Responsibilities

A Page Devoted to the Systems Staff Responsiblities

Recurring Tasks

Infrastructure

• Updating/Maintaining Server OS/Licensed products/monitoring

• Operating Systems
• Redhat
• Suse
• Advanced Linux Environment with SGI Propack
• AIX
• Rockscluster.org

• Systems Services
• DNS
• Updating
• Patching
• New Entries
• DHCP
• Firewalls
• Postfix (mail)
• mailman (lists)
• Apache
• SNORT
• Samhain
• Cacti
• Tivoli
• Ldap User Database

Research

• Compilers
• Intel
• PGI
• GNU
• Absoft
• Xlc/Xlf
• PathScale

• Misc Research Software
• MPICH2
• lam-MPI
• Ruby
• Opendx
• Blast
• ESSL
• BLAS
• LAPACK
• Apache-ant
• MrBayes
• PAML
• R
• VNG
• PAPI
• Others (chemistry packages, ktau)

Long Term Projects

Infrastructure

• Environmental Monitoring/Control
• .nic domain email accounts
• CDS Website/Server File Transfer
• Build out of fiber private ethernet
• Power Backup (UPS for infrastructure)

Research

• File Server implementation (Netapp)
• Contract Negotiation
• Contract Execution
• Delivery Coordination
• Setup
• Acceptance Testing
• Re-configuration
• File Transfer
• Migration
• Monitoring
• Upgrade optix to SGI ProPack 4
• Re-install neuronic with Rocks 4.1
• Batch Queing system (Torque Maui)
• StarP
• Globus Configuration (coordinated with NIC)
• Where do we begin?
• Visualization Room (display wall)
• Specifications
• Bid Acquisition (3 bids)
• Environmental Impact (power/cooling/mounting)
• Installation
• Hardware Configuration
• Software Configuration
• Ongoing: Teaching users how to use VizRoom
• Hardware purchases for CDS
• HiPerSat and GEMINI Systems Intergration

Systems Monitoring

• Ganglia
• Shows resource allocation and useage
• Snort
• Shows attack vectors from the internet
• Logs attacks
• Cacti
• Shows anomalous network useage
• Requires time to look over logs
• Log Watch
• Shows resource problems
• Samhain
• Checksumming for files
• Following up on Attacks
• Following up on all of these tasks takes a lot of time and is one of the most important fuctions that we perform.

User Support

• Creating New Accounts
• Expiring/Deleting Accounts
• Hand Holding (programming environment)
• Installing new software
• Testing new software
• Supporting kernel development
• Generating new licenses.
• Grad Student Requests

Support

• User hardware troubleshooting
• Server hardware/software troubleshooting
• Logging Support Calls (when necessary)
• Creating and Executing RMA's
• Heavy Lifting
• Storage
• Coordinating ordering of non-technical equipment
• Debugging of software (user and corporate)
• Network Troubleshooting

Inventory Tracking

• Keeping support up to date
• Locating and re-allocating hardware
• Projecting future hardware needs
• Maintain hardware list

Purchasing

• Buying Equipment for Users
• Workstations
• Servers for development
• Servers for infrastructure
• Software (workstation and server)
• Multiple Vendors
• Getting Quotes
• Following up with poor/slow vendors
• RFP Coordination
• Contract Negotiations
• Acceptance Testing
• Maintainence Agreements
• Compilers
• Matlab
• Operating Systems
• Comsol (Femlab)
• Hardware