Impressions from the HEPIX' 99 Spring meeting at RAL

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General Observations

• almost all talks covered Linux/NT
• Linux is clear winner on UNIX platforms
  • new farms mostly build up using Linux boxes
  • also increase in number of Linux workstation installations
  • Linux on the desktop is coming
  • Redhat is the most widely used Distribution, notable exception DESY: SuSE
• NT is clear winner as desktop OS
• Sites are reducing the number of UNIX flavors
  • most often mentioned dropping AIX
  • few (no) plans to upgrade to Solaris 7, HP-UX 11
  • SunOS 4 and Ultrix already gone
• Web interfaces are being developed for an increasing number of tasks
  
  
• Batch
  • LSF established as most popular system despite of licensing problems
  • Codine entered list of Batch systems with AFS support
• Email
  • move towards IMAP both on server and client side
  • several sites involved in LDAP tests
• UNIX - NT Integration
  • Filesystems - interim solution AFS (JLAB also CIFS)
  • Account/Password synchronization - no general solution yet
  • NT <-> UNIX access realized using commercial products
    (PCXWare, eXcess, Wincenter, ...)
  • Services more often installed on UNIX (mail, printing, Samba)
  • LDAP becoming important directory service for both UNIX and NT

Homework

• Set up LDAP working group
  • initial step: create mailing list
  • installation of working group well before next meeting
  • interested persons:
    A. Taddei
    M. Jouvin
    D. Kelsey
    K. Kuenne
    who else ?
• Discuss proposal of L. Robertson/A. Silverman concerning platforms
  • what platforms to support in future
  • what service/platform combinations are indispensable
  • time frame for change in number of platforms
  • discuss with users, experiments, management
• Discuss licensing issues (site licenses) with Platform Computing
  Coordination by C. Boeheim

Next Meetings

• October 99 at SLAC (larger HEPIX/NT meeting(s))
• Spring 2000 atteched to CHEP 2000, which is held in Padova, Italy
  location is not fixed yet
• Further offers
  • Braunschweig University (by P. Duempert)
  • KFKI Budapest (by P. Giese)

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Last updated: Apr 21, 1999, wolfgang.friebel@ifh.de