Jefferson Lab Computer Center News and Updates

JPasswd Offline

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:12:59 EST

The jpasswd password change system is currently offline. A problem was reported this morning which is being investigated. It is expected to be out of service until mid-afternoon at least.

CLASDB Back Online, Hopefully Better

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:13:10 EDT

The CLASDB servers are back online. A number of adjustments were made to help get rid of recent problems where clients were unable to connect. Contact M. Wise (x7214) if you see problems.

CLASDB Offline For Maintenance

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 11:08:10 EDT

The CLASDB server that has been having problems lately has been taken offline to perform some maintenance and to install a couple of config changes and additional RAM in the hope of alleviating some of the problems seen over the past few months. The system should be back online by 12:00. Contact M. Wise (x7214) if you have questions (but don 't call until after 12:00... I 'm working on it now).

Windows XP Vulnerability Mitigation

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 16:09:03 EDT

A small configuration change has been applied to MS Windows XP and 2003 Server systems sitewide to mitigate the risk of a critical remote code execution vulnerability in some MS Media Player Channel Controls. This should be transparent to the vast majority of users. The affected controls are used by only a very small number of web sites to embed windows media player within Internet Explorer. Once Microsoft releases a patch that corrects the vulnerability, the config change that disables these controls will be removed.

Windows Script Host issues

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:10:58 EDT

Once this is saved, simply double click on it to run the script. You should now be able to see your network drives again. We appreciate your patience while we diligently work on solving this problem.

Windows Script Host issues

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:07:56 EDT

Some people are getting Windows ScriptHost errors when logging in to a machine on the JLab domain. If you get this rare error, and are unable to see your network drives upon login, please right click on this link Drive Mapping Script and save it to your desktop. Once thi sis saved, simply double click on it to run the script. You should now be able to see your network drives again. We appreciate your patience while we diligently work on solving this problem.

Windows Script Host issues

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:04:44 EDT

Some people are getting Windows ScriptHost errors when logging in to a machine on the JLab domain. If you get this rare error, and are unable to see your network drives upon login, please right click on this link jlabwin sw_dist userapps drivemap.bat and save it to your desktop. Once this is saved, simply double click on it to run the script. You should now be able to see your network drives again. We appreciate your patience while we diligently work on solving this problem.

Password changes AND Expirations are fully operational

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:32:29 EDT

The "jpasswd " password change utility is once again available for use. This includes the web based interface (available via a link on the CC home page at http://cc.jlab.org ) as well as the command line jpasswd tool available on central Sun and Linux systems. Password expiration checking has been enabled, so expirations will occur like usual. Users whose passwords would have expired during the time the system has been down and for the next several days will have their expiration dates extended. You should get the usual email alerts indicating the adjusted date for your expirations. Please heed dthese warnings, lest your account be suspended. Regards, Marty Wise IT/CNI

Password Change Utility Back Online

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:10:28 EDT

The "jpasswd" password change utility is once again available for use. This includes the web based interface (available via a link on the CC home page at http://cc.jlab.org ) as well as the command line jpasswd tool available on central Sun and Linux systems. Password expiration checking is still not enabled and so expirations will not occur. Also, user 's whose passwords would have expired during the time the system has been down and for the next several days will have their expiration dates extended by a week. You should get the usual email alerts indicating the adjusted date for your expirations. Regards, Marty Wise IT/CNI

06/09/09 Password Change Utility Still Offline...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:00:47 EDT

Work continues on our "jpasswd " password change utlility. The system should be back online shortly. This work is to resolve some long standing problems that people have been reporting. Please note that any password expirations that would normally have happened during the time that the system has been offline (yesterday, today) will receive an extra week after the system is returned to service to give users ample time to complete any pending password changes. Sorry for the delays, and thanks for your patience. Marty Wise, JLab Computer Center

Password Change Utility Still Offline...

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:07:11 EDT

Work continues on our "jpasswd" password change utlility. The system should be back online shortly. Sorry for the delays, and thanks for your patience, Marty Wise, JLab Computer Center

Password Change Tool Offline Early Monday Morning for Maintenance...

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 15:16:54 EDT

Our password change system, known as jpasswd will be offline early the morning of Monday, June 8th for maintenance. Maintenance should begin around 4am, and will be complete by 8 am.

Majordomo to Mailman conversion rolled back and delayed.

