Due to increasing usage of the Windows Virtual Lab (Windows on Linux) service, several users have run into the situation where a VM wasn't available for use.  We've added new nodes to the virtual pool of available machines to address the issue.  Thank you for being patient with our continued expansion of this service.

If you continue to run into any problems, please let us know at helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

COMSOL is now available from all the CIMS Linux machines (compute nodes and desktops).

The COMSOL Multiphysics simulation environment facilitates all the steps in the modeling process – defining your geometry, meshing, specifying your physics, solving, and then visualizing your results.

Simply run 'comsol' from a command line interface.

The VisIt visualization software has been updated.  If you experience problems with it, please let us know.  You can also run the last version by running 'visit-last'.

Free on campus Matlab seminars on Thursday, March 7th @ NYU’s Kimmel Center, Room 802 (Shorin Studio). 

Session 1 (10am-12pm): Mathematical Modeling with MATLAB

Mathematical models are critical to understanding and accurately simulating the behavior of complex systems. They enable important tasks such as forecasting system behavior for various “what if” scenarios, characterizing system response, and designing control systems.  This session will show how you can use MATLAB products for mathematical modeling tasks, including:
•             Developing models using data fitting and first-principle modeling techniques
•             Optimizing the accuracy of mathematical models
•             Simulating models and post-processing the results
•             Documenting and sharing models
  
You will also learn about different approaches you can use to develop models, including developing models programmatically using the MATLAB language, deriving closed-form analytical equations using symbolic computation, and leveraging prebuilt graphical tools for specific modeling tasks such as curve and surface fitting. 

Session 2 (2pm-4pm):  Parallel Computing with MATLAB

In this session, you will learn how to solve computationally and data-intensive problems using multicore processors, GPUs, and computer clusters. We will introduce you to high-level programming constructs that allow you to parallelize MATLAB applications without CUDA or MPI programming and run them on multiple processors. We will also show you how to overcome the memory limits of your desktop computer and solve problems that require manipulating very large matrices by distributing your data.
  
Highlights include:
•        Toolboxes with built-in support for parallel computing
•        Creating parallel applications to speed up independent tasks
•        Programming with distributed arrays to work with large data sets
•        Scaling up to computer clusters, grid environments, or clouds
•        Tips on developing parallel algorithms

** These technical seminars are FREE for all NYU faculty, staff, researcher and students. **
 
Please contact rheather.wellman at mathworks dot com with any questions.

module load python-2.7

For a list of other available modules and software versions available, run:

module avail


A new Courant community driven wiki is now up and running on NYU's WikiSpaces. 

This wiki exists to allow members of the CIMS community to provide any content that they think could be useful to fellow community members.  Consider posting any of the following (or whatever else you think people may want to know about):

• Have a tip about using the computer systems at Courant?  Post it!
• Have a favorite place to eat nearby? Post it!
• Know when/where CIMS people go to socialize? Post it!
• Have an unofficial group that gets together regularly or want to start one?  Post it!
• Know about some great entertainment in the neighborhood? Post it!

Enjoy!

CIMS users can now get a list of their most recent terminal logins from the CIMS Portal.

Note: This information is updated nightly and does not include service logins like the web server authentications, mail access, source code management authentications, etc.  It is simply with regards to terminal logins such as SSH or desktop logins.

Both the general and critical announcement feeds can now be delivered via email (instead of having to visit these pages and/or using a feed aggregator client)!  Click the "Subscribe" button at the top of either feed to subscribe to them independently and get announcements delivered to your inbox.

The Mathematica software has been upgraded to the latest version.  No changes should be necessary on the user end.  Just run 'mathematica' from the command line to run it.

If you have any problems, please notify helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu

Many of NYU's web based resources (extended library resources, NYU MyTime, etc.) are restricted to local NYU computers.  You can still use these resources from home provided you have a valid NetID and password.  Simply follow the NYU proxy instructions, but instead of using the NYU proxy configuration file (http://proxy.nyu.edu/proxy.pac), use the CIMS proxy configuration file (http://cims.nyu.edu/u/proxy-pac).

NYU's proxy configuration file incorrectly instructs many computers on private (often home networks) to not use the proxy specifically when visiting NYU websites.  The CIMS configuration file fixes this problem.

Note: We've already notified ITS and they are either unwilling or unable to fix the problem on their end.

For further updates with NYU proxy usage, see: http://cims.nyu.edu/u/proxy

The Intel Compiler Suite has been upgraded to the Intel Cluster Studio XE.

A couple changes should be noted.  To set the compiler environment variables all you need to do is run the following:

module load intel64

The new compiler suite is still located in the following location: /opt/intel

You can still use the old compiler until you upgrade any systems to the new version.  The old compiler has been moved to: /opt/pkg/intel/last/

If you have any problems, please notify helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

The Matlab software installed on the Linux machines has been upgraded to R2012b.  If you have any problems, please notify helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Following upgrades to the wireless services in Warren Weaver Hall, ITS reports that new access points on floors 2-9 should be active and stable by the end of business today, and floors 10-13 should be finished by early next week. This means that we will have blanket coverage throughout the building for better performance and reliability.

