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SSCC Member's Handbook |
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Last Revised:7/14/2008 |
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Table of Contents
1. WelcomeWelcome to the SSCC! The Social Sciences Computing Cooperative provides research computing services for several departments and research agencies in the social sciences. The SSCC provides hardware, software, and computer help tailored specifically to the needs of social science researchers and those who work with them. The SSCC also provides instructional computing support for the faculty, staff, and students in the Social Science division of the College of Letters and Science including a classroom, drop-in labs, and a mobile lab with a rich variety of statistical software and staff expertise. These research and instructional computing resources give you access to a level of service and support that is unavailable to much of the campus community. The SSCC can be bewildering, especially if you're used to dealing with just one computer at a time. That's why we have a consultant available to help you from 8:00 to noon and 1:00-4:00. There are several ways to get in touch with the consultant: you can call 262-9917 (2-9917 if you're using a campus phone), you can email consult@ssc.wisc.edu, or you can just stop by their offices in 4226 Social Sciences. Look for the sign that says SSCC Consultant as you enter the 4226 suite so you know who's "on duty." The SSCC provides a Windows network domain named PRIMO, including network drives and printers. Any SSCC member's Windows computer in the Social Science building can be connected to this domain. We also provide a Windows Terminal Server farm called Winstat which provide easy access to both the SSCC network and a great deal of software including a large variety of statistical software. These servers allow any SSCC user to log in and use a shared version of Windows, either to run programs they don't have on their own PC or because they are working on a Winterm. The SSCC has a Linux network, including a Condor flock and a Beowulf cluster that provides a tremendous amount of computing power. We also have three computer labs in 2470, 3218, and 4218 Social Science (see our Infrastructure web page (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/infrastructure) for more details). The 3218 and 4218 computer labs are equipped with PCs that have all the major statistical programs installed. Software made available by the SSCC (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/software/), either on Winstat, on our Linux servers, or on our lab PCs includes everything from basic tools like email programs, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office to statistical programs like Stata and SAS. Note that all of our servers are available outside the Social Science building, whether you're in another building on campus or on the other side of the world. All you need is a computer with Internet access to log in to any of our servers using very simple tools. Our publication A Remote User's Guide to SSCC Resources (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/1-12.htm) will get you started. The SSCC web site, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu, includes a large publication collection (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs) on topics from changing passwords and getting email to making web pages and using statistical software. In addition SSCC staff offer free classes (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/training/index.jsp) on a variety of topics. And don't forget, the SSCC consultant (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/consulting.htm) can help you with everything from logging on to the system to writing programs for statistical analysis. This handbook tells you everything you need to know to get started on the Social Science Computing Cooperative's computers. You can use this handbook a little bit at a time by looking up each topic you need information on and only reading the section on that topic. Or, you can read through the handbook cover-to-cover. Be sure to read the last section of this handbook, called SSCC policies and guidelines. It will tell you the computing guidelines specific to our cooperative. 2. Information ResourcesIn addition to providing computers and facilities to do your work, SSCC provides many information resources to help you get your work done in as efficient a manner as possible. User documentationSSCC publications, written specifically for SSCC users, are available from SSCC's web pages (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs). A search engine (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/search) is available to assist you in finding the publications you may need. Topics include publications of particular interest for
