Computing Environment
Disk Space, and /physics
Most workstations, including the grad and ungrad workstations, don't have any space for users on the local hard drive except for /tmp. This is by design, as it makes upgrading or reinstalling machines significantly easier without the hassle of backing up data.For applications that require more disk space than provided by the unity home directory, we have our own file servers setup for additional space. These directories are mounted at /physics/your_username. This space is backed up nightly by our own backup servers.
Currently there are no quota restrictions on /physics, but since it is shared, I ask that everyone be courteous and not take up excessive space with unneeded data. For data output from code, and disk access that needs to be faster than a network mounted directory, /tmp can be used, which on most computers contains at least 30 Gigs. /tmp is, as the name implies, temporary. Any files in /tmp older than 10 days will be automatically deleted. New directory requests for /physics can be sent to pyhelp at pams dot ncsu dot edu.
Firewall
Not many computers are behind the firewall anymore, it was mainly for the old days where insecure SGI boxes were abundant.Regardless, the firewall still exists, and a few offices may still be behind it. For any new linux installations, or for computers needing to be backed up, the computer needs to be in front of the firewall, so the number of items behind it is shrinking. Wireless access is also behind the firewall, see below. The firewall mainly used as a way for temporary students working in the building to connect their computer without requesting an IP address. For this reason, the firewall probably isn't going away any time soon.