Topics

1) General News: Change in student workers
2) General News: Enforcement of SSH postponed; new options
3) General News: FTP block at the firewall
4) Windows News: Windows file sharing; firewall block
5) General News: 911 Share Virus
6) General News: Don't install Napster or other similar clients
7) General News: cgslink mailings to chemgrad mailing list
8) General News: The use of everyone@chemistry again
9) General News: SciFinder Scholar V3.0 enhancements
10) General News: Building Maps available
11) General News: Fortran77 program checker
12) General News: Old 3D viewers available
13) Lab News: Assimilator on the G4s in the Lab
14) Lab Reminder: Logoff the PCs
15) General Reminder: How to request new accounts
16) General Reminder: How to contact Computer Support
17) Windows-NT Reminder: "U:" shares

Newsletter Archive:

        http://www.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/compsupp/Newsletter/

Due to the many hyperlinks, COMPNEWS is best viewed on the web
at the above URL, or by going to the main Chemistry page and
clicking on Internal --> Computer Support --> The Newsletter Archive



1) General News: Change in student workers:


Josh Gould left at the end of Winter Quarter. Our new undergrad student
worker is Travis Julian, whom many of you have probably already met. Also,
Shawn Broughton has joined our ranks again and will be helping out during
Spring Quarter.


2) General News: Enforcement of SSH postponed; new options:


We have previously been announcing that SSH will be mandatory as of May 1,
2000. We have decided to postpone enforcement of SSH until at least the end
of Spring Quarter because of several new developments recently.

We have installed and are currently testing a secure web-based email
interface by the name of TWIG. TWIG runs on top of the Apache web server and
uses SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption, something that is supported by
all commonly used web browsers, including recent versions of Netscape and
Internet Explorer. Since we were not running Apache in the past (we have been
using the AOLSERVER web server), we wanted to check out Apache thoroughly and
provide a stable environment before we would announce TWIG. TWIG will allow
you to login through a web page and will present you with a graphical user
interface (GUI) that is very intuitive. Unlike Eudora, it will leave all your
mail on the chemistry Unix server, sorted into as many folders as you like
(you will be able to use the same folders that PINE or ELM use). If accessing
your email is all you want to do, you will be able to use TWIG and won't have
to worry about installing SSH on your home PC.

We will soon have an SSL-capable IMAP server. If you like to read your email
through NETSCAPE (which you can do now), you will be able to do this in a
secure fashion simply by checking a box in your NETSCAPE preferences). If
reading email is all you want to do, again you won't have to worry about
SSH.

A free SSH client for Windows has just come out of beta testing. This client
is provided by SSH.COM through an initiative of SANS. The SANS (System
Administration, Networking, and Security) Institute is a cooperative research
and education organization through which more than 96,000 system
administrators, security professionals, and network administrators share the
lessons they are learning and find solutions for challenges they face. SANS
was founded in 1989. We will be installing this free SSH client on the PCs in
the Lab 2105 NW shortly. A free SSH client for Macs (Mindterm V2.0) is
currently in preparation and should be available to us soon.

The Mindterm client is Java based and runs on many platforms. We will make it
downloadable from a web page so that you will be able to ssh to the chemistry
Unix server from anywhere in the world without actually having SSH installed
on the computer you're working on. If you need interactive access to
chemistry without having to install an application on your computer, this is
what you can do. This downloadable Java applet may or may not have all the
features of a resident SSH client, such as tunneling and X protocol
forwarding. If you frequently use the same computer to ssh to chemistry, such
as your home computer or your laptop, it may still make sense for you to
install a (commercial or free) client permanently, rather than download an
applet from our web pages every time.

With free clients for PCs and Macs available soon, we feel that we cannot
recommend that students spend money for commercial SSH clients. This
development in the free software community, which didn't seem as imminent 8
months ago ago when we first announced the May 1 deadline, along with the
availability of web-based email and secure IMAP have convinced us to postpone
the enforcement of SSH.

