[ISyE Helpdesk] Most Popular Articles

Using the Audio Visual Equipment in the Instructional Center

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:05:05 GMT

Problem:

I need to use the presentation equipment in one of the Instructional Center classrooms.

Solution:

Ceiling mounted LCD projectors and podium systems (includes desktop computer, VCR, and Extron rack for hooking up a laptop) are available in IC rooms 205, 207, 209, 211, 213, and 217.

Please note that ISyE is not able to use the a/v resources in room 215. This room is configured for distance learning and video conferencing and is NOT scheduled or controlled by ISyE.

Using the Podium Computer

Logging In

To use the podium computer, you must have a Georgia Tech computer account and use the AD (Active Directory) domain to login. If you do not know these pieces of information, please call OIT support at 4-7173.

Legacy Free (no 3.5" diskette drives)

The IC podium computers are "legacy free" and contain only a DVD and Zip 250 drive. If you need to use a floppy drive, three are available for checkout from the ISyE receptionist.

Network Connectivity

The IC podium computers are on an OIT computer network.

Using a Laptop Computer

To hook up a laptop to the projector, you can now use a standard male-to-male VGA cable plugged into both the laptop and Extron rack mounted in the podium)

Rooms are assigned for courses each semester. For room reservations, reference the ISyE online reservation system.

Network Connectivity

The network port on the front of the podium in the Extron rack will put an ISyE-maintained machine onto the ISyE network and any other computer onto the open campus network (same as the wireless network and same as what the podium computer connects to).

INSTRUCTIONS - USING THE PODIUM A/V EQUIPMENT

Podium Components (view detail)

- Dell Optiplex GX260 Pentium IV desktop computer
- Samsung 15" Flat Panel Monitor
- Extron rack (for laptop connectivity)
- Panasonic AG-2570 VCR

Turn on the ceiling projector and lower the screen

Using the wall control panel, press On to turn on the system and Down to lower the projection screen (some rooms require that you use the screen controls mounted on the wall near the entrance doors to the room)
Wait 30 seconds before pressing any other buttons (projector needs to warm up)
To output the podium computer or laptop (using the Extron rack in the podium) video through the ceiling projector, press Computer 1 on the wall control panel
To output the podium VCR through the ceiling projector, press VCR on the wall control panel
Make sure to turn off the ceiling projector when you leave

To use the podium mounted computer

Make sure the computer is powered and booted up
Login using your PRISM id and password. Choose a task (choosing a task does not currently perform any specific function at this time. OIT plans to create functionality for this action in the future)
Ensure button 1 is pressed on the Extron rack near the top of the podium to output the podium computer video to the ceiling projector.
Make sure to turn off the ceiling projector when you leave

To use the podium mounted VCR

To display the VCR on the ceiling projector, press the VCR button on the Extron wall panel
Ensure button 1 is pressed on the Extron rack near the top of the podium to output the podium computer video to the ceiling projector
Load the videotape in the VCR and either use the remote (should be located in the drawer at the bottom of the podium) or the buttons on the VCR to play the tape
Adjust the volume using the controls on the Extron wall panel
Make sure to turn off the ceiling projector when you leave

To use a laptop

via the Extron rack mounted in the podium (new way)

You will need either the Extron vga laptop cable (located in the drawer in the bottom of the podium) or any standard male-to-male vga cable to connect a laptop to the Extron rack mounted in the podium.
Plug one end of the cable to the vga output on the laptop and the other to the Extron rack located at the top of the podium
To display your laptop screen on the projector, press button 2 on the Extron rack located in the podium
If you have problems, make sure the VGA output of the laptop is enabled. Most laptops have some type of key function to (e.g. Function - F5 to cycle through available video output modes)
Make sure to turn off the ceiling projector when you leave

via the Extron input panel mounted in wall (old way)

You will need a proprietary Extron video cable (can be checked out from ISyE front desk)
Plug one end of the cable to the vga output on the laptop and the other to the Extron input panel mounted in the wall
To display your laptop screen on the projector, press Computer 2 on the Extron wall panel
If you have problems, make sure the VGA output of the laptop is enabled. Most laptops have some type of key function to (e.g. Function - F5 to cycle through available video output modes)
Make sure to turn off the ceiling projector when you leave

Audio Adjustments

The volume can be adjusted via the wall panel, using the Up or Down buttons
Pressing Preset will automatically set the volume to a comfortable average level
The Mute will completely silence the system,or it will allow sound again if the system is already muted

Available Software

Please visit the Software Resource area within the ISyE website. We strongly suggest that you test the computer and ensure it has the software you need beforehand!!!

More Information

OIT Classroom technology overview

Problems?

24 Hour Phone Contact: 404-894-4669
OIT Classroom AV Technology Staff Help is available
M-F from 7am to 6pm
Or email av-support@edtech.gatech.edu

Mapping a Network Drive

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:25:51 GMT

Problem:

I am working on a Windows machine and need access to a SAMBA share.

