=======================
SSC News, December 1992
=======================
Contents:
	Network work
	VMS operating system upgrade
	Sun machines now available for CDE users
	Problems with LIMDEP on Ultrix
	New SSC publications
	How-to series 
	Consulting question of the month

This is the SSC News.  This monthly electronic newsletter will keep you
informed about recent changes on the SSC computer networks.  We hope this new
source of information will help improve communication between the SSC computing
staff and all of you computer users out there.  All SSC computer users are
receiving a copy of this, the first issue.  We hope to produce a short
newsletter like this one about once a month.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS NEWSLETTER, just type REPLY at the mail prompt and
send us a message which says "unsubscribe".  We will remove you from the
distribution list for future electronic mailings.  If you ever change your
mind, just notify the SSC Consultant or send mail to SSCNEWS asking to get back
on the list.

Network work
------------
The SSC staff is putting together plans to simplify the SSC networks.  These
changes involve replacing several cables and rearranging equipment
(topographically and physically).  The first phase of this project will be
confined to the Computer Room, and will take place in the month of December. 
We are currently waiting for parts before we can start the project.

These changes will make the network easier to troubleshoot and manage.  These
efforts are not a panacea for the network problems we've had for so long, but
they are a step in the right direction.  The challenge of improving the network
is an ongoing process and this is just the beginning.

VMS operating system upgrade
----------------------------
On the 7-NOV-1992, the VMS operating system was upgraded to 5.5-1.  This
was a maintenance release and included no changes for the normal user.

Sun machines now available for CDE users
----------------------------------------
Now that six SunOS machines have been added to the unix cluster, you might try
logging in to one of these when your favorite Ultrix machine is bogged down. 
The six host names for the SunOS machines are cde1s, cde2s, cde3s, cde4s,
cde5s, and cde6s.

Following is a list of third party software available on all the SunOS hosts:

   emacs	glim         limdep6.0      rate      
   sas/base     sas/stat     Splus          spss      

Problems with LIMDEP on Ultrix
------------------------------
We are still experiencing serious problems with version 6.0 of LIMDEP under
Ultrix.  The program is not parsing commands correctly, resulting in the
program hanging in interactive mode or stopping prematurely on files processed
in "batch" mode.  The vendor has been notified and is working on the problem. 
Meanwhile, LIMDEP 6.0 is available on vms and all six SunOS machines.  Also,
LIMDEP 5.0 is available on Ultrix. 

New SSC publications
--------------------
These new publications are available for SSC users in the racks in 2470 Social
Science:

   The SAS System under UNIX
   The SAS System under VMS

How-to series 
------------- 
A new series of SSC publications called "How to's" are now available. 
"How-to's" will contain task oriented information and examples of how to carry
out various tasks.  You can browse through all the How-to's in a ring binder in
2470, then ask the Consultant for a copy of the one(s) you want.  Titles now
available:

   How to transport SAS Data Sets between SunOS and Ultrix
   How to transfer data between UNIX and VMS
   How to run jobs on Unix (nicely)
   How to use ZIP and UNZIP for file compression
   How to do late-night computing on campus
   How to get VAX disk information

Consulting question of the month
--------------------------------
Due to recent disk problems, some users have "ghost" messages in  e-mail.  For
example, when they log on, the VAX reports 3 new mail messages, but in the mail
utility they are told there are no new mail messages.  The messages were
undeliverable because of disk problems, but you can reset your mail counter by
typing READ/NEW at the MAIL> prompt and then immediately exiting Mail.  When
you go back into mail, the new message counter will be set correctly.