Disk Quotas to be Enforced on Windows Home Directories
Disk Quotas to be Extended on UNIX
Restriction on Size of E-mail Attachments
The Recent “Teddy-Bear” Virus Scare
It took a while, but most SSCC users have discovered their Windows home directories and the advantages of using them. For the uninformed, your Windows home directory is the disk drive that gets mapped when you log into SSCC's Windows network: the U: drive for PC users and the W: drive for Terminal Server users. (Refer to SSCC's publication, Accessing Network Storage from Windows, for a detailed discussion.) Unlike a local drive on your PC, like C:, your Windows home directory is backed up nightly by SSCC staff. Your home directory is also available from any PC that can connect to our network (including our Terminal Servers, which are accessible from anywhere in the world). Home directories are so widely used now that we need to enforce disk quotas on these directories much like we do on UNIX.
Everyone will have a 500 MB disk quota on their Windows home directory. When you use up the available quota, you will not be able to add any more data until space is cleared off. Users with additional disk space needs will be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota upon request. If further disk space is needed, users may be granted an additional 500 MB disk quota (giving a total of 1.5 GB). Students will need the permission of their group leader for this last 500 MB and the space must be renewed every six months. Faculty and staff do not need to renew any additional quota they receive. Users requiring even more space should request a project directory. All requests for extra disk space should go through the Consultant. There is a form that needs to be filled out and signed.
If you are already using over 500 MB (but less than 1.5 GB) of space in your Windows home directory, your quota will automatically be set to the higher amount. SSCC users who are currently using over 1.5 GB of space in their Windows home directories will be contacted individually about reducing their disk usage.
We will begin enforcing quotas on Windows December 2, 2002.
Please help keep costs down by using disk space wisely:
Have you ever noticed how quickly we fill up all our closets, drawers, and other storage space in our homes and offices? Anyone that has moved from a smaller house to a larger one knows exactly what I mean. Disk space isn't much different. With the purchase of additional disk space on UNIX, you can say we are moving to a larger house with bigger closets. I wonder how long it will take us to fill up these closets...
UNIX home directory disk quota will be extended from 200 MB to 500 MB. A quota is a maximum limit on the amount of disk space that can be used. There is no grace period and no way to save more than the quota. If you have filled your quota and then you edit a file and attempt to save it, you will not be able to save the file and you will lose your data. Therefore, users should keep well short of the 500 MB quota. This quota provides sufficient disk space for most users, especially since IMAP e-mail folders are no longer stored in each user's home directory. (See related announcement in April's SSCC News.)
UNIX /aux directory disk quota (for users with greater disk space needs ) will be extended from 300 MB to 500 MB. Users with even greater disk space needs can have this /aux quota expanded to 1 GB (for a total of 1.5 GB). Students will need the permission of their group leader for this last 500 MB and the space must be renewed every six months. Faculty and staff do not need to renew any additional quota they receive. Users requiring even more space should request a project directory. All requests for extra disk space should go through the Consultant. There is a form that needs to be filled out and signed. Refer to the SSCC Handbook for a detailed explanation of disk space on UNIX.
Please help keep costs down by using disk space wisely:
We will begin enforcing these extended quotas on UNIX December 2, 2002.
SSCC's mail server crashed one afternoon last month when someone attempted
to send an e-mail attachment that was over 200 MB. The attachment overloaded
the server's memory as it tried to process the file. As a result of this, we
have imposed a 50 MB limit on the size of e-mail attachments that can be sent/received
by SSCC's mail server. We have prepared a handout to assist people who need
to share large files with others called Sharing
Files.
There has been a recent resurgence of fears that the file called jdbgmgr.exe, with a teddy bear icon, is a virus. This file is rumored to wait 14 days and then do something awful but unspecified to your computer. This is actually a hoax that has been circulating since April. The way it circulates is you receive an e-mail message, probably from someone you know, telling you that they may have sent you a virus. They instruct you to look on your computer for a file called jdbgmgr.exe and delete it. In fact though, the file is a normal part of the operating system, and won’t do any harm.
If you have deleted it already, you probably don’t need to worry. This file is the Java debugger manager, and if you don’t program and debug in Java, you are unlikely to have any use for it. If you want it restored, contact the consultant to get another copy.
There are a few things you can do to tell if something is a hoax or a genuine
threat. First, anything that comes as an email warning and exhorts you to tell
everyone you have ever corresponded with, is probably a hoax. Second, check
whether this is a known hoax. You can look on SSCC’s
virus web page, or an online site such as V-myths.
Finally, consider how you found the file. The basic guideline is, if it's just
on your PC, it's probably not a virus. If it comes to you as an e-mail attachment,
it probably is. Recall that SSCC’s mail server does not allow executable
files (having an .exe ending) sent as e-mail attachments. If you are ever unsure,
contact the consultant for assistance
or more information.
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© 2002 University of Wisconsin Social Science Computing Cooperative