Geography Computing

1. Geography Computing or “The State of the Empire” Address January 22, 2009

2. Mark Probert, Information Systems Manager Geography Computing Team - Introductions Gwen Raubal, Computer Network Technologist Jon Hall, Web Programmer Dylan Parenti, Geotechnical Information Specialist Guylene Gadal, spatial@UCSB Web Administrator Bill Norrington, Journalist Mo Lovegreen, Executive Officer

3. Geography Computing Team - Introductions • Mark Probert– Information Systems Manager Manages all aspects of computing infrastructure, software licensing, IP addressing, systems administration of Departmental e-mail & UNIX network, faculty, researcher, staff, and student class accounts and backups. Maintains the faculty computing environment. Establishes policies, and maintains dialogue with the University regarding general computing guidelines. Monitors and responds to request queue. • Dylan Parenti– Geotechnical Information Specialist Assists students, researchers, and faculty in all aspects of geographical instructional and field research computing. Manages Department security access control. Maintains the computing environment for the Star, Soils, GeoTrans, Sustainability, and VIPER Laboratories. Functions as Department webmaster, CorporateTime coordinator, GIS data manager, SDE administrator & DBA. Monitors and responds to request queue. • Gwen Raubal– Computer Network Technologist Manages the spatial@UCSB and Descartes Laboratories. Responds to general Departmental computing and networking customer service requests. Assists the spatial@UCSB administrator. Maintains all aspects of the Department’s printing environment. Coordinates with UCSB OIT on wireless computing issues. Assists the Information Systems Manager with all associated tasks. • Jon Hall– Web Programmer Creates and maintains Department website content. • Guylene Gadal– spatial@UCSB Web Administrator

4. Campus Resources • UCSB VPN Service • http://www.oit.ucsb.edu/network_services/VPN_service/default.asp • Windows and MacOS X clients • Poster printing at the Institute for Quantum & Complex Dynamics (iQCD) for $40.00 each.

5. “What Services Do I Get?” Core Department services provided include: • Geography Department E-mail (& various lists) (username@geog.ucsb.edu) • Bulletin Board Service (BBS) • PDA & handheld GPS units for field instruction • Network troubleshooting (wall-plate in) • Use of the spatial@UCSB computing lab • UCSB CorporateTime Calendar account + Oracle client • Installation of ESRI/ENVI+IDL on University-owned machines (and anti-virus for 1 machine)

6. “What Services Do I Get?” Additional Services for Recharge: • Hardware troubleshooting for grant research-owned computers

7. Department Resources • Mailing Lists • Official lists • allfaculty@geog • allgrad@geog (goes to graduate students only) • everyone@geog (same as all@geog [used by campus emergency services in the event of…well, an emergency]) • allugrad@geog (goes to undergrads only) • Private • gradb@geog (private grad student list/forum only) • Bulletin Board • http://bbs.geog.ucsb.edu

8. Network • 300 computers • 525 users • 2 computer instructional labs • Jeffrey L. Star Lab (Ellison Hall, Rm. 2610) • Descartes Lab (Ellison Hall, Rm. 3620) • 1 grad student-only computing lab • spatial@UCSB Lab (Ellison Hall, Rm. 2616) • 2 classrooms • Ellison Hall, Rm. 2620 • Ellison Hall, Rm. 3621

9. Network

10. Accounts • UNIX accounts • Password matches your initial e-mail password • Forgot it? Visit Gwen or Mark for a new one (passwords never e-mailed out), at Ellison Hall, Rm. 1839 • You can change your UNIX account password using Secure Shell Client or X-Windows terminal client • e.g., on latitude.geog.ucsb.edu, use yppasswd at the command prompt, and follow the instructions. • Useful Departmental UNIX servers to SSH into • whizbang (.geog.ucsb.edu) • latitude • isoline

11. Accounts UNIX – huh! - What is it Good For? Absolutely… • Powerful UNIX as an operating system can support almost any kind of software. Manage and alter vast amounts of data/files/directories with simple scripts. • Flexible UNIX offers thousands of tools that can be combined and recombined. Or, create ones custom to your needs! Connects with Windows Explorer by mapping a network drive. (e.g. \\latitude\username ) • Reliable UNIX is hard to crash. • Simple GUI-free. Shamelessly “borrow” source code, modify, compile, use! • Fashionable UNIX is anacademia OS. UNIX user = instant uber-computer geek cred.

12. Accounts • Class accounts • These are UNIX accounts. For instance, Jane Q. Doe taking Geography 184 would have an account named jqd184 • But, they expire quarterly/yearly • Useful for students’ class-related webpages

13. Accounts • E-mail accounts • Change password, set forwarding and vacation message • Open http://mailhost.geog.ucsb.edu:8082 with Internet Explorer (not Mozilla Firefox) • Spam filtering • 90-95% of all e-mail we receive is spam • All UCSB computers are whitelisted, and therefore not filtered for spam • Quarantine account: http://sbox.geog.ucsb.edu:8000

14. Web Pages • Personal web pages(created & managed by you) • http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~username • Create public_html folder/directory • index.html – your default ~username page • Use SFTP/WinSCP/etc. to transfer/command line or map a network drive in Windows XP Explorer • Class web pages(established by webmaster, content created by you, managed by you and the webmaster) • /www/classes/

