fingervisual

ChannelSeptember2008,IssueNo.
48What'sinside.
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qEnhancementsrFullWirelessCoverageProvisioninginStudentHallsrIncreaseofEmailQuotarLectureTheatersEnhancementrHKUST"myPortal"ServiceforStaffqNewServicesrHKUSTiBlogServicerWikiServicefortheHKUSTCommunityrDisseminatingSMSthroughtheWebqNoticesforAttentionsrUpcomingChangesinStudentAccountNamingConventionrEnforcingPrivacy:sMobileNettoreplaceMobileNetbyJanuary2009rY5ZONEhotspot:changeofSSIDfrom'JUCC'to'UniversitiesviaY5ZONE'qStoriesriPhone@HKUSTrSpam-GettingBetterorWorserHKUSTNotebook/DesktopOwnershipProgram2008rExperimentalCommunityClusterprojecttomeethighperformancecomputationalneedsqUpdatesrInternetUpdaterComputerBarnPCupgraderNewLookofExpressStationrUnixTimesharingServersUpgradeTheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48NetworkSystemsTeamFullWirelessCoverageProvisioninginStudentHallsWithfundingsupportfromtheUGC(UniversityGrantsCommittee),forthepastmonthsITSChasbeenworkingontheWirelessStudentHostelsprojectwherebyallourstudenthallswillhavefullcoverageofWi-FiwirelessInternetaccess.
Withawirelessdevice(likeanotebookcomputerandsmartphone),hallresidentswillbeabletohavewirelessaccesstointranetsandInternetatallhostelrooms,andpublicareaslikecommonrooms,pantries,andcanteen.
WhySuchANewWi-FiServiceThisnewResNetWi-Fiserviceisaimedatservingthefollowingpurposesandbringingtheassociatedbenefitstoourhallresidents:qContinualGrowthofMobileClients--Forourstudenthallnetwork(ResNet),weobservethereareconsistentlyincreasingpercentageofnotebookcomputersconnectedtoourResNet--from72%in2005/06,to79%in2006/07,anduptoover82%(or3,330+notebooks)in2007/08.
NotethatthisdoesNOTeventakeintoconsiderationofalargenumberofwirelessmobiledeviceslikesmartphonesandPDAs.
Withoutdoubtthereisastrongdemandofmoreconvenienttether-freeInternetaccessinstudenthalls.
qInformationatYourFingertips--ThisnewWi-Fiservicewillenablehighernetworkmobilityforourhallresidents,andwithasuitablewirelessdevice,studentsmaybeabletowirelessInternetaccessanytime,anywhereinallthehostels.
qFacilitationofHall-basedLearningActivities--Highermobilitywillfacilitatelearningorcollaborativeactivitiessuchasprojectgroups,studygroupsandremotetutoring,andthisisofincreasingimportanceinviewofthechanginglearningmodesofnowadaystudents.
Thenewinfrastructurewillalsopermitexplorationofotherdynamicmodesofcommunicationwhichareotherwisenotpossibleormoredifficulttoachieve.
qSoleMeansofInternetAccessforSmallWirelessHandheldDevices--AlthoughnotebookcomputerscanconnecttoInternetviabothwiredandwirelessmeans,forthegrowingpopulationofalargecategoryofWi-Fi-equipeddevices(likePDAs,mobilephones,MID,etc.
),wirelessaccessistheonlydirectmeansofgettingontotheInternet.
Nowadaysstudentsaremakingmorefrequentuseofthesehandhelddevicesforcommunication,e-mail,andInternetaccess,andtherecertainlyisagrowingdemandforWi-Fiaccessinhostels.
Wi-FiServiceRolloutScheduleRightnowtheprojectisatthefinalstageofimplementation.
Wewillbecompletingtheinstallationofwirelessaccesspointsforsomeoutstandingareasshortly.
Testing,fine-tuningandcommissioningexercisesarenowunderwayforsomehalls.
ThisnewwirelessInternetservicewillgraduallyberolledouttoourhallresidentsonahall-by-hallbasis.
Weexpectthefirstpilotrunfor1-2hallswillbeconductedinlateSeptember,andthiswillenableustosolicitfeedbacksfromusersandmakefurtherfine-tuningadjustmentstooursystemasdeemednecessary.
Ifeverythinggoessmoothly,wetargettocompletetheWi-FiservicerolloutforallstudenthallsbyendofOctober.
