techstaff:introduction
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techstaff:phd_orientation_2017 [2017/09/19 10:36] – created rdb | techstaff:introduction [2017/09/22 12:18] – ↷ Page name changed from techstaff:phd_orientation_2017 to techstaff:introduction kauffman | ||
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- | Techstaff | + | ======Techstaff====== |
- | Who: | + | =====Who===== |
Techstaff is a team of three: | Techstaff is a team of three: | ||
- | What: | + | =====What===== |
Techstaff supports all aspects of technical | Techstaff supports all aspects of technical | ||
However, we also provide other assistance including printer, A/V, and just about anything that comes along. | However, we also provide other assistance including printer, A/V, and just about anything that comes along. | ||
- | Where: | + | =====Where===== |
We are located in Ryerson 154. Our hours are 9:00-5:30, though we are often around outside of those hours. | We are located in Ryerson 154. Our hours are 9:00-5:30, though we are often around outside of those hours. | ||
- | Contact: | + | =====Contact===== |
- | Email: | + | Email: techstaff@cs.uchicago.edu |
- | Phone: | + | |
- | Additional Help: | + | Phone: 773-702-1031 (2-1031 from campus phones) |
- | Techstaff has a wiki with help regarding common questions available at the URL http:// | + | |
- | Resources | + | |
+ | |||
+ | ======Resources====== | ||
All CS systems that permit logins require SSH over the standard port (22). | All CS systems that permit logins require SSH over the standard port (22). | ||
- | Desktops: | + | =====Desktops===== |
- | Each student is supplied with a desktop. The configuration | + | Each student is supplied with a desktop |
- | Intel i7 with 4 cores/8 hyperthreads | + | |
- | 500GB disk drive | + | |
- | 8GB of RAM | + | |
- | NFS-mounted home directory which is mounted on all Techstaff administered computers. | + | |
- | Running Linux (Ubuntu 14.04 or 16.04) | + | |
- | Large software installation (instructional and research related software) | + | |
- | Your desktops are configured and managed by Techstaff using automated build and configuration management systems which allows the systems to easily maintain current software revisions, quickly reconfigure or rebuild if required, and maintain consistency amongst CS systems to minimize differences in behavior between the systems. | + | |
- | Services: | + | |
- | Interactive login servers | + | =====Services===== |
- | Techstaff has 3 servers (linux1, linux2, and linux3) that serve as interactive login systems for instructional use. These systems are reachable either by the canonical address or by a cname (linux.cs.uchicago.edu). | + | ====Interactive login servers==== |
+ | [[techstaff: | ||
These systems are configured similarly to the desktops and lab machines and can be used interchangeably with them. They are configured with 16 hyperthreads, | These systems are configured similarly to the desktops and lab machines and can be used interchangeably with them. They are configured with 16 hyperthreads, | ||
The purpose of these systems is to support instructional computing. | The purpose of these systems is to support instructional computing. | ||
- | Personal website | + | |
- | Instructions for using a personal website are available | + | ====Personal website==== |
- | https:// | + | [[techstaff: |
The site can then be accessed at the following URL | The site can then be accessed at the following URL | ||
http:// | http:// | ||
- | Printers | + | ====Printers==== |
- | Techstaff has distributed a number of community printers around the department. | + | Techstaff has distributed a number of community printers around the department. There are 4 color printers distributed throughout Ryerson: |
- | sassafras.cs.uchicago.edu located in Ry 160b | + | |
- | basswood.cs.uchicago.edu located in Ry 160b | + | * sassafras.cs.uchicago.edu located in Ry 160b |
- | persimmon.cs.uchicago.edu located in Ry 257 | + | |
- | chinkapin.cs.uchicago.edu located in Ry 162 | + | |
- | Basic information about these printers can be found at the following URL https:// | + | |
+ | |||
+ | [[techstaff: | ||
There are also black and white printers available in the larger student offices. | There are also black and white printers available in the larger student offices. | ||
These printers are all available on all Techstaff managed linux systems. | These printers are all available on all Techstaff managed linux systems. | ||
- | Instructional servers | + | |
- | Linux.cs.uchicago.edu. | + | ======Instructional servers====== |
- | Previously described in the “Interactive login server” section. | + | =====Linux.cs.uchicago.edu===== |
- | a place for students to work on assignments outside of the lab | + | Previously described in the [[techstaff: |
