Computing in the Bacteriology Department Network Mail Storage Research (and Admin.) Computing Instructional Technology

Location Past, Present, Future

CURRENT NETWORK DOIT owns and supervises our network hardware and switches. Within “Old Biochemistry” 1 Gb/sec in the walls; switches are mostly 10 Mb/sec, some 100 Mb/sec, single Gb/sec. We have a “collaborative” mode of operation in which our IT administrator, Janet Newlands, is an Authorized Agent or Administrative Extension of DOIT. (Involves class, largely to learn the Cisco switch details). Wireless coverage in most of building. All our network traffic through Med. Sciences node. Firewall administered by Janet also (quite conservative).

CURRENT All students are on Wiscmail. Most faculty and staff are on the Groupwise server; gwmadison database server via Bascom Hall. Why? Many people in department like the “home grown” feeling of having one departmental go-to person in charge of our mail system. More stringent SPAM control including blacklisting of some addresses. Experience of viruses coming via Wiscmail screened out by Groupwise.

CURRENT BACKUP Bucky Backup 300 computers, only approx. 32 backed up, $1,000/month for department. Plan recently voted on: Departmental SNAP servers (Adaptec); 2 identical 3 Terabyte RAID 5 systems, one stored in our bldg, one stored at DOIT. Why? Lower cost, higher control.

RESEARCH COMPUTING Support of research equipment necessitates many operating systems. Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, (Vista) Mac all flavors back to OS9 IBM OS2 Linux Red Hat, Ubuntu, Susc Irix No “centralized” research computing (e.g. DOIT). Several departmental computers and printers. “Systems Administration” is largely Janet, with additional individual P.I. support of unix (read, me).

ADMINISTRATIVE COMPUTING 8 “cloned” then customized Windows machines and 2 Macs in the Bact front office. Shared file systems using the “Office Shared” software

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY Old Biochemistry … Portable projectors only. On-line microbiology text (Tim Paustian, Ken Todar) Molecular modeling class taught in Biotech center. Physical models generated on Z-corp printer (NSF grant, Nelson,Wolf, Phillips, Butcher, Forest).

vs. Microbiology Symposium Center Classrooms: 190 seats -- 2 projectors, camera recording, wireless seats -- projector, wireless So far no student input electronically Molecular Modeling classroom -- (ILM) 20 student spots (Macintosh computers) 1 instructor (SGI for hardward stereo) CyVIZ 3-D projectors and silver screen Bioinformatics Server for undergraduate labs (ILM)