ResNetWi-FiServiceInANutshellBelowpleasefindahighlightwithsometechnicaldetailsontheupcomingnewWi-Fiserviceatstudenthostels:qWirelessTechnologyAdopted--basedonthenewIEEE802.
11nWi-Fistandard(Draft-n2.
0)qWi-FiClientsSupported--emerging802.
11nWi-Ficlientsinadditiontoexisting802.
11a/b/gWi-FiclientsaresupportedqWi-FiCoverage--new802.
11nwirelessaccesspointsareinstalledalongthecorridorsofallstudenthalls,providingfullcoverageforwirelessInternetaccess.
TheseaccesspointssupportWi-Ficommunicationinboth2.
4GHz(802.
11b/g/n)and5GHz(802.
11a/n).
Notethat5GHzfrequencybandhasalowerRF(radiofrequency)signalpenetrationcapabilitywhencomparedto2.
4GHz.
Inthisregard,weexpectallhostelroomsshouldhavereasonablygood2.
4GHzsignalreception.
Forhalllocationsthataresufficientlyclosetoanaccesspoint,theymayalsobeabletomakeuseofthe5GHzfrequencyforlessinterference-proneWi-Ficommunicationsiftheirwirelessclientsupport5GHzmode.
qWi-FiSSID--Forthesakeofconvenience,hallresidentscanconnecttothehallwirelessnetworkusingsMobileNet,andnopre-registrationisrequired.
ThisisthesameWi-FiSSID(ServiceSetIdentifier)beingusedintheLibrary,teachingvenues,cateringoutlets,andotherpublicareas,thussavingtheeffortsforadditionalconfigurationifyouareanexistingsMobileNetuser.
qWi-FiSecurity--Followingtheindustrytrend,inordertoensurereasonablygoodsecuritylevelwewilladopttheWPA(Wi-FiProtectedAccess)wirelessencryptionapproachsothatallnetworktraffictransmittedwirelesslyintheairwillbeencrypted.
Assuch,onlywirelessdeviceswiththesupportofWPA-EnterpriseorWPA2-EnterprisewillbeabletoconnecttowirelessInternetviatheunderlyingIEEE802.
1Xauthenticationmechanism.
Toachieveamorestableandrobustwirelessinfrastructure,ITSCwillalsobeimplementingsecuritymeasureslikewirelessintrusiondetection,rougeaccesspointdectection,etc.
FormoreinformationonthewirelessserviceshereatHKUST,pleaserefertothefollowingwebpage:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/wireless/BenefitsofNew802.
11nWirelessTechnologyThenewIEEE802.
11nwirelessstandardhasthefollowingmeritswhencomparedtothecurrentpopularIEEE802.
11a/gstandards:qAround5-foldSpeedImprovement--whencomparedto802.
11a/g(54Mbps),802.
11ncansupportanaccessspeedupto150-300MbpswiththeuseofMIMO(Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output)technologyaswellastheso-calledChannelBondingtechnologyqWiderCoverage--802.
11nwirelessaccesspointscanprovidewiderRF(radiofrequency)signalcoveragewiththedeploymentofmultipletransmit/receiveantennae,alongwiththeuseofMIMOtechnologyqBackwardCompatibility--allnewlyinstalled802.
11naccesspointsarebackwardcompatiblewith802.
11a/gwirelessclientsinadditiontonewer802.
11nwirelessclients,thusfacilitatingthetechnologymigrationprocessWillFullCoverageWirelessAccessBeAvailableinOffice&LabAreasLaterYes,ITSCisalsoactivelylookingintothatdirection,andpro-activelylookingforfundingsourceforthisITinfrastructuraldevelopmentproject.
Ifeverythinggoessmoothly,wehopetobeabletorealizeandcompletethisprojectwithin2years.
Withoutdoubttheprojectscaleandcomplexitywillbelargerandhigher,withmoreissuestoaddressintheplanninganddeploymentstage.
However,webelievetheexperiencegainedinthisWirelessStudentHostelsprojectwillbetterenableustotakeonthenewchallenges.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyIncreaseofEmailQuotaInviewoftheincreasingdemandforemailstorage,ITSCispleasedtoannouncethatthedefaultemailquotaofourHKUSTiMailservicehasbeenincreasedto1GBforbothstaff&postgraduateand512MBforundergraduate,startingfrom2008-2009academicyear.
