Click here to see the agenda from this meeting.
To Dos & Old Business: Numbers in parenthesis match the numbers on the To-Do Table of August 30, 1999 that we reviewed at this meeting.

Item 1: Research Computing platforms
Ed reported that Chip Smith got his account set-up on Thursday (9/23). However there are some problems with the account (which mounts his "spudnut.itc" account to the Sun cluster (orange). vi doesn't work, for example. So he hasn't been able to do any testing yet.
PBS on SGI cluster (teal) not ready for testing yet.

Item 5: NPACI/Legion
Ed reported he's done some testing of PBS on the Alpha/Linux cluster. There seems to be some problem with the PBS installation - needs maintenance - bombs at post-processing, but runs up to that point OK. Hasn't contacted Grimshaw's group about it yet.
TimS. suggested he not spend too much time on debugging/fixing problems with PBS on Alpha/Linux platform - it's a dead architecture, no future here at UVa. It's Intel/Linux platform that's crucial, but there's an issue of FTN77 on this platform. We ought to be directing users to Intel/Linux or Orange or Teal cluster.

TimT. Let's get going with Orange and Teal clusters than wait for Grimshaw' Intel/Linux cluster to become available.

TODO:> Hamp will see about getting Chip focused on getting PBS up and running on Orange and Teal clusters.

TimS. suggested we help Grimshaw's group with PBS on Intel/Linux once we have it running on our Orange and Teal clusters.
Dawn reported haven't had many Legion meetings. They released version 6.1.

Item 2: HSM Discussed space allocations and quotas. Undergraduates need a faculty sponsor to get an account. Preference would be that a "group" be set up under the faculty sponsor's user-id that permits them to write into it.
TimS. Can HSM use ACLs? Hamp thinks so.
(TimT. subsequent test - couldn't get ACLs to work.)
TimS. We ought to push the idea that it's for archival, not online storage.
Dawn asked how this fits with decision to get rid of /longtmp and have users just get/use HSM?
Hamp said we need to stress to users not to put their DOT files on this there's logs in the current maggie.
TimS. Can we survey other schools for how they use their HSM? Stan or contact the vendor?
TimS. HSM is in the IBM consortium, they won't know.
TimS. Can we have a policy on minimum size of files permitted?
TimT. Research Computing group could contact uses with small files and "educate" them about proper use of HSM.
Dee: Wondered if use of Unix has grown over the last year, now that first year students don't automatically get a Unix account?
Hamp: We continue to see growth, it's not even leveled off, but it's fewer people using more CPU cycles. He believes usage is more research-oriented than it was three,four years ago.
Dawn: Certainly seems to be fewer Umenu questions, fewer mail questions on Unix Backup more pointed software questions.
Discussed Space allocations/policy page.
Encourage researchers to put graduate students under their faculty HSM account, so when graduate student leaves faculty member can still get to data, etc.

TODO:> ResComp group should put in spring newsletter and "Leaving UVa" a reminder about giving graduates giving permissions to project data back to faculty members Possibly contact those graduate students anticipating graduation...not sure how to get such a list.

Ed accounts - SP, Orange/Teal, HSM, could it work to do all of these via the current "SP" application process? Not contact/ask for faculty reply to account request, but log all requests and then forward onto accounts? Only undergraduates would have to get faculty sponsorship.
Group agreed that's good idea-implement with Orange/Teal rollout.
Automount their home directory to their Orange/Teal and SP account. New accounts on these will use home directory. Slowly phase out separate unixlab disk space. As these accounts dwindle, in a year or so, we'll make a migration of the remaining ones to the home directory.

Hamp: Setting up HSM account is just doing a mkdir and setting permissions, same procedures as those for longtmp, so could do through admin script, like longtmp is now.

Hamp: migration of users going...down to a couple of dozen users, however, they are the biggest data file users. Still hoping to be done by 12/31. It's not Y2K compliant and there's no more maintenance available after 12/31.
N One user lost 2,000 of their 2,800 files. Users that are left are ones with large numbers of unreadable files.
Steve Stern's been migrated successfully.
He's move several 1 to 5 GB users.

Item 8: Research Computing Support Center Dawn reported that NMC are out! Starting to get space ready/re-configured, floor carpeted. Then can get cubby furniture re-assembled and equipment moved in.

Item 9: Research Advisory Committees Hamp would like copy of UCIT report....

New Business Brief discussion/follow-up on Steve Nock's URL request. Provost and then SRM gave special approval for his URL request, and we gave him webserver. Hamp concerned that now we'll get many more such requests. Also issues/questions of whether there will be "root", "admin", "postmaster" etc., with this virtual domain?

Meeting adjourned around 11:30, next meeting October 25, 1999, 10:30 AM

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by Tim F.J. Tolson