From dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu Mon Jan 13 08:49:12 2003 From: dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu (Dan Pelleg) Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 08:49:12 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] SSH access from home Message-ID: <15906.50136.546570.241409@gs166.sp.cs.cmu.edu> This is a periodic message regarding SSH access to the lab from home (or other remote locations). Note the clarification meaning that you may be able to get such access from hosts you previously thought we could not support (namely those with a non-static IP address). SSH access to the lab machines is restricted to hosts we "know" about. For minimal interference with your work this list should contain all the machines you regularly use. So, let us know if: - you're new to the lab - you changed your ISP, or your ISP changed your IP address (see below for dynamically-allocated addresses) - there's a new host that you occasionally use and would like to use to login to the lab from - you have travel plans and know the IP address of the machine you'll use for work there We will need to know the IP address of the machine. Even if you don't know it, or don't know how to determine it, contact us and we'll help you figure it out. IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING DYNAMICALLY-ALLOCATED ADDRESSES: we can definitely support these. Let us know the netblock your ISP uses to allocate your address. If you don't know it, contact us and we'll help you determine it. To get access, mail your request to admin at autonlab.org. Last note: if you disconnected service or lost access to a machine previously on the access list, please let us know so we can remove it. From jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu Tue Jan 14 00:05:02 2003 From: jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu (Jacob Joseph) Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 00:05:02 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] AFS in the lab Message-ID: <200301140005.02825.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> I'm still having trouble getting AFS to work nicely. As of tonight, AFS *DOES* function on liver only. It was the least loaded to test with. Tomorrow, I hope to get the rest of the alphas going again. Let me know if you notice any problems. I've switched to OpenAFS as the client, which hopefully will be better than what we had before (Arla). -Jacob From dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu Tue Jan 14 08:46:01 2003 From: dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu (Dan Pelleg) Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 08:46:01 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] NFS mounts available for your desktop machine Message-ID: <15908.5273.317318.645990@gs166.sp.cs.cmu.edu> We now believe we solved some technical issues regarding mounting the lab's big disk array (BigPapa) over NFS to people's desktops. Mounting that volume would give you a filesystem that appears to be a local disk on your desktop machine (or any other machine). Its volume is currently 1.1TB or so and is much faster to access than the CS AFS servers. It also has most of the advantages of sharing files that AFS gives you (for example, keeping just one copy of a big data file, or collaboration across machines or people over a shared file). To enable this for your own desktop (or any .auton.cs.cmu.edu machine you find yourself using), send a request to admin at autonlab.org. We need to know: - if the machine is facilitized or not - who has the root password From dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu Wed Jan 15 15:26:19 2003 From: dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu (Dan Pelleg) Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 15:26:19 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] using emacs cvs mode Message-ID: <15909.50155.360543.482724@gs166.sp.cs.cmu.edu> The emacs plug-in I showed in the meeting is called pcl-cvs. You can read the info page on it (C-h i, then choose pcl-cvs), or this short summary: M-x cvs-update to get a listing of all out-of-date files (you'll need to choose a directory to do this in, eg ~/h/utils) You will get a "CVS" menu at the top. Useful commands are: c - commit a file. You'll be asked to write a commit message in a separate buffer and hit C-c C-c when you're done l - see the CVS log (all historical commit messages) = - see the diff from the local to the repository version m - mark a file. You can mark a bunch of files and then hit "c" and they'll all be committed together (with the same commit message). I had to adjust the colors in my buffer because it was too dark. However I don't think that applies to everyone so if you get that let me know and I'll post the relevant instructions. From jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu Sat Jan 18 12:14:05 2003 From: jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu (Jacob Joseph) Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 17:14:05 +0000 Subject: [auton-users] Limey is Back Message-ID: <200301181714.05500.