Solution:

What is SAMBA?

Samba is a suite of Unix applications that speak the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. Many operating systems, including Windows and OS X, use SMB to perform client-server networking. By supporting this protocol, Samba allows Unix servers to get in on the action, communicating with the same networking protocol as Microsoft Windows products. Thus, a Samba-enabled Unix machine can masquerade as a server on your Microsoft network and offer the following services:

Share one or more filesystems
Share printers installed on both the server and its clients
Assist clients with Network Neighborhood browsing
Authenticate clients logging onto a Windows domain
Provide or assist with WINS name server resolution

Specific to ISyE, UNIX account holders can use SAMBA to access their UNIX home directories and file shares from various Windows PCs on the ISyE network. Also, please note SAMBA access is only available from within the ISyE network.

How to map a samba share:

1. Open Windows Explorer on the local machine.
2. Select Tools->Map Network Drive (Windows XP). Select Map network drive (Windows 7).
3. Enter \\[server name][share name]. Share name is the directory that you want to map to, server name is the name of the samba server. To map to your ISyE UNIX home directory, either use your UNIX account name or the word "homes".

e.g. \\samba.isye.gatech.edu\homes

4. Click Finish.

View the Video

ISyE General Use UNIX Resources

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:57 GMT

Problem:

What UNIX resources are available to me if I have an ISyE UNIX account?

Solution:

This page details the central UNIX command line resources available to all ISyE faculty and graduate student users.

Interactive Shell Access

The general-use interactive UNIX server for ISyE is

castle.isye.gatech.edu

This can be done using SecureCRT from a Windows PC, or from the UNIX command line using ssh.

Castle is a four-CPU Sun E450 server that can handle many simultaneous users.

This server should be used for checking email, reading newsgroups, writing scripts and software, and other tasks where users need access to a UNIX command line environment. Castle should not be used for running compute jobs lasting more than a few minutes due to the impact on other users. See the Compute Resource Access section below for the appropriate places to run compute jobs.

Castle has a very large set of software installed. These include X applications, which if needed can be exported to local UNIX or Linux displays by using the -X option of ssh, e.g.:

ssh -X username@castle.isye.gatech.edu

Compute Resource Access

There are currently two sets of Sun compute servers available to the general user population with more resources anticipated in the near future.

two Sun 280R's named mangonel1 and mangonel2, each with 2x900MHz UltraSparc-III-Cu CPU's and 2GB RAM
two Sun V480's named scepter1 and scepter2, each with 4x900MHz UltraSparc-III-Cu and 16GB of RAM
16 Linux nodes, each with 2x2.4GHz Xeon CPUs and 2GB RAM -- these require a separate account, email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu for access

These compute servers can be accessed interactively via ssh2 and jobs can be run interactively. Eventually, as more compute servers are put into place, interactive access will be replaced with a batch job submission system to allow many users to efficiently use the machines by distributing jobs evenly across all resources.

The Sun compute machines have at a minimum the following software available to users (general paths in parenthesis):

Sun Forte HPC C, C++, and Fortran compilers (/opt/SUNWspro)
Gnu C/C++ compilers (/usr/local/bin)*
ILOG CPlex, AMPL, Solver, and other applications (/usr/local/ilog)
Matlab (/usr/local/matlab)
splus (/usr/local/splus)
Sun Java2 SDK (/usr/bin)
NAG mathematical libraries (/usr/local/nag)

* For most computational applications on the Sparc platform, the Sun Forte compilers produce much faster code than the Gnu compilers. A threefold performance difference is common.

The Linux compute machines have at a minimum the following software available to users (general paths in parenthesis):

Gnu C/C++ compilers (/usr/local/bin)*
ILOG CPlex, Concert, Solver, and other applications (/usr/local/cplex)
Matlab (/usr/local/matlab)
R (/usr/local/R)
XPressMP (/usr/local/xpressmp)

Using the ISyE Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:28:07 GMT

Problem:

I am a faculty or staff member and need access to the ISyE network (VPN access is not available to students).

Solution:

For anyone connecting to the internet, through any means and from any location, running the VPN client software provides a secure virtual connection between your computer and the ISyE computer network. This technology allows you to take advantage of all network related services offered within the department from any location. Please note that VPN accounts are available for ISyE faculty and staff only.

Receiving and sending email is easier (with no 'server' configuration changes as are required currently), SAMBA (remote file sharing services) will now be available from remote locations as well as a number of other services coming on line over the next year. One last significant benefit is that VPN encrypts all data transferred between your computer and the ISyE network. This helps to protect your passwords, email and any other sensitive data that might be transmitted. If you would like more information on VPN, or are interested in getting setup to use VPN from home or from a laptop, please read the following.