On Thursday night (6/21/2012) the access.cims.nyu.edu (running Solaris) machines will be replaced with the Linux access systems.  We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur.  If your software does rely on Solaris software, you can still access crunchy12.cims.nyu.edu.  The main difference is that the SSH keys will change and you may get a warning as a result.  The SSH RSA fingerprint for the replacement machines is 71:63:c0:cc:63:06:9b:6a:25:a1:17:62:48:be:3f:8f (see Secure Verification)Create

Linax1.cims.nyu.edu will by offline briefly down due to an upgrade to RHEL6.  The scheduled outage is expected to last less than 5 minutes at approximately 6:30pm on Thursday May 3rd.  We urge you to test any software on a RHEL6 system (see compute servers for a list of available systems) to make sure it's compatible.

Feel free to use the access.cims.nyu.edu servers to connect from remote locations during the outage.

If you have problems or questions please contact helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

CIMS mail servers are now configured to use procmail as the local delivery agent (the program that is used for delivering messages to local mailboxes).   This means you can no longer use a ~/.forward file to control whether or not procmail is used for delivering messages to your mailbox.  Procmail is now always used for local mail delivery.  You can still use a .forward file to forward mail.  If you do not want to procmail to perform any mail processing whatsoever you should rename your ~/.procmailrc file to something else.  For example:
  mv ~/.procmailrc ~/.procmailrc.OFF

The following old versions of software are slated for removal at the end of the semester.  In preparation they are being moved preparation for their removal at the end of the semester.  If you rely on a specific version of software mentioned below, it will stop working.

• CUDA: 2.x, 3.x is being moved to /usr/local/pkg/cuda/old/ until deletion (current install is 4.x)
• Java: 1.6.x from /opt is being moved to /opt/pkg/java/old until deletion (current install is 1.7.x)
• Maple: 11, 12 is being moved to /opt/pkg/maple/old until deletion (current install is 14)
• Mathematica: 6.x, 7.x is being moved to /opt/pkg/mathematica/old until deletion (current install is 8.0)
• Matlab: R2008-R2010  is being moved to /opt/pkg/matlab/old until deletion (current install is R2011a)
• QT: 4.3.x is being moved to /usr/local/pkg/qt/old until deletion (current install is 4.6.x)
• Sage: 2.11 is being moved to /opt/pkg/sage/old until deletion (current install is 4.7)
• Tecplot: 2008-2009 is being moved to /opt/pkg/tecplot/old until deletion (current install is 2011)
• Visit: 2.1.x is being moved to /opt/pkg/visit/old until deletion (current install is 2.2.x)

If you rely on one of these software packages, you will need to update your software to use the newest version installed.  If you have problems with the current version installed, please contact us via email helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speeding Up MATLAB Applications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, November 17

8:50 am -  10:50 am

New York University

Warren Weaver Hall, Room 102


Presenter: Brett Shoelson, Principal Application Engineer

-Agenda-

This seminar will review a few of the products included in the New York University
campus wide License of MATLAB and various Toolboxes.
Specifically, we will discuss and demonstrate simple ways to improve and optimize
your code that can boost execution speed by orders of magnitude.  We will also
address common pitfalls in writing m-code, explore the use of the MATLAB Profiler to
find bottlenecks, and briefly introduce our Parallel Computing Toolbox and
Distributed Computing Server to solve computationally and data-intensive problems on
multicore computers and clusters.

Highlights include:
*             Understand memory usage and vectorization in MATLAB
*             Address bottlenecks in your programs
*             Optimize file I/O to streamline your code
*             Transition from serial to parallel MATLAB programs

CIMS Community is a new forum for CIMS users to post and read items of interest.  It is restricted to those with a CIMS account.  We hope that it will prove a useful space for the CIMS community.  Please direct any feedback or feature requests to Helpdesk.

The Euler Cluster is back online after being upgraded to the the latest operating system.

MathWorks free webinar on October 14th at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

---------------------------------------------------
Parallel Computing with MATLAB
---------------------------------------------------

In this session, you will learn how to solve computationally and data-intensive problems using multicore processors, GPUs, and computer clusters. We will introduce you to high-level programming constructs that allow you to parallelize MATLAB applications without CUDA or MPI programming and run them on multiple processors. We will show you how to overcome the memory limits of your desktop computer and solve problems that require manipulating very large matrices by distributing your data. We will also illustrate how you can run the same application on a single machine using the Parallel Computing Toolbox and on a large scale computing resource such as a cluster, using the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server.

This session will cover:

• - Toolboxes with built-in support for parallel computing
• - Creating parallel applications to speed up independent tasks
• - Programming with distributed arrays to work with large data sets
• - Scaling up to computer clusters, grid environments or clouds

Register for this webinar.

