ITC Research Computing Support Newsletter - August, 2001

This is the August, 2001 newsletter of the ITC Research Computing Support Group. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information presented here please contact the ITC Research Computing Support Group via e-mail to res-consult@virginia.edu, or at the Research Computing Support Center, 244 Wilson Hall, 243-8800. The Research Computing Support Center is open 9AM-5PM, Monday through Friday.

Contents

Introductory Talks on Computer Resources for new Researchers at U.Va.

The ITC Research Computing Support Group will be giving a series of talks on the computer resources available at U.Va. for new post-grad students during the first couple of weeks September. It is hoped that these talks will provide researchers, new and old, with an overview and details about ITC computing resources that may help them to get a quicker start on their research and do their computing more efficiently. Researchers will also be able to pick up copies of software distributed by the ITC Research Computing Support Group such as SAS, Matlab, IDL, etc. after each talk. Each talk is an independent session, just attend the talks that are of interest to you.
The talks are at 3:30 PM (changed from Noon) in the Research Computing Support Center (RCSC), 244 Wilson. The revised schedule is:

** The talk given Thursday, 9/6, "Introduction to ITC and an Overview of the Hardware and Storage Facilities Provided at U.Va.," will be repeated in October if interest is expressed in doing so.

Each talk will start at 3:30 PM and should last 60 to 75 minutes. Coffee and soda will be provided. Although the talks are aimed at researchers new to U.Va. everyone is welcome. If you know someone new to U.Va., please share this announcement with them.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions please e-mail res-consult@virginia.edu.

Originally posted 9/5/01; updated 9/13/01

SAS 8.2 for Windows is Available

SAS version 8.2 is now available for the Windows platform. The CDs may be obtained from the Research Computing Support Center in Wilson Hall, Room 244. For more information on SAS at U.Va. visit:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/sashelp.html

For the complete discussion of changes in Release 8.1 and Release 8.2 visit
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/manuals/sas82/whatsnew.pdf

Just a few of the new features in SAS 8.1 and 8.2:

New Base SAS Features with Version 8.1

New SAS Features with Version 8.2 New in Release 8.2 Macro Facility

Maple 7 is Available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux Platforms

Maple 7 is now available from the Research Computing Support Center for faculty, staff and graduate students employed as teaching or research assistants. To learn about Maple 7 at U.Va. go to
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/maple.html

With Maple 7 significant increases in the depth and breadth of solution algorithms are introduced in core fields such as differential equations and numerical computation. Just a few changes are in the areas of

For more information on what's new in Maple 7 visit
http://www.maplesoft.com/products/Maple7/index.html

ArcView 8.1 Single User Available

ArcView is a desktop Geographic Information System available for faculty, staff and students in the Windows environment. ArcView provides data visualization, query, analysis, and integration capabilities along with the ability to create and edit geographic data.

ArcView 8.1 maintains the base functionality of ArcView 3.x and adds a host of improvements driven by user requests. New features include a catalog for browsing and managing data, on-the-fly coordinate and datum projection, metadata creation, customization with built-in VBA, new editor tools, support for static annotation, enhanced cartographic tools, direct access to Internet data, and much more.

To find out about system requirements and more general information concerning ArcView 8.1, visit
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/arcview.html

Mathematica and IDL Licenses Now Accessible from Home Computers

Mathematica and IDL users at the University can now run these software packages from home computers by first establishing an internet connection through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or U.Va. dialin lines so that the local Mathematica/IDL installation can communicate with its respective license manager on ITC's Unix server. Installation CDs for either Mathematica or IDL be obtained from the Research Computing Support Center in Wilson Hall 244.

Further information about installing Mathematica and IDL, as well as general information concerning their use can be found on the respective Research Computing Services Web pages at:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/mathematica.html
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/idl.html

Specific questions about either of these software packages should be directed to res-consult@virginia.edu

LabView Campus-Wide Site license

ITC has purchased a campus-wide site license for the software package LabView, a graphical programming development environment based on the G programming language for data acquisition and control, data analysis, and data presentation. This site license includes an unlimited number of teaching and research licenses for the LabView Professional Development System as well as all the add-on toolsets. The following URLs describe the site license, LabView itself, and the add-on toolsets respectively:
http://www.NI.com/academic/edu_lic.htm
http://www.NI.com/labview/what.htm
http://www.NI.com/labview/addons .htm

LabView 6i for the Windows (95/98/NT/2000), Mac OS, Linux, and the Sun Solaris platforms is available on CDROM (for on grounds use) from the Research Computing Support Center in Wilson Hall room 244. A detailed description of LabView 6i be found at the URL:
http://www.NI.com/labview/6i_whatsnew.htm

The serial number required for LabView installation can be obtained from the software licensing database at:
https://www.web.virginia.edu/rescomp/ldb/swdb.asp

Workshops on using LabView will be scheduled and announced for later in the Fall. Specific questions about the LabView site license should be directed to res-consult@virginia.edu.

Expanded Services from ITC's Network Systems Group

Network Systems at the Information, Technology and Communication department is pleased to announce an expansion of our service offerings. While general PC Telecomputing expertise has been available to all staff, faculty and students on the grounds for some time, a number of specialized products and services, involving both hardware and software, have recently been made available.

Some of these enhancements to our consultation and network offerings extend from wireless infrastructure and mobile computing research to H.323 expertise and device capabilities. Our H.323 capabilities now include the Polycom SP Unit, a videoconferencing unit available for checkout. The Polycom SP provides H.323 interoperability, and is a very user-friendly videoconferencing unit. The Multipoint Controller Unit is a service we now offer for those who already have a videoconferencing environment, but would like to increase the flexibility of their videoconferencing requirements. A great deal of the practical details for how to take advantage of the Polycom and Multipoint controller Units can be found at
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/netsys/videoconf/midlevel.html.

Throughout the next few weeks, information on other developments, including mobile and wireless computing, will be made available at the Network Systems gateway page
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/netsys/

If you are considering expenditures and direction for digital projects with substantial network system components, ITC Network Systems can offer you services and consultation. For more information, please email itc-videoconf@virginia.edu.

Students can rent a copy of MINITAB for only $25.99

Minitab has joined forces with e-academy Inc., a provider of discounted, brand name software for education, to give you and your students a new, low-cost way to acquire MINITAB. Qualified individuals from the US and Canada can now download a semester rental version of the latest release of MINITAB Professional directly from e-academy's website at http://www.e-academy.com/minitab for only $25.99 US ($34.99 CAD). Professors and students need a verifiable school e-mail address and a valid Mastercard(R) or Visa(R) in order to purchase retail products from e-academy's secure system. The rental version of MINITAB from e-academy has an expiration date of either January 31 or August 31, depending on when you purchase. This means you can purchase a rental version of MINITAB for just one semester at a time - the ideal solution if you don't want to invest money in software you're only using for one course. For more information about e-academy or to download and purchase the rental version of MINITAB, please visit the e-academy website at: http://www.e-academy.com/minitab or call (877) 616-0662 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada) or send e-mail to mailto:info@e-academy.com

Students can rent a copy of LISREL for $60.00

In co-operation with e-academy, SSI now offers unique, fully-featured rental versions of the latest editions of LISREL and HLM. These rentals are available exclusively through e-academy.com to students, staff and faculty at North American colleges and universities.

The rental products can be found in e-academy's eStore, and at
http://www.e-academy.com/hlm and http://www.e-academy.com/lisrel

Prices are:

The programs come with extensive on-line help, but printed manuals can be purchased separately from SSI, if preferred. For details, see: http://www.ssicentral.com/store.htm or contact Bola King at 1-800-247-6113.

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