- | a place for TA’s to test course assignments and grade assignments | + | |
- | a place for general computing that will not compromise the performance of the lab machines | + | |
- | The systems support many users and should be respected. | + | |
- | Resource intensive activities (utilize large amounts of RAM, excessive disk I/O, multiple CPUs, or long execution times) should be directed to your desktop or elsewhere (see SLURM for internal options, or RCC (https:// | + | The systems support many users and should be respected. Please follow the following guidelines: |
+ | Resource intensive activities (utilize large amounts of RAM, excessive disk I/O, multiple CPUs, or long execution times) should be directed to your desktop or elsewhere (see [[techstaff: | ||
Programs requiring significant disk I/O should not use your home directory as a data repository. | Programs requiring significant disk I/O should not use your home directory as a data repository. | ||
When grading assignments for courses, especially large ones or ones involving large files, please use /local as described previously as a place to download and do your work. Doing so improves performance, | When grading assignments for courses, especially large ones or ones involving large files, please use /local as described previously as a place to download and do your work. Doing so improves performance, | ||
- | Course specific | + | =====Course specific===== |
- | Some courses have course specific machines. | + | Some courses have course specific machines. |
- | (Information is available at https:// | + | |
- | SLURM | + | The [[vm:index|personal ones]] are VirtualBox images that are originally configured by Techstaff for general use by courses. |
- | The SLURM cluster was originally constructed to support Hank Hoffmann’s OS course. | + | |
- | The cluster | + | The other type of virtual system is a customized VM that is running on one of Techstaff’s hypervisors and is managed by Techstaff. |
- | Hadoop | + | =====SLURM===== |
- | We are experimenting with an Apache Hadoop cluster for use by several big data courses. | + | The [[techstaff: |
- | Labs: | + | The cluster |
+ | |||
+ | =====Hadoop===== | ||
+ | We are experimenting with an [[bigdataetc|Apache Hadoop cluster]] for use by several big data courses. | ||
+ | ======Labs====== | ||
The department supports two computer labs. | The department supports two computer labs. | ||
- | CSIL | + | |
- | CSIL is located in Crerar Library and is composed of 4 pods of computers along with additional Macs external to the pods and a staff of student aids known as “tutors”. | + | =====CSIL===== |
- | These pods are reserved for a number of courses for labs, class, or TA sessions. | + | [[http:// |
- | MPCS | + | |
- | The Masters Program in Computer Science (MPCS) has a smaller lab on the fourth floor of Young. | + | Two of the pods each contain Linux boxes that are configured and managed by Techstaff. They are configured using a template similar to linux.cs.uchicago.edu or student desktops. The linux systems are rebooted each morning at 4:00 AM in order to clean up processes and to make them less desirable platforms for long term execution which would impact performance for the seated user. The other two pods each contain 20 Macs which are configured and maintained by [[http:// |
- | Policies & Recommendations | + | |
- | Getting help | + | These pods are reserved for a number of courses for labs, class, or TA sessions. The software on both architectures supports the needs of many courses allowing students to have access to reliable systems that will work consistently for course assignments. |
- | Techstaff | + | |
+ | =====MPCS===== | ||
+ | The Masters Program in Computer Science (MPCS) has a smaller lab on the fourth floor of Young. It contains 21 linux systems that are configured similarly to CSIL’s. These are used by the MPCS students and courses. PhD students can also make use of them and may do so if they are TA’s for an MPCS course. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ======Policies & Recommendations===== | ||
+ | =====Getting help===== | ||
+ | ====Techstaff==== | ||
We are here to help and will do so. Please contact us by stopping by the office (Ryerson 154), writing us (techstaff@cs.uchicago.edu), | We are here to help and will do so. Please contact us by stopping by the office (Ryerson 154), writing us (techstaff@cs.uchicago.edu), | ||
- | http:// | + | |
+ | ====http:// | ||