Tue, 19 May 2009 15:58:02 EDT

The scheduled migration of JLab mailing lists to a new management system resulted in a few configuration issues with some of the lists. E-mail list management has been returned to Majordomo. Please disregard any e-mails you may have received regarding e-mail lists from mailman-owner@jlab.org. A patch is being applied to migration scripts. Once the patch has been verified, the CNI group will reschedule the mailing list migration to Mailman from Majordomo. A new migration date will be announced in the JLab Weekly Briefs e-mail. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Mailman email list conversion delayed until 5pm today.

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:02:00 EDT

The Majordomo to Mailman list conversion scheduled for 1pm today, will be delayed until 5pm today, Monday May 18, 2009

Majordomo to Mailman conversion Delayed.

Mon, 18 May 2009 08:47:44 EDT

The conversion to Mailman mailing lists described on this page has been postponed until Tuesday, May 26th at 5pm.

Jefferson Lab is replacing its current mailing list server, Majordomo, with Mailman.

Mon, 11 May 2009 15:18:28 EDT

On Monday May 18, 2009, JLAB 's mailing lists will be converted from Majordomo lists to Mailman lists. Mailman is a replacement mailing list server for Majordomo.

How does this affect you ? It will affect you in one of two ways, depending on if you are a list MEMBER or a list ADMINISTRATOR.

Most users are members of one or more lists. If you are currently a member of a majordomo mailing list, you will automatically be a member of the equivalent mailman mailing list. You will receive an email welcoming you to each new mailman list you are member of. This welcome email will include your password for that particular Mailman list. Member Passwords are a new concept in Mailman that Majordomo did not use. Each user will be assigned a random password for EACH list they are a member of. You can use this password to logon to that particular list 's web page. You can set this password to anything you like, even set all of your Mailman list to the same password. However, you can not use any important or JLAB password. Mailman passwords are considered very insecure and are EMAILED TO YOU in monthly reminders. DO NOT USE YOUR CUE PASSWORD AS A PASSWORD FOR ANY MAILMAN MAILING LIST.

Documentation for List MEMBERS is found at: http://cc/services/email/MailmanInstructions.html

Each list has one or more list ADMINISTRATORS. List Admins will receive an email as their list is being created on MailMan. This email will contain the List Admin password. List owners will use this password to logon to the admin page for their list. This admin page is where all of configuration details for the list are set.

Documentation for List Administrators is found at: http://cc/services/email/ListAdmin.html

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT LIST ARCHIVES: Many lists have been archived on the web for many of years. These archives will be frozen and remain in their current location. However, all new messages that go to Mailman lists will be archived on the new Mailman Archives. If you are a list owner of a current list that has web archives protected with a password, please ensure that the new web archives are have similar protections.

Pine Configuration Changes Required

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:55:16 EDT

JLab staff and users that use the pine program to read their email need to make the following configuration change in order to be able to see their saved folders after this past weekend 's mail change.

Log into pine and go to setup (Press S)
Go to Configuration (Press C)
Under Folder Preferences, select enable-lame-list-mode

Exit the configuration screen (Press E) and go back into setup (Press S)

Go to Collection List (Press L)

Go to Add Collection (Press A)

This should bring up a screen asking for a Nickname, Server, Path, and View for the collection. Choose any nickname for the collection you want, such as Jlab IMAP folders. The Server name must be mail.jlab.org/ssl. The Path entry is the path of where your mail folders were in your home directory. Usually, this is something similar to mail/. You can leave the View entry blank.
Now save the collection and go back into pine and you should be able to see all of your email folders as well as your INBOX.
If you need additional help with setting this up, please send email to helpdesk@jlab.org.

Mail Folders move status.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:00:48 EDT

The CNI group moved email folders out of user 's home directory over the weekend. The process finished largely successful. However we are getting some reports that some mail folders may not have been correctly identified, and therefore left behind. This is recognizable by not being able to access a mail box folder that was accessible before this weekend. We are therefore asking all users to check all their email folders. If you find a folder inaccessible that was assessable prior to the weekend, please send a message to helpdesk@jlab.org with a list of folders that are missing. We can repair missing folders quickly. Please send an email instead of calling the helpdesk for this particular issue. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause you.

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Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:20:57 EDT

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Problems with Common Applications After Updates This Week�

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:58:58 EDT

During the Tuesday evening maintenance period, the Computer Center delivered a number of important updates to Windows systems throughout the lab. Overall, the delivery of these updates went very well. We have, however, received reports of two problems. Below are the most commonly reported problems and the currently recommended workaround for each. The Computer Center continues to work on fixes for these problems. We will update the instructions below as more information becomes available.