NEW Cisco ISYE VPN Installation Instructions

Direct your browser to http://vpn.isye.gatech.edu.
Log in with your ISyE username and password.
The system will check to see if the client is installed. If it is not, it will prompt you to download and install it.
When the client is installed, the web page will start the client and begin the connection process.
The Cisco client is the same one used by Georgia Tech for campus-wide VPN access. Sometimes, if you have accessed the Georgia Tech VPN, it can overwrite the ISyE settings. If you see anyc.vpn.gatech.edu then the ISyE settings have been overwritten by the OIT settings. Visiting http://vpn.isye.gatech.edu again will direct the client back to ISyE.

OLD Nortel ISYE VPN Installation Instructions

1. Before proceeding, please contact Allen Belletti @4-6221 to obtain a username and ask to be added to the system. Without this step, you will not be able to access the ISyE network using the software. If you have a previous version of the VPN Client already installed, please remove it using add/remove programs under the windows control panel before installing the new version. Also, if this is the case, use the password assigned to you, not the initial password as noted below.

2. Download and run the file named VPN_Client_4_91_021.exe (3.3MB). Please note that you must have administrator rights on the local machine to install the software.

3. Accept all the installation defaults by clicking on the YES and NEXT buttons.

4. When the installation has completed, restart the computer.

5. After restart, run the Contivity VPN Client program located on the desktop or in the Nortel Networks Program Group within the Start Menu.

6. Click on NO when asked to use the Connection Wizard to create a connection.

7. Enter the following information into the appropriate fields:

Connection: Georgia Tech ISyE VPN
Description: Georgia Tech ISyE VPN
Dial-up: (None)
User Name: (Enter your current ISYE User ID)
Password: gtisyevpn (initial password only - should be changed on first connection)
Save Password: (Click on the box to place a check inside it.)
Destination: 130.207.91.149

8. Click on the SAVE button.
9. Click on the CONNECT button.
10. Change your password on first connection. To change the password, right-click on the VPN icon in the lower right corner of the screen and choose "Change Password".

***Please do not set the Contivity software to automatically load every time Windows is started. This would be quite detrimental to a laptop that was brought back onto campus, because it would needlessly route all network traffic through the VPN server.

Using FTP

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:58:40 GMT

Problem:

I need to use FTP to access/manipulate files between FTP-capable machines.

Solution:

FTP (or file transfer protocol) is the old standard means of transmitting and receiving files from one host to another. A client program gives you the ability to connect a computer to an ftp server to send or retrieve files. Some systems on the GT and Internet networks provide support for anonymous access (i.e. the system does not require that you have an account in order to connect and retrieve information).

ISyE Systems and FTP

FTP programs transmit passwords without encryption and thus is a security risk. As a result, ISyE does not provide support for "authenticated" FTP.

ISyE does provide an anonymous FTP service through ftp.isye.gatech.edu for the purpose of publicly sharing files with the outside world and for allowing collaborators to upload files to special secured locations.

To make files available to the outside world via anonymous FTP, either ssh into ftp.isye.gatech.edu and copy the files into the appropriate sub-directory of /ftp/pub or use scp to directly copy the files. Please be certain that the files are truly for public consumption as anyone on the Internet will be able to download the files.

If you are a faculty member of ISyE and want external collaborators to be able to upload files into a secured location, a directory must exist for this particular project or faculty member under /ftp/incoming. Once the files are uploaded, ONLY the faculty member for whom the directory was created can ssh to ftp.isye.gatech.edu and move (mv command) the files to another location, or use scp to copy them off to a remote host.

To request an incoming directory, please email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu with the details of the request.

Students who need an upload directory for research purposes should ask their adviser to request a directory. Note that the adviser will have to copy off the files once uploaded.

Anonymous FTP via UNIX

At the UNIX prompt, type ftp [hostname] (remember to use the full hostname). You can also use xftp if you are working in a windows environment.

Enter anonymous as the login name, and your email address as the password.

Anonymous FTP via Windows

Start FileZilla, WinSCP (or your favorite FTP client) from the local machine. You will usually need the following information to access an FTP-capable machine.

host/server (e.g. ftp.isye.gatech.edu)
user name (anonymous)
password (your email address)
default directory (when logging in, the ftp client will drop you into the "pub" directory.

Using SCP

When you connect to a normal FTP server, your username and password are sent in clear text. This data can be read by someone using a packet sniffer that is "plugged in" anywhere in between you and the remote server. Be sure to change passwords regularly, but specifically, try to avoid FTP when a better alternative is available.

One alternative to using FTP is using secure FTP or secure Copy. Visit the WinSCP knowledgebase article for more information.

Changing your ISyE UNIX account password

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:00:50 GMT

Problem:

I would like to change the password for my ISyE UNIX account.

Solution:

1) SSH2 to "password.isye.gatech.edu"

2) At the command prompt type the following:

passwd

You will be prompted with the following:

passwd: Changing password for andyh
Enter existing login password:
New Password:
Re-enter new Password:

(Note-- Passwords won't show as you type them!)

passwd: password successfully changed for andyh

The new password should be available on all ISyE systems immediately. You should consider changing your account password at regular intervals (such as every quarter).

