor, confirming that you're enrolled in their class, and letting us know which systems you'll need an account on. Your professor can send e-mail to Josh_Smith@hmc.edu, or you can bring a written note to Parsons 269 during normal daytime hours.

Q. I'm a student at one of the other Claremont Colleges, and I'm not taking any classes at Mudd, but you have systems or software I'm interested in using on my own. Can I get an account on your machines?

A. Yes: all we need is a note from someone in the computing department of your school, confirming that you have a legitimate need for an account, and letting us know which systems you'll need an account on. They can send e-mail to Josh_Smith@hmc.edu, or you can bring a written note to Parsons 269 during normal daytime hours. Note: printing access requires a per-page fee to be paid in advance.

About Mail Central

Over the summer, Academic Computing has set up a service called Mail Central, which provides a way for you to use a single e-mail address for as long as you're at Mudd, regardless of where you actually read your mail.

You automatically have two addresses with Mail Central: one for your full name (Firstname_Lastname@hmc.edu) and one for your username (username@hmc.edu). For example, the addresses of a student named Terry Smith would be Terry_Smith@hmc.edu and tsmith@hmc.edu.

If you go by a nickname (``Ter'' rather than ``Terry'', for example), you can have another alias for your nickname set up by writing to postmaster@hmc.edu. Our policy regarding nicknames is essentially that if you use a nickname in semi-legal ways (e.g. you could cash a check made out to your nickname), we're willing to set it up as a Mail Central alias. We reserve the right to veto a proposed nickname if necessary.

If you need to have your forwarding changed for whatever reason, send mail to postmaster@hmc.edu, and let them know where you plan to actually read your mail. In the future, you'll be able to update your forwarding automatically, but for now, one of the postmasters needs to do it for you.

If you have any questions or problems with Mail Central, send mail to postmaster@hmc.edu.

About Listkeeper

Listkeeper is another mail-related service established by Academic Computing over the summer. Listkeeper is an automated mailing list manager, which provides an easy-to-use mechanism for using and maintaining a variety of mailing lists.

By convention, the names of all Listkeeper-maintained lists end in ``-l''--that's a lowercase L, not the number 1. There are lists for groups of students (by major, dorm, and class year), lists of faculty and staff members (by department), lists of people in certain courses, lists for people interested in particular types of computers (Macs, PCs, etc), lists for users of software packages (Mathematica, Emacs, etc), and so on. A full list of all the lists is available by sending the ``lists'' command to Listkeeper (see below).

To write to everyone on a mailing list, send e-mail to listname@hmc.edu, replacing ``listname'' with the name of the list in question. For example, to write to the AC staff mailing list, you'd send mail to ac-staff-l@hmc.edu.

To interact with Listkeeper, send a message to listkeeper@hmc.edu, with Listkeeper commands in the body (not the Subject: line) of your message. For a list of valid Listkeeper commands, send a message to Listkeeper with the word ``help'' in the body of your message. Listkeeper will also send you its help file if you send it any message with invalid (or no valid) commands in the body.

To request that a new mailing list be created, send e-mail to list-request@hmc.edu. If you have any questions or problems regarding Listkeeper, write to listkeeper-manager@hmc.edu.

Getting Started With Gopher

The Internet gopher system is a mechanism for browsing through information on the Internet. Based on a standard client/server paradigm, it allows you to use a gopher client to connect to local and remote gopher servers, and to browse through the information stored on the servers without needing to know where the server or the data is. (The collection of gopher servers is sometimes referred to as ``gopherspace''.) The gopher system also allows for easy access to FTP archives, Usenet news, and other popular Internet services.

There are three primary types of items in gopherspace: directories, files, and search items. Most gopher clients use some symbol or character to denote the type of each item on a menu, though the details vary from client to client. There are also types to initiate telnet connections, display images, and play sounds, but these are generally rare (especially the last two).

When you select a directory, the items in the directory are displayed by your gopher client as a menu of choices: you can then select other items from the new menu, or back up to the previous menu. If you select another directory, its contents are displayed on a menu, and so on. When you select a file from one of these menus, it is retrieved from the server, and the text of the file is displayed by your client. Finally, if you select a search item, your client will prompt you for a search string, and send it to the server, which then returns a menu of the items which matched your query. (The nature of the search depends on the particular search item--some search items look up titles of gopher documents, others search for words in documents, others look up words in a dictionary, and so on.)