1. Firefox / Thunderbird will not work
For some users, the installation of Firefox or Thunderbird was problematic. In this case, a reinstallation of the affected package is necessary to get it to work correctly. For users who have Administrator privileges on their systems, you must first remove the appropriate desktop icon, then you can initiate a reinstall of the problem package by clicking on the appropriate link below:

a. Firefox

b. Thunderbird

For users who do not have Administrator privileges on their machines, you will need to contact the helpdesk to get assistance from an administrator.

2. Adobe reader will not open documents in your web browser �
To work around this problem

a. Right-click on the link and select Save Link As... to save the file to your Desktop or the location of your choice.

b. Open the PDF file from the saved location.

Problems with Common Applications After Updates This Week�

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:56:51 EDT

During the Tuesday evening maintenance period, the Computer Center delivered a number of important updates to Windows systems throughout the lab. Overall, the delivery of these updates went very well. We have, however, received reports of two problems. Below are the most commonly reported problems and the currently recommended workaround for each. The Computer Center continues to work on fixes for these problems. We will update the instructions below as more information becomes available. 1. Firefox / Thunderbird will not work
For some users, the installation of Firefox or Thunderbird was problematic. In this case, a reinstallation of the affected package is necessary to get it to work correctly. For users who have Administrator privileges on their systems, you must first remove the appropriate desktop icon, then you can initiate a reinstall of the problem package by clicking on the appropriate link below:

a. Firefox

b. Thunderbird

For users who do not have Administrator privileges on their machines, you will need to contact the helpdesk to get assistance from an administrator.
2. Adobe reader will not open documents in your web browser �
To work around this problem

a. Right-click on the link and select Save Link As... to save the file to your Desktop or the location of your choice.

b. Open the PDF file from the saved location.

3/20/09 Problems with Common Applications After Updates This Week�

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:50:34 EDT

During the Tuesday evening maintenance period, the Computer Center delivered a number of important updates to Windows systems throughout the lab. Overall, the delivery of these updates went very well. We have, however, received reports of two problems. Below are the most commonly reported problems and the currently recommended workaround for each. The Computer Center continues to work on fixes for these problems. We will update the instructions below as more information becomes available. 1. Firefox / Thunderbird won�t work � For some users, the installation of Firefox or Thunderbird was problematic. In this case, a reinstallation of the affected package is necessary to get it to work correctly. For users who have Administrator privileges on their systems, you must first remove the appropriate desktop icon, then you can initiate a reinstall of the problem package by clicking on the appropriate link below: a. Firefox: file://L: Mozilla Firefox.exe b. Thunderbird: file://L: Mozilla Thunderbird.exe For users who do not have Administrator privileges on their machines, you will need to contact the helpdesk to get assistance from an administrator. 2. Adobe reader will not open documents in your web browser � To work around this problem a. Right-click on the link and select Save Link As... to save the file to your Desktop or the location of your choice. b. Open the PDF file from the saved location.

Email Outage this Friday 10pm - 3pm Saturday

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:45:37 EDT

The IT division 's CNI group will be performing a major reconfiguration of user 's email and will require the above outage. No email services will be available during this time. Email sent to Jlab addresses from off site will queue and be delivered after the outage. Reading or sending email from within Jlab (including webmail and offsite computers configured to use Jlab 's email servers) will fail during the outage. The location of email folders is being changed. Email folders will be moved to a new location. Currently, users have email folders that are stored in their home directory (/home/user on Unix or J:drive on Windows). The reconfiguration will be moving these folders out of user 's home directories and placing them on a standalone, isolated file system. Users will not have direct access to this new file system. All access to users folders will require an IMAP mail client (i.e. Thunderbird, Pine configured as an IMAP client, etc). Further information is available at http://cc.jlab.org/services/email/Imap-folders-Move.html

3/5/2009 File Server Crash

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 08:26:41 EST

The central file server (home, group, apps, site) crashed Thursday (Mar 5) at 5pm. The vendor was contacted and the server restored to service around 5:20pm. The central systems were checked and found to be up and running fine. If you come across any residual problems, please contact the Help Desk.

Change in Computer Monitor Purchases Using P-Cards

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:26:38 EST

There has been a change in the Computer Center policy regarding the purchase of computer monitors. This change requires that certain types of monitors be purchased in order to meet new contract requirements. As a result of this policy change,the purchase of computer monitors is no longer allowed using a p-card. All computer monitors must be procured using a purchase requisition. This change takes effect immediately.