Software manuals, as well as books on the Linux and Windows operating systems are circulated by the CDE Print/Virtual Library (4457 Social Science). They are shelved as Reserves and may be checked out for up to a week, depending on demand. Library hours are 9-4:30 Mon-Fri. If you do not find the manual you need, see the lab attendant in 4218 Social Science or the Consultant on duty in 4226 Social Science. They may have a copy you can browse or borrow long enough to copy the pages you need. The ConsultantA consulting service provided by SSCC staff members is available to all SSCC users. Support is provided for a large variety of areas including the Linux and Windows operating systems, statistical computing, data transfers, and e-mail. In addition to helping with specific computing tasks, the Consultant is your primary contact with SSCC staff if you have desktop support (including repairs) or network requests. Visit our Desktop Support page (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/policies/desktopsupp.htm) for details about our desktop support policies and procedures. A Consultant is on duty 8:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00 each weekday. The Consultant can answer many questions on the spot, but he or she may need to research the problem or forward it to another SSCC staff member. SSCC has staff who are knowledgeable about statistical software acting as consultant in the afternoons from 1:00-4:00. We can also answer general statistical questions, but we do not have a statistician on staff. If you want to see when a particular SSCC staff member has consulting duty, see the consulting schedule (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/consulting.htm) on the web. For Linux or Windows network failures that arise after hours, notify the SSCC's emergency voice-mailbox at 657-2119. The staff person on call will be paged. This number should only be used to report network or system failures. There are three ways of asking the Consultant questions:
SSCC training sessionsEach semester, the SSCC presents a series of classes on the use of specific software like SAS, Stata, SPSS, Nvivo, ArcGIS, email programs, Dreamweaver, etc. These sessions are free and open to all SSCC users. Announcements about upcoming classes are posted on-line at SSCC's web pages (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/training/index.jsp). On-line information resourcesSSCC staff attempts to keep everyone up-to-date on computing issues via on-line information resources including BROADCAST, a monthly electronic news letter called SSCC NEWS, and SSCC's web pages. BROADCASTThe first place to look for system information is the BROADCAST which is displayed as you log in to Linux and Winstat or when you connect to the PC network. This is where down times and other up-to-the minute system information is announced. If you are already logged on to Linux and want to read BROADCAST again, just type broad at the prompt. From Winstat or a PC on SSCC's network, the BROADCAST information is also available as an RSS feed. RSS gives you access to the latest information in SSCC's Broadcast message at any time and from any place. See Getting SSCC Announcements via RSS (http://ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/1-21.htm) for more information about what RSS is and how to use it. SSCC NEWSSSCC NEWS is an electronic newsletter that keeps you informed about changes on the SSCC computer network. SSCC NEWS is sent via email, usually the first Friday of each month. It is vital that you read this, as it is a primary method of communication between SSCC staff and users. All issues of SSCC NEWS are available from SSCC's web pages (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/ssccnews). SSCC web pagesThe SSCC maintains a web site located at: This web site provides information to SSCC members, including: timely announcements; the current consulting and training schedules; SSCC user documentation; web-based tools; and forms to request new accounts, change passwords, to enroll in courses, or to set up mailing lists. It also contains SSCC policies. All of SSCC's web pages are searchable (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/search). Many agencies associated with the SSCC maintain their own web pages on the SSCC web server. The SSCC web page contains links to those agency web pages. 3. The SSCC NetworksThe SSCC's computers are linked together to allow users to share files and programs and to communicate easily with each other. The computers in the SSCC's network run Redhat Linux or Microsoft Windows. All personal computers belonging to SSCC members running one of the Windows operating systems in the Social Science Building can be part of the SSCC's Windows network domain called PRIMO, which is organized around servers running the Windows 2003 Server operating system. PCs are able to share printers and disk space. Macs can also run successfully on the building network and are able to share printers and mount Linux and Windows network directories. The Winstat servers run software called Windows Terminal Server Edition, which allows multiple simultaneous users to log in and share access to the applications installed there. These servers can be accessed from any Winterm on SSCC's network or a PC or Mac anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Computers on the SSCC networkSSCC Linux and Windows computers are available to all SSCC members. Interactive Linux ComputersSSCC has several computers running a flavor of LINUX called RedHat. You can connect to three of these computers, KITE, HAL, and FALCON, to run interactive login sessions. FALCON, a 64-bit Linux server, is not intended for general use but for running larger jobs which simply cannot be run on other servers. Linux Compute Cluster (Condor)SSCC has a cluster of Linux servers for running large STATA, R, Matlab, Fortran, and C/C++ programs. This cluster uses a powerful batch pooling utility called Condor which was developed at UW-Madison's Computer Science Department. Four of the Condor servers also have Stata/MP. For more information on Condor, refer to the SSCC Publication, An Introduction to Condor (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/7-1.htm). Beowulf ClustersThe SSCC has two Beowulf clusters, PALAH and FLASH. PALAH is mostly intended for learning and testing parallel processing code, though it's certainly capable