15. 2007 - 2008 in Review • An external Program Review Panel (PRP) report in 2007 remarked that they were “shocked and dismayed by the poor quality of instructional computing facilities in the Geography Department; the situation is especially distressing in that the Department’s international reputation rests largely in the area of the application of information technologies of geographic problems.” • Our response outlined a plan to overhaul major shortcomings. • Establishment of a computing space to support the spatial@UCSB mission, as well as provide a graduate student computing facility. • Implement security measures to protect Department computing property. • Re-invent Department’s Web image. • Procurement of new hardware & software. • Immediately execute the 94 action-items in the PRP Response…and so it began…

16. Star Lab • Open 24/7 for grad students (with building entry) • Open 24/5 for undergrads (without grad supervision) Before…(late 2007)

17. Star Lab Demolition

18. Star Lab Open 24/7 for grad students (with building entry) Open 24/5 for undergrads (without grad supervision) After…(early 2009)

19. Computer Labs • Spatial@UCSB Lab • Open access for graduate students 24/7

20. Computer Labs • Descartes Lab • Open access for graduate students 24/7 • Access for enrolled undergrads until 5 p.m. • “New” podium, laptop, screen, projector, updated software, and surveillance camera installed

21. Classrooms Ellison 2620 Ellison Hall 3621

22. Podiums • Locked – keys checked out from office staff • Key may be issued for an entire quarter, and must be returned at the end of each quarter • Top tray • Dedicated WinXP laptop with Microsoft Office 2007 Pro • Laptop plugs into Ethernet port on side • Mouse and power adapter • LCD Clock • Locked Cabinet • Basic DVD player, no audio (for now) • Documentation, and Wireless Projector Manager software • USB presenter • Microphone/speaker, if needed • Geography website has an overview of the podiums, with photographs

23. Podiums

24. Projectors • Panasonic PT-FW100NTU, ceiling-mounted, wired/wireless • Path of least resistance: go wired (open access) • Podium laptop resolution is native to projector’s (1024 x 768 pixels) • When using your laptop, if it can be set to 1024 x 768, choose that • No software required • Wireless: advanced (not open access: requires password) • Basic how-to on the Department website • Isn’t good for video or Google Earth swarming • Wireless Manager software – check out software with Computing Staff • Panasonic warns software may not be compatible with Vista • Don’t expect to learn the program 2 minutes before your initial class • 10’ x 6’ pull-down screen in 2620 classroom • 8’ x 6’ motorized screen in 3621 classroom • 10’ x 6’ motorized screen in Star, Spatial, and Descartes Labs

25. Computer Labs • If you are teaching/TAing a class, verify that podium is locked when you are done!

26. Major Developments • Wireless • APs within reach of all Geography classrooms, computing labs and conference rooms…and most office spaces. • https://noc.ucsb.edu/wireless/ • Once connected, Geography networks accessed via SSH/SFTP client programs

27. Major Developments • Hiring of CNT Gwen Raubal. • Hiring of Web Programmer Jon Hall to • revamp Department’s Web image. • Upgraded network to gigabit speeds. • Procured two new Web servers. • Formulated off-site location for disaster • mitigation/backup instructional, • administrative, and Web servers in Bren • School building.

28. Major Developments • Field Locational Devices

29. Major Developments • Field Locational Devices for Instruction • 2 Garmin eTrex H GPS units (very basic) • 27 Garmin eTrex Legend GPS units (intended for undergrads during undergrad field sections) • 2 Garmin Rino 130 GPS units (intended for instructor & TAs during undergrad field sections) (“Rawhide” units) • 2-way radio built-in • 2 Garmin GPSMAP 60 GPS units • TOPO 24K West U.S. maps installed • 2 Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx GPS units • TOPO 24K West U.S. maps installed • 3 ASUS MyPal A639 PDA/GPS units • 1 Pharos Traveler GPS 535E PDA (All PDA units have ArcPad 7.1.1, GarminXT, and CoPilot Live installed) • 2 TabletKiosk Slate Tablet PCs (WinXP, ArcGIS 9.3, Office 2007 installed) • 2 Garmin 10 Bluetooth GPS receivers

30. Major Developments • Field Locational Devices • Current inventory list can be browsed on the Department website: http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/computing/field-units/field-units-status.html • Check-outs for instructional use only • Check out units from Dylan Parenti • DNR Garmin software & its ArcGIS 9.3 extension installed on all Star Lab machines

31. ArcGIS Server 9.3 Server Hardware: • Dual Intel Xeon E5440 Quad-Core 2.83GHz CPUs • 32 GB 667MHz RAM • 9.6 TB RAID-5 for geodatabase • Duplicate fail-over and SOC machine earth.geog.ucsb.edu

32. ArcGIS Server 9.3

33. ArcGIS Server 9.3 Server Hardware: earth.geog.ucsb.edu newt.geog.ucsb.edu

34. Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise 64-bit ArcGIS Server 9.3 Enterprise Advanced Edition Microsoft .NET 3.5 (thus, IIS) Use free Microsoft Visual Web Developer to build applications client-side. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Microsoft Office 2007 ArcGIS Server 9.3 Server Software:

35. “Use” “Publish” “Author” ArcGIS Server 9.3 Tasks and Roles with an ArcGIS Server

36. ArcGIS Server 9.3 GIS Resources are assets you create using ArcGIS Desktop GIS Services are GIS resources available through the Web NOTE: Due to security concerns, Web applications that allow an end-user editing directly to the geodatabase won’t be available right away. However, through ArcGIS Desktop in-house (labs) are OK.

37. Currently students have ~100MB disk space quota on the UNIX network. This hardware has not been ordered. Added into the PRP Response as a requested addition. If funded, would eventually provide each graduate student with 120GB of network disk space. Data Storage Server Hardware:

38. The End …and then there’s printing. Questions?