Duringthesummer,ouremailservershavebeenupgradedforbetterperformanceandreliabilityaswellascopingwiththeincreasingstoragecapacityrequirement.
DetailsaboutourEmailServicecanbefoundat:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/email/TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48Mr.
DavidShiuLectureTheatersEnhancementTheUniversityhasmadeanumberofenhancementstothreeoftheLectureTheatersduringthissummer.
NamelytheyareLT-B,LT-DandLT-E.
Let'sgooversomeoftheenhancementwemadetothesevenuesandhowtheyhelpourinstructors:EasytoUseandControlWehaveupgradedtheA/VcontrolpaneltoaneasytouseTouchPanelontheInstructorsBench(theLectern).
OurInstructorscaneasilycontroltheVideoProjectorsandAVequipments(includingDVD,VCR)"attheirfingertips".
New"PauseScreen"&"BlankScreen"featureqPauseScreenbuttonallowsinstructorstoPAUSE(orFREEZE)theScreenasneeded.
Thevideowillbefreezeonthescreenuntiltheinstructorun-freezeitbytouchingthe"PauseScreen"buttonagain.
qScreenBlankbuttonallowinstructorstoBLANKtheScreen.
Thisisespeciallyhandyifyoudon'twantthevideotobeshownonthescreenforashortwhile.
Notebook&A/VconnectionboxWehavere-organizedalltheAVandnotebookconnectingcablesaswellasapowersupplysocketattheconnectionboxonthetopoftheInstructor'sbench.
ThiswouldmakelifeeasierforInstructorsbringingtheirownNotebookcomputerforteaching.
ApartfromNotebooks,InstructorscanalsoconnectotherA/Vdevices(e.
g.
anLDplayer,avideocameraoriPod)totheA/Vconnectorsinthisconnectionboxforteaching.
ClassroomPhoneWehaverelocatedtheclassroomemergencyphoneontheLectern.
Instructorswillbeabletocallservicecenterortheirdepartmentcolleaguesforassistanceinanarm'slength.
NetworkreadyVideoCamerasWehavealsoinstalledvideocamerasinthistheaters.
ThesecamerasmadethetheatertobereadyforInternetRemoteLectures,VideoConferenceready.
WearealsoworkingwithPTCtoenablethesecamerasforRemoteVideoCapture.
Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeifyouhaveanycomments,suggestionsorquerieswiththenewservicesinthistheaters.
Yourvaluablesuggestionswilldefinitelyhelptoimprovethesetupandmakethingsbetter.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyHKUST"myPortal"ServiceforStaffIfyouhaveusedthe"TeachingPortfolioandCabinet"serviceprovidedbyCELT,youmayhavealreadybeenfamiliarwithourHKUSTportalservice-"myPortal".
Infact,myPortalwasfirstintroducedtostudentsasearlyas2004.
Itwasthenmadeavailabletoourstafftogetherwiththe"TeachingPortfolioandCabinet"service.
Anewlook-andfeel(aka"theme"),withcolorfuluserinterfaceforeasynavigationandcustomizationhasbeenincorporatedinmyPortalrecently.
Besidestheattractivethemeandunifiedlayout,thereareanumberofapplicationswhichmaybeusefultoourstaffusers:qPeopleSearch-find/modifycontactinformationofHKUSTmembersqAnnouncements-generalannouncementsqClassifieds-readandpostclassifiedadvertisementsqCalendar-organizeyourpersonalappointments,meetingandeventsqetc.
AfterlogontomyPortal,youcanaccessapplicationslikeHKUSTWebMail,HKUSTiMailPersonalSettings,etc.
withouttheneedofre-typingyouraccountandpasswordagainasyouareenjoyingtheCentralAuthenticationServicewithmyPortal.
WedohopemyPortalishelpfultoyouandyouarealwayswelcometoshareyourthoughtswithusonhowwecanmakeitbetter.
Toaccess"myPortal",pleasevisitthefollowing:http://my.
ust.
hk/TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyHKUSTiBlogServiceITSCispleasedtoannouncethatanewweblogservice-HKUSTiBlogServiceisnowavailable.
WiththeHKUSTiBlogService,youcanconstructyourwebpagesbyaWYSIWYG(WhatYouSeeIsWhatYouGet)editorandinformationbeingenteredwillbepublishedinstantlyintoyourblog.
