Facilities
Computer Support
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Facilities |
The Linux Operating System
The majority of the computers in the department run the Linux operating system. Linux, a Unix-like operating system, is a secure multi-user, multi-tasking system that is ideally suited for large networks. While in the past Unix was known for its arcane commandline interface, much like the old MSDOS operating system, it has matured to the point of providing a mature Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows for greater ease of use and more complex programs. There are several different interfaces available, but the most popular are KDE and Gnome (our default). Today, there are open source alternatives for virtually all major software packages that are typically used on other operating systems such as Mac OSX and Windows. Please contact req@math.duke.edu for assistance in finding the right software to do your work.Public Computing Resources
The Mathematics Department provides computer labs for users with math accounts. No NetID Login access is provided. There are three main computer labs in the Physics building. With the exception of room 102, these labs are available whenever a class is not meeting in them. Room 102 has no classes but is only unlocked between 8AM and 5PM Monday - Friday. All lab machines currently have Quad Core Intel i5 CPUs running at 2.8Ghz, 4GB of RAM, and 24" LCD Monitors with a reesolution of 1920x1080.- Room 274J : This lab contains 9 Linux Workstations named tux1.math.duke.edu -> tux9.math.duke.edu and are available for remote login via ssh. There is also a HP Laserjet 4240 Duplex Printer available called lw3.
- Room 102 : This room across from the lounge contains three Linux Workstations named plato.math.duke.edu, socrates.math.duke.edu, and alexander.math.duke.edu, a HP Laserjet 4250 Duplex Laser Printer, designated lw0 for single sided and lw0d for double sided printing, and a Brother 9045 Color Laser Printer/Scanner designated as cp136. There are restrictions on color printing, please read the Color Laser printer. The scanner portion of the Color Laser Printer can be used from any computer in the room and instructions are posted on the wall above the scanner as well as here. All computers in this room can also provide a limited guest Windows session to run some Windows based software.
- Room 223 : This room is located approximately above the front office and contains an HP 4250 Duplex Capable laser printer named lw6 for single sided jobs and lw6d for duplex printing. There is also a Linux Workstation available for public use in this room. The computer in this room can also provide a limited guest Windows session to run some Windows based software.
Grid Compute Cluster
We have a cluster of machines running Sun's Grid Engine software to manage jobs. The machine grid1.math.duke.edu through grid16.math.duke.eduare available for running long computational jobs, but it is preferable to submit these jobs through the Sun Grid Engine (SGE) interface on grid.math.duke.edu so that resources are utilized with maximum efficiency. Read the documentation for submitting and monitoring jobs at http://www.math.duke.edu/computing/sge_howto.html. All grid machines currently have Quad Core Intel i5 CPUs running at 3.3Ghz and 8GB of RAM.Desktop Computing
The department currently provides Linux Workstations for faculty, staff, and postdocs on their office desks. Computers for graduate students will be provided, upon request, if they are available, however there is no guarantee. The computers will be managed and maintained by department IT staff and should all be identitically configured.Centralized Storage
The department provides centralized home directories for all systems with 20GB quotas per user. Snapshots of the filesystem are made regularly to permit easy file restoration and backup are made nightly. In addition, a global directory, /gtmp, is available for storing large temporary data for use on multiple systems and is commonly used in conjunction with the Grid Compute Cluster. Local disk storage is also available on all systems in two directories, /xtmp which is backed up nightly, and /ytmp which is not backed up. Local storage is only accessible from the machine on which is resides.Backups
Unix home directories and mail are backed up nightly. Daily archives are kept for 2 months, Monthly Archives for 6 months, and Yearly Archives are permanent. Note that backups are only done once a day at approximately 1:30 AM, so if you lose a file at 12:30 AM, you'll have to take the previous day's backup. To request the restoration of a file, please send the name of the file (with complete path) and the date from which you would like it restored to req@math.duke.edu. We will notify you when the files are restored.Printing
The mathematics department provides 4 printers for public use. All public printers are duplex capable, meaning they can print on both sides of the paper. To use the duplex feature, append a 'd' to the printer name. For example, if lw0 is the name of the printer, lw0d is the name of the printer to print on both sides of the page. The public printers are :- lw0 : Located in Room 102. This printer is an HP Laserjet 4250 Duplex Capable Printer
- lw1 : Located in Room 102. This printer is an Xerox 4400 Duplex Capable Printer that serves mainly as a backup in case of problems with lw0.
- lw3 : Located in Room 274j. This printer is a HP Laserjet 4240 Duplex Capable Printer.
- lw4 : Located in Room 029. This printer is a HP Laserjet 4240 Duplex Capable Printer.
- lw6 : Located in Room 223. This printer is an HP Laserjet 4250 Duplex Capable Printer.
- cp136 : Located in Room 102. This printer is a Brother 9045 Color Laser Printer/Scanner. Please observe the restrictions listed below .