Printing transparencies to the ISyE color printer

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:01:15 GMT

Problem:

I need to print transparencies for official ISyE business.

Solution:

Transparencies can be printed on ISyE's color printer located in Groseclose 306.

Via UNIX
Use the following command: lp -dhp306color -omtypeTransparency [filename]

Via Windows
To print to hp306color via Windows, the computer you are printing from must have this printer installed.

General Information Relating to ISyE UNIX Accounts

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:49 GMT

Problem:

What is involved with acquiring/using an ISyE UNIX account?

Solution:

All faculty, staff, and graduate students are eligible for access to the ISyE general-purpose computing facilities.

Faculty and staff accounts are retained as long as the individual remains employed at Georgia Tech, without the necessity of periodic renewals. Student accounts are likewise retained until graduation, as long as they maintain student status. After leaving Tech, both students and faculty are normally provided a one-quarter grace period before their account is expired. Graduate students who have completed their degrees and former faculty may extend their account privileges up to six months on request. After the six-month period, further approval must be obtained from the Director of Technology, Mark Iken.

An application for an ISyE account is available on-line, please complete the UNIX Account Form. You should first activate your prism account and obtain a buzz card as you must provide this information to establish an ISyE account. It is highly recommended that all mail from your PRISM account be forwarded to your ISyE account, so that you will receive mailings.

Once your ISyE account is established, you will have a single unified password and home directory file system. All accounts have a disk space quota applied in order to control overall disk space utilization and to help prevent a single user from accidentally depleting the disk space on a given server.

Acquiring your GT Account

A GT computer account is administered through the Office of Information Technology (OIT). This account provides access to most computer facilities supported by OIT, and is essential, as most official electronic mail will be directed there. An application form for your GT account can be found at the Rich Building, Room 104.

Printing a LaTeX file from a UNIX computer

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:44 GMT

Problem:

How do I print a LaTeX file from a UNIX machine?

Solution:

LateX (or just TeX) files must be converted to Postscript before they can be sent to one of the networked laser printers, since PostScript is the language that the printers understand. The TeX file must first be converted to DVI and then to PostScript in two different steps.

We have created a TeX file called sample.tex and are connected to a Sun workstation:

latex sample - processes the file sample.tex, and sample.dvi is created.
dvips sample - this will create a PostScript file named sample.ps.
dvips -f sample | LP -d printername- this will print the file sample.ps to hp226a.

You may also create pdf files from your TeX files:

Latex has the ability to create pdf files directly:

type pdflatex instead of latex

If you include eps graphics in your latex files, there is a method to include them in latex2e with pdflatex by using the usepackage {graphicsx} command.

includegraphics{figure} - where "figure" is the name of the graphic

You will need to convert all your eps files to pdf versions with the epstoppdf command, for example:

epstopdf figure.eps - this will create figure.eps

With all your graphics available in both formats, LaTeX will automatically grap the one you need when you run latex or pdflatex.

Text Editors

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:03:34 GMT

Problem:

How do I edit text files on a UNIX machine?

Solution:

pico

Pico is a simple, display-oriented text editor based on the Pine message system composer. As with Pine, commands are displayed at the bottom of the screen, and context-sensitive help is provided. As characters are typed they are immediately inserted into the text.

vi

vi (pronounced v-i, as two separate letters) is a display-oriented text editor based on an underlying line editor ex. For first time or casual Unix users, vi is not recommended to use. It is very powerful for search/replace type functions, and is recommend for advanced Unix users.

The ISyE version is actually vim, and can be configured with a .vimrc file in your home directory.

emacs

emacs is another text editor for advanced Unix users. There is also a GUI version, called xemacs.

Printing a LaTeX file from a UNIX Computer

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:01:09 GMT

Problem:

I need to print a LaTeX file from a UNIX machine.

Solution:

Since PostScript is the language that the printers understand, Latex (or just Tex) files must be converted to Postscript before they can be sent to one of the networked laser printers. The Tex file must first be converted to DVI and then to PostScript in two different steps.

Assume you have created a Tex file called sample.tex, and you are connected to a Sun workstation:

latex sample - processes the file sample.tex, and sample.dvi is created.
dvips sample - will create a PostScript file named sample.ps.
dvips -f sample | lp -d [printername] - will print the file sample.ps to hp226a.

You may also create pdf files from your tex files. Latex has the ability to create pdf files directly.

type pdflatex instead of latex

If you include eps graphics in your latex files, there is a method to include them in latex2e with pdflatex by using the "usepackage {graphicsx}" command. e.g.

includegraphics{figure}

where figure is the name of the graphic

You will need to convert all your eps files to pdf versions with the epstoppdf command, for example:

epstopdf figure.eps - will create figure.eps

With all your graphics available in both formats, latex will automatically grap the one you need when you run latex or pdflatex.

Bibliographies with LaTeX

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:29 GMT

Problem:

How can I created a bibliography with LaTeX?

Solution:

If you're just doing a short paper, it may be easiest to type in the bibliography yourself. Check one of the online references for the thebibliography environment.