Ablogisawebsitewhereyoucanwritestuffonanongoingbasiswhileotherscanvisityourblogandaddcommentstoittosharetheirideaswithyou.
Ablogcanbe:qyourpersonalonlinediaryorjournaltorecordinterestingthingsyouhavedoneontheday,qacollaborativespacetodiscussideaswithothers,qacollectionoflinksonspecifictopicstosharewithinterestedparties,qorjustaplacetowritedownyourownprivatethoughts.
Youcanstarttowriteyourblogonceyouhavesingedupforanewone.
DetailsontheHKUSTiBlogServicecanbefoundat:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/webguide/iblog/TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyWikiServicefortheHKUSTCommunityITSCispleasedtoannouncetheavailabilityofcampus-wideWikiservicefortheHKUSTcommunity.
Forthosewhodon'tknowwiki,youmayheardaboutWikipedia,oneofthebest-knownwikiscollaborativeencyclopedia.
Wikisareoftenusedtocreatecollaborativewebsitesandtopowercommunitywebsites.
WikisarealsousedinbusinesstoprovideintranetsandKnowledgeManagementSystems.
Intechnicalaspect,WikiisapieceofserversoftwarethatallowsuserstofreelycreateandeditWebpagecontentusinganyWebbrowser.
Wikiusesasimpleandeasy-to-learnmarkuplanguageforcreatingnewpagesandhyperlinksbetweeninternalpages.
Apartfromtheeaseofediting,Wikiisabletokeeptrackofthehistoryofadocumentasitisrevised.
Differentrevisionscanbecomparedside-by-side,andeditscanberolledbackifnecessary.
ForHKUST,Wikiisanidealtoolfortheincreasingamountofcollaborativeworkdonebybothstudentsandteachers.
Studentsmightuseawikitocollaborateonagroupreport,compiledataorsharetheresultsoftheirresearch,whilefacultymightusethewikitocollaborativelyauthorthestructureandcurriculumofacourse,andthewikicanthenserveaspartofeachpersonalscoursewebsite.
HKUSTWikiserviceispoweredbyConfluence,apopularenterpriseWikisoftwarewidelyusedinacademicandopensourcesoftwaredevelopment.
InterestedusersarewelcometovisitourWikisiteat:http://wiki.
ust.
hk/TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyDisseminatingSMSthroughtheWebWithadvancesmobiletechnology,peoplecancommunicatemoreeasilyandconvenientlynowadays.
lnparticular,SMS(ShortMessageService)hasbecomeoneofthemostimportantandwidelyusedfeaturesofthemobilephone.
Peoplecansendtextmessagethroughtheirmobilephone,therecipientswillgetthemessagerelativelyquickly(dependingonthenetworkavailabilityofthemobileserviceprovider).
SMSprovidesfastandconvenientaccesstothetargetgroup.
Besides,itisrelativelyinexpensivecomparedwithtraditionalmailing.
Itisalsogoodforone-to-oneaswellasone-to-manymassmessagedelivery(notethatmasssendingofSMSissubjecttotheregulationofUEMO).
InHongKong,SMSismoreandmorepopular,especiallyamongtheyounggeneration.
Inthepastcoupleofyears,ITSChashelpedvariousadministrativeandacademicdepartmentsindisseminatingSMSmessagetotargetedstudentspopulations,mostlyonaprojectbyprojectbasis.
WeaimatlaunchingamoreuserfriendlyinterfacesuchthatdepartmentscanregisterandsendSMStostudentsorcolleaguesthroughtheweb.
Ifyouareinterestedinusingthisservice,pleasecontactus(cchelp@ust.
hk).
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48WWW&ServerTechnologyUpcomingChangesinStudentAccountNamingConventionBackgroundTocopewiththe334reform,theUniversityismovingtoamoreversatilecurriculumdesign.
Itisanticipatedthatourstudentswillhavemoreflexibilityinchoosingtheirprogramsofstudy.
Assuch,theexistingpracticethatprefixesadepartmentcode(e.
g.
"bo_"forBiologymajors)totheaccountnameofUGstudentisnolongeradequatetocopewiththeupcomingchanges.
Infact,theuseofsuchdepartmentalprefixisseldomfoundinotherprominentuniversitiestoday.
Inviewofthis,anewaccountnamingconventionwillbeadopted,startingfrom2009Falltheearliest.
