Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Computer Resources
Compiled by James R. Connolly, Department Network Manager
(Revision date: 10-Aug-97)
E&PS Network Accounts
Contact Information:
To access the Earth and Planetary Sciences file and print services or use workstations provided within the department, each individual user must have a network account assigned within the department. This is not the same as a campus Email account which is assigned by the Computing Center (CIRT).
Department Computer accounts are provided to Faculty, Staff, Graduate Students upon request. Unless a specific written request to the contrary is submitted by a member of the Department faculty or staff, accounts are terminated and all stored files removed in the semester following graduation or departure from UNM for any other reason. Undergraduates requesting accounts must demonstrate that the account is needed for a particular class or research project. Students from other departments are given accounts if taking a class within the department which requires computer use. All undergraduate accounts have a set date upon which they become inactive (usually two weeks after the end of the semester activated), but may be extended upon request of a sponsoring faculty or staff member.
To obtain an account a Request for Account form (obtained from Cindy in the Main office) must be submitted to Jim Connolly. New users are returned a slip of paper with their Username and first-time login password. When users first login, they need to change their password to something of their choice. Some password guidelines:
Network logons on Windows workstations (any version) are to the E&PS Domain. Network logons from Macintosh workstations are in the Northrop_2 zone to the server EPS. Any computers connected to the network must be configured correctly to function properly and this is not simple for most users to do. Anyone (faculty, staff, graduate student, etc.) planning to attach a computer must complete a request for IP address and network port activation before attempting any connections. These "Port Activation Request" forms are available from Cindy in the main office. Except in special circumstances, all connected computers will be setup by the Network Manager.
Hardware Resources Available:
In Department Computer Lab (Rooms 224A and D):
Six Workstations including:
Three Printers including:
An HP Deskscan 300 dpi flatbed Color Scanner (Connected to EPS013)
A Calcomp Large-format Drawing Board Digitizer w. Idrisi Software (Connected to EPS012; currently marginally operational -- will be updated Fall 1998))
3 SUN Workstations (running various flavors of SUN Unix OS) physically located in the QSL and Paleomag Lab, accessible via XWin32 software. For information about access to the UNIX cluster system, please contact Dr. Frank Pazzaglia (fjp@unm.edu).
Software Supported On Workstations:
Important Note: The department provides support and technical assistance for supported software via the Computer TA and the Network manager. Some unsupported software is made available on the network, but staff is not required provide technical assistance nor can we guarantee that it will work correctly.
On Macintosh Workstations:
On NT Workstations:
Unsupported Commercial (Licensed) Software Available
Shareware and Free Software Available
File Server
The department has two servers running Windows NT 4.0. The original server (EPS001) lives in the main office in a locked cabinet. It is a DEC 2000 Model 500 AXP Alpha Server with 80 MB of RAM. Its primary function is validating user logins and acting as print server for most network-connected printers in the department. The second server is an Intel Pentium Pro system with 64 MB of RAM and a total of 10 GB of disk storage of which 4 GB is reserved for storage of user data. This is the primary file server and also host the department's Worldwide Web (http://eps.unm.edu) and FTP site (ftp://eps.unm.edu). In the fall of 1998, we will be adding an additional 4 GB of disk capacity to the system.
The data on the file server is backed up on a daily basis in the wee hours of the morning. We maintain a two to three week "snapshot" of everything on the system which is only used in the case of a catastrophic failure. We do not archive data (i.e., if you deleted something and you want it back, we cannot provide it, so be careful). While we do provide backup of everything on EPS in case of failure, all users are responsible for backing up their critical data on removable media for "insurance". In the Fall of 1998 we will be adding an Iomega ZIP drive for use in backing up individual user's data.
Network file resources are made available via things called "shares". Because the NT file system has the ability to look like a Mac to a Mac, and look like a PC to a PC, many shared resources are available to both Macintosh and PC users. The number of shares available is limited, and the number of simultaneous connections may be limited by NT because of the number of licenses available for a particular software package which is shared.
To connect to shared resources on a Macintosh, you must have Microsoft authentication installed on your networked Mac. This is already done on the Lab computers, and an instruction sheet is available for others. The procedure is to use the Chooser, select AppleShare, Select the Northrop_2 Zone, and pick EPS as your server. Logon with Microsoft Authentication and choose the share to connect to.
To connect to shared resources on a Windows NT Workstation (or any other Win95 or Windows for Workgroups PC on the network), just logon to the E&PS domain. When this is done you are automatically connected to the USERS and COMMON shares as part of the logon procedure. Other Shares are connected through the Network Neighborhood (Win95, NT 4.0) or File Manager (WFWG, NT 3.51). The address given below for the shares is the universal network address.
The NT file system has very sophisticated security which is set by user. Thus a shared directory may be set up in one or two people can have full access (read, write, add, delete) to files in the directory, while other users (i.e., students in a class) may only have read permission (so that files are safe from tampering).
Available file shares (in the order in which most users are likely to use them):
\\EPS\users - (PC and Mac). This share contains a personal directory for every user who has an account on the system. The directories (or folders) in it have the same name as the username. Security is set on these folders so that only the user has full access to the data and all others are excluded. Owners of these directories do have the ability to modify these permissions as they choose. The "users" share is automatically mounted as drive L: on all Windows PCs and NT Workstations upon login. Because of limited disk space, we ask that users limit their disk usage to under 30 MB in their personal directories. If you disk usage exceeds that amount, you may get Email from the Network Manager asking that you reduce it.