Crunchy3.cims.nyu.edu is currently down due to reconfiguration/reinstall.  You can get a full list of available systems from the Compute Grid Status page.

Feel free to use any of the available systems.

CIMS compute server users can now check real time server status such as CPU, load, memory, disk, and network usage from our webpage.  Before running compute jobs, login and check each grid's status to see where best to run your jobs.  Links are provided on the compute servers webpage.

With the switch to RHEL6 our Linux computers are now compatible with Dropbox and due to high demand it is now available on all our Linux Desktops.  Simply run 'dropbox' from a command line interface.

Crunchy3.cims.nyu.edu is back online.

Crunchy3.cims.nyu.edu is temporarily offline due to a hardware problem.  We'll notify you when it is back online.

The compute server crunchy4.cims.nyu.edu which has been offline due to a hardware problem is back online again.  See our computer server page for a list of other available servers.

The OpenCL/AMD_APP machines will be offline for most of the day today as they are upgraded from RHEL5 to RHEL6.

Over the rest of the summer CIMS systems group will be upgrading all of our Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems from version 5.x to 6.x.  We will not need physical access to your machine unless something goes awry.  All upgrades will be done remotely.  In addition all your data in your /home, /data, /scratch(*) directories in addtion to cronjobs will remain unmodified.

 * - Scratch data will be relocated off the local machine.  You will receive and email with the contents new location if you have any scratch data stored.
  
The upgrades will be a four phase process starting this week.  Each phase is expected to last about a week or two.  The phases will be:
  Phase 1: Partial lab roll out and new servers
  Phase 2: Remainder lab roll out and unattended desktops
  Phase 3: Remainder desktop machines
  Phase 4: Compute servers
  
We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems as early as possible.  The first system you can start testing your software on is crunchy4.cims.nyu.edu.  Please contact helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu with any questions.

In addition our already existing CUDA GPU offerings, we are happy to announce two new GPU compute servers which are running AMD cards that support OpenCL and the AMD APP (Accelerated Parallel Processing) SDK.  The following machines are now available for general GPU computing:
  opencl1.cims.nyu.edu
  opencl2.cims.nyu.edu
  
For information on see our page on OpenCL/AMD-APP GPU.

Adding a new compute node to our general purpose compute nodes.
 
crunchy4.cims.nyu.edu:
  128GB Memory
  Quad 8-Core 2.2GHz AMD Opteron (32 cores total)

The general CUDA GPU systems (energon3 and energon4) will be offline briefly in the evening on Thursday Jun 30th as the CUDA GPUs are re-assigned to new compute nodes running RHEL6 (see 'Linux OS Upgrade'). We expect downtime for these systems to last roughly one hour and is scheduled to start at 6pm.  After such time you will need to run your CUDA software on the new CUDA enabled machines:
  cuda1.cims.nyu.edu 
  cuda2.cims.nyu.edu
  cuda3.cims.nyu.edu
  cuda4.cims.nyu.edu

This change, although providing fewer GPU cores/server, will double the bus speed (8x -> 16x) between the CPUs and GPUs.  Providing an over all speed increase.

For information on our CUDA GPU systems.

The CIMS Systems Group is happy to announce the testing phase of a new laptop data backup system available to eligible CIMS affiliates (professors/researchers/etc.).  If you have critical data stored on your CIMS laptop and need an easy way to backup that data feel free to put in a request for CIMS laptop backup access and we'll email you with details.

CIMS and ITS have upgraded the Maple software package to version 14.  Previous versions of Maple software are incompatible with the new version and will be unable to check out a license from the network license server.  If you manage an install of Maple that utilizes the network license you will need to upgrade your software to Maple-14, please follow the instructions in the README file available from the software download pages.

CIMS is proud to announce the Windows Virtual Machine Lab which allows our Linux desktop users to run Windows on Linux.  This service provides a way for Linux desktop users to access software that requires Windows specific functionality.  Get more information from the Windows Virtual Machine Lab.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Mathworks is hosting free on-campus seminars (for NYU affiliates) on using Matlab. See details below.

Day 1: Monday, March 29, 2010 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Kimmel Center, Room 802 Shorin Performance Studio
Subject: Technical Computing with MATLAB and Parallel Computing

Day 2: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Kimmel Center, Room 900 Series
Subject: Financial Modeling, Analysis, and Parallel Computing with MATLAB

Find more information and register for this seminar at
http://click.em.mathworks.com/?qs=58f60ebb76b7ef74dc93db551739ba9bb68aff8c89813956f6eed5d03f6993bb12dc0d8934e921b1

On Thursday (01/14/2010) the CIMS Linux/Solaris machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will have software updates applied during the day and evening.

The machines will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The majority of the updates have already been made on several Linux machines in the computer labs.