NewAccountNameConventionTheaccountnamefornewlyadmittedUGstudentswillbebasedonthestudent'sname(initials,surname),plusdummycharactersincaseofnamecollision.
Besides,themaximumlengthoftheaccountnamewillbeincreasedfrom8charactersto12characters.
TheaccountnameforUGstudentswillsimplyreflectthenameoftheuserandtherewillnotbeanydepartmentalorschoolcodeprefixinit.
BenefitsAstudent'sITSCNetworkAccountnamewillbelifelongandremainunchangedregardlessofanychangesintheprogramofstudy;orpursuitofpostgraduatestudyaftergraduation.
Theinconveniencecausedbychangingaccountnameswillbetotallyavoided.
Asdepartmentalprefixhasbeenadoptedforalongtime,itmaytakeawhileforyoutogetaccustomedtoit.
Youaremuchwelcometoshareyourconcernsandsuggestionswithusonthismatter.
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48NetworkSystemsTeamEnforcingPrivacy:sMobileNettoreplaceMobileNetbyJanuary2009Reaching10yearsafteritsintroduction,MobileNetwillbephasedoutbyJanuary2009,completelyreplacedbythemoresecuresMobileNet.
UST,likemanyotherinstitutions,havebeenprovidingplainwirelessaccesstousers.
TheMobileNetservicerolledoutsince1999belongtothiscategory.
InMobileNet,networktrafficissent/receivedthroughtheairunencrypted.
Althoughhttpsprotectionisprovidedbywebsitestoprotectsensitiveinformation,suchasusername/passwordverificationandebanking,applicationswithouthttpsprotectionwillleavetheuserexposedtovarioussecurityrisks,includingprivacyconcernssuchaswhichnotebookhasvisitedwhatwebsites.
ThesMobileNetservicerolledoutsince2003providedamuchmoresecurewirelessconnectionmethod,inwhichallnetworktrafficisencryptedbasedontheWPAstandard.
Sincethen,WPAcapabilityhasgraduallybecomeastandardfeatureinwirelesscomputingequipment.
NowadaysalmostallwirelessequipmenthasatleastWPAcapability,includingmanynewmobilephoneswithWi-Ficapability.
Withtherightequipment,itisnowfeasibleforustoenforceafullysecuredwirelessaccessmethod.
Inthenextfewmonths,youwillbehearingfromusagainonthedecommissioning.
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48NetworkSystemsTeamY5ZONEhotspot:changeofSSIDfrom'JUCC'to'UniversitiesviaY5ZONE'BothPCCWandY5ZONEareofferingfreeInternetserviceattheirhotspots,toHKUSTusersaswellastootherUniversities.
PCCW'shotspotsuseSSID'UniversitiesviaPCCW'whiledifferentSSIDsareusedinY5ZONE'shotspotsfordifferentinstitution.
ForY5ZONEhotspots,inordertoconsolidatethedifferentSSIDsintoone,anewNetworkName(SSID)'UniversitiesviaY5ZONE'hasalreadybeenestablishedandwillreplacethe'JUCC'SSIDbymid-Octoberthisyear.
SinceearlyJuly2008,wehavebeenperiodicallysendingemailstousersoftheold'JUCC'SSIDregardingthischange.
Fromnowonuntilmid-October,youcanaccesseitheroneofthemforfreeInternetservice.
Howevertoensurecontinuoususagebeyondmid-October,pleasechangetheNetworkName(SSID)onyourcomputer'swirelessconfigurationassoonasyoucan.
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48Mr.
BanSZETOiPhone@HKUSTSincetheintroductionof3Gversion,iPhoneisgettingmoreandmorepopularinHongKong.
AlthoughApple(thedeveloperofiPhone)announcedit'spricetobeaslowasUS$199threemonthsago,thepackage(theiPhoneitself,mobilephoneairtime,andnetworkdatacharge)offeredbythesolelocaldistributorturnsouttobesomethingaroundHK$5,500fortheiPhoneandHK$320monthlyforusagecharge.
Ifyouwanttohaveacheapermonthlydatachargerate,youcanchooseaHK$188packagebutyourdatavolumeislimitedto500MBpermonth.
DatavolumeisthekeytoiPhonebecausewithoutnetwork,mostofit'sapplicationsdonotwork.