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> Okay. Limey is (finally) open for business. Please try logging in and killing it. -I've solved the SSH problem! Also, the "quota" command reports correctly. This is a great advancement. :) -There might be a lingering problem with changing passwords *from* limey, but that should not stop anyone from getting any work done. -Jacob From dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu Sat Jan 18 18:14:06 2003 From: dpelleg+ at cs.cmu.edu (Dan Pelleg) Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 18:14:06 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] Limey is Back In-Reply-To: <200301181714.05500.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> References: <200301181714.05500.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> Message-ID: <15913.57278.576763.261267@gargle.gargle.HOWL> Jacob Joseph writes: > Okay. Limey is (finally) open for business. Please try logging in and > killing it. > A few things are missing: - ccc (the Compaq compiler) - the link from /usr/local/bin/perl needs to be installed and point to some working perl (this is the convention on all lab machines and many scripts assume it works this way) - AFS doesn't work - there is no xemacs (emacs is there but it doesn't load my .emacs - missing the tex-site package) From komarek at cmu.edu Wed Jan 29 17:03:19 2003 From: komarek at cmu.edu (Paul Komarek) Date: 29 Jan 2003 17:03:19 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] AUTON chat on irc Message-ID: <1043877798.5926.29.camel@tux.home.fake> Hello, We are evaluating whether or not we should support an IRC channel ("chatroom") for AUTON discussion. At present we are using a publically available server. If we decide it is worth the effort, we'll create a private server on which we can place appropriate access restrictions, archive all conversations, and provide other irc-based services. Among other things, running our own server will likely provide fewer IRC disconnections than we are currently experiencing. At present, the volume of traffic on #auton is low and generally on-topic, with 6 or 7 AUTON lab members participating yesterday and today. Even Andrew joined us (until his IRC connection died). We would like to use #auton as a productivity enhancer, not detractor. It's fine to be friendly, of course. If you would like to join us, we are at server irc.freenode.net, channel #auton. We are trying to make it easy participate. Please let us know if you have any problems. Below are some suggested methods of participation, as well as an ultra-short IRC primer. HOWTO: ----------------------------------------------------- 1) If you are running mozilla and have the mozilla chat client installed (true for all SCS facilitized machines I've checked), you can bookmark this URL: irc://irc.freenode.net/#auton If you get an error like "irc is not a valid such-and-such", then mozilla probably does not have the chat client installed. You can install mozilla's chat client (usually easy, using an rpm), or read on below. 2) You can find a link to the above URL on your "management" page of the AUTON website. The management page is where you edit your papers and such. You have to know your username and password in order to logon to that page. If you have forgotten one or both of those, as so many have, contact Todd Kniola (kniola at cs.cmu.edu). 3) On the management page, there is also a link to a Java irc applet. This client will (should) run on any browser that supports Java. It is a very minimal client. 4) Of course you can use any IRC client you like. Popular clients include xchat, mIRC, emacs (ask Dan), bitchx, and gaim (might need to do this: tools->plugins->add->libirc.so, tools->accounts->add->irc from menu). IRC Primer, in order of importance. --------------------------------------------------- *) Everything you type in your IRC client is sent to everyone in #auton, unless do certain stuff (see below). *) Each person has a nickname. You can be logged in from multiple machines, each with a different nickname. For instance, you might see pkomarek_home and pkomarek_laptop logged in simultaneously. *) If you use someone's IRC nickname in a message you type, it is likely that their IRC client will beep to let them know they are being addressed. If your IRC client doesn't beep and you want to change that (or does beep and you don't like it), we'll try to help you reconfigure it (or suggest a different client we know how to configure). *) Of course, you can just write to everyone at once, and wait for someone to notice your question or comment. *) Anything you type that starts with a "/" will be interpreted as a command. Here are three useful IRC commands: /nick new_nick_name <-- changes your nickname /msg somebody hello <-- starts a private message with another person /help <-- usually lists available commands *) Many of us will be logged in 24x7. To communicate how available we are for chatting, look at the nicknames we're using: pkomarek_busy -> Ilease don't bug me unless really important (I'm probably getting ready to meet Andrew =-) pkomarek_away -> I've stepped away from the keyboard, or am in and out. I'll answer if it works out. pkomarek_sleep -> Don't bother writing to me. pkomarek_cmu -> All of these suggest that I'm likely to respond pkomarek_school pkomarek_office pkomarek_lab pkomarek_home pkomarek_slacker pkomarek_laptop *) The freenode.net network is 100% run by volunteers, and the servers are donated. Sometimes a server goes down, and you'll be disconnected. It's no big deal, just reconnect. Please let me know your questions, concerns, or ideas. -Paul Komarek From jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu Wed Jan 29 19:15:50 2003 From: jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu (Jacob Joseph) Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 19:15:50 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] Backup Policy Message-ID: <200301291915.50092.