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This page contains short descriptions of changes and additions to the
Lab-supported computing environment.
July, 2008 Upgrade of CSE Linux to F9
The CS Lab will be upgrading all supported Linux machines to a new
version, based upon Fedora 9, starting mid-July, 2008. A
Beta version is now available for testing, and will be
available until approx. July 15. Rollouts to Lab managed machines will take
place through September 2008. End of support for the previous
(F7-based) CSE Linux version will be Sep 30, 2008. Details.
July, 2007 Upgrade of CSE Linux to F7
The CS Lab will be upgrading all supported Linux machines to a new
version, based upon Fedora 7, starting mid-August, 2007. A
Beta version is now available for testing, and will be
available until approx. Aug 10. Rollouts to Lab managed machines will take
place through September 2007. End of support for the previous
(FC5-based) CSE Linux version will be Sep 28, 2007. Details.
Feb, 2007 Document Scanning
One of the photocoiers in the main copy room (CSE 103) can be used
to convert hardcopy documents into pdfs that are delivered to your
email inbox (or saved to a file). Coupled with the Auto Document
Feeder, life is grand. You will need to login with your CSE NetID, to
ensure reliable delivery. See Document Scanning Services for more
information.
June, 2006 Upgrade of CSE Linux to FC 5
The CS Lab will be upgrading all supported Linux machines to a new
version, based upon Fedora Core 5, starting 15 July 2006. A
Beta version is now available for testing, and will be
available until July 15. Rollouts to Lab managed machines will take
place through September 2006. End of support for the previous
(FC4-based) CSE Linux version will be Sep 29, 2006. Details.
Oct, 2005: Print server and printing changes
CUPS implementation of Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) is being
deployed. Two Unix LPRng print servers are replaced by a CUPS print
server and Unix CUPS print clients are installed with CSE Linux
upgrade. Older system using LPRng will still be able to print, but
LPRng printer (-Z) options will no longer be honored.
Details.
Windows printing continues spooling to Windows print servers and then
to the Unix CUPS print server via lpd protocol. A new method of
printing from Windows via samba and CUPS with IPP is available for
testing, and expected to be deployed by winter quarter.
Aug, 2005: Upgrade of CSE Linux
The CS Lab will be upgrading all supported Linux machines to a new
version, based upon Fedora Core 4 during the waning days of summer. A
Beta version will be available for testing for at least two
weeks, starting July 25. Rollouts to Lab managed machines will take
place Aug 8-Sep 28, 2005. End of support for the previous CSE Linux
version will be Sep 20, 2005. Details.
March, 2005: Ending Email Address Leakage
The lab is working to halt the leakage of email addresses from our
web. A
new version of the email script that's used in the footer of CSE
"orthodox" web pages has been deployed; this version obfuscates email
addresses and doesn't require or tolerate email addresses with the
(@cs.washington.edu) domain included. Content providers may use this
email address to graphic
tool to help obfuscate email addresses.
Details.
August 11, 2004: Windows XP - Service Pack 2
SP2 is a significant upgrade to Windows XP. It includes many
security enhancements, most notably the new Windows Firewall;
also an improved wireless interface, and Windows Tablet PC
Edition 2004. Upgrades to SP2 will happen automatically for
virtually all machines in CSE (with forced reboot), during the week of
Aug 16, 2004. You will have to upgrade your laptop and your home
machine yourself.
Details.
March 1, 2004: Changes to SSL Certificate on www.cs.washington.edu
The certificate authority used to sign the SSL certificate on
www.cs.washington.edu is now UW C&C CA; formerly we had used a
commercial signer. Users will encounter a warning when they first
encounter this certificate (that is, when they first visit https://www.cs.washington.edu/)
unless they have installed the root certificate for UW C&C CA. You
can do that by browsing here and choosing
the "install" option. The certificates used on many of our other
servers-- and on many other UW servers-- are also signed by UW C&C
CA, so installing the root certificate can potentially allow you to
avoid a large number of warnings.
September 11, 2003: Unix Fileserver Migrations
Fileservers bald, dark, fury, and jack are migrating to new hosts
coco, skyo, echo, and tebo-- respectively. Details. 18 September 2003
update.
May 12, 2002: Changes to June and Ward
The machines June and Ward will be upgraded and their names changed.
See here
for details.
July 9, 2001: Elimination of Cleartext Passwords -- rlogin/rsh
As part of the effort to eliminate network
transmission of plain-text passwords, rlogind will no
longer prompt for your password. Only .rhosts-based
authentication/authorization will be allowed. Note that host
addresses outside the cs.washington.edu domain are
not allowed in .rhosts files. Therefore you can no
longer user rlogin for remote access to CSE hosts. For secure
alternatives to rlogin, see the page reference above.
June 23, 2001: Elimination of Cleartext Passwords -- Telnet
We didn't lie: cleartext password telnet was, indeed, discontinued.
May 17, 2001: Elimination of Cleartext Passwords -- Telnet
An important change to our computing infrastructure will take place soon:
- A new mechanism that allows secure (no cleartext password) login
sessions to our Unix systems from any standard browser (available now).
- A new policy: cleartext password telnet to
our systems will be discontinued starting June 23.