The machines that have already been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Firefox
• MySQL
• Cups
• Samba
• glibc
• boost
  

A full list of all software updates for Linux and Solaris is available on the software updates page.

Due to security updates, the subversion related utilities on subversive.cims.nyu.edu have been updated.  If you experience any problems with the updates, please email us at helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

On Thursday (11/12/09) the CIMS Linux/Solaris machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will have software updates applied during the day and evening.

The machines will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The majority of the updates have already been made on several Linux machines in the computer labs.

The machines that have already been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• CUDA (use '/usr/local/pkg/cuda/next' for testing)
• Matlab (run 'matlab-next' for testing)
• Firefox
• Thunderbird
• Evolution
• gcc/perl/python/ruby

A full list of all software updates for Linux and Solaris is available on the software updates page.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Rick Guido from Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG) will be at Courant to talk about NAG and its Matlab Toolbox. The talk will be from 2-3:20 pm in room 317 of WWH. Everybody is welcome. For more information on NAG, please go to http://www.nag.com.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Kelvin Mischo of Wolfram Research will give a seminar on the use of Mathematica in room 317 of WWH from 4-5 pm on Monday, October 12, 2009.This seminar will be given 100% in Mathematica and will show  useful teaching and research examples for mathematics, the physical sciences, engineering, and business/economics. Ideas for creating universal examples in Mathematica that can be used by colleagues or students with no prior Mathematica experience will  be a central theme. The content will help attendees with no prior experience get  started with the Mathematica language and workflow. Since there is a large amount of new functionality in Version 7, most intermediate and advanced users who attend these talks report learning quite a bit as well. All attendees will receive an electronic copy of the examples, which can be adapted to individual projects.

Software security updates for Mozilla's Firefox web browser, Adobe Reader, OpenSSH, and a few other minor packages are being applied to CIMS Linux machines immediately.  If you have any problems with the new version, please email helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

The Euler cluster was replaced with more modern compute nodes and more
resources dedicated to them.  For information regarding this cluster please see the Euler Cluster page.

We've added access to graphical applications that need to be run on Courant systems remotely.  Access is granted using  ssh for graphical applications. For more information see our page on remote access servers.

Linserv2.cims.nyu.edu had to be restarted due to a hardware failure this morning.  If you run services on this host, you may need to restart those services.

Several "Crunchy" systems are currently offline.  Crunchy1 is temporarily offline while we do system maintenance (we plan to bring it back online as soon as possible).  Crunchy4 and crunchy5 have been retired.  Crunchy3 is pending retirement in the near future.

Sorry for any inconvenience.  Please contact helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu with any questions in regards to these service disruptions.

Due to continued critical bugs related to the current version of Adobe Reader installed.  We're updating the Linux machines to use a different version.  Browsers may need to be restarted to get the latest plug-in related updates.  If you have any problems with the new version, please email helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

On Thursday (07/09/09) the CIMS Linux/Solaris machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will have software updates applied during the day and evening.

The machines will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The majority of the updates have already been made on several Linux machines in the computer labs.

The machines that have already been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Removal of numerous older packages (see full list below for details)
• Adobe Reader
• Firefox
• Thunderbird

A full list of all software updates for Linux and Solaris is available on the software updates page.

The CIMS systems group has launched a new database service for Courant users,  making it easier to set up wikis, blogs, and other database-driven websites.  Full usage documentation is available online.

CUDA Toolkit and SDK have been updated to 2.1 (from 2.0).  The PATH to this software has also changed.  Please see the updated instructions on the GPU/CUDA Computing Instructions.

A software security update for Mozilla's Firefox web browser, Adobe Reader, Cups and some more minor updates are being applied immediately.  See the Software Updates for details.

As usual when nearing the end of the semester, we are skipping the standard software updates for this month to limit the number of possible snafus.  We are applying a few security related patches which affect the following software packages:

• Linux kernel (systems will NOT be rebooted)
• seamonkey
• firefox
• cups
• php
• gstreamer
• ghostscript
• krb5
• device-mapper
• udev
• giflib
• kdegraphics

A software update for Mozilla's Seamonkey Web Suite is being applied immediately for a bugfix and security update.

On Thursday (04/02/09) the CIMS Linux/Solaris machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will have software updates applied during the day and evening.

The machines will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The majority of the updates have already been made on several Linux machines in the computer labs.

The machines that have already been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Mathematica (test by running 'mathematica-test')
• Sage (test by running 'sage-test')
• Seamonkey (test by running 'seamonkey-test')
• Java (test by using java from /opt/pkg/java/test/)
• Firefox
• Thunderbird

A full list of all software updates for Linux and Solaris is available on the software updates page.

For security reasons, we've applied an update to the Adobe Reader program.  If you have any problems, please contact helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

Magma software is now available for use on courant systems.  The software is used to solve computationally hard problems in algebra, number theory, geometry and combinatorics. It provides a mathematically rigorous environment for computing with algebraic, number-theoretic, combinatoric, and geometric objects.

