Information Support Group
Information and Notices
The notices posted here are also sent to the ACME_ISG Mailing List. To subscribe to that mailing list please see these instructions.
Recent Notices
HPC Cluster Platform Options Within the School (13 August 2008)
The ISG has recently purchased 69 licenses (at $1 per license) for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 HPC (Windows Compute Cluster). We did this to take advantage of a once off special academic pricing option. All of the licenses are perpetual, and 5 of them include an option to upgrade to the 2008 version of the server software.
If you have a High Performance Computing project coming up in the next few years and you believe you may be building a cluster to support it, please keep these software licenses in mind as you consider which platform you will use. More information about the Microsoft HPC product can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/hpc/
I'd also remind you that we have a site license for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and that Red Hat will shortly be releasing a unified set of tools for HPC clusters. More information about this can be found here: http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/linux/14433/red-hat-platform-computing-collaborate-deliver-integrated-hpc-solution
And more technical details about the RHEL solution can be found here: http://people.redhat.com/riek/HPC-Solution/html/README_-_Red_Hat_HPC_Solution.html
Maple 12 (11 August 2008)
Maple 12 is now available for those people who use the UNSW site license for this product. Please contact the ISG on acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you need further support with this product.
ACME Server Downtime (11 Aug 2008)
We will be restarting some school servers during our next scheduled maintenance window on Monday, 25th August.
The following servers will be restarted at that time:
* acmes02
* acmes03
* acmes04
* acmes05
* Hypersonics Cluster
* Godiva
* Comp1
As a result the following services will be unavailable for about 15 minutes from 11:00am on that day:
· Printer queues
· ANSYS License Server
· CivilFEM License Server
· ABAQUS License Server
· Fluent License Server
· CATIA License Server
· Individual user network drives on ACME servers
· Shared network drives
· TasKey
· SharePoint
Just prior to 11:00am you should shut down Microsoft Outlook to prevent any problems arising due to the absence of your archived mail folders during the down time. You should also save and close any documents that are hosted on your network drives. For those people who have been migrated to the AD domain this can also include any documents that are contained in your My Documents folder. After 11:30am it will be safe to reopen Outlook or any other network hosted documents you had closed. Users of any affected Unix or Linux servers should also ensure they are logged out prior to the downtime. Please direct any comments or queries to acmeit@adfa.edu.au.
X-Win32 Version 9.2 Now Available (8 August 2008)
Version 9.2 of X-Win32 is now available. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like assistance upgrading. Details of the changes in the new version can be found here: http://www.starnet.com/news/20080730.php
New Version of Adobe Acrobat Available (7 August 2008)
Adobe Acrobat Professional 9 is now available to UNSW@ADFA staff. Please see here for more details: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/ict/software/acrobat/index.html
This service is provided by ICTS. Please make them your first point of contact for this software.
Create Your Own ANSYS Customer Portal Account (7 August 2008)
ACME staff and research students are now able to create their own user accounts on the ANSYS Customer Portal. This portal can be used to access knowledge base information, download updates and request support directly from the vendor for the ANSYS suite of products.
Information on how to create an ANSYS Customer Portal account has been sent out to the ACME ISG Notices mailing list. If you need this information and did not receive it by email, please contact acmeit@adfa.edu.au.
Symbolic Math Toolbox for MATLAB (7 August 2008)
The schools of ACME, ITEE and PEMS have each agreed to pay for a 1/3rd share of 50 networked licenses for the Symbolic Math Toolbox for MATLAB.
ITEE maintain the ADFA MATLAB license server. Once the order is processed they will install the license onto the server and it should automatically become available to anyone who is running MATLAB with the networked license. Please note that the new toolbox will not be available to people who are running with the standalone offline MATLAB license.
Update for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (14 May 2008)
There is a new update available for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, updating it to version 12.1.0. The update has been placed on the ISG web site (http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software/index.html).
It is encouraged that Mac users who are running the latest version of Office apply the new update. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like assistance in doing this.
Tecplot 360 Licensing (28 April 2008)
The school was consulted recently on the idea of changing our on-going funding of the school’s ten stand alone Tecplot 360 licenses to fund 5 concurrent network licenses instead. Based on the feedback received we have decided to make the change and are in the process of ordering the 5 Tecplot 360 network licenses.
As our existing licenses are perpetual (with an annual maintenance fee for upgrades and support), we will also retain our existing ten stand alone installations, although no further upgrades or support will be available for those ten licenses after the current maintenance period expires very early 2009.
Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you have any queries.
New Version of X-Win32 Available (21 April 2008)
Version 9.1 of X-Win32 is now available. If you would like to have your installation updated, please contact the ISG on 88777 or at acmeit@adfa.edu.au.
