======================= SSC News, December 1992 ======================= Contents: Network work VMS operating system upgrade Sun machines now available for CDE users Problems with LIMDEP on Ultrix New SSC publications How-to series Consulting question of the month This is the SSC News. This monthly electronic newsletter will keep you informed about recent changes on the SSC computer networks. We hope this new source of information will help improve communication between the SSC computing staff and all of you computer users out there. All SSC computer users are receiving a copy of this, the first issue. We hope to produce a short newsletter like this one about once a month. TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER, just type REPLY at the mail prompt and send us a message which says "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. Network work ------------ The SSC staff is putting together plans to simplify the SSC networks. These changes involve replacing several cables and rearranging equipment (topographically and physically). The first phase of this project will be confined to the Computer Room, and will take place in the month of December. We are currently waiting for parts before we can start the project. These changes will make the network easier to troubleshoot and manage. These efforts are not a panacea for the network problems we've had for so long, but they are a step in the right direction. The challenge of improving the network is an ongoing process and this is just the beginning. VMS operating system upgrade ---------------------------- On the 7-NOV-1992, the VMS operating system was upgraded to 5.5-1. This was a maintenance release and included no changes for the normal user. Sun machines now available for CDE users ---------------------------------------- Now that six SunOS machines have been added to the unix cluster, you might try logging in to one of these when your favorite Ultrix machine is bogged down. The six host names for the SunOS machines are cde1s, cde2s, cde3s, cde4s, cde5s, and cde6s. Following is a list of third party software available on all the SunOS hosts: emacs glim limdep6.0 rate sas/base sas/stat Splus spss Problems with LIMDEP on Ultrix ------------------------------ We are still experiencing serious problems with version 6.0 of LIMDEP under Ultrix. The program is not parsing commands correctly, resulting in the program hanging in interactive mode or stopping prematurely on files processed in "batch" mode. The vendor has been notified and is working on the problem. Meanwhile, LIMDEP 6.0 is available on vms and all six SunOS machines. Also, LIMDEP 5.0 is available on Ultrix. New SSC publications -------------------- These new publications are available for SSC users in the racks in 2470 Social Science: The SAS System under UNIX The SAS System under VMS How-to series ------------- A new series of SSC publications called "How to's" are now available. "How-to's" will contain task oriented information and examples of how to carry out various tasks. You can browse through all the How-to's in a ring binder in 2470, then ask the Consultant for a copy of the one(s) you want. Titles now available: How to transport SAS Data Sets between SunOS and Ultrix How to transfer data between UNIX and VMS How to run jobs on Unix (nicely) How to use ZIP and UNZIP for file compression How to do late-night computing on campus How to get VAX disk information Consulting question of the month -------------------------------- Due to recent disk problems, some users have "ghost" messages in e-mail. For example, when they log on, the VAX reports 3 new mail messages, but in the mail utility they are told there are no new mail messages. The messages were undeliverable because of disk problems, but you can reset your mail counter by typing READ/NEW at the MAIL> prompt and then immediately exiting Mail. When you go back into mail, the new message counter will be set correctly.