See our Magma Instructions for details.

CIMS is pleased to announce the availability of a pair of Tesla S1070 systems that can run CUDA programs.  These systems have 4 Tesla S10 GPUs.  Each GPU has 240 streaming cores and 4GB of memory for a total of 960 processor cores and 16GB of memory.  These systems are capable of both single and double floating point precession calculations.

For more information see our CUDA GPU Computing Servers page.

The energon3.cims.nyu.edu compute node will be offline on Friday March 13th from 1:15pm - 4:00pm in order to attach a Tesla GPU computation unit to it.

This Thursday (03/05/09) the CIMS Linux/Solaris machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will have software updates applied during the day on Thursday, March 5th.

The machines will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The updates have already been made on several Linux machines in the computer labs.

The machines that have already been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Kernel (No reboots)
• Matlab (test by running 'matlab-test')
• OpenOffice (test by running 'ooffice-test')
• gcc/binutils/gdb
• bash/perl/python
• mesa/GL
• OpenMPI
• KDE

A full list of all software updates for Linux and Solaris is available on the software updates page.

The projector in WWH101 has suffered some image degradation due to recent overheating problems. The projector now seems to be stable and functional, though the image quality is not what we would like. A new projector is being ordered, and it will be replaced as soon as possible.  In the meantime, we appreciate your patience.

The CIMS announcement pages now provide Atom feed support.  We provide three feeds that will get updates on a regular basis:

• Critical Announcements
• General Announcements
• All Announcements

For information on what a feed is or how you can take advantage of it, iFeedReaders.com has helpful information.  For more help, send an email to helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu.

This Thursday night (01/15/09) the CIMS linux machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) WILL BE REBOOTED in the wee hours of the night between 10pm and 3am to complete software updates. In an effort to try and minimize any corrupted files or lost work, please save all your data and logout of any linux systems when you leave for the night on Thursday. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer lab located in WWH229. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The machines that have been updated are:

• WWH229: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox16.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox26.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox33.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox34.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox41.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox45.cims.nyu.edu
• WWH229: pubbox46.cims.nyu.edu

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• linux kernel (automatic REBOOT)
• firefox
• ruby
• cups
• evolution
• glibc
• openssl

A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

This Thursday (11/06/2008) the CIMS Linux machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will be running software updates. The systems will NOT be rebooted as part of the process.

The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The machines that have been updated are:

• WWH624: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox25.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Linux kernel
• totalview
• strace
• firefox
• fftw3
• hdf5
• perl
• numpy
• ruby
• xine
• cups

Several packages have already been updated on solaris and linux machines. A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

• The new permanent labs are now open and ready for general use. They are located in Warren Weaver Hall rooms 229 and 230.
• The temporary lab in 412 has been dismantled (please use the new permanent labs.)
• The WWH 624 are schedule to be dismantled in the near future and Windows computers will be installed in the WWH 229 lab.

Next Thursday night (7/10/08) the CIMS linux machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) WILL BE REBOOTED in the wee hours of the night between 11pm and 3am to complete software updates. In an effort to try and minimize any corrupted files or lost work, please save all your data and logout of any linux systems when you leave for the night on Thursday. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates occur. The machines that have been updated are:

• WWH624: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox25.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• linux kernel (automatic REBOOT)
• firefox
• xorg
• cups
• evolution
• perl

Several packages have already been updated on solaris and linux machines. A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

On Thursday (6/5/08), between 10pm and 11pm, we will be applying a security update to the Samba server. There will be a temporary outage for SMB/CIFS services during that time.

Compute Node Downtime

The following compute nodes will be taken offline (starting at approximately 6pm on 06/05/2008) and reinstalled for performance optimizations:

• energon1.cims.nyu.edu
• energon2.cims.nyu.edu
• energon3.cims.nyu.edu
• energon4.cims.nyu.edu

The following compute nodes will be taken offline (starting at approximately 7pm on 06/05/2008) and upgraded from RHEL4 to RHEL5. Anyone still relying on these systems for RHEL4 compatibility should contact us (helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu) immediately.

• int1.cims.nyu.edu
• int2.cims.nyu.edu
• int3.cims.nyu.edu
• int4.cims.nyu.edu

Software Updates

The CIMS linux machines (desktop as well as compute nodes) will be remotely upgraded from RHEL 5.1 to RHEL 5.2 during the day on Thursday (06/06/2008). This includes a kernel change which will require the machines to be rebooted. The machines WILL BE REBOOTED in the wee hours of the night between 11pm and 3am to complete the upgrade. The updates have already been made on several linux machines. The linux computers in WWH624 are available for testing the updates. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems before the updates are done. The test machines are:

• WWH624: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i686)
• WWH624: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i686)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant linux updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Linux Kernel (Automatic REBOOT)
• Samba
• bash
• binutils
• cairo
• cups
• emacs
• evolution
• gcc
• glibc
• inkscape
• kdebase/libs/graphics
• libstdc++
• metacity
• mysql
• openssh
• xorg-x11-server/drivers

Several packages have already been updated on solaris and linux machines. A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.
Note: Solaris machines will not be rebooted.

