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Still not sure if your computer is ready for y2k? Here is our last minute advice for readiness and peace of mind.
First, complete the Y2K Readiness Checklist (published in the November User News and in the Dialog for December 6, and online at http://bama.ua.edu/~y2k.) This will help you make sure your computer is protected, and help you understand the kinds of problems you might expect (if any).
Next, be SURE you have a backup of your most important files. Then whatever happens, you'll be able to recover your most important information. (However, don't plan to back up your PC to your account on bama.ua.edu. The bama server is not set up for that kind of service. See the related article in this issue.)
When you leave for the holiday, TURN OFF your office computer and related equipment. At home, turn off your computer when you finish using it on Dec. 31 (or earlier). If you have essential equipment that must keep running, go over your plans for what to do in case of severe weather or power failure.
When you turn your computer system back on, if the date or time is not correct, set it. If you experience a problem, don't panic. Most computers experience problems now and then that require a reboot. A problem of that type won't necessarily mean you have a y2k problem.
When you run your applications, especially on any data with date values or date calculations, LOOK at your results and see if you have a date problem. For most people, any y2k problem they see is likely to be with their own data and their use of application software, rather than with their hardware or with the software itself. A problem of this type may not show up on January 1, but may be seen whenever you use that application or data for the first time.
If you have gone through the steps of the Y2K Readiness Checklist, made your backup, and are running current virus protection, then you know what to expect from your hardware and software. Relax, enjoy your holiday, and don't worry about y2k.
All Seebeck Computer Center offices, including the HelpDesk, will close at 4:45 PM on Thursday December 23, and will reopen at 8:00 AM on Monday January 3, 2000.
The bama.ua.edu server, the Amelia library server and all network services will run throughout the holiday period. However, from 4:00 PM on Friday 12/31/1999 until 8:00 AM on Saturday 1/1/2000, all off-campus network connections (Internet, I2 and AREN) will be curtailed. Incoming e-mail addressed to bama.ua.edu will be delivered, but all other incoming traffic will be shut down. On-campus and outgoing traffic will not be affected. If you absolutely must check your bama e-mail at 2:00 AM on 1/1/00, if you are using an on-campus computer or the campus dialup system, you will be able to send and receive mail and access other on-campus sites. You will not be able to access off-campus sites. If you use another ISP, you will not be able to access any on-campus sites, including your e-mail. However, e-mail for bama.ua.edu that comes in during this period will be delivered, and you will be able to access it after 8:00 AM on Saturday 1/1/00. This network control will ONLY be in effect for the 16-hour New Year period. This is mainly a security measure, to control incoming traffic. At all other times during the holiday period, network traffic will be running as usual.
The Seebeck Computer Lab will be available 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM 12/27-12/30, until noon on 12/31, and for limited hours on 1/1 and 1/2.
The administrative systems will be available 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM 12/27-12/30, and until noon on December 31. System backups will run in the afternoon on December 31, and on January 1. System testing will take place on January 1 and 2. The administrative systems will resume normal service January 3, 2000.
If you have any questions about the holiday computing schedule, call the HelpDesk at 348-2435. The HelpDesk will be open until 4:45 on Thursday 12/23.
The bama.ua.edu server supports e-mail for thousands of users, delivers web service, handles mailing lists, dialup authentication, programming and statistical applications, ftp, telnet, domain name service, Internet and Internet2 traffic, and numerous other services for the University of Alabama. Its present disk array is adequate to handle all these services, and also for temporary storage or transfer of large data sets. However, the disk array is not adequate for permanent storage of multiple large data sets, nor for permanent backup of multiple PCs. As faculty/staff disk space is presently managed, it is possible for one account to receive some large items and fill up available space, possibly preventing other accounts from being able to receive normal incoming file traffic (e.g. e-mail). During the regular semester, disk space in monitored constantly to prevent this kind of problem. During the Christmas holiday, it will not be possible to monitor disk space in this way. So, to prevent the occurrence of disk problems during the holiday, the computer center has implemented disk quotas on faculty/staff accounts. These quotas are adequate for normal e-mail and research traffic, but will prevent any one account from the kind of sudden growth that could affect other accounts.
To find out the disk quota on your account, go to the unixinfo page at http://bama.ua.edu/~unixinfo and click on the Helpers button. If you think your disk quota is not adequate for your holiday needs, call the HelpDesk at 348-2435 and ask to speak with a Unix consultant. If you need a change in your disk quota, you MUST request it no later than December 20. After that, there will be no quota changes until January 3.
Everyone's disk quota is adequate for normal e-mail and research use. However, if you fill up your disk space with other files, then e-mail that comes to you cannot be delivered, and will be returned to sender. If you need space for short-term file storage, you can use the temporary scratch space /work/scratch. Files in /work/scratch space will be saved for at least 24 hours and then deleted. They are NOT part of the regular backup system, and you cannot recover scratch files from backup once they have been deleted. However, they are saved in the event of an unexpected system outage.
On Monday December 20, we will be changing the logon screen for BamaMail. The only change will be to the look of the logon screen. The logon process itself and the way you use the software to send and receive e-mail will not change. On the new logon screen, besides the usual logon area, you will find links to the helpers for changing your password and checking your disk quota, and news about the BamaMail system.
To access your e-mail using BamaMail, go to the web site https://bamamail.ua.edu, or take the BamaMail link from the HelpDesk Web page. BamaMail gives you web access to your mail on bama.ua.edu, and can be used from any browser, wherever you happen to be during the holiday.
On a related note, if you use the calendar system on bama.ua.edu, there is a link to the calendar system from the bama home page also. Go to http://bama.ua.edu/ and click on the button for Calendar. Then you can access your calendar using any browser, from wherever you are during the holiday. On the calendar logon screen, use the 'fs' server, and be sure you put in your calendar name and password, not your bama account and password.
December 15 is the cutoff day for changing passwords on older bama.ua.edu accounts. If you received e-mail reminding you to change your password, and you do not change it by December 15, then your account will become inactive. An inactive account can still be used for e-mail (imap or POP) but cannot be used for telnet or ftp. To reactivate an inactive account, you must change the password.
December 19 is the last day to use the old dialup system on 348-4350. After that, all modems will be moved to the new dialup system on 347-1800. For information on dialup, go to the HelpDesk home page, select the Internet button, then click on dialup information.
December 20 is the last day to request a disk quota change before the holiday. See the article on bama disk space in this issue of User News. Disk quotas have been implemented on faculty/staff accounts for disk management during the holiday period.
December 23 is the last day the HelpDesk will be open before the holiday. During the holiday, you can obtain information from the computer center web sites, including the y2k page (for information and checklist), the HelpDesk page, the software download site (for downloading virus software), and the Unixinfo page (access to the Unix Helpers for changing your password and checking disk quota). See the related article in this issue for more information on the holiday schedule.