A better long-term solution is provided by BibTeX. When used with LaTeX, BibTeX takes care of both your bibliography and your citations. To make it work, you first need to create (or copy from a friend) a BibTeX bibliography file, which just contains information about all the sources you may want to reference. In your document you use the cite command as usual. You also specify the bibliograpy file(s) you wish to use and the style for the bibliography (there are a number of styles available).

You then run latex on the file once, bibtex on the file once, and then latex as many times as necessary until LaTeX stops complaining about references (probably just twice). At that point your dvi file should have a bibliography containing exactly the sources that you cited in it. There are ways to include sources that you didn't actually cite in the bibliography as well.

The reason for running so many commands is that when you run latex the first time it collects information about all the citations in your document. BibTeX uses this information to create the layout for the bibliography. The remaining runs of latex create the final layout. Doing more than one run is usually necessary to make sure that inserting the correct references and citations didn't change any other references (by pushing things onto a new page, for example).

For information on exact BibTeX syntax check the following online references:

Converting LaTex files to PS and/or PDF

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:00:26 GMT

Problem:

I have a LaTex file that I need to convert into a PDF or Postscript file.

Solution:

1) SSH to an ISyE Unix machine

2) cd to the following directory cd /usr/local/teTeX/bin/sparc-sun-solaris2.6

3) To convert LaTex (dvi) to PS, issue the following commands: dvips [input filename] [output filename] where input filename and output filename are the paths and names of the files being converted

4) To convert PS to PDF, issue the following commands: ps2pdf [input filename] [output filename] where input filename and output filename are the paths and names of the files being converted

5) To convert LaTex to PDF, issue the following commands: dvipdf [input filename] [output filename] where input filename and output filename are the paths and names of the files being converted

Text vs Graphical Environments in Unix

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:02:05 GMT

Problem:

I need to know my options relating to interacting with a UNIX machine.

Solution:

When you use a unix machine you often have a very basic text environment in which you are given a prompt and type commands in one at a time. This is called the command line. It may also be referred to as a terminal or a text environment. This is similar to DOS (the precursor to Windows).

It is also possible to have a graphical user interface (GUI) in which you use a pointer and click on icons or menus to run certain programs. This is similar to Windows. This may be referred to as a graphical environment.

Unix is at heart a text-based environment, so it is important that you feel comfortable using the command line. See Feeling Comfortable with the Unix Command Line. This is also useful at times when you do not have access to a graphical environment.

Graphical environments are generally more user-friendly, however, and a number of programs require graphics, so most people will choose a graphical environment when they can get one. When you sit down at a unix workstation in ISyE, you will be presented with a graphical environment. There are currently two options on most ISyE machines: the Common Desktop Environment and the OpenWindows Desktop. You can choose which desktop you'd like by using a menu on the login screen (it's in the Options and then the Session menu). I can think of no particular advantages or disadvantages for either of them, so choose the one that you are most comfortable with. I believe the default is the Common Desktop Environment.

In a graphical environment you have menus to run a number of programs, but probably not every program you'd like. Therefore you will still want to use the command line at times. You can access the command line by starting a terminal window. In the Common Desktop Environment on the main panel there is a pair of performance meters labeled something like "cpu" and "disk". Click on the triangle/arrow just above these to bring up a menu, and choose Console or This Host to get a terminal window.

In the OpenWindows Desktop, you are given one console window by default, probably in the upper left corner. To create more, right click anywhere on the background to get a menu; then choose Utilities and Console.

When run in a graphical environment, some programs start their own windows. If you run these programs from a terminal window, then you will generally have to wait until the program terminates to enter more commands in that terminal window (though you could have other terminal windows). To avoid this behavior, run the program in the background by appending an & to the command. For example, you can run xemacs in the background by typing xemacs &. Your terminal window will immediately give you a new prompt, and xemacs will start its own window for you to use. This is not the only use for running programs in the background. For more information consult a UNIX tutorial. See Feeling Comfortable with the Unix Command Line.

Printing a File from UNIX

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:01:22 GMT

Problem:

I need to print a file from UNIX to one of ISyE's printers

Solution:

ISyE's networked laser printers may be accessed from any UNIX machine in ISyE and from some of the UNIX machines maintained by the Office of Information Technology.

To send a text or postscript file to one of the laser printers, type lp -d printername filename

lp -d hp226a burdell.txt

To send a text file to one of the laser printers formatted with the text formatted as two pages on one 8.5x11 pages, type:

enscript -G2r [filename] | lp -d [printername]

where "printername" is one of the UNIX names listed below.

For example:

enscript -G2r example.c | lp -d hp226a would send the file example.c to the laser printer in room 226a.

The program enscript converts the file to PostScript and prints two typed pages to one printer page to conserve paper.

To check the printer queue, type:

lpq -P[printer_name]

Network Printers for graduate student use are located in the Graduate Computer Lab (Room 118), for undergraduate students the Undergraduate Computer Lab (Room 113), and for faculty/staff the Resource Center (Room 306).

