This is the February 2004 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 (RCSC), 244 Wilson Hall, 243-8800. The RCSC is open 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.
Please note: This information does not apply to systems managed by Health System Computing Services (HSCS).
Earlier this month, Microsoft released critical updates to deal with new security holes in most Windows operating systems (NT, 2000, XP, 2003 Server). As with past Windows security issues, an unprotected computer can easily be attacked. When a machine is successfully attacked, it means that someone has been able to take control of your computer and do any number of things including destroying or altering your data, leaving behind malicious programs that could be used to broadcast your personal information to other sites, or turn your computer into a mechanism to attack other sites and distribute illegal information.
All users of the above Windows operating systems should protect themselves
against these threats by running Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
and installing all Critical Updates on a regular, if not daily, basis (unless
your LSP/local computing support person has previously told you that this is
being handled centrally). For instructions on how to configure your computer
to automatically run Windows Update daily, please see:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;306525
ITC now offers a free service that provides participating faculty and staff's Windows 2000 and XP workstations with automated application of Microsoft's critical updates after they become available and are tested by ITC's Micro Systems group. Update application will happen either at 3:00AM for those that choose to leave their machines on overnight, or upon machine startup for those that shut their workstations down at night.
Workstations that are part of Eservices or any other Windows 2000 or 2003 domain may take advantage of this free service. For those that are not part of a domain, you may either become an Eservices domain member and participate in the update service. The University will provide the necessary licensing at no cost to you. See http://www.itc.virginia.edu/microsys/patchmanagement.html for more details and check with your LSP to be sure this is not already in place in your area. To join, send an email to itc-microsystems@virginia.edu.
Software and Hardware..........
Ansys, a structural analysis package, will be upgraded to version 7.1 on February 24, 2004. ITC will begin distribution of CDs for the Windows platform at that time at the Research Computing Support Center in Wilson 244. Current U.Va. faculty, staff, and students are eligible to obtain a copy of Ansys, but the product can only be used via ITC's network license server and will be available only for installation on on-Grounds computers. All Windows users, including current testers, will be required to register their copies with the ITC Software Licensing Database and obtain new information for licensing as of the upgrade date.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact us at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
The license server for IDL will change as of February 24, 2004. All users with local installations must obtain a new license file from the ITC Software Licensing Database as of this date. System administrators who mount this package from jeeves.itc server should make sure their mount is refreshed so that the correct license.dat file is used.
Also note that as of February 24, off-Grounds users of IDL must access the software through either ssh tunneling (http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/unix/ssh_tunneling/) or via the U.Va. Anywhere VPN client (http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/pki/vpn/applications.phtml#restricted).
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact us at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
IDL Version 5.5 will be removed from Jeeves on February 24, 2004. The only advantage to this old version is a context-sensitive help function, but that functionality has been partially implemented in versions 5.6 and 6.0 by the addition of the "index" command.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact us at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
The license server for the ESRI products ArcInfo and ArcIMS will change as of February 24, 2004. All users with local installations must obtain new license information from the ITC Software Licensing Database at that time. Unix system administrators who mount ESRI products from Jeeves should make sure their mount is refreshed so that the correct license.dat file is used.
As of February 24, off-Grounds users of ArcInfo whose license is managed on the U.Va. network will access the software through either ssh tunneling (http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/unix/ssh_tunneling/) or via the U.Va. Anywhere VPN client (http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/pki/vpn/applications.phtml#restricted). These users will need to use the ArcGIS Desktop Administrator to modify the license server name. Detailed instructions will be emailed to these users prior to the license server change.
ArcInfo users who are using a dongle (hardware key) as well as users of ArcView, BusinessMap and ArcPad users will not be affected by any of these changes.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact us at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
In some cases, students will no longer be eligible to access licensed managed software from off-Grounds. Their options will be to either purchase a student version of the software package to install on their machine, or run the software on ITC on-Grounds computing platforms from off-Grounds through either SecureCRT or an Xserver interface (Exceed or cygwin). ITC is investigating volume order price discounts in the student versions. Students interested in this option should the ITC Research Computing Support Group at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
The following is a list network license managed software whose use off-Grounds will require authentication sometime after January 14:
For those users who are eligible and want to install the software on their own machines running Mac OSX or Linux, the staff of the Research Computing Support Center will work with them to implement a mechanism for them to do authentication from those platforms.
Documentation for running the licensed managed software from off-Grounds and additional details for some of these changes is available in this newsletter.
If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact us at res-consult@virginia.edu or 243-8800.