CATIA R18 is Available (3 April 2008)
CATIA V5 release 18 is available to the school. R18 has been installed to the PC lab, and for compatibility reasons it is strongly advised that all users of CATIA in the school upgrade to this version. THis will be the standard version of CATIA used in the school in 2008, with no further changes this year unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au to have your version of CATIA updated if needed.
Student E-mail (28 March 2008)
ICTS has advised that they expect to be migrating student e-mail accounts over to a new Microsoft Exchange e-mail server on 2 April. ICTS are providing the relevant information about this change directly to students.
This migration will bring students onto the same e-mail system as university staff. This should allow calendar sharing, invitations and other Exchange specific functionality to work between staff and students.
It is worth noting that if any student has failed to heed the instructions provided by ICTS with respect to the mail migration, they may not be accessing and reading e-mail sent to them after 2 April.
If you have any questions relating to the UNSW@ADFA e-mail system for either staff or students, they are best put directly to ICTS who are the e-mail service provider. They can be reached at helpdesk@adfa.edu.au.
ADFAPass Password Reset System (28 March 2008)
ICTS has implemented a new online system for resetting your ADFAPass password. If you want to reset your ADFAPass you may access the system at: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/passwordreset/
Security Update for MAC OSX (19 March 2008)
A security update has been released for Mac OS X correcting a number of vulnerabilities in the operating system. All Mac users are asked to please update their computers by downloading the security update from http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software and installing it.
The security updates are available for MAC OS X v10.5.2 and v10.4.11. If you don't have these versions you will need to run Apple Software Update on your computer. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like any assistance installing this update.
Maple Licensing Update (14 March 2008)
Just a quick update about forthcoming changes to Maple licensing. UNSW has recently entered into a new site license for Maple, which is being funded centrally. We will have further details about how this license operates and what it entitles us to soon.
MS Windows Server Compute Cluster/HPC Offer for Australian Universities (12 March 2008)
Microsoft are starting to produce a reasonable platform for High Performance Computing (a.k.a. clusters). If anyone in the school is planning to set up a cluster, and the software you are using can operate on a Windows client, you may wish to consider using Windows HPC instead of Linux as the server operating system. It is easier for our IT team to administer, as we have three IT staff with Windows server experience and only one with Linux experience, it also provides a more familiar environment to end users of the system.
It is my intent that the ISG should trial a Microsoft platform HPC environment using some existing desktop computers. If any of you have plans for a cluster in the coming 12 months, and think you may consider a Windows Compute Cluster Server as your platform of choice, please let me know so I can include your requirements in my request for licenses at the greatly discounted price detailed below. All responses must be received by my prior to CoB 18 March.
The Manycore Shift
HPC Overview
What is Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server
Windows Compute Cluster Server (CCS) 2003 provides a cost-effective and powerful HPC solution that runs on commodity x64-based computers and can be easily and quickly expanded and deployed using familiar tools and technologies. CCS includes several HPC management tools, as well as a scheduler and MPI. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/ccs/default.aspx
Software Pricing:
Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 – Perpetual License only. |
$1 per node |
Windows Compute Cluster Server – Perpetual license with 1 year of software assurance. |
$1 per node for license |
Fine Print to this offer:
- Preliminary approval has been granted for 3,500 nodes at this price If there’s additional demand from the sector then please let me know and I’ll put forward a request for additional licenses, subject to approval.
- Special pricing expires 29 June 2008.
- We request universities to give us an early indication of their intentions by 30 March so we can track the likely take-up against the allocation we have pre-approved.
- Orders will need to be placed on a Large Account Reseller. Microsoft needs to brief the LAR prior to placing an order as a special process must be followed. More information will be supplied one we get back a response from the Universities.
Example HPC Solutions
On the Windows Compute Cluster Server web page, we have a reasonable overview of solutions by industry. I have summarised these for you below:
- Science, Education and Research Solutions- Scientists and researchers now can accelerate time-to-insight through an affordable, easy to deploy and operate high-performance platform which does not require specialized skills and expensive hardware with CCS and partner solutions.
- Financial Services Solutions- Analysts, traders, and officers now have a solution to overcome performance and scale inhibitions.
- Manufacturing Solutions- Engineers and scientist can spend more time on analysis and less time on IT administration.
Partner Solutions in Higher Education
Specific Partner Solutions in the Education Industry can be found here. I have summarized three good ones for you. On this page you will also find white papers, success stories, and references.
