- (Bruce) I would like to ask the WPAG members if they are interested in seeing an option to enable support for Reg Quinton's password strength checking system added to my authentication system. Currently, my system requires 6 char min, 1 upper, 1 lower, 1 other. Regs' system requires considerably stronger passwords (actually it is configurable). It is available as an x-hier package for Unix, but anyone using my system gets my rules, and in fact must remove the setpw package from their x-hiered systems so as not to conflict with my system.
Reg's system
My auth system - (Tim) Report status of Information System and Technology (IST) backup of NetApps.
- (Bruce) None of the faculty netapps are being backed up (except math). Should we delay mass migration ?
- (Bruce) EC may want to impose a deadline on when all faculties are netapp ready, as some projects are on hold. Can we pick a deadline ? ... a deadline to be "netapp ready", ie to a point where (student) users *can* go on the netapp, but don't have to. To be "netapp ready" you must have:
- all public machines guiboot - netapp up and integrated with authentication etc
- (Bruce) EC could stand probably some volunteers for projects of the 1 to 4 week variety. Any takers ? Few ideas are a mass netapp account mover, self move netapp mover, web win95 reset (ie anything Nevil wants done!) But seriously, if you think you can do these projects, it would help.
- (Nevil) Does a Polaris Account reset webpage interface require the NetApp and when can we expect it? When can a web form scratch be expected?
- (Nevil) Better write performance to Polaris accounts and disks this may be a problem with the network and I am going to ask Vic to get switch info from IST
- (Nevil) Can the SMC 9432 inf and USB support files be added to the Polaris installation disk
- (Nevil) What are the rules for zapping f drive on Guiboot eg) 109@artsml guiboot lab testupdate is not zapping
- (Nevil) Sysctl rules question? Why would a machine sysctl when station.doc is changed even when booting off floppy eg)22@artsml
- (Nevil) Is there a problem with putting polaris\flags\debug on all machines
(Erick) Today? No problem, although it is a tiny bit slower because of the file i/o. Future? I may dump a lot more into the logs over time, and so this could slow down logins.
- (Nevil) Is there a mechanism in place for moving mass amounts of students/accounts to the netapp? If not when can we expect one?
- (Nevil) A problem has been noticed by one of our co-op students with respect to the web based email checking directly from the Polaris logon screen.
If you fill in the "To:,Subject and message fields" (not everyone know the SMTP server field should be filled in) and click on send it fills in the SMTP server field with engmail and gives two attach file fields. You then have to click on send AGAIN to send it.
The questions are: a. Why the second send? b. How do we fill in the SMTP server the first time? c. When was and why was this option changed to allow use during prime time?
(Erick) Originally we did fill in and hide that field, but not since we upgraded. I'll check with Paul, he is maintaining that package.
It was disabled at the start of term because we had to find a non-busy machine to host all the mail sessions. Once we found it, we enabled it. It had nothing to do with Polaris load.
- (Nevil) Can the Q:\faculty\etc directories be added for printer use?
(Erick) Not until everyone is GUIboot. Because until you are guiboot, the Q: drive is not available until *AFTER* printers are added.
(Nevil) Old accounts that log on to guiboot machines have path problems. The path is set to e:\w95;w:\w95\command. The current fix is del n:\w95, run scan disk on n and reset machine and then they are fine. Can old accounts be fixed for this or should we wait until we move all staff and faculty to the netapp/guiboot and fix them one by one? Does anyone know why this happens?
(Erick) I've not seen this.
(Nevil) Mapping a read/write drive with samba to M: or L: comes up in read only. Why?
(Erick) I: through N: are reserved for the Watstar server.The read/write permissions on those drives depend on whether the underlying watstar drive is mapped in read/write or read/only. No watstar account linked in means read-only.
Until we get rid of Watstar servers, those drive letters will remain reserved.
- (Tim) Duane Kennedy and Beth Jewkes have been talking about "the need for everyone to see the big picture of where Polaris is going. [They] thought that it would be useful to have Bruce and Erick give a presentation on this issue, probably inviting other people such as the Associate Deans or other Polaris sysadmins to improve the distribution of information." What has been proposed is for Erick to give a presentation on December 3 as part of I.S.T.'s Friday morning seminar series. Is this timing alright?