We try to put as much as we can on this site that we think is helpful. You should take some time and explore this site to get a sense of the available computing resources. This is a CS wiki and therefore anyone with a CS account is able to edit it. If you think something should be added we encourage you to do so. If you are unsure or need further explanation on something expressed on the wiki you should let us know. We are always looking to make this site more helpful. | We try to put as much as we can on this site that we think is helpful. You should take some time and explore this site to get a sense of the available computing resources. This is a CS wiki and therefore anyone with a CS account is able to edit it. If you think something should be added we encourage you to do so. If you are unsure or need further explanation on something expressed on the wiki you should let us know. We are always looking to make this site more helpful. | ||
- | Using your desktop | + | |
- | Do I get sudo access? | + | =====Using your desktop===== |
+ | ====Do I get sudo access?==== | ||
No. | No. | ||
There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary reason is that root access gives one access to other users home directories. | There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary reason is that root access gives one access to other users home directories. | ||
- | Best practices | + | |
- | Create a directory within /local on the system that you are using for data files that are large or will be accessed regularly by a program. | + | ====Best practices==== |
+ | Create a directory within /local on the system that you are using for data files that are large or will be accessed regularly by a program. | ||
+ | |||
+ | < | ||
cd /local | cd /local | ||
mkdir $USER # this will create a directory named with your CnetID | mkdir $USER # this will create a directory named with your CnetID | ||
chown 700 $USER # this will ensure that your directory is accessible only by you | chown 700 $USER # this will ensure that your directory is accessible only by you | ||
+ | </ | ||
This directory can now serve as a repository on this system. | This directory can now serve as a repository on this system. | ||
- | For further | + | More information |
If you require software that is not installed, it is best to install it locally, in your home directory or /local directory if this is possible. | If you require software that is not installed, it is best to install it locally, in your home directory or /local directory if this is possible. | ||
Place any files that you want to be backed up in your home directory, either by creating them there or by copying them there for long term storage. | Place any files that you want to be backed up in your home directory, either by creating them there or by copying them there for long term storage. | ||
- | Quotas | + | |
- | We place quotas on the home directory. | + | =====Quotas===== |
- | Self Management | + | We place quotas on the home directory. |
+ | |||
+ | =====Self Management===== | ||
Because we don’t give sudo access on desktops or servers to students, or because students prefer other operating system options, we do allow students to install and manage their own operating system on the desktop. | Because we don’t give sudo access on desktops or servers to students, or because students prefer other operating system options, we do allow students to install and manage their own operating system on the desktop. | ||
- | The desktop will not be permitted to mount filesystems from the NFS server. | + | |
- | Mitigation: use linux.cs.uchicago.edu for access to these files. | + | * The desktop will not be permitted to mount filesystems from the NFS server. |
- | Techstaff does not perform backups of the system. | + | |
- | Mitigation: | + | |
- | Techstaff does not maintain updates to your system. | + | |
- | Techstaff will assist as we can if there are questions or problems, but the amount of time that can be spent is limited. | + | * You will have to use other systems to perform TA duties. |
The reported hacked systems that we have had have all been student-run systems. Therefore, it is very important to note the following: | The reported hacked systems that we have had have all been student-run systems. Therefore, it is very important to note the following: | ||
- | Make sure that your root and user passwords are not guessable, are not used elsewhere, and that you connect from trusted sources and always use encryption. | + | * Make sure that your root and user passwords are not guessable, are not used elsewhere, and that you connect from trusted sources and always use encryption. |
- | The system will be immediately pulled from the network by ITS Security and cannot be restored without a complete reformat and reinstall of the OS. | + | |
- | Make sure that you are backing up important files regularly. | + | |
- | Make sure that your system is current with all patches. | + | |
- | Be careful about what you install and to whom you give access. | + | |
- | You will have to use other systems to perform TA duties. | + |
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