Labs Moving

Lab machines from the WWH 5th floor (502 and 512) will be moving to the 4th floor this week due to the coming construction on the 5th floor.

Next Thursday night (05/01/2008), we will be running software updates on all linux and solaris machines. The systems will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The linux computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems. The machines are:

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant software updates include (but are not limitted to):

• Matlab (test it @ /opt/pkg/matlab/R2008a/bin/matlab)
• OpenOffice.org (test it @ /opt/pkt/openoffice/2.4/program/soffice)
• Linux Kernel (activated on next reboot after updates)
• Firefox

Several packages have already been updated on solaris and linux machines. A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

Next Thursday night (04/10/2008), we will be running software updates on all linux machines. The systems will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The linux computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems. The machines are:

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant linux updates include (but are not limitted to):

• kernel (activated on next reboot after updates)
• evolution (security patch already applied)
• firefox (security patch already applied)
• java
• pine
• cups
• gdb/ddd
• git
• octave
• sigc++

Several packages have already been updated on solaris and linux machines. A full list of all software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

There are also two new lab machines which are being tested to replace the majority of the remaining solaris and linux lab computers. If you experience any problems with these machines please let us know. These machines are:

• WWH512: pubbox24.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox25.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

All linux systems (desktop and compute nodes) running RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 WILL BE REBOOTED as part of the process. In an effort to try and minimize any corrupted files or lost work, please save all your data and logout of any RHEL5 systems when you leave for the night. The updates are scheduled to go out between 11pm and 4am tonight.

The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates/installs for linux include the following:

• kernel
• xorg

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

On Thursday night (01/10/2008), we will be running software updates on all linux machines. The systems will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some significant linux updates include (but are not limitted to):

• kernel (activated on next reboot after updates)
• Intel Software Development Suite (available for use in /opt/intel)
• mesa (may require reboot for updated video drivers)
• emacs
• gcc
• glibc
• gtk2
• libstdc++
• libgfortran
• tetex

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

11/01/2007 - Software updates

On Thursday night (11/01/2007), we will be running software updates on all solaris and linux machines. The systems will NOT be rebooted as part of the process. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Some important software that is being updated on both linux/solaris:

• Matlab 2007b (This software is available for testing on any CIMS *nix machine by running from the command line: /opt/matlab/R2007b/bin/matlab)

Some significant linux updates include (but are not limitted to):

• kernel (activated on next reboot)

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

10/08/2007 - Software updates

All linux systems (desktop and compute nodes) running RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 WILL BE REBOOTED as part of the process. In an effort to try and minimize any corrupted files or lost work, please save all your data and logout of any RHEL5 systems when you leave for the night on Thursday. The updates are scheduled to go out between 11pm and 4am on Thursday (10/11/2007) night. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates/installs for linux include the following:

• kernel
• mesa
• qt
• xemacs

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

8/31/2007 - Windows Profile Changes

We have changed how Windows profiles are set up in user accounts and on CIMS Windows PCs. For information on how profiles work and important configuration changes that must be made by users of certain packages, such as Thunderbird, please read the Windows profile overview.

8/30/2007 - New Podiums in Rooms 101 and 102 of Warren Weaver Hall

New podiums have been installed in rooms 101 and 102 of Warren Weaver Hall, so if you are teaching in these rooms, or coordinating any events requiring use of the A/V equipment in these rooms, you'll need to get a new key (same key for both cabinets). These are available for pick up from room 1022 WWH.

You should not need a key if you are only using a laptop, as selecting the device (PC, Mac, Laptop) can be done from the keyboard, which is not locked up. For more information, please see the updated equipment overview.

8/28/2007 - Projectors in rooms 1314 of WWH and 709 of 719 Broadway

Ceiling mounted projectors have been installed in rooms 709 of 719 Broadway and 1314 of Warren Weaver Hall . Power buttons and a VGA cable for connecting a laptop are on the wall next to the projection screen.

8/20/2007 - Software updates

All linux systems (desktop and compute nodes) running RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 WILL BE REBOOTED as part of the process. In an effort to try and minimize any corrupted files or lost work, please save all your data and logout of any RHEL5 systems when you leave for the night on Thursday. The updates are scheduled to go out between 11pm and 4am on Thursday night. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates/installs for linux include the following:

• firefox
• freetype
• kde/qt
• kernel
• samba
• subversion
• tetex(latex/tex)
• Xorg

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

We expect this update to fix some video driver issues as well as many other minor bugs with the new RHEL5 installs.