HereinHKUST,weprovidewirelessnetworkforfree.
iPhoneusercanenjoyourwirelessnetworkservicewithoutanychargesbecauseiPhonenotonlycanconnecttoInternetby3Gmobilephonenetwork,itcanalsousewirelessnetworkifavailable.
ItisverysimpletosetupiPhonetouseHKUSTsMobileNetwirelessnetworkservice.
1.
TaponyouriPhone2.
TurnON3.
Tap4.
KeyinyourITSCUsername/Password5.
AcceptourCertificateYoucanenjoymanyofiPhone'sapplicationsincludingbrowsingITSC'swebpage,HKUSTWebMail,andmyPortal.
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48WWW&ServerTechnologySpam-GettingBetterorWorseDespitetheHKSARUnsolicitedElectronicMessagesOrdinance(UEMO)hasbeeninplacesinceDecember2007,spamisstillaworldwideproblemanditisprobablygettingevenworse.
MoreSpamthanBeforeThenumberofspammessageshittingouremailfirewallhaskeptonincreasing.
Basedonourlateststatistics,ouremailserversarehandlingaround190,000emailmessagesdailyinaverageinAugust2008.
Outofthesemessages,therearearound100,000detectedasspam.
ComparedwiththefiguresinAugust2006,thepercentageofspamhasbeenincreasedfrom46%to53%.
DifferentcategoriesofEmailmessagesASimpleStepthatHelpsInordertomakeiteasiertogetridoftheseannoyingspammessages,youareadvisedtoturnonthe"SpamDetection"optionwithyourHKUSTiMailPersonalSettings.
Asaroughestimation,forevery100spammessagesyoureceived,around98messagescanbecaughtbyourdetectionengine.
ForthosespammessagesinyourInbox,donotreplytoitasthismayresultinmorespams.
Simplydeletethemessage,forgetitaltogetherasthiscouldhelpdefeatthepurposeofthespammer.
FormoreinformationofourSpamDetectionService,pleasereferto:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/email/spam/detect/service.
htmlTheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48NetworkSystemsTeamHKUSTNotebook/DesktopOwnershipProgram2008Sameaspreviousyears,thisyear'sprogramisworkedoutwiththesupportfromtheStudents'UnionandPurchasingOffice.
ThisyearwehaveselectedthemostattractiveofferwhichisfromHewlettPackard(HK)Limited,andthevendorhadarrangeda3-weekroadshowperiodfromAug18(Mon)toSep6(Sat)toshowcasetheirofferedrangeofnotebookanddesktopcomputers.
Toaddresspreviousyears'probleminlongqueueattheorderingcounters,thisyearHPhasproposedanonlinestorewhereuserscanplaceonlineweborderanytime,anywhere.
Thisisthefirsttimeeverwhereanonlineorderingsystemwithdirectlinkagetobankpaymentgatewayisbeingusedinauniversity'sannualnotebookownershipprogramhereinHongKong.
Despitethefactthattherearestillsomeobservedglitchesandroomforimprovement,ingeneraltheonlinestoredidservetheintendedpurposeofgivingourusersabetterpurchaseexperienceandavoidunnecessarilywastingusers'productivity.
Lastyear'supfrontdepositschemehasdemonstrateditseffectivenessindiscouragingabuseoftheprogramforprofit-makingpurpose.
Assuch,thisyearwecontinuetoadoptthesamedepositscheme.
ThedepositisrefundabletoeachnotebookcomputerbuyerviaabankchequeuponsuccessfulownershipverificationinNov-Jantimeframe.
Detailsontheownershipverificationarrangementwillbeannouncedathttp://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/copbyaroundmid-Nov2008.
ProductRoadshowAreawithDemoBoothsHelpDesk&InstalmentApplicationAreaBasedonthepreliminarysalesreportsasatSep6fromHP,thisyeartheprogramisagainwellreceived,andbelowpleasefindsomebriefstatisticsthatyoumaybeinterestedtoknow:qCustomerMix--Students(~65%)vs.
Staff(~17%)vs.
Alumni(~18%)qOrderingChannel--OnlineWebOrder(~92%)vs.
PhoneOrdering(~8%)qPaymentMethod--CreditCard(~68%)vs.
EPS(~18%)vs.
Instalment(~9%)vs.
Bank-in(~5%)qMorePopularNotebookModels:rCompaqPresarioCQ20--12.
5%rHPPaviliondv5(non-Blu-rayversion)--11.
9%rCompaqPresarioCQ45--10.