of producing significant results. Documentation is available at SSCC's web site(http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/7-13.htm). If you have parallelized C/C++, Fortran, or R programs you'd like to run on this cluster, please contact Ryan Horrisberger. Windows Terminal Servers (Winstat)The Winstat servers provide Windows applications to Winterms, PCs, and Macs using a multi-user version of Windows called Terminal Server Edition. For more information on Winstat, refer to the SSCC Publication, Using Winstat (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/5-9.htm). Lab PCsThere are PCs in the Social Science 3218 and 4218 public computer labs which are available to any SSCC member and have both general purpose and statistical software installed. Two PCs in 3218A are reservable for up to five days for running long statistical jobs. Sensitive Data FacilityThere are two small facilities, located in 2403 and 2404 Social Sciences, which provide a secure environment for SSCC researchers to access sensitive data. Each facility contains a single stand-alone PC with a removable hard drive for storing restricted data. There are enough removable drives to accommodate up to nine projects at a time in each room. Installed software includes SAS, SPSS, Stata, and Matlab. There is also a third sensitive data facility in the building for sensitive data sets that require a higher level of security than SSCC's facilities. The Data and Information Services Center manages all three of these facilities. Please contact Jack Solock (jsolock@ssc.wisc.edu, 608-262-9827) or Janet Eisenhauer Janet Eisenhauer (jeisenha@ssc.wisc.edu, 608-265-3937) for more information. Deciding Between Linux and WindowsSSCC has a Windows network, a Linux network, and PC computer labs. If you are going to be using your account for administrative purposes like reading e-mail, word processing, etc., then you don't need to worry about Linux at all. On the other hand, if you are a researcher planning to do statistical analysis, then one of the first things you'll need to decide as a new user is which operating system you'll want to use for your statistical work. Stata, SAS and SPSS are all available in both operating systems. If, like most new SSCC members, you are comfortable with Windows but have never used Linux you can probably stick with Windows. Windows has made great strides as a platform for serious computing, and Winstat provides a great deal of computing power. However, you might want to consider running your jobs using Linux if:
Linux servers are happy to run jobs for weeks at a time if necessary. On the other hand, the Winstats disconnect sessions after 24 hours, and the lab PCs are intended for use while you are present at the PC (though we do have some PCs that can be reserved for long-running jobs). Linux's command-line interface can be intimidating because it just waits for you to type something without giving you any icons or menus to suggest what you can do. However, once you know what to type it's highly efficient. Also, having to type out everything you do supports reproducibility, record-keeping, and other good practices in research computing. The SSCC has many resources for learning Linux, including classes (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/training/index.jsp) and publications (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/home.htm). Our SSCC Linux Handbook (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/linuxos.htm) is a good introduction. Alternatively, the Linux file system is available from Windows, so it's possible to write your programs in Windows and switch to Linux just to run them. See Running Linux Programs Using Windows (Mostly) (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/5-20.htm). Finally, anyone submitting Linux jobs should take a look at Running Jobs in Linux (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/7-6.htm). Not only will you learn tricks that will help you work more efficiently, you'll learn how to not slow down the servers for others. SSCC Publication, Statistical Computing at the SSCC (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/introstat.htm), is a good place to start if you are still deciding which statistical program to use. 4. Access to the SSCC networksThis section describes how to set up SSCC accounts, how to log in and out of SSCC computers, and how to change your passwords. Setting up a user accountYou can apply for an SSCC user account by filling out an online request via the web (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/new.jsp). Account requests must be approved by a group leader. This is a faculty member who already has an SSCC account, normally your advisor or supervisor. If you are a faculty member you will be your own group leader. With your SSCC account comes an electronic mail address. Your email address is: username@ssc.wisc.edu where username is your user name. This is the address the SSCC will use to contact you, and it is very important that you receive these messages. If you already have an email address you'd prefer to keep using, please forward your SSCC email to that address. That way we'll still be able to contact you. You can set a forwarding address for your SSCC email at SSCC's Web-based Tools page (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/webapps.htm). If you ever need to make any changes to your account, such as adding an affiliation, changing your advisor, or having your account added to a special group, visit our Accounts web page (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/accounts/). Accessing the Computer LabsThe computer