\\EPS\common - (PC and Mac). This share contains directories which are used by "work groups" within the department. Groups are very flexible, can be set up by the Network administrator quickly. Access can be restricted to particular users or groups of users and can include lab or research group shared data, course materials, etc. The "common" share is automatically mounted as drive M: on all Windows PCs and NT Workstations upon login.
\\EPS\install - (PC only). This contains folders with installation programs for shareware or free programs available to users with their own systems connected to the network. Look for files named "readme.txt" for information about what is available, or contact Jim Connolly.
\\EPS\wn16free - (PC only). This contains executable versions of shareware, freeware or site-licensed programs which may be run from the server on workstations. Most of these programs are installed on the Department workstations, and they can also be run by individual's computers connected to the network.
\\EPS\incoming - (PC and Mac). This is a special use directory designed for receiving files from outside the department. Outside colleagues may upload files directed to you via anonymous FTP to EPS.unm.edu and you may copy them from the server to a local system. There are some significant security issues which all should be aware of with this service.
\\EPS\outgoing - (PC and Mac). This is a directory where users may place files which may be downloaded by anonymous FTP users who log in from anywhere on the Internet.
\\EPS\pub - (PC only). This is the anonymous FTP "public" directory which contains lots of shareware and freeware for PCs, some programs for Macintosh, bug-fixes and updates from Microsoft, the network ".help" files, and other odds and ends.
\\EPS\designer - (PC only). Folder contains a 5-user licensed version of Micrographix Designer 4.1. This is installed on Department workstations, and can be used by others, but before doing so please consult with Jim Connolly to avoid installation problems.
Mac Free and Shareware - (Mac only). For "within department" use, contains installer programs for Mac Shareware and drivers (including the drivers for the EPS224AP Laserjet printer).
Remote Access to Resources
The User and Common shares on EPS may be accessed through the Internet via FTP. Use of FTP and remote login via PPP phone lines through CIRT are discussed in CIRT literature and in other documents produced by the Network manager, and is not discussed here. Suffice to say that any remote service that provides Internet FTP client access can be used to access the data section of EPS.
The shareware and public areas of the system are accessed via and anonymous login. To access the User and Common shares, you must
1. Login with you department username and password.
2. Specify the name of the share to connect to. These shares are not displayed by the FTP server so that they are not displayed to unauthorized users. Exactly how this is done depends on your FTP client program. The "Users" share is called "epsusers" on the FTP system, and the "Common" share is called "epsgroup". You must know these names to login.
Windows 95 remote PC users with a high-speed modem (14.4 KB or faster) can setup "Dial-Up Networking" and TCP/IP on their home computers to connect to UNM's PPP lines and connect to their office computers or the server remotely. There is a Microsoft Word document available in the "PUB" share (\\EPS\PUB\NETHELP\WIN95TCP.DOC) which explains how this is set up. The main problem with this is that UNM has a limited number of PPP lines (about 150 at last count to serve 20,000 users) and they are often busy (particularly at peak evening times). If set up properly, this access also works with other Internet service providers (with the notable exception of America Online!). This type of access gives you Windows-based access to everything that you are authorized to use on the Network (although at slower than network speed since connection is through a modem).
CIRT Services
UNM's Computer Information and Resource Technology (CIRT) Department provides the several services, some of which are listed below. For our network, the essential services are the Ethernet connections (the white-plate-covered boxes with two jacks which look like phone jacks on steroids), Email services, and Internet access. Some other useful services which are available include the use of student-accessible computer pods (closest are in the Lobo Lab in the SUB and the Engineering pod just west of Centennial Library), UNIX services (remote login to run various programs, X-Windows compute servers, ability to upload personal Worldwide Web pages, Worldwide Web site with UNM information, etc.), access to other mainframe computers (IBM-MVS, Library catalog via Libros, etc.), and printers (in the computer pods).
Ethernet connections: The Ethernet connection boxes found in almost every office and classroom in Northrop Hall are R-45 Twisted-pair Ethernet (should anyone ask or you purchase a computer you want to connect). Northrop Hall is the center for one of 7 network "hubs" on campus which feed directly into CIRT's backbone via fiber optic cable. This provides high-speed access to both our local resources, Campus-wide resources, and the Internet. It is important to remember that just because there is a port in an office or classroom does not mean that it is active. While we have more than 200 ports at the faceplates, only about 100 of those are active. The number which can be activated is limited by hardware which we (as a department) must purchase to expand.
Email: Everyone who has a campus computer account on the UNIX (or AIX) system, also has a UNM Email address. The address is yourusername@unm.edu. Mine is connolly@unm.edu. The best way for users who do not have their own computer on the network to access their Email is to use the Telnet program on whatever computer they are using, open a connection to aix.unm.edu, login using their username and password, and then enter pine at the UNIX "%" prompt. Pine is an easy to use (but, alas, text-based program) which is supported by CIRT. For those who have their own computers connected to the Ethernet, there are graphical user interface (GUI) alternatives which are generally easier to use (particularly for printing your Email) available for free for both Mac and Windows computers.