========================= SSC News, September, 1994 ========================= This is the SSC News. This monthly electronic newsletter will keep you informed about recent changes on the SSC computer networks. We hope this information will help improve communication between the SSC computing staff and all of you computer users out there. Inside this issue... SSC Town Meeting Cluster Consolidation Update and Dates SSC Training Sessions - Fall Semester 1994 Other Computing Lectures of Interest Batch Queue Daytime Definition Change Group Leader Packets ---------------- SSC Town Meeting ---------------- WHEN: TODAY! Friday, September 9, Noon to 1:00 WHERE: SEWELL ROOM, 8417 SOCIAL SCIENCE Tom Flory, SSC Director, will preside over a Town Meeting to discuss the ongoing VMS cluster consolidation and also the NFS Instrumentation Grant that was recently awarded the SSC Co-op. This grant will allow us to greatly improve our network and allow us to buy some X-terminals and pcs some of which will go in our public terminal room. -------------------------------------- Cluster Consolidation Update and Dates -------------------------------------- Much work was completed Tuesday and Wednesday on the VMS Cluster Consolidation project that was begun last fall and made possible by the acquisition in the recent capital equipment exercise of a super-fast VMS server. Our DEC Field Engineer relocated many disks and tape drives. EAGLE (our new ALPHA machine) and ROBIN (our existing VAX 4000/300) are now the main VMS disk servers. No nodes were retired as was originally scheduled because we are still waiting on SAS and SPSS for our new ALPHA machine, EAGLE. The following list summarizes changes that are a result of the work Tuesday and Wednesday. The details are complicated; come to the town meeting with your questions. o A new machine, EAGLE, was fully integrated into the cluster. EAGLE is a DEC Alpha 4000/620, a two-processor VMS-based non-VAX computer with, by itself, considerably more processing power than all the current cluster machines combined. We plan to add SAS, SPSS, GLIM, LISREL, LISCOMP, PRELIS, LIMDEP, MINITAB, and WP as the software becomes available. Once software is installed, it will be announced in broadcast. o Nine new nontape batch queues soon will be added: CPU LIMITS QUEUE Daytime Nighttime Weekend ----------- ---------------------------------------- EAGLESHORT 00:05:00 00:05:00 00:05:00 EAGLEMEDIUM 00:15:00 00:30:00 02:00:00 EAGLELONG 02:00:00 04:00:00 06:00:00 ROBINSHORT 00:05:00 00:05:00 00:05:00 ROBINMEDIUM 00:15:00 00:30:00 02:00:00 ROBINLONG 02:00:00 04:00:00 06:00:00 SSCBSHORT 00:05:00 00:05:00 00:05:00 SSCBMEDIUM 00:15:00 00:30:00 02:00:00 SSCBLONG 02:00:00 04:00:00 06:00:00 The three ROBIN queues replaced the old queue called ROBINBATCH and the three SSCB queues replaced the old queue called SSCBBATCH. You may have 'shorthand' symbols that refer to the old queues. If in your LOGIN.COM file you find lines that look like these: $ MAILCLEAN == "SUBMIT/QUEUE=ROBINBATCH/CPU=:30/NOLOG SYS$LOGIN:MAILPURGE" $ SUBSSCB == "SUBMIT/QUEUE=SSCBBATCH" the symbol definition must be modified refer to a queue that exists now. o Three of our five 9-track tape drives were retired. Eventually, new tape queue names will be introduced when SAS and SPSS become available on EAGLE. This will be announced well in advance in broadcast and bulletin. o The number of allowable logins on ROBIN was increased from 8 to 32. There are two remaining steps before the cluster consolidation will be completed: o installation of VMS 6.1 and DECWindows Motif 1.2 o retirement of four MicroVAX 3300's (AGE, CDE, IRP2, and SOC) and the MicroVAX 3800 (SSCC) Advanced warning will be posted in broadcast for any needed downtime. Software Availability --------------------- After Cluster Consolidation, the VMS Cluster will consist of the following nodes: EAGLE, ROBIN, SOC3, and SSCB. (All current VAXstations will continue to exist.) All nodes will have the following software available: WP, LIMDEP, LISREL, PRELIS, LISCOMP, GLIM, and local programs (ODH, extracters.) The following major software will be installed on these nodes: EAGLE: SPSS, SAS, MINITAB ROBIN: system server only (no WP) SOC3: MINITAB SSCB: SPSS, SAS, MINITAB All users are authorized to log into EAGLE, ROBIN, and SSCB. SOC3 will continue to be a Sociology-only machine. IRP3 will also continue as an IRP-only machine. Otherwise all agency-specific computers in the VMS cluster will be retired probably in late September when all the software licensing complications have been resolved. We will post the details as they occur in the online Bulletin and elsewhere. So, if you are out of the habit, you should make sure you read broadcast and bulletin when you