Well before that date, you should:
- Install and use a secure connection client on machines you
use regularly.
- Learn how to use Kerberos-enabled telnet clients.
These changes are the first steps in a summer-long journey to
eliminate cleartext passwords in all network-based services.
Jan 17, 2001: Demise of AFS File Service
Two new Linux (UNIX/NFS) research file servers, administered by the
systems group, have been installed and will replace the current AFS
file servers.
On Sunday, February 4, 2001, all AFS volumes will be copied from the
AFS servers to the NFS servers by the support group.
On Sunday February 18, 2001 the LAST BACKUP of the departmental AFS
filesystems will be taken; if you have an AFS account you may continue
to use those servers, but after that date anything you store there may
be lost permanently if there is some type of system failure.
On Sunday April 1, 2001 the AFS servers will be powered down for good.
After that date restores from AFS backup tapes will not be possible.
For an executive summary, as well as complete details, visit the
AFS Beginner's Guide.
Dec 14, 2000: New System Alert Page
The system alert system has been integrated into WREQ, the request and problem
tracking system for the department. This change was made in response
to requests for improvements in communicating system alerts. The new
scheme allows multiple system alerts to be "on" at the same time; it
also allows system alerts to be commented on, resolved, and stored in
a searchable database along with all other requests. A system alert
is distinguished from other requests by a special "System Alert!"
priority (numerical value 90). Links from the main CSE page, CSL
page, and Support page now point to the new system alert page.
Sep 23, 2000: GrpAdmin - User-Managed Unix Groups
A new tool that allows user management of Unix groups. To deal with the problem of the small limit
on the number of groups Unix associates with a process, the tool lets you select a subset of all groups
you are in to be your "login groups." Additionally, users can "own groups," and group owners can
add and remove other users as members of those groups.
See the GrpAdmin annoucement
for an overview, and the full documentation
for further details.
Aug 25, 2000: Wireless Network
A wireless network now provides mobile access to the network in and
around Sieg, at speeds up to 11kbps. It is
not intended to replace your regular network
connection, but will let you roam in the general vicinity of Sieg with
your laptop or palmtop and stay connected. You'll need to add some
hardware and software, and register your machine for wireless use
(online registration coming soon.) Learn more
here.
Summer, 2000: Video Wall Installed
A 7'x13' video wall
has been installed in Room 322, for use in networking and graphics
research, and for making video presentations in the conference room.
Many kinks remain to be worked out, and it will eventually be drivable
from a touchpanel in the conference room. In the meantime, if you
have some need for the video wall, please contact
Rod Prieto.
Summer, 2000: Windows 2000 Migration
Over the summer, instructional labs and the department's Windows
server infrastructure will be migrating from NT 4.0 to Windows 2000,
We will be using Active Directory, and linking password authentication
of Unix and Windows to a single (Kerberos) database. Individuals
wishing to upgrade their PCs to Windows 2000 can contact
support@cs for further
information.
Summer, 2000: Upgrades to Instructional Labs
Thanks to generous donations from Intel, approximately 30 new PCs
(733HMz and 800MHz Pentium IIIs) are being added to the two
Instructional Labs, replacing older PCs and ancient X-terminals.
(X-emulator packages available on all PCs in the Labs provide access
to Unix cycle servers.) Information about all instructional
laboratory facilities can be found
here.
June, 2000: Unix Cycle Farm Upgraded
The Unix cycle farm has been augmented with a set of faster machines
(500MHz & 800MHz), and upgraded to the Redhat 6.2 version of Linux.
This set of servers is available for general use (e.g., by people with
NT boxes on the desk.) More information is available here.
May 5, 2000: Redhat 6.2 Available
A new version of Linux -- Redhat 6.2 -- is now available for
installation on Linux machines in the department. CVS has been added
as part of the standard suite of installed software on Linux systems.
Other standard apps have also been updated (e.g., GNU Emacs,
TeX/LaTeX, and Netscape.) Parts of the Unix cycle farm is now running
6.2. Individuals may request an upgrade on their desktop machines by
contacting Nancy Johnson
Burr.
Feb 12, 2000: Large-Format Color Printer
The Department's new large-format color printer will produce prints up
to 36" wide and arbitrarily long, and is now available for general use
in Sieg 407. Please
read about it
before you attempt to use it. Avoid a last-minute crunch and
print your Affiliates poster early!
Dec 21, 1999: New Web Server Hardware
www.cs.washington.edu is now a newer and faster box than it was
until yesterday- a Pentium II-400 with 256MB memory vs. a Pentium Pro-200
with 128MB of memory. The OS has also been upgraded, from Linux 2.0.36 to
Linux 2.2.9. And, the web server is Apache 1.3.9, up from 1.3.6.
Dec 15, 1999: Y2K Information
If you have questions about the department's Y2K plans, please see
this
announcement for details.
Nov 16, 1999: Remote access to local news groups
Effective today, you will be able to read CSE local newsgroups from
non-departmental machines. Please see the
full
announcement for complete details.
Nov 2, 1999: Web interface to lpq
Check any print queue from the comfort of your browser at
http://www.cs.washington.edu/htbin-post/lab/lpq.cgi
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