labs in 3218 and 4218 Social Science have PCs which any SSCC user can use to run locally installed software or to access the Linux or Winstat servers. The lab PCs have a large number of statistical programs installed. Visit our SSCC Software page (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/software/) for a complete list. In addition, both labs have printers, scanners, and wireless access for laptops. The PCs each have DVD recordable drives for backing up files and two USB ports. The lab in 2470 Social Science is used mostly for instruction with SSCC's mobile lab, but it does have three Winterms and a printer. It also has wireless access and you're welcome to work there with your laptop when the lab isn't being used for instructional purposes. The 2470 computer lab is locked 24-hours/day and the 3218 and 4218 computer labs are locked when the lab attendant is not on duty. SSCC users may request 24-hour access to these rooms by filling out a Computer Room Access Request which is available either from the Consultant or by filling out a Computer Lab Access Form (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/lab.jsp) on SSCC's web site. Just drop off the filled out form in SSCC's 4226 office suite. Once your request has been processed (usually within two business days), you will be able to enter these rooms with your University I.D. card and a PIN you designate. Accessing the SSCC Network from Offices in the Social Science BuildingMost offices in the Social Science Building are equipped with PCs, Winterms, or both and are "network ready." There are also a handful of Macs in the building. You can also bring in your own PC or Mac and connect it to the SSCC building wired network or the University's wireless network. If a privately owned desktop is going to be attached to the building network, then the following requirements apply:
Anyone bringing a laptop or PC into the Social Science Building should first bring it to the SSCC Consulting Office in Soc. Sci. 4226 prior to connecting it to the building network. We will check it and install any necessary updates/patches. SSCC's Help Desk is open 8-12, 1-4, Monday through Friday. Please e-mail (consult@ssc.wisc.edu) or call ahead (262-9917) to set up an appointment if possible. Of course, you don't need to be in the Social Science Building in order to access the SSCC network. Remote connections are discussed later in this handbook in the section called "Connecting to the Internet from remote locations." Using the Campus Wireless NetworkThe campus wireless network is available in the Social Science Building as well. You need to use your DoIT netid and password to connect. Instructions are at: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/network/wireless/ All problems with the wireless network should be reported to DoIT's helpdesk (http://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/) (264-HELP (4357)). SSCC members wishing to connect to SSCC's PRIMO domain from the campus wireless network need to do so through VPN or using Winstat. Visit http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/5-21.htm for instructions on setting up VPN. Click on the Winstat (http://wi.ssc.wisc.edu) link at the top of most SSCC web pages to connect via Windows terminal servers. Logging in to an SSCC computerYou were probably given your user name and password when your account was created. If not please talk to the person who got you your account or the consultant. Note that Linux and Windows passwords are maintained separately. When you first receive your account, both passwords are set the same, but if you change your password on just one system, it does not change it on the other. Logging in to a PCAssuming your PC has been configured to connect to our network, you'll be asked to log in when you start it up. Just make sure the box that says Log on to: shows PRIMO (the name of SSCC's Windows network domain), not the particular machine you are using. In the future also check that it's still your name in the user name box--if someone else used your computer last it will have their name there. Note that Windows has a security feature that locks access to your account if you mistype your password more than three times. If this happens to you, contact the Consultant so we can unlock your account or wait 20 minutes for it to unlock automatically. Logging in to WinstatIf you are using a WinTerm, double-click on the Winstat icon and then log in just as if you were using a PC. If you are using a PC or another kind of computer and want to log in to Winstat to run the programs available there, open a browser and go to the SSCC Terminal Server web page (http://wi.ssc.wisc.edu). You'll first be asked to give your SSCC user name and password. Once you're logged in, you'll see an icon on the left under Applications called Winstat. When you're ready to connect you'll simply click on the icon. Logging in to LinuxFor immediate use, you can direct a web browser to http://hal.ssc.wisc.edu and get our web-based Linux client. No set up is required. When you see hal.ssc.wisc.edu login: type your user name and press ENTER, and then your password. However, for serious work we recommend using a client program like X-Win32 for PCs or X11 for Mac OS X. Our publication Connecting to SSCC Linux Computers (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/1-3.htm) has all the details. Creating a secure passwordWhen you set up a new user account with the SSCC, you are given a generic password which must be changed immediately after you log in for the first time. IMPORTANT: SHARING PASSWORDS IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN Passwords are stored in encrypted form. No human-readable record of your password is kept. SSCC system staff do not know what your password is and cannot find out. Linux and Windows passwords are stored separately. Though some people prefer to have different passwords on Linux and Windows, it may be convenient for you to keep your passwords consistent. Passwords at SSCC are our first line of defense against potential computer break-ins. Remember that someone skilled can use your account to get into other areas of the network. So your password is not just protecting your files; it's protecting the whole network as well. All passwords must comply with the University's Baseline Password Standard (http://www.cio.wisc.edu/policies/password.aspx), which includes the following: Passwords chosen must