2%rHP540--10.
1%rHPPaviliondv4--9.
4%rHPCompaq6530s--9.
0%rHPCompaq6730s--8.
8%Pleasealsonotethatthisone-timelimitedprogramofferisvalidtill31October2008.
Forfurtherenquiriesandorderplacement,pleasecontactHPservicehotlineat35597300.
Detailsareavailableattheprogramwebsite:http://www.
hp-notebook.
com.
hk/ustTheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48Mr.
CharlesChoyExperimentalCommunityClusterprojecttomeethighperformancecomputationalneedsWiththefast-advancingandlow-costQuad-coreCPUtechnology,computationalcluster,formedbytheseCPUs,becomesaviablecost-effectivealternativetosolvebothSMPandparallelcomputationalproblems.
Despitethis,theITtalentsrequiredtomanagetheseclusters,thefacilityrequirementsofspace,coolingandelectricity,andtheneedtodriveforahigh-utilizationtomakeyourinvestmentcost-effective,becomeaheadache.
ITSCiscurrentlyexperimentingacommunityclusterproject.
DepartmentsandITSCcooperateinawaythatwhiledepartmentspurchasetheirrequiredcomputationalservers,ITSChelpstoadministerandhousethissharedinfrastructure.
Wetakecareofsecuritypatches,attemptedhacksandoperatingsystemupgradessofacultyandgraduatestudentscanconcentrateonresearch.
Ownersoftheserverswillhavehigherpriorityusingtheirresources.
However,whentheserversareidle,theywillbecomeapoolofsharedresourcestobeusedbyotheruniversitymembers,thusresultinginaneffectiveuseofidleresources.
ThecommunityclusterprojecthasbeenimplementedinPurdueUniversitysuccessfully.
Detailsoftheimplementationcanbefoundathttp://www.
rcac.
purdue.
edu/userinfo/communityclusters.
cfmApilotenvironmentinUST,consistingofserverswithdualXeonquad-core5460CPUs,willbereadyfortestingsoon.
ThisclusterisbuiltusingtheclustermanagementsoftwareROCKSandSGE.
Ifyouareinterestedintheproject,pleasecontactITSC.
(cchelp@ust.
hk)TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
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48NetworkSystemsTeamInternetUpdateConnectiontoASGCNetASGCNet(oftheAcademiaSinicaGridComputingCenter)connectsvariousresearchnetworksintheAsiaPacificregion.
HARNET(TheHongKongAcademicandResearchNETwork)hasestablishedaconnectiontoASGCNetwhohasjustestablishedaconnectiontoHKIX(HongKongInterneteXchange)inearlyAugust.
Thisconnectionwillresultinfasterconnectiontoresearchnetworksintheregion.
BandwidthUpgradeTocaterforgrowingdemandonbandwidthforthenewacademicyear,HARNET'sinternationalInternetbandwidthhasbeenupgradedfrom560Mto780MinlateAugust2008.
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48MissTheresaLoComputerBarnsUpgradeThissummer,therehavebeenanumberofequipmentupgradesintheITSCComputerBarns:PCUpgradePCsandLCDsinComputerBarnA'sGeneralAreaandComputerBarnC'sTeachingAreahavebeenupgradedtoamorepowerfulconfiguration,takingacloserstepto"Vista-ready"Barns.
AtotalofonehundredandtwentyunitsofPentium4-3.
0GhzinthesetwolocationshavebeenreplacedbyCore2DuoE8300(2.
83GHz)PCswith2Ghzofmemoryand160Gharddisk.
AsfortheLCDs,theyhavebeenupgradedto19"LCDs.
Regardingtheapplications,therehavebeenanumberofversionupgrades.
Pleaseclickheretoseethelistofapplicationsavailableinthebarnsandtheversionupgrades.
ProjectorReplacementTheVideoProjectorintheComputerBarnATeachingAreahasretiredafteralongserviceofover7years.
AnewSonyvideoprojectorhasbeeninstalled,providingabettervisualprojectiondisplaytotheaudience.
PrinterReplacementTwounitsoftheHPLaserJetprinterwerewornoutwithfrequentprintingproblemsduetoheavyusageofprintingintheComputerBarns.
TwounitsofLexmarkW840networklaserprintersareaddedtoComputerBarnAGeneralAreatoreplacethosetwoHPLaserJetprinters.
