Pre-sales Advice
Before you buy, talk with us. We can help you select the best products for
your requirements, inform you about the products we are able to support, and
perhaps get you a more favorable deal from the manufacturer.
Unpacking
When you receive your computer equipment, be sure to unpack everything
carefully and inventory all items with their serial numbers. This will ensure
that you have received everything you ordered and will enable you to quickly
sign up for any licensed software we provide based on your products' serial
numbers.
Booting Up/Installing the Operating System
Some computers come pre-installed with the operating system, while others
require you to install it yourself. We can advise you best if you contact us
before you get started.
Disk Configuration
You may wish/need to configure one or more hard drives on your workstation
according to your particular requirements. There are usually several options
here, so consulting us early on is the best course.
Security
Security is a very important aspect of owning a multiuser, multitasking,
globally networked UNIX workstation. Even if you do not have any sensitive
information on your machine, any networked machine is a potential stepping
stone for would-be hackers who may inadvertently trash your data in an attempt
to reach some other machine on the network.
Each workstation vendor configures their machines differently, and so each
workstation requires slightly different configuring. Please consult us for
advice on addressing the following vulnerable security points:
- Password file: Remove any logins that are not passworded; use
precautions with the root password.
- Mail: Turn off mail if it is not needed, and reconfigure to avoid
being a relay site.
- Disabling logins: You can prevent unauthorized logins with various
security precautions (e.g., tcpwrap).
- Encrypted logins: You should try to use encryption for remote
logins to your machine to prevent password sniffing.
IP Addressing
Once the system is bootable or is in the configuration process, you may need
an IP address to register your machine in the Dartmouth domain. Please fill out
the online form on the
Request Printer Name/IP Address Form Web page, requesting an IP address. Be
sure to include your name, affiliation, computer make and model, operating
system type and version, and location (building and room number).
Changing Location
If you should move your computer to a new location, even within the same
building, you might have to get a new IP address. Please check with us first to
avoid any unnecessary down time for your workstation. Send e-mail to hostmaster@dartmouth.edu.
Printers
Configuring printers varies a great deal. Please contact faculty_workstation_support@dartmouth.edu
for help.
Backing Up Your Files
Backing up your files is very important and should be done on a regular
basis for data that changes. You have a number of options to do this. Please
contact faculty_workstation_support@dartmouth.edu
to discuss what best suits your needs.
Adding Software
You will probably want to add some software locally to your machine, some of
which will require root privileges and some will not. We can assist you with
questions you may have in this regard.
Available Software
We have a large variety of public domain, centrally licensed, and
subscription software available for several UNIX platforms. Please consult the
information on the Software
Applications for Researchers Web page. If you have questions for your
particular needs, please contact us.
Staying Informed
We provide several means of staying informed regarding hardware, software,
and services that may be of interest to you. We suggest you subscribe/consult
the following sources of ongoing information:
Newsgroups
- dartmouth.bulletins.academic-info-sys (Academic Computing Notes)
- dartmouth.bulletins.unix (Research Computing)
- dartmouth.bulletins.statistics (Statistics)
BlitzMail Bulletins
Under Computing, we suggest you monitor the following Bulletin topics:
- Academic Computing
- Research Computing
- Statistics.
Web Pages
- Go to the Research
Computing Web page for a comprehensive list of Research Computing
services, facilities, and contact information.
Mailing Lists
- System administrators lists.
If you need additional help, please contact faculty_workstation_support@dartmouth.edu.
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