Printing in the Undergraduate and Graduate Lab

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:01:29 GMT

Problem:

I am an undergraduate or graduate student and need to print some material.

Solution:

Network Printers for graduate student use are located in the Graduate Computer Lab (Room 113). Printers for undergraduate use are located in the Undergraduate Computer Lab (Room 118).

Room 118
HP LaserJet 8150N, printer name: pacific

Room 113
HP LaserJet 8150N, printer name: hp113

Lab Printer Supplies
ISyE's Technical Support makes every effort to keep the equipment operating smoothly. However, if you notice a printer is broken, in need of a new toner, or there is no paper, submit a HelpDesk request by emailing helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu.

Checking out A/V Equipment

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:04:41 GMT

Problem:

What A/V equipment does ISyE have available for checkout?

Solution:

Audio/Visual Equipment

The following equipment can be reserved by ISyE faculty, staff and students. The earlier you reserve, the better chance that we will have available equipment. Reservations are first-come, first-served. Please note the sources to contact regarding the following equipment.

(3) Windows Laptops
Laptop checkout is available at the request time/date. Send an email to helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu and we will let you know if one is available and when/where to pick it up.
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

(2) Laptop LCD Projectors (1280 max resolution)
Laptop checkout is available at the request time/date. Send an email to helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu and we will let you know if one is available and when/where to pick it up.
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

(3) Laser Pointers
2 w/built in stopwatch. 1 that is pen-sized.
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

General Video

(2) Philips VRZ26AT VCRs
You can use this device to output to one of the IC ceiling mounted projectors using an rca cable.
Stored in: Groseclose, room 309
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

(2) Panasonic 27" Stereo TV TV/4-Head Hi-Fi VHS VCR Combination (PV-M2767)
27" Stereo TV / 4-Head Hi-Fi VHS VCR Combination. Both are mounted on a/v carts w/wheels.
*Please note that this equipment has rca audio/video inputs on the front of the unit and ONLY rca audio outputs on the rear with a cable/video out. If you would like to feed video through the IC mounted projectors, please check out an above Philips VCR.
Stored in: (1) IC building closet/room 205A & (1) in Groseclose, room 225 (ISyE copier room).
Reserve and Check out from Front Desk.

(1) Emerson 27" TV ECT2500D
Older 27" Television
with (1) Sylvania VCR (KVS699)
*If you would like to feed video through the IC mounted projectors, a Philips VCR is a better choice.
Stored in: (1) IC building closet/room 205A & (1) in Groseclose, room 225 (ISyE copier room).
Reserve and Check out from Front Desk.

General Audio

(2) Panasonic Cassette Recorders
Reserve and Check out from Front Desk.

(1) Sony Microcassette Recorder
Reserve and Check out from Front Desk.

Digital Photography

(1) Nikon Coolpix 950 Digital Camera
Stored in: Groseclose, room 308
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

(1) Nikon Coolpix 800 Digital Camera
Stored in: Groseclose, room 308
Email helpdesk@isye.gatech.edu

How to create a PDF file the is compatible with NSF FastLane Using Acrobat 4.0

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:00:43 GMT

Problem:

I need to create a PDF document that is compatible with NSF FastLane. I am using Adobe Acrobat 4.0

Solution:

1) Download this file, FastLane.joboptions, to your computer
2) Right click on the file and select Acrobat Distiller.

Acrobat Distiller should open with FastLane in the job options drop down menu.

3) Exit Distiller.

You should now have the FastLane Distiller job options saved and available to you the next time you need to distill a file for submission.

If that does not work, follow these directions:

1) Download this file, FastLane.joboptions, to your computer.
2) Save the file to C:Program FilesAdobeAcrobatDistillerSettings.
3) Start Distiller.

You should now have the FastLane Distiller job options saved and available to you the next time you need to distill a file for submission.

Fastlane File Uploads in various Formats

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:59:53 GMT

Problem:

I need to upload a file to the NSF Fastlane system.

Solution:

FastLane now supports file uploads in a variety of formats including Word, WordPerfect, PostScript and TeX (MiKTeX 1.20e). You should continue to use standard fonts to avoid font substitutions and you will need to proofread and accept the uploaded files. PDF files will continue to be accepted if properly created for merging into a single proposal (e.g. ensuring that all fonts are embedded, the files are saved in Acrobat 3 format and that PDFWriter was not used to create the file).

Supported File Formats and Corresponding File Extensions

Fonts

Use standard MS Windows or TeX Type 1 fonts in Word Processor documents and embed fonts in PostScript uploads. Otherwise, font substitution may occur. Mac Users: Lines, paragraphs, and pages may occasionally re-wrap due to minor differences in font metrics.

TeX Support

NSF is using MiKTeX 1.20e. Custom macros and formats not supported by MiKTeX 1.20e may not convert. Upload as PostScript or contact the Fastlane HelpDesk to see about adding support for your format.