JLAB 's webmail server offline

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:23:22 EST

JLAB 's webmail server is currently offline. A hardware problem has occurred. I will be returned to service before 12pm (noon) on Thursday Jan 15.

Problems with Windows Servers

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:07:35 EST

We are currently experiencing problems with the Windows Servers not authenticating new user logins and requests. The Computer Center is actively working to resolve the problem.

Windows Domain maitenance, tonight 5pm

Tue, 2 Dec 2008 12:53:02 EST

The CNI group will upgrade the Windows 2003 Active Directory domain to Windows 2008 AD domain during the next maintenance day: Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. During this time, all MIS (Management Information Systems)webpages will be unavailable, including the Insight page. The upgrade will last about two hours, and changes will be transparent to all users.

JLab Computer Purchasing Policy

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:18:29 EST

JLab is committed to reducing its energy consumption and purchasing more environmentally friendly products. To help achieve these goals, all new computer purchases must meet the minimum requirements of the Silver tier rating of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. During the coming month, JLab 's CNI group will publish a standardized list of computing systems for lab personnel that meet the requirements defined by EPEAT for Silver tier systems. This list will provide a variety of system specifications that have been loosely configured to meet the various categories of work (CAD/Engineering, Physics, Administration, Software Development, etc.) performed at JLab. In addition to meeting the emerging requirements for energy efficiency, reusability and recyclability as defined in new and existing DOE requirements, the list also will ensure that systems purchased for JLab work are appropriate for the work performed. A purchasing policy will be released soon that further explains how this program will be implemented. Additional information on EPEAT can be found at: http://www.epeat.net/. For now, those wanting to procure a new desktop system can submit a CCPR stating who the system is for, how it will be used and what Project and Org to use for the purchase. The CNI group will submit a requisition for the appropriate system on their behalf.

Computer Center Power Outage

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:28:15 EDT

The Computer Center suffered an unexpected and unplanned power outage Tuesday (Sept 16) night during the scheduled maintenance period. Most services were restored by 10pm. However, there may still be some residual effects Wednesday. If you notice or experience any problems contact the Help Desk.

Computer Center Power Outage

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:26:01 EDT

The Computer Center suffered an unexpected and unplanned power outage Tuesday (Sept 16) night during the scheduled maintenance period. Most services were restored by 10pm. However, there may still be some residual effects Wednesday. if you experience any problems contact the Help Desk.

jlabl3 out of service until noon today

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:48:29 EDT

Jlabl3 is out of service due to a hardware failure. It should be back in service by Noon today, Friday July 11.

Pager Outage

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:35:52 EDT

Jefferson Lab is currently experiencing a partial outage of paging services. Alpha paging using web-based and e-mail utilities continue to function properly, but dial-up paging is not functional. The service provider does not currently have an estimated time to repair. We will provide additional information as it becomes available, until then please verbally confirm that all pager messages have been received, particularly if they are mission critical.

Pager Outage

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:35:08 EDT

Jefferson Lab is currently experiencing a partial outage of paging services. Alpha paging using web-based and e-mail utilities continue to function properly, but dial-up paging is not functional. The service provider does not currently have an estimated time to repair. We will provide additional information as it becomes available, until then please verbally confirm that all pager messages have been received, particularly if they are mission critical.

Some WIKI 's unavaliable, 3pm, June 10

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:59:41 EDT

Several Computer Center supported WIKI 's are unavailable due to database hardware failure. Computer Center staff are working on the restoration of these services now. Services are expected to be restored before the end of tonights scheduled maintenance activities.

jlab_secure Wireless Users Must Update their systems BEFORE 5/15/08!

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:38 EDT

An important certificate used by jlab_secure wireless clients to establish a secure connection to the JLab network will expire on May 15, 2008. Before 8:00 that morning, the wireless servers will be updated with a new certificate. After that time, jlab_secure clients that have not been updated will not be able to connect to jlab_secure. Instructions for updating your system can be found on the web at: http://cc.jlab.org/docs/networks/internal/guide/wireless/wireless_main.html

SciComp Farm Problems

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:06:07 EDT

Starting at 3pm on Monday, the farm network began having problems. Staff worked until 8:30pm when one of the farm switches was identified as the problem. It was removed from the network, and things returned to normal. Overnight the problem began again. Oncall staff worked to find another switch that was causing problems; it was also shut down and the network returned to normal. But once again, the problem has returned. Staff will work today to find the underlying cause and get this resolved. We appreciate your patience.