Passwords chosen must not
SSCC requires that people keep passwords that are difficult to break. Periodically SSCC staff run programs to check to see if passwords can be broken. The program we run is available to the general public and so if we are able to break your password, that means that any computer hacker can easily gain access to your account and to SSCC computing systems. To guard against this, SSCC locks any account with a breakable password. If you try to log in some day and discover that you cannot gain access to your account, it may be that your account has been locked. Go to the Consultant with some form of ID and the consultant will unlock your account and assist you in resetting your password. Changing your passwordTo change your password, visit our Changing Your SSCC Password web page (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/password/). Resetting your password when it's forgottenIn order to assist you with resetting your password when you've forgotten it, we have set up a secure web page where you provide answers to three questions. Then, in the future, when you need to reset a forgotten password, you can do so after answering the three security questions. Go to https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/password/questions.jsp to set your security questions. If you have forgotten your password and have set your security questions, go to https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/password/reset.jsp to reset your password. Logging outWhen you are finished with a computing session, you must exit out of the computer. If you forget to log out, you put the entire SSCC computer network at a security risk. Logging out on LinuxTo log out on Linux, type: > exit Logging out on Windows Terminal Server (Winstat)To log out of a terminal server, go to the Start menu and then choose Logoff... Logging out of a PCIf you have your own PC, you should restart or shut it down when you are finished with it. In addition to ensuring unauthorized access to your PC, security updates and patches automatically distributed to networked PCs don't get installed until the PC is restarted. 5. Computer ServicesIn this section you will learn about the services provided by SSCC computers: software, printing, document scanning, disk space and file storage, and Internet services including e-mail. SoftwareTo determine which computers run a software package, or which software packages run on a computer, use SSCC's web-based Software page (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/software/). You can either choose a server to see what software is installed on it, or choose software to see what servers it is installed on. Detailed information about SSCC software support levels for Linux and Windows including a list of all supported software is available on SSCC's policy web pages (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/policies/softsup.htm). PrintingThe SSCC public printers are located in the three computer labs (2470, 3218, and 4218 Soc. Sci.). They are available 24-hours/day for those who have requested after-hours access (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/lab.jsp). Printout not picked up within 10 days is recycled. Please report public printer problems to the lab attendant (e-mail: operator (operator@ssc.wisc.edu); phone 263-4814). SSCC uses special software to track printing usage for each SSCC user. Each user's printing usage is reported monthly to their sponsoring agency(s) and is included with other usage information used to allocate agency costs at the end of each fiscal year. Printing costs have soared over the past few years due to the vast amount of information available on the web. You can help keep the cost of printing down by following these guidelines:
SSCC members not adhering to these guidelines may lose their printing privileges. Keep in mind that agencies and departments may impose further restrictions on printing. You can check your printing balance on our View your Printing Totals web page (https://sscweb2.ssc.wisc.edu/printstatus/index.asp). The page displays each of your Windows print jobs for a given month. Printing from LinuxYou can submit jobs to be printed using the enscript command. This replaces the lpr command which often does not work with the newer printers. The basic syntax is: enscript options file Here file should be replaced with the name of the file you want to print. It is possible to use wildcards, but do not do so unless you are certain you will only print the files you need. Printing queuesEach printer has two queues (one for double sided printing and
one for single), and you select the one you want to use with the
-P option followed by the queue name.
Always use the double-sided queues if at all possible. If you do
not specify a printer it will go to the default, which is user4double.