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> Hi. I'd like to announce that we've implemented nightly backups of all users' home directories. In short, we have the space to back up 10GB per user and store it for 3 months. Here's how you can be backed up: * If your home directory is under 10GB in size, it will be backed up automatically. You can check with "du -sh ~". * If it is over 10GB, your data WILL NOT BE BACKED UP. You must create a list of files to be backed up. It should be in the root of your home directory, called "backup.lst". Each line in "backup.lst" is relative to your home directory and can specify either a directory or file. Lines beginning with "#" are comments. For example, here's my backup.lst (/mnt/BigPapa/home/jacob/backup.lst): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Jacob's backup.lst # some files backup.lst idl_linux.alpha.tar.gz # some directories # Note they may be specified with or without a / backup .ssh/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Be sure that your backup.lst does not specify more than 10GB of files, or it will nothing will be backed up. You can check with: du -sc $(cat backup.lst|grep -v "#") * Backups begin at 1 am every night, in alphabetical order of users * Full backups are stored on the first of every month. Incrementals occur every sunday for the current month, and for every day in the current week. While this is primarily in case of catestrophic loss/corruption of our file-server, we will of course be able to restore your files if you accidentally delete them, for example. Send such requests to: admin at autonlab.org . I recommend everyone check the size of their home directory as soon as possible so as to be included. I will send e-mail to over-size users. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know. -Jacob Joseph From jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu Thu Jan 30 19:48:03 2003 From: jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu (Jacob Joseph) Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 19:48:03 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] AFS access, ALPHA underusage Message-ID: <200301301948.03731.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> Hello again. AFS: Just to let everyone know, AFS is working again on Lazy and Liver. It will work on Loki as soon as it is rebooted. We're still experimenting with Limey and AFS does not work yet. "Everything" else does. ALPHAS: Lately, the Pentium 4 machines have been getting hit pretty hard, yet the Alphas remain largely unused. Only 2 of 8 processors are being utilized. I'm curious why. Take a look at http://www.autonlab.org/status -Jacob From bryanba at cs.cmu.edu Fri Jan 31 07:52:18 2003 From: bryanba at cs.cmu.edu (Brent Bryan) Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 07:52:18 -0500 (EST) Subject: [auton-users] AFS access, ALPHA underusage In-Reply-To: <200301301948.03731.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> Message-ID: > ALPHAS: Lately, the Pentium 4 machines have been getting hit pretty hard, yet > the Alphas remain largely unused. Only 2 of 8 processors are being utilized. > I'm curious why. Take a look at http://www.autonlab.org/status Jacob, For me it is because only one of the alphas currently has AFS access (or did when I checked the other day). Since I have to recompile my code to work on the alphas, it usually isn't worth it for just one more process; hence, I preferrentially use the intel(ish) boxes. Also, the new stats on the graphs for the summary page are nice. The font is a little small, and I am not sure how useful the min and max stats are, but the current and avg stats are great. thanks. -Brent From jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu Fri Jan 31 12:19:41 2003 From: jmjoseph at andrew.cmu.edu (Jacob Joseph) Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 12:19:41 -0500 Subject: [auton-users] AFS access, ALPHA underusage In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <200301311219.41408.jmjoseph@andrew.cmu.edu> On Friday 31 January 2003 07:52, Brent Bryan wrote: > > ALPHAS: Lately, the Pentium 4 machines have been getting hit pretty > > hard, yet the Alphas remain largely unused. Only 2 of 8 processors are > > being utilized. I'm curious why. Take a look at > > http://www.autonlab.org/status > > Jacob, > For me it is because only one of the alphas currently has AFS access (or > did when I checked the other day). Since I have to recompile my code to > work on the alphas, it usually isn't worth it for just one more process; > hence, I preferrentially use the intel(ish) boxes. > > > Also, the new stats on the graphs for the summary page are nice. The font > is a little small, and I am not sure how useful the min and max stats are, > but the current and avg stats are great. thanks. Do you think it would be less cluttered without the min and max? It's trivial to remove them. -Jacob