Hello,
I wanted to go over some of the detail of what is will happen when the
current menu is removed from dialup access. This has been proposed by the
HPC consultants and I posted a warning on the dial-up servers indicating
it would happen on April 1st.
Background:
Today there are users that access SDSC via terminal emulation to check
mail only on Pauline and access the T90/T3E via a menu option at SDSC
dial-up servers.
This was by design. One advantage of the menu is to keep access simple by
giving the user only one account, on the machine they use.
One disadvantage for the user is that applications like email or Internet
access must be from the machine they log on to.
For users wanting to execute applications from their local desktop, PPP
is available. PPP requires a UNIX username and passwords on multiple
SDSC servers. It allows direct network access for Email, WEB and Internet
applications.
Defining the problem:
The current users of the dial-up menu select a number that forces a
connection to the selected host. At this point they log on to the host
with their username/password for that machine.
Removing the menu will require all users to log on to the SDSC RADIUS
daemon and then select there host by typing its name. In addtion, all
RADIUS users will require a UNIX password on the system that RADIUS
lives (today this server is Franklin). This by itself this not an
issue. The issue is, who are the users.
Over the years, Pauline users only have Pauline accounts. CRAY users only
have Cray accounts.
Without knowing who the dial-up users are on the CRAY or Pauline everyone
will need UNIX accounts on various servers.
Once this is completed, Anyone with a legal UNIX account can now run PPP
and SDSC will be there ISP by default (control will be very
difficult).
So, doing the math, there are about 4000 users on the CRAY's, probably
another 1000 users uniquely on Pauline, adding all of them to the
servers will take some script writing, and the management of the user
access has not been figured out yet.
I vote for to postpone the removal of menu option from the dial-in
access affective April 1.
Sorry for the late notice to bring up this issue.
jd
SDSC
Jay Dombrowski
Email: dombrowh@sdsc.edu
Voice: 619-534-5023
Fax: 619-534-8349