Web Server Outages Wednesday Morning

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:14:13 EDT

Due to an unexpected automatic update of the Windows AD servers certificates, various web servers (including misportal and other MIS application servers) could not connect to the Windows AD servers to authenticate users. The MIS web servers and application servers have been corrected. We are working on the remaining web servers.

Web Server Outages Wednesday Morning

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:13:30 EDT

Due to an unexpected automatic update of the Windows AD servers certificates, various web servers (including misportal and other MIS application servers) could not connect to the Windows AD servers to authenticate users. The MIX web servers and application servers have been corrected. We are working on the remaining web servers.

Scratch is Unavailable

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 08:45:03 EDT

The scratch area is currently unavailable. We are working to have it back up by the end of the day. Additionally, we will try to save the data currently stored on scratch, but we can not gurantee that at this time.

Don 't Get Tricked into Downloading

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:32:55 EDT

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of Lab computers with trojans, spyware and other malicious software installed. In many cases, these infections can be traced back to a user who has downloaded and installed something from a shady website. Two big areas of concern are false video CODECs and deceptive system tune-up utilities or spyware scanners. If you visit a website that claims you need to have their special CODEC to view their video clips, IT IS PROBABLY A SCAM. Sites like YouTube have been very successful in delivering video without requiring any special software to be installed, and nearly everyone has copied their technique. In almost every case, there is no legitimate need to install anything other than a common video-viewing program such as Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, etc. to watch video on the web. Anything they want you to install is more likely to give them control over your computer instead. We 've also seen a number of systems with so-called "system utilities " or "spyware scanners. " With names like SafeStrip, System Soap Pro, Spyware Shredder, Spy Sheriff (to name but a few), these applications often do not actually do what they claim. THEY ARE USUALLY SCAMS. At best, they may introduce spyware of their own. At worst, they may contain genuinely malicious software designed to hand over control of your PC. Many even lie about problems they are supposed to have found with your system 's performance or security, in order to entice you to "purchase the full version " to fix them. Remember, JLab already provides Norton AntiVirus software, which includes an excellent anti-spyware component, and our CNI staff are constantly working to keep your computer in good running order. Please remember that the ability to download and install software onto your computer is something that should not be taken lightly. If you are having trouble accessing some online multimedia resources, think your computer is running too slowly or are concerned that there might be some spyware on your PC, the safest thing to do is to call the JLab Help Desk at x7155. The security of the Lab 's computers depends on you!

REMINDER: Office 2007 becomes the default this evening

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 13:12:54 EST

Office 2007 will be installed as the default on all CUE managed desktops that have not already installed it as of this evening, Mar 4th. For those of you who were unable to attend the various training sessions on how to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007, the Computer Center has a limited number of pamphlets available at the helpdesk. Please pick one up if you need it. Instructions to set the format for saving documents to be the same as Office 2003 can be found here. Additional information on how non-Windows users can open Office 2007 format files can be found here. Instructions on how to save documents in Office 2003 formats can be found here. As always, if you have difficulty using this software, please call or visit the Computer Center helpdesk.

PINE configuration changes

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:14:08 EST

Users of the Pine email program are required to make the following changes prior to the Feb 12, 2008 maintenance day.
Instructions to setup Pine as a IMAP client are here.
NOTE: Pine is now only supported on the Linux machines, jlabl1, jlabl2 and jlabl3 (coming soon). Pine is no longer supported on jlabs1,jlabs2, and ifarms1.

Network Registration and Asset Management

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:32:27 EDT

DOE cyber security guidelines require that we maintain a database of machines on the Jefferson Lab network. As part of this, users are required to register their machines at this web page
NetManager

If your machine gets its address automatically (DHCP), your machine name on the registration page may be different than you expect, but please proceed anyway. If you are unsure about your machine 's registration, you may visit the above web page to update your registrations.

After May 1st, user machines that are not registered will be in jeopardy of being removed from the network without notice.

Please note that this does not apply to networks managed by the accelerator controls group or machines in building 98.

Users of laptops who access the network in both wired and wireless modes should register on both networks. Machines that are on the network infrequently, belong to another institution, or are personal machines should be registered the next time they are connected to the network. New machines should be registered as soon as possible.

Further questions should be directed to the help desk, x7155, or helpdesk@jlab.org.

Thank you for your help in this process.