- SIMULIA-Abaqus WCCS Datasheet- Abaqus and WCCS provide scientists and engineers with an integrated, efficient, and easily scalable HPC platform for solving some of the most complex simulation and multiphysics analysis equations.
- The MathWorks Solution Brief- "Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 allows MATLAB users to quickly and easily get up and running with distributed computing tools." - Lisa Kempler, Director of MATLAB Applications, The MathWorks
- Visual Numerics and WCCS Datasheet- IMSL Libraries running on WCCS can provide an HPC platform that is easy to set-up and use, and a Windows-based solution for analytics that is cost-effective and scalable.
Case Studies
See https://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/search.aspx?Keywords=compute+cluster+server.
Technical Resources and Teaching
See the MSDN Parallel Computing Developer Centre, http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-au/concurrency/default.aspx, and including the attached document describing Microsoft’s initiative to drive parallel computing. The universities who have significant Computing Science and IT Faculties/Departments might be interested in teaching parallel programming both on standard multi-core systems and clusters.
Support
Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server is a full Microsoft server product, covered by our support lifecycle and Premier support contracts (where applicable).
Student Desktop Refresh (12 March 2008)
The ISG is planning to replace all research student desktops this year. The ISG budget is able to fund a single reasonably high performance workstation for each student and will be making a bulk purchase to do so. Due to the nature of the workstations being purchased, some post delivery upgrade options are available for those students whose supervisors wish to fund further additions to the base PC from other funding sources. The specification of the base workstation being proposed is as follows:
HP xw4600 Workstation
Windows Vista 64 bit Operating System
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 8M/1066 CPU (4 processor cores)
4 GB of DDR2 800MHz ECC Memory
500 GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Disk
DVD+/-RW Burner
nVidia Quadro FX570 3D Graphics Card with 256 MB onboard video memory
Keyboard, Mouse
Potential post delivery upgrades to this base model include:
CPU – Upgradable to slightly faster Core 2 Quad CPU models that have the same number of processor cores at a cost of at least $900, not recommended as the price/performance comparison is poor.
Memory – Upgradable to 8 GB of memory.
Hard Disk – Room exists for two additional SATA hard drives, and a SAS module upgrade is also available for very high performance drives.
Graphics Card – Can be replaced with more powerful cards up to the nVidia Quadro FX4600 with 768 MB of video RAM. This is not recommended as the currently installed FX570 should be suitable for all 3D visualisation conducted within the school.
The base model of the proposed specification offers 4 times as many processor cores as current student PCs with each core a higher performance than those in existing PCs. They have at least twice the amount of memory, over five times the hard disk space, and provide a custom 3D graphics card for the first time.
Any academic who would like to fund an upgrade, as described above, to the base model of their student’s PC at the time of purchase should contact me prior to close of business next Tuesday, 18 March 2008. Upgrades may also be made at a later date. Given the high performance of the base model, I am recommending against any upgrades until after the workstations are in use and any deficiencies in performance can be measured against the actual work the students are doing.
If an academic has specific requirements for their students’ that go beyond what is possible even with the upgrade options listed above, please also contact me prior to CoB next Tuesday. Any general comments or questions should also be made prior to CoB Tuesday.
Note that following the roll out of these new workstations, existing student desktops, except for those which have been fully funded by sources other than ISG or central school funds, will be recovered from all students following a reasonable amount of time for the transfer of data from the old PC to the new one, so that they can be re-tasked elsewhere within the school.
Class lists have been mail enabled (12 March 2008)
ICTS are now providing the ability to send broadcast e-mails to all students enrolled in any particular course. The format for doing so it so send an e-mail via the Exchange e-mail server (in other words, using your work e-mail system) to [courseID]@adfa.edu.au where [courseID] is the course code for the course you are trying to e-mail.
These course lists are generated automatically from a data feed from the student admin system and will only be as accurate as the data feed itself. The ISG can make manual changes to these lists if required.
There are currently no restrictions on who can send e-mail to these course lists, other than the requirement that the message be sent from the ADFA Exchange e-mail system. Please use the lists carefully and avoid spamming students by sending unnecessary messages. You should not add the lists' e-mail addresses to the address books of any computers that aren't completely secure and running an up to date anti-virus scanner as this could provide a means of propagating viruses and other malware to students. As a general guide you should think very carefully before adding the list to an address book on any computer other than your ISG supported main desktop here at ADFA.
This system is part of the broader e-mail system provided by ICTS and any technical problems should be reported directly to them.
Note, I have not sent this message to postgraduate students, if any of them are involved in teaching and need to know about these e-mail lists, please ensure you pass the information on to them as required. Any queries about this system should be sent either to ICTS via helpdesk@adfa.edu.au or to the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au.