The Research Computing Support Center will be hosting a series of colloquia as the new year starts. All talks will be from 3:30pm to 4:45pm on select Wednesdays in the Research Computing Support Center, Wilson Hall, Room 244. Please join us for:
Wednesday, February 18: Introduction to MPI (presented by Katherine
Holcomb) To be held in Wilson 216 adjourning the RCSC
to accommodate many more attendees.
This talk will introduce the message-passing library MPI (Message Passing Interface),
which is used to develop parallel codes in a distributed-memory environment
such as the ITC Aspen (aspen.itc) and
Birch (birch.itc) clusters.
Wednesday, March 17: Beyond PowerPoint: Alternative Software for Scientific/Technical
Presentations (presented by Ed Hall)
This talk will focus on software packages for creating presentations of scientific
and technical material, as alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint (see http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp).
The packages considered with be the open source Prosper package for LaTeX and
the Mathematica slide environment.
Wednesday,
March 31: Minitab for Windows, Version 14: What's new! (presented by Kathy
Gerber)
This talk will discuss Minitab's new
release for Windows, Version 14. This is the first new release of Minitab in several
years. In addition to more statistical power than the previous release, MINITAB
14 offers many exciting new features such as: a powerful new graphics engine,
an effortless method to create, edit, and update graphs and the ability to customize
your menus and toolbars.
Wednesday, April 14: Computing with the IMSL Scientific Libraries: Serial
and Parallel (presented by Ed Hall)
This talk will outline how to use the IMSL Fortran Numerical Library 5.0 to
implement complex and efficient numerical algorithms using Fortran 90 (or C)
programs. The talk will focus on the implementation of IMSL routines in serial
programs as well the IMSL MPI-enabled routines for parallel programs.
The Robertson Media Center will host a series of weekly meetings to discuss technical issues relating to the creation and use of digital media. These informal "media colloquia" will be held every Friday in Clemons Library room 407, from 2-3pm. Upcoming media colloquia include:
All interested parties are invited. Please contact Judith Thomas (jthomas@virginia.edu) if you would like to receive further announcements of this series, or if you'd like to lead a discussion or present your work on any aspect of digital media.
Attend an online Webcast just by dialing in on your phone and logging on from your computer. Upcoming Webcasts include:
AMOSFor details on in-person events and seminars, please visit
Structural equation modeling
Wednesday, March 10, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. CST / 12:00 p.m. EST
Learn how to refine your analysis with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and AMOS 5.0. Discover why SEM and AMOS 5.0 are ideal for researchers with observational (non-experimental) data; analysts who use regression, factor or reliability analysis; survey and market researchers and social scientists. Plus, get a brief demo of how Amos 5.0 makes SEM easy to understand and use, and why no other method brings as much power with a statistically sound approach. http://www.spss.com/events/event.cfm?E_ID=859
Please call SPSS Inc. tollfree at (800) 543-5815 if you have any questions. SPSS Inc., 233 S. Wacker Drive, Floor 11, Chicago, IL 60606.
You can access and go through tutorial on your own at your convenience. Alternatively, you can come to the ITC Research Computing Support Center (Wilson 244) to work through the tutorial where someone is available to answer questions if you have difficulties. The Center is open from 9am to 5pm. If you choose to do a tutorial at the Center, you should send mail to res-consult@virginia.edu to insure someone familiar with the software will be available for consultation.
These sessions are FREE, but seating is limited. If you are interested in attending or have further querstions about these seminars, send mail to res-consult@virginia.edu.
Hands-On Introduction to LabVIEW Graphical Development Environment Seminar
Create Custom Test, Measurement, and Control Applications Easily with LabVIEW
Graphical Development
This free, three-hour seminar discusses how to build powerful, custom test, measurement, and control applications from scratch using intuitive, measurement-specific graphical programming. Discover the power of National Instruments LabVIEW 7 Express -- the graphical development environment used by engineers and scientists in virtually every industry. This hands-on seminar explores the fundamentals of building a robust test, measurement, or control system with LabVIEW and data acquisition and instrument control hardware. You gain hands-on experience with LabVIEW and learn how its graphical development helps you reduce development time and create flexible applications that easily integrate with thousands of I/O devices from hundreds of vendors, getting you to your solution faster.
