Last revision November 14, 2011
Once per year, we erase all user files from the computer hard drives in the Mitchell A59 G.R.I.D. computer lab. This provides disk space for the new year's projects and helps keep the computers running well.
We also need to periodically upgrade system and application software on the lab computers. In addition to normal updates, this year we will upgrade the Mac OS X partition on the iMacs from version 10.5 to 10.6. The older Mac "Saxton" does not meet the system requirements for version 10.6 and will remain at 10.5.
This hard disk cleanup and software update will take place during the Thanksgiving week break, starting Monday, November 21 (continuing on Tuesday and Wednesday if necessary). Individual computers will be unavailable for several hours while they are being updated and cleaned. The "Jode" computer will be removed from the lab on November 14 so it can be used as the "build computer" to make a new software image for all four iMacs in the lab.
Earth Sciences grad students, faculty, and staff who use the lab in the normal manner are only minimally affected. They all have a home share on the School's network file server, sesfs.stanford.edu. As described on the lab web site, if a user has a home share on sesfs, any files he/she saves to the desktop or to their Documents folder are actually saved on the user's home share on sesfs. Those files will not be erased.
However, all user files in other locations (not on the desktop or in the user's Documents folder), including application preference settings, browser cache files, bookmarks, browser history, etc., are saved on the computer's local hard drive and will be erased.
Any files saved on the local SCRATCH disk partition will be erased.
Some students from non-Earth Sciences departments have been given special permission to use the G.R.I.D. lab because they are working on a project with an Earth Sciences faculty member. They do not have a home share on sesfs. Their desktop and Documents files are saved on the local hard drive and will be erased. This also applies to undergraduates in Earth Sciences who have not requested a home share.
If you think you made needed files on the local hard drive of a G.R.I.D. lab computer, copy them to your home share on sesfs or a flash memory drive before November 21.
Users may notice one other configuration change after the upgrade. Currently, both the Windows and Mac OS X desktops are mapped to the same folder on your home share on the sesfs server. This can be confusing if you alternate between operating systems, since some desktop files in one operating system, such as disk and folder shortcuts, will show up on the desktop of the other operating system, but do not function there. To fix this confusion, the upgrade will separate the files saved to the Mac desktop into their own subfolder, named MacDesktop. The Desktop subfolder in the GRIDLab folder of your home share will continue to be used for files and shortcuts on the Windows desktop. However, if you previously saved files to the Mac desktop in the GRID lab, you will need to move them yourself after the upgrade from the Desktop subfolder to the new MacDesktop subfolder or to the Documents subfolder. The Documents subfolder will continue to be shared between the operating systems.
Any questions or concerns? Contact the G.R.I.D. lab manager.