New Computational Server (11 March 2008)
The ISG is now making available a new computational server for general use to complement Godiva, our existing computational server. The general specification of the new server is as follows:
2x Quad Core 2.33GHz Xeon E5345 Processors (for 8 total processor cores)
18 GB of RAM
350 GB of available disk space (individual user quotas will be much smaller)
The server is running 64 bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.1 and has a standard range of Linux tools and compilers installed. In addition the following third party software has been installed:
| Name | Version |
| 3.0 | |
| - | |
| X-Win32 LIVE Server | 30 |
| 11 | |
| ANSYS 11 SP1 | SP1 |
| MATLAB 2007b | 2007b |
| Fluent | 6.3.26 |
| Gambit | 2.4 |
| Tgrid | 4.0 |
| ABAQUS | 6.7 |
| ABAQUS HTML Documentation | 6.7 |
The server will be shared by any and all ACME members who wish to use it. There is no formal job scheduling software in use, so people are asked not to unduly tax the server with very long term intensive computations unless necessary. It is a resource to be shared by the whole school.
Any staff member or research student who would like an account on the server may request one by e-mailing acmeit@adfa.edu.au. Accounts for coursework and undergraduate students may be created for specific courses at the request of course conveners. Such requests should be accompanied by a student list, including student IDs and the date on which the course ends. Student accounts will then be created for the duration of the course only, or until the end of the session (including exam period) as appropriate.
Additional software may be installed on the server upon request to ACME ISG using the Change Request Form. Remember to allow at least a month for the change to take place.
Any further questions about the new computational server should be directed to acmeit@adfa.edu.au. Godiva, the slightly older Solaris 10 server will soon undergo substantial maintenance of its software installation to resolve some problems it is having. This will involve the removal of all data on the server. Further information will be sent out about this before it actually takes place.
New ANSYS Licence (5 March 2008)
This notice is for ANSYS and CFX Users
We have today cut over to the new UNSW site license for the ANSYS suite of products. This gives us a wider range of licenses at a lower cost while we still retails local control of our license server and license allocation.
One side effect of this change is that some ANSYS licenses may have changed in name. If you receive an error telling you a license is unavailable please use the ANSYS Product Launcher to ensure you have an appropriate license selected for the product you wish to launch. Please contact the ISG on acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you have any queries about this.
ACME Information Support Group (ISG) Communications (5 March 2008)
I just wanted to take the opportunity at the start of the session to remind people of the different ways of accessing information and support from the ACME Information Support Group (ISG). A broad list of the types of support and service we provide can be seen here: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Support/index.html
Communication Methods
The main methods that the ISG uses to communicate with you are:
Our web site, where we are building a repository of information and software relevant to our clients. It is updated regularly and should increasingly become a first port of call when looking for common information about ACME IT systems. The web site can be viewed here: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/index.html
The ACME ISG “Opt-In” Mailing List. This is a mailing list you won’t receive unless you specifically subscribe to it. You can also unsubscribe at any time. It is used to send out IT information that may be of interest to you including server downtime, security advisories, information from our software and hardware vendors and other info relating to IT within the school. To subscribe to the ACME ISG mailing list you can follow the instructions on the front page of our web site (referred to above) or you can ask a member of the ISG to add you to the list.
Broadcast e-mails are sent by the ISG to all school staff and research students, on occasion when information is relevant to the whole school, or when the information is critical.
TASKey is used to track all ISG jobs which can’t be resolved in the first 15 minutes. Because ACME staff members, all of whom should have a TASKey account, will be added to the “team” for a “task” when they have requested support from the ISG, they can track the progress of jobs they have requested in the TASKey system.
Requesting Support
The two preferred methods for requesting support from the ISG are via e-mail or telephone. Please only use the following e-mail or phone number for requesting support, as these are the communications methods that are continually monitored. Timely responses for new enquiries and requests cannot be guaranteed when you call a particular member’s individual phone number, or use their individual e-mail address.
E-mail: acmeit@adfa.edu.au
Phone Extension: 88777
In addition, you may drop in to see us in our office if you wish. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any comments about the service being provided, or suggestions for changes or improvements to the schools IT services and infrastructure. The ISG team members are:
Mr Grant Clark - Desktop Support Officer
Mrs Karen Roberts - Desktop Support Officer
Mr Jason Kendall - Infrastructure Specialist
Mr Bernard Lineham - Information Support Group Leader
New IT Purchasing Arrangements for UNSW@ADFA (5 March 2008)
Our previous preferred IT supplier, Commander, have recently exited the “high volume, low margin, computer equipment” business. As a result ADFA has entered into a new temporary preferred supplier arrangement with Computer Corp. This is detailed in a recent finance newsletter: http://themis.its.adfa.edu.au/finance-handbook/?p=440
It is the financial policy of the university that all IT purchases over $2000 must be via the preferred supplier and exceptions require the approval of the manager of ICTS. Any requests from within ACME for exceptions to the preferred supplier arrangements must be made via the Information Support Group Leader in the first instance, who will then escalate to the Manager, ICTS.
