BioMicroCenter:NetworkInformation

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The BioMicro Center’s computing mission is to support a core set of bioinformatics applications and also to provide advanced computational, data storage, data security and data backup services.

From BioMicro Center home page.

Clusters

BioMicroCenter Clusters

Lab Qtrees in "DNA-NET"

Labs are offered file sharing space up to 100G on a multi protocol NetApp filer known as Bionet. This device supports SMB, CIFS and NFS connectivity to facilitate lab data management. This device is snap mirrored to another device on campus. See below to apply for these accounts.

Win Athena

Many labs in the Biology and BE have "organizational units" on MIT's WIN ATHENA environment. These "OU's " are a logical collection of multi user Windows machines that utilize MIT Kerberos username and passwords for sign on. Additional benifits include:

• Centralize monitored security updates
• Two Gigs of private free data storage
• Centrality deployed applications
• Roaming Desktop environment on other Win Athena machines on campus
• Security hardened operating system

Use of this system is supported and highly encouraged.

Accounts in "DNA-NET"

To request a DNA-NET account, please to sgoldman 'at' mit.edu with subject "new user" and the following information:

First/Last Name:
Athena Username:
Lab PI:
Department:
Room Number/Address:
Phone Number:

A lab presentation can be made of the environment.

You will receive a confirmation email when your account is created.

New users and labs are highly recommended to contact Stephen Goldman directly to discuss there data storage and networking needs. Stephen is located at:

     name: Goldman, Stephen B
     email: sgoldman<at>MIT.EDU
     phone: (617) 452-2595
   address: 68-316
department: Department of Biology
     title: Systems Administrator 

We will need to meet briefly so you may take control of your storage account.

• Stephen is the system administrator for the Department of Biology supports BE labs as well in conjuction with Aran Parillo, BE System Administrator.

Connecting to Network Resources

Windows Platform There are different ways to connect to network resources. Network resources for this conversation is Bionet inside "DNA-NET" or a Lab Server inside Win Athena. The methods include:

• standalone private laptop
• standalone workstation
• workstation inside WIN ATHENA

This is the "How To: First - make sure your WINS settings have the "ENABLE NETBIOS over TCP/IP SETTING Radio button selected.UNCHECK LMHOST

Start- Control Panels- Networking-Local Area Connection-Properties-TCP/IP-Advanced-WINS - UNCHECK LMHOST, enable "ENABLE NETBIOS over TCP/IP- OK - RESTART

Private Laptop & Workstation Setup

Windows Installing certificates is a must at MIT.

Start with Internet Explorer- required for Outlook Express

• Go to http://web.mit.edu/ist/topics/certificates

The Site Certificate

• Select Install :

• For Internet Explorer – a dialog box will pop up – Install Site certificate – take defaults
• For Firefox – Check all three check boxes – take defaults-
• <DONE>

Personal Certificates-

• Enter your Kerberos name, Password and MIT Number-
• <DONE>

• <DONE>

Test access

Go to the MIT Software page:

http://web.mit.edu/software/ select your operating system

• Download and install VPN CLIENT - Virtual Private Network Client- ( This is the test)- Highly recommend this program

After installing it - restart your machine-

This program is to be used off Network 18- MITNET to create a virtual circuit to MIT's Network)

This would allow access to the server off MITNET (sign on with email name and password) You want this functionality later.

In Windows

Drive X: is mapped to your home directory at \\bionet\qtreename\homedirs\username
You may want to map drive Z: to \\bionet\qtreename to get easy access to the top level of the file share hierarchy:

• Right click My Computer
• Map network drive:
• Pick a drive letter: example Z:
• Folder: \\bionet.mit.edu\qtreename (or use IP address: )

In OS X

Press Apple+K in Finder to connect to server. Then type in: cifs:\\bionet\qtreename

In Linux

Linux NFS mounts can be made available to individual lab machines after a security discussion.

Off campus

1. Download and install VPN client for your operating system from MIT Software Distribution
2. Establish a VPN connection to MIT
3. Access the lab file share:
   • Windows: type \\bionet.mit.edu\endy (or use IP address: 18.79.1.147\endy)
   • OS X: press Cmd+K in Finder to connect to server. Then type in: cifs:\\bionet.mit.edu\endy
   • Linux: follow instructions above (substitute bionet:/vol/vol0/endy for bionet.mit.edu:/vol/vol0/endy)

Windows users may also be able to join the DNA-NET domain from off-campus. In this case your local username may be not the same as your DNA-NET credentials:

• select: connect using a different username.
• enter you DNA-NET username as follows: yourusername@dna-net.mit.edu
• your DNA-NET password

Description of folder structure

• admin - administrative documents
• backups - backups of shmoo, model and habanero
• projects -
• homedirs - home directories of lab members
• .snapshot - an archive of the whole network file share:
  • weekly - last week
  • daily - last two days
  • hourly - last two hours

Miscellaneous

Storage quota for the lab as of June 9, 2005 is 100GB.

Joining DNA-NET domain

• Need to have a working domain user account
• Use dna-net.mit.edu as domain name when joining

Local Administrators can install software locally. Automatic updates through MIT SUS (Software Update Services) server.

Hosts and websites

• bionet.mit.edu - FQDN for network file share
• Network Applicance help pages (real-time usage stats for bionet.mit.edu)

• Resources for system administrators

DNS and NAT on Bionet

Neither bionet nor nearstore have NAT entries on the Cisco. The MIT addresses are really MIT addresses. They also just happen to have interfaces configured on 192.168.4/24 and 10/8 [for the clusters]. Cisco does some magic when you ask it to resolve hosts for which it has a NAT entry. It actually intercepts the incoming DNS reply and re-writes the answer with the internal IP. - from Michael Vezza