Information Technology News Archive

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Research Support

Grad Student Computing Cluster

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NACS provides and supports various computing resources and services for the UCI community. One noteworthy computing resource, GradEA, has been developed for the exclusive use of UCI graduate students. The intent is to provide graduate students with access to high-speed CPUs, large-data storage capacity, and advanced software.

GradEA consists of 11 dual-CPU Intel Xeon 2.0 GHz nodes, running the Red Hat Linux 8.0 operating system. The most recent hardware upgrade to GradEA occurred in January of this year and more are planned for the coming year. Software available on GradEA includes: Mathematica 4.2, MATLAB 6.5, IDL 5.4, SAS, IMSL, S+/R, the Portland Group compiler suite, MPICH (aka MPI) and Open PBS.

Programs on GradEA can be run in a single, or multi-CPU mode; the cluster network is interconnected by Gigabit ethernet. Users also have access to a disk-storage workspace of 700GB (Gigabytes).

By default, all graduate students have accounts on the GradEA cluster; try logging into gradea.uci.edu with your UCInetID and password. Further information is available at: http://www.nacs.uci.edu/computing/gradea

New Windows

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Microsoft released the first version of Windows XP (WXP) this year, less than two years after release of Windows 2000 (W2K). Many schools and departments are working to make use of new features in W2K and WXP, including the Graduate School of Management, Health Sciences, University Extension, Network and Academic Computing Services, Claire Trevor School of Arts, and numerous smaller departments.

NACS has sponsored a series of W2K and WXP courses for interested system administrators covering Active Directory (AD) and Windows security issues. There was great interest in those classes from various groups and we hope to facilitate sharing experiences between groups currently deploying Windows and others just planning their migration.

As Windows NT will no longer be supported by Microsoft as of this summer, many departments are assessing their migration paths. Windows XP server, otherwise known as “.Net Server”, is undergoing a series of beta releases and security checks with a final release expected in December. All desktops purchased with Windows should now come with XP, and we consider XP the long-term platform of choice. While some departments migrated to W2K last year, others are now in the awkward position of working with an unsupported operating system (NT) or facing two migrations (W2K and WXP) in short succession.

NACS experts are available to departments assessing their migration needs. We have helped several departments with planning, budgeting, training, and support. If you are interested in investigating a beta release of .Net Server, please contact NACS. We’d be happy to work with you.

New Macromedia Agreement

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UC has negotiated a bulk license purchase agreement with Macromedia. Most popular Macromedia (and Allaire) products are available, including Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, and Cold Fusion.

Under the terms of the agreement, a minimum order representing ten “points” is required. For example, five new Dreamweaver licenses would meet this requirement. You may mix and match different products to meet the minimum order size.

For more information, see http://www.gotrc.com/casystemsstore.htm, or call our TRC representative, Erica Gagni, at 800-517-2320 ext. 244.

Linux Buyers Beware

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Unlike packaged Unix workstations, such as those from Sun, SGI or Compaq, Linux hardware purchases can result in frustration, unexpected expense, and even failure if a little planning isn’t done prior to purchase.

While it may seem very easy to buy the latest PC at Fry’s and assume it will accept a Linux install smoothly, there are many potential hardware incompatibilities. Manufacturers seldom advertise Linux compatibility, assuming the majority of their customers plan to run Windows. If you are considering purchase of a machine to run Linux, NACS offers free consulting to help you plan a machine that will run Linux reliably, and which will facilitate cost-effective, timely support from NACS, if desired.

While it would be convenient to be able to work from a list of supported hardware, PC hardware and Linux are both evolving continuously, drivers for Windows and Linux are constantly revised, and marketing labels are fluid and inconsistent. NACS maintains expertise in a range of successful configurations, and cooperative discussion is the best way to arrive at current hardware which best meets individual needs.

Geographic Information Systems

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How many people between the ages of 18 and 24 with an income above $50,000 live within 4.5 miles of the Pacific Ocean between Oceanside and Redondo Beach? What is the proximity of children in a community, who have elevated concentrations of lead in their bodies, to older structures that might contain lead-based paint?

These questions, which require both spatial (i.e., geographic) data and tabular information to answer, are typical queries that can be posed to a Geographic Information System, or GIS. At its core, the GIS combines and employs two computer technologies: a graphical display of digital map features and a database that contains records which characterize each of those map features.

Simple queries can pull up data regarding a given geographic location or display all locations matching a criterion. More elaborate queries can be composed which allow researchers to detect new relationships (and derive new data) between things on the ground surface – or on any surface for that matter. GIS technology is used in support of such divergent applications as restoring ancient frescos and landing probes on Mars.

GIS use at UCI is relatively new, as is campus support for the growing interest in GIS. This year UCI purchased a campus-wide license for the use of ArcView and ArcGIS software (at no charge this year to researchers). ArcView and ArcGIS, the leading software in the GIS industry, are being installed on Windows-based computers in NACS’ laboratories and in various departmental laboratories around campus. GIS classes are in progress this year in Social Ecology, GSM and University Extension. Contact NACS for more information about GIS at UCI