Purchases under $2000 are not covered by this finance policy, but it is still strongly encouraged that quotations for equipment should still be sought from Computer Corp. They are likely to provide competitive pricing on most items and the use of a common supplier greatly simplifies the process of getting support, should a component fail at some point during its warranty period.
Remember also that the school IT Advisory Committee (ITAC) decided that any IT purchase over $1000 must be processed through the ISG in any case. For lesser purchases, we are also happy to progress them on your behalf.
Update for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (14 February 2008)
There is a new update available for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, updating it to version 11.4.0. The update has been placed on the ISG web site (http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software/index.html) and all Mac users are advised to download and install it. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like assistance in doing this.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 (11 February 2008)
The latest edition of Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 is available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page.
QuickTime 7.4.1 (7 February 2008)
The latest edition of QuickTime 7.4.1 is now available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Just click on the appropriate link for your operating system.
Skype (7 February 2008)
Skype is now available for installation on the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Just click on the appropriate link for your operating system. There is also documentation you may wish to read for installing.
Skype has issued a Security Bulletin regarding Skypefind Cross Zone Scripting Vulnerability
on Skype for Windows, this information can also be found on the ISG Software and Downloads web page.
QuickTime 7.4 (16 January 2008)
The latest edition of QuickTime 7.4 is now available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Just click on the appropriate link for your operating system.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.11 (14 January 2008)
The latest edition of Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.11 is available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page.
QuickTime 7.3.1 (17 December 2007)
The latest edition of QuickTime 7.3.1 is now available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Just click on the appropriate link for your operating system.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10 Released (28 November 2007)
The latest edition of Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10 is available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page.
Advanced Aircraft Analysis Version 3.11 Released (21 November 2007)
The latest upgrade of Advanced Aircraft Analysis (AAA) Version 3.11 is now available for immediate download.
If you are a current AAA Maintenance customer you can upgrade by using the following instructions:
- Start AAA 3.1
- Go the Help menu on the top menu bar and select "Check for Updates"
- If you are eligible to receive an upgrade to 3.11, a web page will load and indicate that you can download an upgrade.
- Click the link provided to download the upgrade. Depending on your browser configuration, the download will either begin automatically or you will be prompted to save or open the file. The file name should be "aaa_update_311.exe" and it size should be 34,260KB.
- If your browser downloads automatically, run the downloaded file when the download is complete. If you are prompted to save or open the file, save the file to a convenient temporary location (for instance the Desktop) and then run it when the download is completed.
For information on What's New in AAA 3.11 (PDF) see http://www.darcorp.com/docman_uploads/WhatsNew3.11.pdf
Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au or by calling x88777 if you would like any assistance installing this upgrade.
MAC OS X Update (16 November 2007)
The latest update for MAC OS X for Leopard and Tiger are available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like any assistance installing this update.
Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Professional (12 November 2007)
The latest updates for Adobe Reader 8.1.1 and Adobe Acrobat Professional 8.1.1 are available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. There are versions available for Windows and MAC. Just click on the appropriate link for the version you are using.
Firefox 2.0.0.9 (12 November 2007)
The latest edition of Firefox is now available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page.
QuickTime 7.3 (7 November 2007)
The latest edition of QuickTime is now available and can be installed from the ISG Software and Downloads web page. Just click on the appropriate link for your operating system.
Windows Updates (4 October 2007)
While providing IT service to some users we are noticing many PCs that have outstanding Windows software updates which have not been applied. Windows must be kept updated with the latest patches to prevent known security flaws in the operating system being exploited by viruses or people with malicious intent.
Within ACME we automatically deploy important Windows security updates via the network to your computers, but you must take specific action to apply the update. We do it this way so the update system will never force your computer to reboot without your knowledge. If your computer has pending updates waiting to be installed you will have a small yellow shield icon with an exclamation mark in the bottom right corner of your screen. (The icon looks different in Windows Vista.) You may need to click on the small left arrow to expand out your system tray icons to see it. As soon as one of these icons appears you should double click it and follow the instructions to install the updates, otherwise your computer may be vulnerable to a range of security problems.
