Physics Server Status

On Sunday, March 6th, our main server suffered a severe hardware failure.  After working on it much of Monday, it has been decided that there was no quick short term fix.  The server "suhep" as you may know it is dead.  Our new server is currently being configured to take on the old servers responsibilities, but will not allow any direct logins.  This will take some time so please be patient.  You can return to this page to get an updated status.

Please try to do what you can on the machine you are using (tex, latex, editing files, etc).  The linux machines in 306 should be able to handle some of these functions. The new server will *not* allow general direct logins.  This has been designed to improved availability, performance, and security.

For email there are several options, most popular is using a client such as Netscape Messenger and set it up using the IMAP protocol.  Second, when necessary, is remote access with pine.  (See below for further information on email).

For tasks that require a shell account login (such as tex, latex, etc), I suggest doing those tasks on a client machine, such as the machine you are using, and ftp any updates, or use one of the cluster machines in 306 (if you need help with the hostnames, email someone within physics or check your physics email for the email I sent 3-07-01, listing them here is a security concern).  These machines now have remote access priviledges the same that "suhep" did (telnet within campus, ssh off campus). You can also login to SUnix first if needed, then into our domain, same restrictions as before.

Please limit any questions or problems to email (dkirk@phy.syr.edu), or refer to this page for updates.  Interruptions will slow the process of getting services back up.

Now working on new server:

• Use machines in 306 cluster for shell login access when needed, new server will not allow direct logins
• Mail is accessable by IMAP and POP protocols (using Netscape Messenger, Outlook, Eudora, etc)
• remote email access via PINE, without requiring direct login (see below for instructions)
• Inboxes have been retreived and backlog of mail has been received.  To my knowledge, no email at all should have been lost.
• Samba is running (Mapping drives from unix to windows)
• PoP computational cluster reconfigured to use NIS slave instead of "suhep", and access expanded to *.syr.edu
• Linux clients in 306 rebooted to use NIS slave for logins instead of "suhep"
• email aliases now working
• Linux clients in 306 allowed the same restricted access that was in place on "suhep" for shell account usage.  Please use these systems for ftp, ssh, telnet.
• Copyroom printer (205hp5si) and Main Office laserjet (201hp5m) are now working for basic print functions (no plain text, postscript and samba/windows printing work).
• Further web configuration has been done, restoring *some* of the cgi-bin and restrictions.
• Security setup on new server & 306 client machines.
• Some reports of not being able to ftp, made link for /usr/bin/csh to /bin/csh, wasn't allowing login due to "shell" not existing in that location.
• Color Phaser printer should be back online now, as well as the queues 201phaser_p and 201phaser_t queues to force tray from unix to paper/transparency
• /work disk mounted for users to get data off before it's discontinued
• "suhep" disks mounted to recover any data that may be needed & ahep3 disks remounted
• Web server should be fully funcctional.  Web cgi-bin and configuration has been restored. Report any further problems.  Some referenced /usr/local/bin/****  which no longer exists.  References need to be changed.  Counters have been restored.
• NIS master temporarily setup on DEC unix machine

Issues working on:

• Need to finish 'full' configuration of printers (including replacement for 306, filters, accounting, permissions)
• Setup new NIS master (temporarily setup on DEC unix machine until it can be setup correctly under new platform)
• Configure all client servers to make sure mail outgoing & incoming is directed to phy.syr.edu (involved process of configuring sendmail.cf)
• /usr/local from old server is unavailable and down
• verify HEP/PoP servers have everything needed without "suhep"
• change ftp access to client login machines, provide scp and/or secure ftp
• add functionality of encrypted sessions for email
• And many, many, many other subtle little things, some unknown until I discover them

What to do about email, now that you can't "telnet to suhep":

Your BEST bet is to use a client (such as netscape) to use the IMAP protocol.  See here for Netscape Messenger setup instructions.
Contrary to belief, this protocol does not pull messages off the server.  It's the best protocol to use to access email from many different locations, yet have them all the same since the messages and folders stay on the server.

If you're really forced to use a text based email... then here's how you can use pine from a different machine:

First, get on a client that has pine (ie: one of the public cluster machines in 306, a SUnix server, etc)
You will need to change your configuration for pine.
Run pine, go to Setup -> Config and find inbox-path
Change inbox-path to {phy.syr.edu}inbox
change user-domain=phy.syr.edu
and change smtp-server=phy.syr.edu
Then *E*xit config and *Y*es, save settings
You will need to use your physics login and password

You can also do this manually by editing your .pinerc file with an editor such as vi or emacs.

If you do this from a machine within physics that mounts your home directory, you should also have access to your folders too.
If you do this from a remote machine outside of physics, I don't have a solution for folders at this time.

Let me know how this works for you... what works, what doesnt.
If you find anything that works better, or enables folders remotely, let me know and I'll post here for others.