Following the successful use of Linux based servers and clients in teaching over the last couple of years we will be completing the conversion of the Department's central computing facilities to Linux over the summer vacation.
To this end, two clusters (tw5xx and tw6xx) in the DPO have been converted to use Linux servers rather than HP-UX and are presenting the new "single login" interface. Please try them out and let us know if there are any problems (the tw500 server is slightly newer - it should function just like tw600, but let us know if it doesn't). Please send comments, queries or bug reports to sys-admin or see the Computer Operators.
It is particularly important that anyone running courses which require computing facilities that haven't already successfully run under Linux should test them as soon as possible in case they require porting or modification. Most applications used in teaching are expected to run on the client machines, hence there is no longer a direct server login. There may be cases (e.g. software with large memory requirements) where access to the server is necessary for teaching and we will set up suitable access methods for these as required. Please contact us via teaching-support if your application has special requirements.
Please note - HP-UX will no longer be offered as a platform for either teaching or research computing from September 2006. In case of dire need we will maintain a small number of HP-UX machines for a further year, but from September 2007 this facility will be withdrawn completely