When the ISG recently audited the ACME computers we identified some which, for a variety of reasons, could not be made sufficiently secure to allow them to be connected to the network. These computers have been labeled with a sticker that says: “Do not connect to the network.” It is important that this sticker is complied with otherwise the security of not just the individual computer in question, but also the entire network, could be compromised. If you have a requirement to connect one of these computers to the network please contact the ISG and we will determine what work needs to be done to make it sufficiently secure to do so.
PCs and Notebook Computers in ACME (2 October 2007)
As people would know we have recently completed an audit of all of the PCs in the school of ACME. There are over 250 PCs actively in use in the school and the collection and maintenance of this information will help us to manage their deployment in the best possible way, and to plan properly for future PC acquisitions.
In order for us to be able to properly support this large deployment of computers within the school we need you to always seek approval from the ISG prior to moving any desktop PC or prior to giving a different user access to a PC or notebook computer. Most PC redeployments should be managed by the ISG anyway.
For the small number of desktops which have no fixed location such as those used by the electronics team for data acquisition, they can be moved within the same laboratory area without the ISG being involved. If they are to move to a new laboratory, or a different user becomes responsible for the PC, please notify the ISG before the change takes place.
The ISG must also be notified before any changes are made to who is responsible for one of the school’s notebook computers. Should you have any questions about these requirements please let us know.
Updated Web Page Editing Software (10 August 2007)
UNSW@ADFA has a site license for the suite of software previously known as Macromedia Studio 2004 which includes Dreamweaver and is primarily used for the creation or maintenance of web sites and other HTML content. We now have the software and activation keys for the latest version of this suite which is called Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Standard and includes the following software:
- Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
- Adobe Flash CS3 Professional
- Adobe Fireworks CS3
- Adobe Contribute CS3
Update for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (2 August 2007)
There is a new update available for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, updating it to version 11.3.6. The update has been placed on the ISG web site (http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software/index.html) and all Mac users are asked to download and install it. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like assistance in doing this.
Security Update for Mac OS X (1 August 2007)
A security update has been released for Mac OS X correcting a number of vulnerabilities in the operating system. All Mac users are asked to please update their computers by downloading the security update from http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software and installing it. This version of the update will only install if you are running the latest version of OS X (10.4.10). If this is not the case you will need to run Apple Software Update on your computer. Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like any assistance installing this update.
Update For Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
Microsoft has released an update for Office 2004 for Mac that corrects a range of security flaws. All Mac users should apply this update as soon as possible, it can be downloaded from: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG/Software
Please contact acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like assistance with this update.
Hypersonics Cluster Reboot (14 May 07)
Attention: Hypersonics Cluster Users
The Hypersonics Cluster will be restarted for routine maintenance at 11:00am on 4 June.
Godiva Reboot (14 May 07)
Attention: Godiva Users
The Solaris 10 server Godiva will be rebooted at 11:00am on Monday 4 June.
MATLAB Simulink Updates (8 May 07)
The following e-mail was sent to the ISG mailing list: E-mail in PDF format.
ANSYS Web Seminars (8 May 07)
Here is an e-mail that was sent to the ACME ISG mailing list detailing some recorded web seminars about ANSYS 11 that are available: E-mail in PDF format.
QuickTime Security Alert (3 May 07)
It is strongly recommended that anyone running QuickTime should ensure they are running version 7.1.6 or newer. Version 7.1.6 is available for download from the ISG web site.
ANSYS License Update (30 Apr 07)
Attention: ANSYS Users
The 2007-2008 ANSYS license is now in place. All users of ANSYS, CFX, CivilFEM, LS-DYNA, or related products will need to follow the instructions below in order to continue using the software after today.
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Instructions for Updating the ANSYS License Configuration.
These instructions will work for ANSYS 11 (including CFX and LS-DYNA) and for CivilFEM 10.
1. Run your respective ANSYS Product Launcher from the start menu.
2. In the Product Launcher select "Run ANSLIC_ADMIN Utility" from the Tools menu.
3. When the license admin application appears click the "Specify the License Server" button.
4. Select any licenses servers that appear in the list and click the "Delete Selected Server" button until there are no servers in the list.
5. Click the "Add Server Specification" button.
6. Enter "1055" (without the quote marks) in the Port number field.
7. Enter "acmes02" in the Hostname 1 field.
8. Click the OK button.
9. Click the close button.
10. Close the license admin tool and the ANSYS Product Launcher.
11. Restart the the product launcher and you will now be able to select your appropriate simulation environment and license and launch ANSYS. If you have gone through this process with the launcher within the CivilFEM program group in the Start Menu you should now also be able to launch the CivilFEM application as you normally would.