If you experience any problems with applications running on the new version of linux, you should be able to run your programs on one of our servers by running `ssh -Y SERVER PROGRAM`, where SERVER is one of our compute servers, and PROGRAM is the program you want to run. If this is the case, please notify helpdesk@cims.nyu.edu to let us know so we can correct these problems as soon as possible.

7/16/2007 - Linux OS Upgrades

Starting Monday (7/23/2007), we will begin upgrading all the linux machines from RHEL3/4 to RHEL5. Due to the substantial number of machines, these upgrades will take several weeks.

The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any software packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

These upgrades will require physical access to each machine along with at least an hour downtime including several reboots. We will begin visiting offices to start these upgrades next week.

The local /scratch file systems will begin being backed up on July 20th, however the /scratch filesystems are expected to remain intact. In the event that a /scratch file system is lost however, any changes to your local /scratch file systems between July 20th and the date of that systems update will be lost.

To state any concerns, report any software problems, or ask any questions, please email: helpdesk at cims.nyu.edu.

6/29/2007 - Software updates

On Thursday night (7/05/2007), all the linux machines will run software updates. The linux machines will not be rebooted. The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates/installs for linux include:

• kernel-2.6.9-55.0.2
• ruby-1.8.1-7.EL4.8
• mutt-1.4.1-12.0.3.el4
• evolution-2.0.2-35.0.4.el4
• thunderbird 1.5.0.10-0.1.el4
• firefox 1.5.0.10-0.1.el4
• seamonkey 1.0.9-2.el4

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

5/14/2007 - Software updates

On Thursday night (5/17/2007), all the linux machines will run software updates. The linux machines will be rebooted! The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox10.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates for linux include:

• kernel-2.6.9-55
• xorg-x11-6.8.2-1.EL.18
• gcc-3.4.6-8
• ImageMagick-6.0.7.1-17
• gtk+-1.2.10-36
• glibc-2.3.4-2.36
• evolution-2.0.2-35.el4

A full list of software updates for linux and solaris is available on the update page.

4/9/2007 - Software updates

On Thursday night (4/12/2007), all the linux and solaris machines will run software updates. The linux machines will be rebooted! The updates have already been made on several linux machines in the computer labs. The computers in WWH502 (i386 machines) and WWH624 (x86_64 machines) are available for testing. We urge people to test any packages that are critical to their work and let us know if they encounter any problems.

• WWH502: pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH502: pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu (i386)
• WWH624: pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)
• WWH624: pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu (x86_64)

Notable software updates for linux include:

• Matlab-R2007a (available for testing in /opt/matlab/R2007a)
• Maple-11 (available for testing in /opt/maple/11)
• kernel-2.6.9-42.0.10
• mysql-4.1.20-2
• xorg-x11-6.8.2-1

Notable software updates for solaris include:

• Matlab-R2007a (available for testing in /opt/matlab/R2007a)
• Maple-11 (available for testing in /opt/maple/11)

3/30/2007 - Software updates

On Friday (4/6/2007), all the linux and solaris machines will run software package updates. The machines will not be rebooted. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• kernel-2.6.9-42.0.10
• seamonkey-1.0.8-0.2.el4
• gcc-3.4.6-3.1
• gcc4-4.1.0-18.EL4.3
• tecplot-360 (available for testing in /opt/tecplot/360)

Notable recent software updates for solaris are:

• subversion-1.4.2
• tecplot-360 (available for testing in /opt/tecplot/360)

A full list of software updates for linux is available on the update page.

3/26/2007 - Printer upgrade

nettk07 has been replaced with an HP color printer. The spool name nettk07 has been changed to cpr05

2/26/2007 - Software updates

On Friday (3/2/2007), all the linux machines will run software package updates. The machines will not be rebooted. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• kernel-2.6.9-42.0.8
• tetex-3.0 (includes latex/tex)
• make-3.81
• gtk2-2.4.13-22
• perl-5.8.5-36
• ImageMagick-6.0.7.1

A full list of software updates for linux is available on the update page.

1/29/2007 - Software updates

On Friday (2/2/2007), all the linux machines will run software package updates. The machines will not be rebooted. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• subversion-1.4.2
• flash-plugin-9.0.31.0 (excludes x86_64)
• acroread-7.0.9
• libgsf-1.10.1
• doxygen-1.5.1

Notable recent software updates for solaris are:

• doxygen-1.5.1
• R-2.4.0
• perl-Encode::Mapper-1.20
• perl-Encode::Arabic-1.14

11/22/2006 - Software updates

On Friday (12/1/2006), all the linux machines will run software package updates. The machines will not be rebooted. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• openoffice.org-2.0.4
• seamonkey-1.0.6
• firefox-1.5.0.8
• thunderbird-1.5.0.8
• qt-3.3.3
• R-2.4.0
• ImageMagick-devel
• xcin-2.5.3

A full list of software updates for linux is available here.