Other File Formats

If your file's format is not listed in the next section, use your software to save the file in Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Text only (.txt) which the NSF system supports.

Extension	Associated Application
.DAR	DVI to PDF compiler (archive)
.DGZ	DVI to PDF compiler (archive)
.DOC	Microsoft Word
.DVI	DVI to PDF compiler
.DVZ	DVI to PDF compiler (archive)
.EPS	Adobe Acrobat
.PPT	Microsoft PowerPoint
.PRN	Adobe Acrobat Distiller
.PS	Adobe Acrobat Distiller
.RTF	Supported by many word processors
.TAR	TeX to PDF compiler (archive)
.TAZ	TeX to PDF compiler (archive)
.TEX	TeX to PDF compiler (archive)
.TGZ	TeX to PDF compiler (archive)
.TXT	Supported by many word processors and text editors
.WPD	WordPerfect

This information was obtained from the following website:

https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/A1AcceptableFileExtensions.html

How to reduce the size of your mail spool

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:02:18 GMT

Problem:

The size of my mail spool is so large it is slow in retrieving my mail.

Solution:

What is a Mail-Spool?

The Mail-Spool is a file on the mail server to which all of your incoming email is stored. This is more commonly known as your InBox.

Why should I keep my Mail-Spool (InBox) small?

The larger your InBox, the more likely you are to experience problems with storage and retrieval of email. Mail programs were not originally designed to handle large files or large numbers of emails.

Performance is another important factor. Every time your email client (such as Eudora) "checks" for new email, it makes a duplicate copy of the InBox (or Mail-Spool) on the server before reading the file. The program then makes any changes (reflecting read/unread email and email deletions) to the copy of the InBox. Then, finally it moves the copy of the InBox in place as the new InBox. That means that the server must copy your InBox twice every time the mail client "checks" email. Of course you, the user, must wait for this process to complete before being able to interact with your email software.

Most of our users have Eudora set to check email every 5 minutes. This means that every user's InBox can get copied up to 12 times every hour. If that InBox is 20MB in size, then the server must copy 240MB for just one user every hour! Given that ISyE has approximately 1000 email users, this is a lot of work for the server.

If your mail spool has grown too large, there are a number of things you can do to reduce it's size.

If you use a POP client, such as Eudora or Outlook, check your settings and make sure that the client is removing the mail from the server.

In Eudora 5.2

Select Tools -> Options -> Incoming Mail. Make sure that the "Delete from server after XXX day(s)" and "Delete from server when emptied from Trash" check boxes are both checked. And make sure that the number of days specified is not to great. It should not be over thirty days and preferably closer to 10.

In Outlook 2000

Select Tools -> Accounts -> Advanced tab. Uncheck "Leave a copy of messages on the server".

In Outlook Express

Select Tools -> Accounts and click on the Mail tab. Select your ISyE account by clicking on it and then click the Properties button to the right. Click the Advanced tab and make sure the Remove from server after XXX day(s) and Remove from server when deleted from "Deleted Items" checkboxes are both checked. Again, make sure that the number of days is a reasonable number.

In Elm, Pine or Mutt

If you use Mutt or Elm or Pine to read your mail, move your messages out of your inbox into another folder/directory. This will remove the messages from your mailspool and reduce the size of your spool. Also, be sure to remove or move any messages with attachments.

In Pine, highlight a message and his S to save the message. The prompt will display Save message #100 to folder [saved-messages] :. If you want to save this to a different folder, type the name of the folder at this time. If the folder does not exist, Pine will ask if you want to create it. Type Y to create the folder and move the message out of your inbox into the new folder.

LaTeX Basics for Unix

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:58:35 GMT

Problem:

I need the basics relating to LaTeX.

Solution:

LaTeX works on the assumption that you should primarily be concerned with the content of your work (about which you probably know a lot) rather than how to typeset the paragraphs, section headings, lists, and other details so that they look good (about which most people know very little).

LaTeX also takes care of some more significant details for you. These include the following:

References: Often you may want to refer to a particular section or page of your text. But as you edit the work, the section or page number may change. By using the label and ref commands, LaTeX will automatically handle all of these references for you.
Citations and Bibliography: Using the cite command, LaTeX will automatically generate references based on your bibliography. In addition, the companion program BibTeX can automatically generate the entire bibliography for you based on an external bibliography file. See the article on Bibliographies with LaTeX.
Figures: Rather than appearing in the middle of text, it is usually best for figures to "float" to the top or bottom of a page. LaTeX makes this very easy.

Input to LaTeX is a text file that is marked to indicate the logical content of various parts. This file is converted by LaTeX into a dvi file, which is essentially an intermediate format. You can then convert the dvi file to another format, such as postscript or pdf.