Notes: The license related bugs that had been present for LS-DYNA appear to have been resolved with this license update so you should be able to launch LS-DYNA with the usual license selected again.
ANSYS version 10 is supported within this new license until the end of June only. This allows CivilFEM 10 users to continue running their software but all other users should be moving to ANSYS 11 now. We hope that the CivilFEM upgrade to version 11 will become available soon.
Please report any problems or request any needed help with the change over at acmeit@adfa.edu.au.
ANSYS Update (26 Apr 07)
Attention: ANSYS Users
Those of you who are subscribed to the ISG mailing list and some others will be aware that we were having delays getting approval to purchase our annual lease for ANSYS which was putting us at risk of having a period of time where the software would have been unavailable. The approval has now been received and the purchase order is being faxed to the vendor this afternoon. Assuming no delays from the vendor we should now have the new license file ready to go before the old one expires.
There are some technical details to note for this license renewal. We are using this renewal as an opportunity to change the license server that is being used for ANSYS as the current one is very old and needs to be taken out of service. This will require the a minor configuration change of the software on the PC of all users. Instructions for this change will be made available once the new license is in place. Anyone who has not changed their license configuration by the end of next Monday will be unable to run the software. Once the instructions have been sent out assistance will be available on request to ISG to help with the change over.
The new lease is for version 11 of ANSYS. We will have a temporary license to run version 10 for 2 months but after that time only version 11 will be available. If you need a copy of the v11 installation media or you would like to have it installed for you please contact the ISG. Versions 10 and 11 can both be installed on your PC at the same time.
Note for LS-DYNA users: There is a bug in LS-DYNA in version 11. The current workaround requires the use of a temporary license that requires you to choose the non-academic version of LS-DYNA in the product launcher for now.
Note for CivilFEM users: CivilFEM 11 is not yet available. You will already be aware of a work around license that we have to allow CivilFEM to currently work with ANSYS 10. This work around may change when the new license is installed. We will update any information regarding that workaround to the ISG mailing list and web site when we receive it.
Upcoming PC Relocations Due To Furniture Refurbishment (26 Apr 07)
As you would be aware some of you will be temporarily moving office in the coming weeks and months as a furniture replacement occurs. Your PCs will of course also need to be relocated at this time. When PC hardware is moved there is a very slight risk that the hard disk drive may become damaged and data stored on that disk could be lost. If you are being relocated and you have any irreplaceable files on your PCs hard disk, I strongly recommend that you have a back up copy of it stored somewhere else.
Please note that any data stored on an ISG or TST network drive is already backed up and in any case will not be at risk when your PC is moved.
Please contact the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au if you would like any assistance with this matter.
Possible ANSYS Outage (24 Apr 07)
Attention: ANSYS Users
Although we are working hard to prevent it there may be a disruption to your ability to access ANSYS from Tuesday next week. It is hard to estimate the duration of the outage although in the worst case it could be in the order of a month. This problem is resulting from a delay in getting approval from the office of the UNSW CIO for the purchase of the lease renewal.
ISG are doing everything in our power to prevent or minimise this possible disruption and we will keep you informed of the progress of the situation.
Computer Asset Tracking and Movement (20 Mar 07)
ACME ISG has the responsibility for managing the asset tracking for all IT hardware including desktop computers. Recently there have been a number of students who have changed rooms, moving their desktop computers in the process. This has caused some difficulty for the ISG’s asset tracking.
In any situation where a PC or other IT hardware is to be relocated, can you please inform the ISG at acmeit@adfa.edu.au prior to the move taking place. This will help reduce the amount of time we spend trying to account for missing assets and will help us continue to provide a better IT service to you.
Sun Studio 11 Compilers (incl. Fortran & C++) on Godiva (13 Mar 07)
Sun Studio 11 has been installed on the Solaris 10 server, Godiva. The software development suite includes the Sun optimised compilers for C, C++ and Fortran. Anyone who wishes to use these compilers should update their path environment variable on Godiva to include:
/opt/SunStudio11/SUNWspro/bin
The full development suite can be run by executing /opt/SunStudio11/SUNWspro/bin/sunstudio
The older Sun Studio 10 suite and associated compilers will be removed on Tuesday, 27 March 07.
ACME Acceptable Network Use Policy (6 Mar 07)
There have been a few incidents recently where large downloads have been conducted over the ACME network, increasing the network costs of the school above what has been budgeted for. Please note the following requirements:
- You must advise the ISG prior to conducting any large download (> 100 MB).
- The network is provided for work purposes only. Personal use of the Internet should be limited in nature and should never comprise of any large downloads.