The following table lists the available print queues:
enscript -P user2double file will print your file in the 2470 computer lab using both sides of the paper. Note that the printers in the 3218 and 4218 computer labs are the newest, fastest, and least likely to have problems with large or complex files (like articles in PDF format). See SSCC Publication, Printing from Linux (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/7-28.htm), for more detailed information. Printing from WindowsIn order to print from Windows applications, you need to make a connection to a network printer. Winstat will automatically connect the following network public printers:
Note: Instructions for connecting to printers from PCs on the network may be found in SSCC Publication, Setting Up Network Printers in Windows (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/5-24.htm). The printers in the 3218 and 4218 computer labs are the newest, fastest, and least likely to have problems with large or complex files (like articles in PDF format). Document Scanning ServiceSSCC offers a scanning service for SSCC members. SSCC student lab attendants are available for small scanning jobs using the scanner in the 4218 computer lab. They can scan photos, slides, negatives, and documents and write them to CD or network disk space. To make a request, bring your materials to the 4218 computer lab and fill out a Scanning Request Form. This form is also available from the Consultant in 4226. This service is for smaller jobs, so please limit your document requests to 150 pages and no more than 20 photos, slides, or negatives per order. SSCC's scanners in the 3218 and 4218 computer labs are also available on a first-come first-serve basis. File storage and disk spaceSSCC staff provide approximately ten terabytes of disk space for home directories, project directories, temporary space, and data distribution. Please help keep costs down by using disk space wisely:
BackupsFiles on the Linux and Windows systems, including your own files in permanent storage space on network disks (not your local disk drives), are regularly backed up onto tape by SSCC staff so that they can be available in case of disastrous disk failures. For detailed information see SSCC's backup policy (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/policies/backup.htm). Please do not rely solely on SSCC for this service for your critical files. Back these up yourself onto CD or DVD. Back up your important files onto CD or DVD! Data from the Linux and Windows systems can be backed up onto CD or DVD using PCs available in the 3218 and 4218 computer labs. Send a request to our help desk if you would like us to do this for you. Data on individual PC's local drives are not backed up by SSCC at all. However, space is provided for storing files on SSCC's Windows network and this space is backed up daily. We encourage all SSCC users to use this network space rather than saving files to their local drives. More information is available later in this section. Winstat users: It is very important that you save the files you create on network drives, like U: and X:. These locations are secure and backed up nightly. Never save files on your Windows desktop, in My Documents or on the C: drive. The C: drive is the local hard drive of the Winstat server you happen to be using. When you log into Winstat you're automatically assigned to the least busy server, so the next time you log in the odds are you'll be on a different server and unable to access anything you previously saved on C:. The Windows Desktop and My Documents are part of your Windows profile. Files saved there will probably continue to be accessible, however, they are not backed up and can be lost if your session crashes. (It's okay to put shortcuts to files on your desktop for quick access to them, since shortcuts can be recreated easily.) We hate to see anyone lose data, so please save your files on network drives where they are backed up. If you do store files on your local drive, you might want to look into an inexpensive backup service offered by DoIT called "Bucky Backup Service". For more information on this service, call 254-SHOW or visit DoIT's web page (http://www.doit.wisc.edu/backup/). File recoveryIf you inadvertently delete a file on a Windows or Linux network disk drive and you do not have your own backup copy, it may be possible to have it restored. Send your restore request to the Consultant providing as much of the following information as possible:
Note that files created and deleted on the same day cannot be restored. This is because restores are done using system backups that are created nightly. Linux storage spaceEvery user has a Linux directory of their own that is called their home directory. When you first log in, Linux makes your home directory your present working directory. Your home directory (and subdirectories) is where you put your files. You can control access permissions for files in your home directory, allowing others to see files, or to change files, or denying them these privileges. Each user has a 500 MB disk quota on their Linux home directory. When you use up the available quota, you will not be able to add any more data until space is cleared off. Users with additional disk space needs will be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota upon request. If further disk space is needed, users may be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota (giving a total of 1.5 GB). Students will need the permission of their group leader for this last 500 MB. Users requiring even more space should request a project directory. You can request additional space by filling out a form on the web (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/space/). Users with very large short term disk space needs can use /temp30days. To use this space, go to that directory and create a directory for yourself. You can then