Author Archives: Catherine E. Pitt

MATLAB R2014a available for Linux workstations

MATLAB R2014a is now available on the Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty) Linux workstations. Load the matlab/R2014a module to use it. The default version of MATLAB is still R2013b. We’re working on getting the newer version for the other operating systems.

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Providing Python

The Python programming language has become very popular in the scientific computing world in the last few years. In Chemistry we have always provided a wide range of compilers for the widely used scientific languages Fortran and C, but our … Continue reading

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Mathematica 10.0 now available

Mathematica 10.0 is now available to those groups who contributed to the cost of the Mathematica licence. For those using managed Windows, Mac, or Linux workstations the software is available through the usual means. For more details or to get … Continue reading

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Overtaken by events

We’re doing a complete refurbishment of the Unilever server room this summer. The original plan was to move all the servers out by the end of July in order for work to start in August. The room holds three compute … Continue reading

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Server room refurb: the sticky carpet

This summer we’re hoping to do a major refurbishment on one of our server rooms. The room has a number of things that need fixing, but perhaps the most obvious is the floor. The glue under the carpet tiles has … Continue reading

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VPN for iPhone and iPad

The department of Chemistry has a popular VPN service which uses software called OpenVPN. VPN is a service that allows you to log into the department network from anywhere on the Internet and then appear to the network as if … Continue reading

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The end is nearly in sight

Here are some pictures of dexter, the new compute cluster we’ve been in the process of purchasing, installing, and configuring for the last few months. It’s been a long process but we’re now onto final acceptance testing. It belongs to … Continue reading

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Dots in front of the eyes – Xymon custom views

We use Xymon to monitor every non-personal machine connected to the department network. As a minimum we check for network connectivity. More complex, highly managed, or important machines can have many more tests configured. The data is available through webpages … Continue reading

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You are in a maze of twisty dependencies, all alike

We were recently asked to install a new piece of scientific software on one of the compute clusters. This software relies on a number of other pieces of software which we didn’t already have installed. And those in turn have … Continue reading

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Invisible new servers

We have just installed a new pair of servers to help take the strain of running the network services that the department relies upon. This includes Admitto, the VPN services, and many others that are less visible but make Internet … Continue reading

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