In this seminar, you:
LabVIEW "Design and Analysis" User Group MeetingEnhance Your LabVIEW Development Skills and Network With Other LabVIEW Users in Your Area
Join us to discuss the new capabilities of LabVIEW 7 Express graphical programming! See development techniques demonstrated through real-world applications and meet and interact with colleagues developing both large and small applications with LabVIEW. Don't miss this opportunity to discuss and learn about Express functions, interactive measurement assistants, and distributed and embedded targets. We will be focusing on new Design, Analysis, and Control Toolkits and distributed and PXI targets. The Toolkits that will be covered include:
- Mathematics; Extend MATLAB with LabVIEW capabilities such as powerful I/O, analysis, and user interface tools
- Simulation Interface; Quickly create custom LabVIEW user interfaces to interactively verify Simulink models
- State Diagram; Create and visually represent state diagrams as a framework for your LabVIEW code
- Report Generation; Programmatically create and edit reports in Microsoft Word and Excel
- PID and Motion Assistant; Quickly create PID control programs and interface motion
- DSP Test interface; Automate routine Code Composer Studio functions
Who
would benefit from attending?
LabVIEW User Group meetings are comprised of a local network of LabVIEW developers
who share ideas and example code. Whether you are new to LabVIEW or a longtime
wireworker, this meeting presents a unique way to build your LabVIEW skills
and network with your peers in your area. Bring your challenges and questions
to this meeting!
These sessions are FREE, but seating is limited. If you are interested in attending or have further querstions about these seminars, send mail to res-consult@virginia.edu.
| 9:00-10:00am | Greg Barnes Nelson "Best Practices for Automated Testing and Real Time Notification in SAS Applications" |
| 10:00-10:30am | Nat Wooding "Linking SAS and Microsoft Products" |
| 10:30-11:30am | Greg Barnes Nelson "XML and SAS: An Advanced Tutorial" |
| 11:30-11:45am | Business meeting and announcements |
| 11:45am-1:15pm | Lunch on your own (there is a cafeteria in the building) |
| 1:15-2:00pm | Amit Pherwani "Base Certification Series: Reporting" |
| 2:00-2:30pm |
Carrie Mariner "Advanced Certification Series: SQL Dictionary Tables" |
Directions and VASUG information are available at VASUG's Web site, http://www.vasug.org.
Introduction to FEMLAB (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)For more information, to register, and for additional scheduled locations and courses, please visit the Web site at http://www.comsol.com/training/
Advanced FEMLAB Techniques (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)
Electromagnetics - Statics and Eddy Currents (Thursday, March 4, 2004)
Courses run from 8:30am - 5:30pm with meals and refreshments included. The price for each course is $725 per day. Student discounts are available upon request.
Call or e-mail Melissa Cohen with any questions; phone 781-273-3322, fax 781-273-6603, email melissa@comsol.com.
Maplesoft is offering complimentary, live, interactive online training sessions. Learn new techniques to increase your effectiveness with Maple, hear about new technologies from Maplesoft, or gain more insight into specific product features.
The online training sessions provide an interactive and hands' on forum where you can observe and interact with a Maplesoft instructor, as well as other participants via full audio and instant chat. All that is required to participate are a Web browser, an Internet connection, and a telephone.
Upcoming seminar topics include: Maple in Research, Maple in High School Education, Creating Question Banks in Maple T.A., and an Overview of Maple's Microsoft Excel 2000 Add-in.
To view the complete seminar schedule and register, please visit
https://maplesoft.webex.com.
Upon registration you will receive an e-mail invitation to the seminar that provides the URL and the toll-free teleconference telephone number. When it is time for the seminar, click on that URL and dial the teleconference number.
For questions on any of the seminars or how to register, please e-mail: applications@maplesoft.com.
On Friday, January 30, 2004, ITC discontinued the tape reading services which allowed faculty, staff, and students at U.Va. to transfer data from 9-track reel tapes to UNIX-based accounts for academic and research purposes. On Monday, February 16, 2004, tape reading services for 8mm cartridges and IBM 3480 cartridges was also discontinued. Due to security restrictions, ITC will continue to process in-house (U.Va.) data that contains Protected Healthcare Information.
For information about converting old tapes now that ITC can no longer read them, please see the announcement at http://www.itc.virginia.edu/pubs/announcements/items/itc-taperetire.html.
In order to ensure a quick response to a number of issues that have emerged with computers connected to the U.Va. network, the University is asking you to register your computer.
Registration is a simple process that can be completed in a few minutes. When you open a Web browser, please go to https://web.virginia.edu/microsys/register/ and follow the instructions.
Please register the computer(s) you normally use at your desk on Grounds. If you are registering a laptop computer, please connect to the Ethernet using a cable and disable your wireless card during the process by either pulling it out or turning it off.
You will need an account on Blue Unix, Home Directory, CMS, or HSC Exchange to register your system. (If you do not have a login and password on one of these services, there is no need to register your computer at this time.)
If you have any questions, please call the ITC Help Desk at 4-3731.
Please encourage your colleagues to subscribe to our Research Computing maillist today!