Once we enforce SSH, Eudora, Outlook, Netscape mail and other common programs
without encryption or SSH tunneling will be blocked at the firewall. However,
you may continue to use these programs in a secure mode.

  now        then

  telnet   - use ssh instead (resident application or downloadable applet)
  rlogin   - use ssh (slogin) instead
  rsh      - use ssh instead
  rcp      - use ssh (scp) instead

  Eudora   - Eudora tunneled through SSH (with commercial or possibly free
  (Outlook)  SSH package for PCs/Macs), or use web-based email interface TWIG

  Netscape - switch on SSL in Netscape preferences
  Mail

  X        - X protocol tunnelled through SSH

For more information on SSH in general, see

  Internal --> Computer Support --> The Great SSH Primer

Among other things, the Primer contains information on how to set up port
forwarding, how to tunnel X, and what clients are available. We will be
adding more information to it as it becomes available.


3) General News: FTP block at the firewall:


Many users operate FTP servers that allow anonymous uploads and subsequent
anonymous downloads. This is very dangerous. Several computers in the
Department were exploited a few months ago, turning them into repositories
for illegal software that was downloaded from users all over the world. This
activity filled up all available disk space and kept the computers so busy
that they became useless (which caused attention).

We are considering blocking FTP for all general-purpose machines at the
firewall at some point in the future. FTP, including anonymous FTP, will
always be available to the chemistry Unix server. If you want to make files
available for anonymous download, we can create a directory for you within
FTP on the chemistry Unix sever. Also, FTP can be partially tunneled through
SSH; see the Great SSH Primer for more information. This would allow you to
FTP to your research computers (non-anonymously) through chemistry, thus
bypassing the firewall block.

If you think that an FTP block would affect you, please send us email.


4) Windows News: Windows file sharing; firewall block:


You should never share your Windows filesystems read/write without passwords!
You shouldn't even share them read/write with a password unless absolutely
necessary. Windows file sharing is not currently blocked by the departmental
firewall, but we're planning to block it at some point in the future. Please
send us email if you think this will have an impact on you.

If you leave your shares unprotected, your computer is vulnerable, and all
your data on it can potentially be deleted or modified (which is even more
insiduous). Even worse, your system can be used to spread viruses and to
attack the rest of the Department behind the firewall, thus rendering the
firewall useless.


5) General News: 911 Share Virus:


This was in OSUToday this morning:

-- University Technology Service advises computer users to take precautions
against a new computer virus called "W95/Firkin.worm" or "911 Share Virus."
The virus spreads over open network shares such as Windows 95/98 file
sharing, and causes computer modems to call 911 and reformat hard drives.
Users of VirusScan antivirus software can detect and clean this virus with
DAT 4071, which is available for download at
http://www.osu.edu/units/uts/publications/upgrades/. Contact 688-HELP or
8help@tsc.ohio-state.edu


6) General News: Don't install Napster or other similar clients:


Do not install Napster, Wrapster, or other similar programs on any computer
in the Chemistry Department, even if it is your personal home computer. These
programs generate a tremendous network load, in addition to possibly
violating copyrights.

Napster is a program used to trade MP3 music files. Wrapster allows any type
of file to be listed and traded over the Napster network, including music,
video, and software. Wrapster joins a growing number of programs allowing the
quick, free and wide distribution of illegally copied files over the net.

We do not wish to get involved in copyright disputes. Also, we remind
everyone that our resources, including the network, are for chemistry-related
purposes only. If we find that anybody runs non-chemistry related
applications that adversely affect legitimate use of departmental resources,
these programs will be removed.


7) General News: cgslink mailings to chemgrad mailing list:


Somehow the address chemgrad@chemistry.ohio-state.edu was added to the
cgslinks (Council of Graduate Students) mailing list. We received several
complaints from students who didn't want to get all the extra mail, and who
couldn't remove their name from the cgslinks list (since they hadn't been
added, but chemgrad had).