log on. ------------------------------------------ SSC Training Sessions - Fall Semester 1994 ------------------------------------------ Following is the SSC training schedule for fall semester. All our sessions are free but do require preregistration. Don't put off preregistering because many of the sessions fill to capacity quickly. To preregister for a class, either drop by Soc. Sci. 4406 or send mail to SSCCLASS indicating which class(es) you plan to attend. You will be reminded about your preregistration through e-mail a day or two before the class begins. Date Time Topic Room Instructor ---- ---- ----- ---- ---------- 9/8 U 11:00-1:00 VMS Basics:Mail,files,DCL 2470 Brandreth 9/12 M 11:00-1:00 UNIX Basics:Mail,files,emacs 2470 McDermott 9/14 W 11:00-1:00 UNIX Job Management for Novices 4452 McDermott 9/23 F 11:00-1:00 VMS Basics:Mail,files,DCL 2470 Clear 9/27-10/20 TU 2:00-3:00 Intro to SAS 3432 Brown 9/28 W 12:00-1:00 WiscWorld Dial Access for Windows 3432 Flory 9/29 U 8:00-9:15 Intro to WordPerfect Com20 Clear 10/4 T 8:00-9:15 WordPerfect Tables Com20 Clear 10/5 W 3:30-4:30 Internet Overview: For Novices 4452 Sandor 10/12 W 3:30-4:30 Gopher Explained: Shortcuts, Tips 4452 Sandor 10/19 W 3:30-4:30 Internet Tools and Resource Sites 4452 Sandor 10/26 W 11:00-1:00 Intro to SPSS 4452 Brandreth 11/2 W 12:00-1:00 Off-Line Storage Alternatives 4452 Cooper 11/9 W 12:00-1:00 Data Manipulation:ODH,XTRACT,HXTRACT 4452 Cooper Descriptions for each of the training sessions listed above may be found in SSCGOPHER. ------------------------------------ Other Computing Lectures of Interest ------------------------------------ Sociology 365, "Computing in Sociological Research", may also have lectures you might be interested in attending. The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in 20 Commerce from 8:00-9:15. You are welcome to drop in for any of the lectures you like. The syllabus is posted below: Sept. 1 Introduction to course, get accounts, visit facilities, rules of use. (Winsborough) Sept. 6 Basics: Local mail, files, Digital command language (DCL). (Winsborough) Sept. 8 More on DCL. (Winsborough) Sept. 13 More on Mail. (Winsborough) Sept. 15 Emacs text editor, session 1. (McDermott) (In 2470 Soc Sci.) Sept. 20 Emacs text editor, session 2. (McDermott) (In 2470 Soc Sci.) Sept. 22 Information retrieval over the network: Remote mail, telnet, ftp, online library catalogues, bibliographic searches. (Cooper/Sandor) Sept. 27 How computers store data. (Winsborough) Sept. 29 WordPerfect (Clear) Oct. 4 WordPerfect Tables (Clear) Oct. 6 Overview of SAS, description of data set and of project. (McDermott & Winsborough) Oct. 11 SAS basics. (Winsborough) Oct. 13 SAS basics. (Winsborough) Oct. 18 SAS error messages and log files. (Winsborough & McDermott) Oct. 20 How SAS deals with data. Raw data, SAS data sets, and SAS transport files. (Winsborough) Oct. 25 SAS data step. (Winsborough) Oct. 27 SAS data step and Proc Freq. (Winsborough) Nov. 3 SAS procedures. (McDermott) Nov. 8 SAS procedures. (McDermott) Nov. 17 SAS programming. Transformations, and creation of variables. (McDermott) Nov. 22 Case selection and creation. How to do a do. (McDermott) Dec. 1 Dealing with more than one file at a time. Appending and Merging. (Winsborough) Dec. 6 Dealing with hierarchical file. (Winsborough) If the class you want isn't offered or isn't convenient, you may want to look into the classes offered by MACC. The complete list of classes offered by MACC will be posted on the bulletin board outside of Soc. Sci. 4406 when it becomes available. Phone 262-3605 for information on class listings and preregister at the MACC Customer Center at 1210 West Dayton Street. Note that unlike SSC classes, there is a fee for some MACC classes. ------------------------------------- Batch Queue Daytime Definition Change ------------------------------------- The SSC VMS batch (including tape and WORM) queues had their daytime hours changed to 9 AM to 4 PM. (Previously, daytime went until 6 PM.) This change allows two extra hours of operator-attended working time at nighttime queue limits for mounting tapes and WORM platters, now that operators are on duty until only 8 PM. -------------------- Group Leader Packets -------------------- All group leaders should have received by now their Group Leader packets. If you did not receive yours, please send mail to CONSULTANT and we will send you one. TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER, just reply to this mail message indicating you want to unsubscribe. We will remove you from the distribution list for future electronic mailings. If you ever change your mind, just notify the SSC Consultant or send mail to SSCNEWS asking to get back on the list.