The best way to see what's available via gopher is to try it out. There are gopher clients available for every platform supported by Academic Computing, allowing you to pick whichever interface you prefer. These clients are all freeware, so you're welcome to copy them for use on your own system.

  • On the Mac, the TurboGopher application is available from the Apple menu on the lab Macs, or from the Communications Software folder on the Kato file server.
  • From DOS systems, the PC-Gopher program can be accessed from the lab via the `gopher' command from a DOS prompt, or by selecting the PCGopher icon from the Commuincations folder in Windows, or from the G:\APPS\PCGOPHER directory on the Kato file server.
  • From VMS systems, a two-step process is needed. First, use the command SETUP GOPHER to set up the gopher software for your session. (This command can be added to your LOGIN.COM file, which will automatically set you up to use gopher when you log in.) Then use the GOPHER command to start up the gopher client.
  • From Unix systems, the `gopher' command will bring up a terminal-based gopher client. You can also use gopher from within Emacs with the `M-x gopher' command. (M-x is ``meta-x'', i.e. the sequence ``ESC x''.)

You can also use NCSA's Mosaic software, or other World Wide Web clients, to access the gopher system. The next issue of Occasional Downtime will include an article about the World Wide Web, a more powerful and flexible information retrieval system, with all the features of gopher, and more. Stay tuned.

Departmental Unix Machines

Academic Computing is responsible for administering a number of departmental computers. This article will give you a very brief introduction to the major Unix systems we help maintain, along with information on how to get an account on each.

The Engineering department has two sets of Unix systems: the Engineering Design Center and the Measurement Lab. These are in the basement of the new wing of Parsons, in rooms 178 and 175 respectively. Erik Spjut is the professor in charge of the Design Center; John Molinder is in charge of the Measurement Lab. Chris Marble maintains the systems, and creates accounts at the request of Engineering faculty members.

The Design Center's primary systems are five Hewlett Packard 9000/700 series machines, which are full-fledged Unix workstations. The Design Center also includes six older HP Apollo systems, which are set up as X-terminals dedicated to the 700's. The newer machines, the 700's, are named for snakes: Adder, Boa, Cobra, Darter, and Mamba. The older Apollos all have four-letter names: they are Ball, Carl, Doll, Foot, Girl, and Jack.

Software available in the Design Center includes: C, FORTRAN, Pascal, I-DEAS, Easy5, Mathematica, IDE, IDL, Magsoft, FrameMaker, Aspen Plus, Model Manager and Mentor Graphics. Many of these are graphical modeling and design packages. Classes using the Design Center include: Intro to Systems Engineering (E53), Dynamics/Elastic Systems (E183) and Micro-BS Systems: Design/Applications (E157).

The Measurement Lab has six HP 9000/382 machines. The major software package used on these systems is VEETEST. Students generally use a public student account, though Individual accounts may be available if requested. The machines are named dac1, dac2, dac3, dac4, dac6 and dac7.

The Physics department has a pair of HP 9000/700 series workstations, named Photon and Gluon. Specialized software available on both includes Khoros (graphical display), pgplot (graphical display) and iraf (astrophysics). The machines are also used heavily for seismological research. Shane Burns and Greg Lyzenga are the professors in charge of the Physics systems; Chris Marble maintains the machines, and creates accounts at their request.

The Math department has a new lab of HP 9000/700 series workstations in the basement of Olin, in room 145. There are ten machines in the lab, named for characters from CS Lewis's ``Narnia'' series: the main server is named Aslan, and other workstations are named for other characters in the series. Installed software includes Maple, Mathematica, Matlab and SPlus. Ron Wood, the department's Unix intern, is responsible for supporting and maintaining these systems, and creates accounts at the request of David Bosley, the faculty contact for the lab.

If you have any questions or problems with any AC-run Unix systems, send e-mail to its system list (system@machinename, e.g. system@adder.eng.hmc.edu), or contact Chris Marble.

Coming attractions

In future issues of Occasional Downtime, you'll find articles about:

  • About mailing lists, a guide to the many mailing lists maintained by Listkeeper.
  • About Userinfo, a guide to AC's under-publicized user information database.
  • Getting started with the World Wide Web, a quick-and-easy introduction to this powerful hypertext resource.
And much, much more... Stay tuned!