We contacted the maintainers of the cgslinks list, and chemgrad has since
been taken off.


8) General News: The use of everyone@chemistry again:


It is not the job of computer support to act as a mail filter, and however a
thoughtful job we could do, we would always be 'doing it wrong' in the eyes
of some fraction of our users. Also, we make no judgements on the value of
any particular topic. The everyone-list is for chemistry related material
only, which means it is only for such email that has an immediate connection
to, direct relevance for, or is sponsored in an official capacity by, the
Chemistry Department.


9) General News: SciFinder Scholar V3.0 enhancements:


Three new features were added to SciFinder Scholar V3.0; you do not have to
download any new software to use them. CAS has updated the SciFinder Scholar
User Guide to include detailed information for using these features. They
also added three new search tips to SciFinder Scholar Solutions.

For more details, go to

  Internal --> Computer Support --> SciFinder Scholar V3.0 --> (new) March 1, 2000


10) General News: Building Maps available:


Online maps of most Chemistry buildings are now available under

	Internal --> Links --> 


11) General News: Fortran77 program checker:


In case some of you are interested, we have updated "ftnchek", a Fortran 77
program checker, from version 2.6 to version 2.11. The new version is less
likely to be choked by very long and complex programs. It comes with a
man-page and html-documentation under

	Internal --> Computer Support --> Online Manuals and FAQs


12) General News: Old 3D viewers available:


There are four 3D viewers available in the Graduate Computer Lab 2105 NW.
They can be used for 3D structure viewing and also to look at the included
photographs. First come first serve come and get 'em. Ask one of us in room
2109 NW.


13) Lab News: Assimilator on the G4s in the Lab:


The software and OS installed on the new Macs has been replicated with a tool
by the name of "Assimilator". Assimilator allows one to take an image
(snapshot) of the software, which can then be used to re-install the
machines. This will help us keep the operating system and all settings in a
pristine state. Whenever the Macs are rebooted, they will check their
configuration and will re-assimilate themselves if there are any
discrepancies in their software settings.

Should a Mac crash and reboot while you're working on it, Assimilator will
remove all local data files that you created and move them into the trash
(reason: there is no long-term data storage on Macs or PCs; longterm storage
is only on your U: share). You can get your data files back out of the trash
until the trash is emptied.


14) Lab Reminder: Logoff the PCs:


Don't forget to logout from your NT account on the PCs in the Lab or
elsewhere in the Department! Otherwise, other people can access or delete the
files on your U: share and abuse your account. You are responsible for your
own account.

To logout from your WindowsNT account, hit CTRL-ALT-DEL and select "Logoff".
Do NOT LOCK the PCs. Do NOT SHUTDOWN the PCs.


15) General Reminder: How to request new accounts:


This is a reminder that account requests need to be made by filling out
the account request form on the web:

  Internal --> Computer Support --> 
     Request Unix and NT accounts on the Chemistry Servers

This form can only be accessed from within the OSU campus area.

Many new students who were joining research groups have told us that members
of their research group told them to come and see us. Well, the students and
postdocs who told them should have known better. We're entertaining the idea
of imposing a mandatory 48 hour waiting period for those who knock on our
doors rather than submit an account request via the web ;-)


16) General Reminder: How to contact Computer Support:


Another reminder: computer-related requests and questions should be sent via
email to

        support@chemistry.ohio-state.edu

whenever possible. Don't send email to invidual members of the support
group, because we do get sick or take vacation days at times. A timely
response (we try to get back to you within 24 hours) is only possible if you
contact "support".


17) Windows-NT Reminder: "U:" shares:


We still see students in our Lab using floppy disks to store their files. We
remind you again that all of you have NT accounts with "U: shares", i.e.
with personal storage space on the NT-server, that can be accessed (mapped)
from any PC in the Department.

For more information about your NT account, see the  NT FAQ on our web pages
under

        Internal --> Computer Support --> PC and Mac Information