AsthisisanewprinterbrandplacedinoperationintheComputerBarn,ourcolleaguesarecloselymonitoringitsperformancetoensureitwillmeettheupcomingheavyprintingloadinthecomputerbarns.
SoftwareNameVersionChange7-Zipv4.
574.
42->4.
57AcrobatReader7.
1.
0+ChtandChsfonts7.
09->7.
10AdobeSVGViewer3.
03AdobeFlashPluginforIEandThunderbird-AuthorwareWebplayer2004.
0.
0.
73-FlashPlayer9.
0.
47.
0-Shockwavev10.
2.
0.
022Aspen200611->2006AutoCAD2006AutoDeskDWFfileviewerv6.
0AutodeskDesignReview2006AutoLang3.
0Checkmywordsv1.
91(Wordtoolbar)Cygwin2.
573.
2.
2DynaDocviewerandPlugin4.
25EEclipse3.
3.
1.
13.
2.
1->3.
3.
1.
1FileZillav3.
0.
412.
2->3.
0FSAV7.
11Build1057.
00->7.
11GAMSIDE2.
7.
22.
0->2.
7Ghostconsoleclient110.
01.
1533Ghostscript8.
608.
56->8.
60Gong5.
1forCL3coursesGong5.
1forHKUSTLANGcoursesGSView4.
94.
8->4.
9GIMP2.
4.
42.
2->2.
4HKUSTCardsetupbundlev1.
1.
20HostExplorer4.
0JavaSDKstandardeditionv1.
6.
0_031.
5->1.
6Javaruntimeeditionv1.
6.
0_031.
5->1.
6JIJISLibraryonlinesystemMatLabR2008aR2006a->R2008aMSOffice2003Prowithsp3MicrosoftMediaPlayer11.
05.
5721.
5145MicrosoftInternetExplorerv7.
0.
5730MicrosoftVisualStudio6.
0sp6MicrosoftVisualStudio2005sp1MicrosoftVisualStudio.
net20082004->2008MinGW5.
1.
3Minimalsystem1.
0.
10MinitabR15Msys1.
0.
10MyWords2.
2(IEtoolbar)NetbeansIDE6.
05.
5->6.
0PC-TEX32v5.
1PC-XWin5.
3PolyMath6.
10build261ProcessIntegrationsoftwarev2.
3Pspice9.
1forstudentQuickTime7.
57.
4->7.
5RealPlayer10.
5SAS9.
29.
13->9.
2SPSS12(barnateachingonly)SSHv3.
2.
9SuperProDesigner7.
04.
9->7.
0ThoughOtherEyesVMwarePlayerv2.
0.
2build59824Winzip9.
0SR1WindowsLiveMessenger8.
1WordPilot2000v1.
6.
7(build6001)wxWidgetsv2.
8.
72.
6.
2->2.
8.
7TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
AllRightsReserved.
Suggestionsarewelcomeatwebmaster@www.
ust.
hkLastModified:ChannelChannel-September2008,IssueNo.
48WWW&ServerTechnologyNewLookofExpressStationYoumayhavealreadynoticedthatourExpressStationshaveanewlookstartingfromthissummer.
Toworkbetterwithmodernwebapplications,wehaverewrittentheExpressStationsoftwarefromthegroundup.
ThebrowsercomponentisnowInternetExplorer7.
WehavealsoaddedamonitoringsystemsothatproblemsrelatedtotheExpressStationscanbefixedproactively.
Tryitoutandletusknowwhatyouthink.
ToknowmoreaboutExpressStationssuchastheirlocations,pleaserefertothefollowingURL:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/expressstation/TheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
AllRightsReserved.
Suggestionsarewelcomeatwebmaster@www.
ust.
hkLastModified:ChannelChannel-September2008,IssueNo.
48Mr.
CharlesChoyUnixTimesharingServersUpgradeToprovidemorereliableandefficientsupportonUnix,thetimesharingsystemshavebeenupgradedwithnewhardware(SunFireV215)andnewoperatingsystem(Solaris10)thisSummer.
Currentlyonesystemisforstaff/postgraduateandonesystemforundergraduate.
DetailsofthenewUnixenvironmentcanbefoundat:http://www.
ust.
hk/itsc/unixTheHongKongUniversityofScience&Technology.
AllRightsReserved.
Suggestionsarewelcomeatwebmaster@www.
ust.
hkLastModified: