Erice Crystallography 2009 IT Support

41st Course: From novel experimental approaches to applications in cutting-edge technologies.

June 4-14, 2009 in Erice, Sicily

This is the information technology (IT) web page for Erice Crystallography 2009. Please email John Irwin if you have any questions not answered here. More information about Erice and the Erice crystallography meetings may be found at the Erice Crystallography web site http://www.crystalerice.org. Workshop signups are on the wiki here.

Contents:  Computers  Email/Access  Software  Workshops  Powerpoint  Laptops  Virtual Courses  Wireless  Security  

Computers

What computers will be available and where are they?

We have 20 computers as follows: Participants are invited to bring their own laptops to supplement the desktops we supply. All computers are on the Internet via a good internet connection.

How do I log in to computers?

The windows PCs will be permanently logged in as a "Crystal". If you require a personal login, please contact me.

Can I log in after I leave / before I arrive in Erice?

No, sorry. For security reasons, there is a firewall that prevents access from outside Erice, but you may ssh, imap, pop3, etc OUT to your home computer when you are in Erice. Many companies and universities have recently made their networks more secure. Be sure to find out what you need to know to get into your home computers before you travel. For sftp, you must use "passive" mode to get past the firewall.

How do I print?

All computers should be set up to print to one of the printers in the Madonna Room by default. There is a printserver at \\printserver which you can print to from your laptop. The IP address of the printers is written on the front of each one.

When may the computers be used?

All the time, except as required by workshops, from the first full day of the meeting (30 May) until the second last day (June 7).

May I connect my laptop to the network?

Yes. There is a quiet plug in point in the Feynman lecture hall. (up the stone stairs). Also in San Francesco. We use DHCP, so in many cases, you just need to plug in and go. We have wireless in many places. See Wireless. Macs should work fine too. Let us know if you have trouble.

Email/Access

Do I have an email account in Erice?

No. This used to be a big deal, but nowadays, seems quaint.

Help, I can't log in

Normally, computers will be permanently "logged in" as a communal user. There will be instructions on a sheet next to the computer. If you are still having trouble, try asking the person sitting next to you or a member of the IT support staff.

How do I read my email back home?

Here again, this used to be a big deal. But if you are having trouble contacting your home computer, please let us try to help you.

Software

What software will be available on the Windows PCs?

WinXP, Office, ssh/sftp clients, and software for the workshops. Please write if you require special software. You may install your own provided you have a license.

What software will be available on Linux?

Most machines are fairly standard installs of Fedora Core 8. A few are FC9 and I think there is one FC7. Pymol, COOT, CCP4, chimera, and other software is installed.

Workshops

What Workshops will be offered?

Please visit our wiki.

Electronic Posters

You may have a laptop next to your poster to demonstrate. The poster area will have wireless Internet, so you may also demonstrate web pages. If you intend to do this, please write me so we can plan.

Powerpoint

What do I need to know or do if I am a speaker requiring data projection or other IT services during my talk?

There is a desktop PC with a CD/DVD drive and an Internet connection running Windows XP and Office on the podium. It is connected to a data projector. Many people bring talks on USB finger drives, or choose to use their own laptops, which is fine with us.

We have bright green lasers with powerpoint controls, or you may use your own.

It is prudent to test-drive your presentation 24 hours in advance, which gives us time to help should there be any problems. Speakers must have their presentation loaded and ready to go at the start of the session to avoid delays.

Laptops

Should I bring my laptop?

You are encouraged to bring your laptop. This will give you privacy for reading your mail, and flexibility about when and where you work.

How do I configure my laptop

Set up your laptop to use DHCP. If you don't get on the network right away and there is no one around who can help you, please try rebooting before asking IT support staff.

Please use the printer "print1" on the computer "mad1" (\\mad1\print1). The print drivers should already be installed so you should just need to double click "print1" and be ready to go. On Mac and Linux, use LPR and the IP address written on the front of the printer you wish to use. (This is a guess as a non-mac user. tell me if I am wrong)

Virtual Course

This meeting will be run as virtual course. Powerpoints will be put on the web before the meeting, and streaming video of each lecture will be broadcast on the Internet. See here. Speakers: Please drop off your ppt (or PDF of your ppt) on \\sandomenico which is the shared folder of the computer on the podium. Remote participants may put questions to the speaker via a chat room or email. Lectures and Materials will be collected on a DVD.

Wireless

Where is the wireless network available?

We are going to try to offer a WiFi network as widely as possible: If you find a location where the wireless signal is weak, please contact us as we may be able to make adjustments.

Security

We will install various security software on the various computers. In general, outbound services will work, but inbound services will not. We would appreciate your help: if you find any weakness in our security systems, please bring this to our attention.

Concluding Remarks

Your IT Support team includes Gianni Grassi, Martin Turk and John Irwin. We thank Orazio Mistretta for sourcing and setting up the PCs.

Last updated: May 29, 2009 by John Irwin