TSE

Date Opened: Oct 14, 2011

Impact: 1 = workaround identified

Contact Person: Cheryl

Issue: When using Power Point through TSE on a Linux machine, viewing the slide show is not possible and also causes the program to crash (unsaved work is lost). Allan mentioned that he could not view videos through tse.

Updates:

• Nov 8: No update. Glen will be documenting the workaround.
• Oct 25: Not a print spooler issue since all TSE servers exhibit same problem. Probably a bug in TSE display drivers. Other users report similar issues. Workaround identified: first click the book-like icon next to the presentation icon, then click the presentation icon.
• Oct 18: The PowerPoint problem is not due to the print spool problem, and Glen will look into this.
• Oct 18: The tse server crashes often due to problems with the print spool. The tech staff knows about this problem and is working on it.

Mathematica and Dept-Wide Software

Date Opened: Oct 4, 2011

Impact: 1 = workaround identified

Contact Person: Brad

Issue: Is there a dept-wide license for Mathematica? The Math dept seems to offer it to anyone who will bring in their laptop.

Updates:

• Nov 8: Ernesto to add link to UBC IT page for Mathematica licence on the wiki.
• Nov 1: Updated list at https://bugs.cs.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/twiki/view/Imager/ImagerSoftwareList
• Oct 18: Can get list of available software in /cs/local/lib/pkg on Linux and Control Panel -> Programs on Windows on staff-supported machines.
• Oct 04: Glen will email help to see if we have Mathematica and to see if there is a list of dept-wide software on the cs webpage.
• Oct 25: Glen got the information from the UBC IT website. Ernesto will add a link to that page from our wiki/software list.

Opening PDFs in Firefox - Using Chrome Instead

Date Opened: Jul 18, 2011

Impact: 2 = inconvenience

Contact Person: Cheryl

Issue: With SuSE 11.4, the current version (5.0) of firefox does not open some PDFs. Typically, a black screen appears instead of the pdf. John was the tech staff contact for this issue.

Updates:

• Nov 8: Chrome is currently being tested on boxster. Need to figure out how updates will be applied for non-admin accounts. Need to ensure default configuration (cache dir/size) is correct. May not be enough time to test it before the upcoming freeze.
• Oct 18: There is no soln for using acroread in Firefox. (Can use xpdf instead). Glen will be on the lookout for acroread updates. Best soln would be to get Chrome to work.
• Oct 04: Chrome is not part of 11.4 distribution, so tech staff won't support it. But, Glen will continue testing to see if he could get Chrome to work because it would be good to have if it opens pdfs and flash.
• Oct 04: Problem is with default version of acroread in 11.4 installation (in usr/bin). Glen will try to build a more current version of acroread in cs/local.
• Sep 27: Is it possible to get a dept-wide version of Chrome? Issues:
  • Chrome should be set up (via command line) to write cache to temp dir instead of home dir.
  • Chrome by default updates silently when user opens it. Is there a way to set it to notify tech staff so that tech staff can do update?
  • Tech staff would need to maintain another piece of software. Could be a maintenance issue.
• Sep 27: Glen found that acroread crashes after opening multiple pdfs.

Meeting notes

• Check Conference Freeze Dates page monthly and notify tech staff of any new freezes.
• Check imager disk space list monthly for users over 25GB. (Nov 8: stray simulation currently generating large amounts of data)
• No replacement yet identified for Windows rep.
• Siggraph freeze: Nov 15-Jan 20. Update freeze list machines on Sunday before the freeze.
• Hagit/Anika reported an issue with ICICS cluster scheduling. Is Dave Brent aware of it?
• Cheryl away Oct 25, Nov 1, and Nov 8.