All ACME staff and students are required to read and comply with the attached document. Note that the policy has been revised to reduce the definition of a large download from 200 MB down to 100MB. You should also be aware that any large number of smaller downloads are also being monitored and may be queried.
When incidents of large, unannounced network use occur it takes additional time and effort for the ISG to determine the source and establish the reason. This is something that we must do for security reasons. It is of great help to us if we receive notice before any large downloads occur. This also give us the opportunity for to inform users of opportunities to access software or other resources from a local source without incurring a cost to the school. It also allows us to know what large downloads are occurring and to build up a local library of resources to again cut down on external network traffic.
Some people have commented in the past that they believe the cost to the school for network access is disproportionately high compared to what they are used to from their home ISP. This is not a fair comparison. The Internet infrastructure for ADFA, along with most other universities in Australia, is provided by a non-profit organisation known as Aarnet (http://www.aarnet.edu.au/). The costs are higher than a commercial ISP because of the size of the infrastructure provided. Every single network connection at ADFA, and there are literally thousands of them, are able to connect to the Internet at speeds significantly in excess of what any home broadband connection could achieve for a single computer including those homes which have access to the new ADSL2+ technology or to TransACT fibre. In other words, the connection to ADFA is thousands of times larger than any standard commercial ISP connection. This sort of very high bandwidth research infrastructure comes at a cost and the university does in fact get this type of service at extremely good rates due to the non-profit nature of the Aarnet company which is governed by Australian universities.
Maximum Outgoing E-Mail Size (16 Nov 06)
ICTS have advised us that for those people who are using the e-mail and calendaring service provided by ICTS (as opposed to the one provided by ITEE) the maximum outgoing message size is 20MB. If you attempt to send a message or attachment larger than that size it will not reach its destination and there will be no "bounce" or error message generated. Users are advised not to attach any large files to outgoing e-mail messages.
This limitation will be modified when the transition to the new Microsoft Exchange messaging service takes place in the beginning of 2007.
Windows Updates (20 Oct 06)
You may be aware that security updates and bug fixes for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office are routinely pushed out to your desktops automatically. When this happens you will be presented with a small shield in the bottom right hand corner of the screen requesting your permission to install the updates. Here are some important tips relating to the installation of these updates:
- It is important that you install these updates as soon as possible as they generally relate to security fixes for your software.
- Updates can often require that you reboot your computer after they have been installed. You should only give the go ahead to install the updates when you are prepared to reboot your computer at the conclusion of their installation.
- Although you are presented with the option to reboot later, rather than immediately, after the updates are installed you should only defer the reboot if you absolutely have to. And you should then initiate a reboot yourself as soon as you are able to do so. If an applied update requires a reboot, your computer may not function correctly after the update has been installed until the PC has been rebooted.
ISG Web Site (20 Oct 06)
As you may know, at the Information Support Group we have recently brought our web site online. We have just added a "Software and Downloads" section to the web site. It will be our aim to add various software and other downloads to this section so that you can download them from us, rather than having to go out and get them from the Internet. This will help to reduce the school's Internet costs. While we have yet to add very many items for download we are happy to place things there on request. If there is a piece of software or some other download you want that you believe might be useful to others as well as yourself, please let us know and we'll download it for you and add it to the site. You are reminded that as a part of the school's Internet Access policy, you must give notice to the ISG before downloading any large files yourselves.
The ISG web site can be accessed from the front page of the ACME web site, or directly by going here: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/ISG
Wireless Network Access Points (20 Oct 06)
The central UNSW@ADFA Information and Communication Technology Services unit (ICTS) has implemented a wireless network across some parts of the campus. ACME ISG have collaborated with ICTS to have some access points installed in some of the ACME areas in buildings 17, 20 and 21. We don't have complete coverage across the campus but many areas where postgraduate students are known to congregate and some other areas have been covered.
This wireless network is not intended to be a substitute for the wired network in ACME. All ACME desktops will continue to be provided with a standard cabled connection to the network as their primary means of accessing the UNSW@ADFA network and the Internet. Instead the wireless network is intended to allow staff and students to connect their portable devices to the network, often from places other than their primary work area.
Where a person wants to use their own personal equipment, such as a notebook computer that is not owned by the school, here on campus it will now be our preference that you should be using the wireless service (where possible) to connect the device to the network. This will also alleviate the problem of ISG having to conduct a security audit on your personal equipment prior to its connection to our network.
The UNSW@ADFA wireless network is administered by ICTS. Application for accounts to access the wireless network or any further enquiries about the service should be made directly to the ICTS Service Desk at helpdesk@adfa.edu.au or on 88140. Further information about the service may be found here: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/ict/wireless/index.html