10/30/2006 - Software updates

On Friday (11/3/2006), all the linux machines will run software package updates including a new kernel. The machines will not be rebooted however because this is not a critical kernel update and the new kernel will go into effect on the next bootup. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• kernel-smp-2.6.9-42.0.3.EL
• eclipse-3.2.1

A full list of software updates for linux is available here.

The following solaris lab machines have been upgraded from solaris 9 to solaris 10 (SunOS 5.10) and have been upgraded to 2GB of RAM each:

• pubsun1
• pubsun2
• pubsun3
• pubsun4
• pubsun5
• pubsun6

10/2/2006 - Software updates

On Thursday Night (10/5/2006), all the linux machines will be updated with new software packages and will be rebooted. This software has been pre-installed for testing on the linux machines in rooms 502 and 624, which are:

• pubbox1.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox3.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox4.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox13.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox18.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox20.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox22.cims.nyu.edu
• pubbox23.cims.nyu.edu

Notable software updates for linux include:

• kernel-smp-2.6.9-42.0.2.EL
• gcc-3.4.6-3
• gcc4-4.1.0
• xorg-x11-6.8.2
• seamonkey-1.0.5 (mozilla)
• firefox-1.5.0.7
• thunderbird-1.5.0.7
• eclipse-3.0.2
• jdk-1.5.0_09 (new 64bit on supported platforms)

A full list of software updates for linux is available here.

Notable recent software updates for solaris are:

• make-3.81
• gcc-4.1.1
• perl-5.8.8
• bison-2.3
• unrtf-0.20.2

5/12/2006 - Software updates

NYU letterhead

On both linux and solaris machines, we have a new way to create the NYU letterhead. The previous method relied on a very old version of latex (2.09) which is essentially obsolete. It also generated warnings and did not display the NYU torch symbol when viewing the dvi output. The new method fixes all of these inconveniences. To use it, just replace the line:

with

From a Linux/Sun machine, there there is a sample letter in /usr/local/share/texmf-local/doc/latex/sample.tex.

Dr Scheme

A new version of the DrScheme environment has been installed on both solaris and linux machines.

Simple overlooked Unix utilities

Here is a sampling of some simple command-line Unix utilities we have installed:

• less : a text file viewer

  If you like more, you'll love less. This is a text file viewer with some nice features; for example, unlike more, less allows backward as well as forward movement in the file.

• rename : a powerful file renamer

  Renames the filenames supplied according to the rule (which can use regular expressions) specified as the first argument.

• file : determine file type

  If you have a file and are not sure what sort of file it is, you can use the file to find out.

• dos2unix and unix2dos - Unix <-> DOS/MAC text file converter

  To convert a text file created on a DOS or Windows system, run

  dos2unix -ascii OLD-FILENAME NEW-FILENAME

  This strips the extra carriage returns from OLD-FILENAME that DOS is wont to place in the file, and writes the result to NEW-FILENAME.

The remainder of the updates for the linux machines can be seen here.

3/21/2006 - Recent software installation

On both linux and solaris machines, the following have been recently updated/installed:

• ifinger
  Used to find a person's CIMS username given all or part of their first or last name, and vice versa.
• xxdiff
  A very good graphical file and directory comparator and merge tool.
• doxygen
  A documentation system for various languages.

  Doxygen can generate an online class browser (in HTML) and/or a reference manual (in LaTeX) from a set of documented source files.

On the solaris machines, the list of recently updated software is:

• teTeX-3.0
  Contains all the commonly used TeX related programs and packages, including latex, tex, dvips, etc.

  Additionally, the following latex packages and fonts that were not included in teTeX were installed:

  • chicago (BibTeX format)
  • mathabx fonts (for TeX)
  • beamer-3.06
  • powerdot-1.3
  • pgf
  Beamer and powerdot are latex packages for making slides.
• rsync-2.6.6
  A fast, flexible replacement for rcp
• python-2.4.2
  A dynamic object oriented programming scripting language. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, and comes with extensive standard libraries.
• sparsehash-0.3
  Several hash-map implementations for C++
• grepmail
  Looks for mail messages that match a pattern
• Perl modules:
  [For Perl hackers only] A number of Perl modules were installed/updated:
  • Storable (2.15)
  • Bundle::CPAN
  • PathTools (3.15)
  • Compress::Zlib (1.41)
  • Test::Base (0.48)
  • Test::Simple (0.62)
  • Spiffy (0.30)
  • Digest::SHA (5.32)
  • YAML (0.55)

On the linux machines, notable updates include:

• Firefox-1.5
  A browser, derived from mozilla, but faster.
• Thunderbird-1.5
  A graphical mail client, also derived from mozilla.

The remainder of the updates for the linux machines can be seen here.

1/27/2006

The CIMS webcalendar has been upgraded. Existing calendars have been transferred over, so, aside from software improvements, the upgrade should be seamless.