For example, let's say you just finished writing the file `foo.tex' (LaTeX and TeX input files traditionally have the extension `.tex'). To create the dvi file, type latex foo.tex. LaTeX spits out a bunch of information as it goes, and if there weren't any syntax problems, you have the file `foo.dvi'. You can view the graphical layout with a program called xdvi by typing xdvi foo.dvi & (alternatively, you can just type xdvi & and you will get a menu to pick the file). You'll probably find some things you want to change, so you modify the tex file and run LaTeX again (I typically iterate this many times).

At some point, you want to print, for which you can use the program dvips (it converts dvi files to ps files). The typical setting is to automatically print, so typing dvips foo.dvi will generate a postscript file and print it out on your default printer without ever saving the postscript file. If you'd like to save the postscript file or print to another printer, use the `-o' option followed by the name of the output file. For example dvips -o foo.ps foo.dvi will convert `foo.dvi' to `foo.ps' without printing anything. You can then print this on any printer you'd like, send it to someone, or save it .

Of course, all of this assumes that you can generate a proper LaTeX file in the first place. There are a number of online tutorials and references. A few of them are listed below:

Getting Started with LaTeX
How to Learn LaTeX
LaTeX Tutorial
LaTeX Help 1.1 (a reference rather than a guide for beginners)
LaTeX Symbols (just a visual chart of most available symbols)

Reading Email from a Terminal

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:01:59 GMT

Problem:

I need to read mail via a terminal.

Solution:

ELM

ELM is a program for reading electronic mail and is available on both PRISM and ISyE UNIX systems. ELM is a user friendly package, and provides a legend at the bottom of the screen that indicates the most commonly used control keys for reply, delete, quit, etc. There are sources for more detailed information on the ELM mail reader.

PINE

Pine is another popular email reading program similar to ELM. pine is designed to be easy to use for the first time Unix user. A tutorial is available on-line at Washington University at the following URL: http://www.washington.edu/pine/tutorial/ You may wish to create a .signature file with your name, office location, phone number, etc, and have it added to the end of your e-mail messages. Using your favorite editor such as pico (http://www.eng.ncat.edu/help/Using-pico.html).

How to Access Unix Systems in ISyE

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:02:11 GMT

Problem:

I need to access the ISyE UNIX resources.

Solution:

Sit down at a UNIX workstation

A number of unix workstations are located in the graduate computer lab. They currently are not well-used, so you can almost always find at least one available. When you sit down, you are presented with a login screen, which requires your ISyE account username and password. Then you will enter a graphical user interface (GUI), which is similar to what you may be used to on a PC. See Text vs Graphical Environments.

Connect from a PC located in the department

There are two main ways to connect from a PC. One way is to use ssh3 or an equivalent program (like Tera Term Pro). This will give you a terminal window with a command prompt. The downside is that you can't run any graphics-based programs (like xdvi to preview dvi files generated by LaTeX). However you can still use any text-based programs (see Text vs Graphical Environments). Many PCs in the department also have a program called Cygwin, which allows you to connect remotely to a unix machine and still use graphical programs. The PCs in the graduate lab do not have Exceed, but every other PC I've seen in the department does.

Connect remotely from outside the department

If you're using a PC, this isn't really too different from connecting from a PC in the department. You can use a ssh-based program to get a terminal window or, if the PC has Exceed, you can use Exceed to get graphics capabilities. If you're connecting from a unix machine, then ssh2 will give you a terminal window. It's also possible to access graphics remotely, but this requires a little set-up. Ask a unix expert or look into X display forwarding.

Adding printers to OS X for printservers that reside on different subnets

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:59:33 GMT

Problem:

I need to add a printer to my Mac, but it resides on a different subnet from the printers.

Solution:

- Open the Printer Setup Utility
While pressing the OPTION key, click on Add Printer Choose "Advanced" from the drop down list box.

- Choose "Internet Printing Protocol using IPP" in the Device: box
Enter the following for Device URL: ipp://printhost.isye.gatech.edu:631/printers/hpxxx

- Choose the correct Printer Model

- Click on the "Add" button

Archiving imap mail on thunderbird email client

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:59:21 GMT

Problem:

How do I archive email in thunderbird on my local machine?

Solution:

Untitled Document

Manually Archiving Thunderbird Email

The best way to do this is by creating Local Folders on your thunderbird mail client and moving mail from your imap folder to your local folder. All the mail on the imap folder remains on the server, while the mail on the local folder is only available on that particular computer. Therefore archived mail will no longer be availabe on webmail.

Right click on Local Folders
Then select New folder

Name the folder Archive
In the Archive folder create several folders. There is no one way of doing this but some recommendations are as follows:

1. Separating email by years.
Create folders named 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 etc.
Then inside each folder create sub folders with an inbox, sent, and other folders as necessary.
Example directory structure

2. Plain archiving of email
Basically create an inbox, sent and other folders as necessary as sub directories
Example directory structure

Then once the directories and/ subdirectories are created, go to your IMAP folders, and sort your emails by say date
Then highlight the emails you want to archive (do this folder by folder)
Then right click and select move to
Then drill down to the Local Folders ? Archive and move the emails to the correct archive folder based on the criteria selected in step 1 or step 2