use up to 25 GB of disk space, or as much of it as is available. However, this is short term storage. Every night any file more than thirty days old is removed automatically. /home is considered permanent storage space and is backed up by SSCC. /temp30days is considered temporary storage space and is not backed up by SSCC. To determine how much disk space you are using, use the quota command. For example > quota In the column labeled "blocks" is the amount of disk space you are using, in kilobytes. The quota column tells what your current disk quota is. The other columns can be ignored. Windows storage spaceLike with Linux, every user has a Windows directory of their own for storing files that is called their home directory. When you log in to the SSCC's Windows network or Terminal Servers (Winstat), the U: drive is automatically mapped to your Windows home directory. You can treat the U: drive just like a local drive on your system. One advantage of using this drive rather than your local drives for storing files is that the U: drive is backed up nightly. Each user has a 500 MB disk quota on their Windows home directory. When you use up the available quota, you will not be able to add any more data until space is cleared off. Users with additional disk space needs will be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota upon request. If further disk space is needed, users may be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota (giving a total of 1.5 GB). Students will need the permission of their group leader for this last 500 MB. Users requiring even more space should request a project directory. You can request additional space by filling out a form on the web (https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/space/). To determine how much disk space you are using, go to "My Computer", navigate to your home directory, right click on your home directory icon, and select Properties from the menu. The dialog that gets displayed tells you how much space in bytes you are using. If you need assistance displaying this information, just contact the Consultant. You may also notice another mapped drive called Y:. This is for temporary use, such as sharing files with other users. Please do not store important files on this drive as it is completely public: any SSCC user can read, change, or delete any file on the Y: drive. In addition it is not backed up. Files on Y: are deleted automatically after 30 days. Project storage spaceIf you are working on a research project with a group of people, we can provide you with separate storage space on Windows or Linux that you can all share. Contact the Consultant to make your request. If you need your account added to a research project space, ask the group leader of the project (usually a faculty member) to contact the consultant on your behalf. Project disk space usage has escalated at an astronomical rate over the past few years requiring SSCC to purchase much more disk space than anticipated. Please help us keep costs down by following the suggestions at the beginning of this section to manage your project space efficiently. SSCC staff sends out a project space report every six months to assist you in managing your project space. Accessing Network shares from WindowsWindows servers give access to certain directories on their hard drives known as "shares" because they are shared with users. Normally each share has a specific purpose; for example a share called project contains shared files related to particular projects. In addition, special software called Samba allows Linux directories to be accessed as shares. A PC in a Windows network accesses network storage by using one or more of these shares. SSCC Publication, Accessing Network Storage from Windows (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/5-25.htm), contains detailed instructions on accessing shares. Privacy of electronic dataThe SSCC staff is committed to protecting the privacy of electronic data for its users and sign and abide by a privacy standards agreement (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/policies/privacy.pdf) written by the SSCC Steering Committee. SSCC members should be active participants in protecting their own privacy by using the computers' access permissions to protect data appropriately, because SSCC cannot be responsible for dissemination, modification, or destruction of data that has not been properly access protected. By default, SSCC users are not able to read others' files unless the owner has explicitly given consent by changing the files' permissions to make them readable. A detailed explanation of file permissions and how to change them on Linux is provided in the SSCC Linux Handbook (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc/pubs/linuxos.htm#xtocid2154036). Contact the Consultant if you need to modify default permissions on Windows directories and/or files. Any user is authorized to access publicly-available data sets and other files which are held in a public place. You should be aware that under Wisconsin's open records law, electronic data, including electronic mail messages exchanged among University employees, may be considered public records. It is possible that SSCC may be required to release people's email or other data in response to an open records request. At the SSCC, electronic mail messages are kept on backups if they remain on disk for more than one day. Internet ServicesAll SSCC computers are connected to the building network, which is connected to the rest of campus by a high speed network connection. Computers at SSCC provide a variety of networking software to communicate within SSCC and to the rest of the campus and the rest of the world. SSCC's Internet address is ssc.wisc.edu. All our web services include
this root (http://www.ssc.wisc.edu,
hal.ssc.wisc.edu, etc.). Electronic Mail
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