WORKSTATIONS... WHY NOT ....

You are authorized to use the workstation assigned to you, but you must not :

• remove/disconnect temporarily or not any part for your personal use (your laptop, your PC at home, just for a moment…).
• tamper… you are authorized to use the workstation assigned to you, not to disassemble its parts for your personal use.

Changing the hardware configuration (temporarily or not) could damage the software configuration and you –or the person who has to use the workstation during your absence or departure– could not use the workstation later.
??YOUR QUESTION: I do not use the workstation, MAY I switch it off and use the mouse or the network cable??
Keyboards and mouses always must remain connected to the frame. Sometimes our staff has to do some urgent and important operations “ locally ”. Keyboards and mouses have to be there.

- Very often SISSA staff has to upgrade linux workstations due to SECURITY PROBLEMS. These operations are executed remotely, so all the linux workstations have to be connected to the network;
- other users can have their files on your linux workstation local /scratch area and they could need to use them, so do not unplug the network cable or switch off your linux workstation.
If you need a network cable for your laptop, please ask to our helpdesk service.

• inside its room … the frame of a workstation have to remain on a table or on another kind of furniture and NEVER near to a BLACKBOARD, because dust of the floor and chalk damages the hardware. For example, the fans will ruin and then make noise.
  

Please do not put paper or books on the frame, this could create heat problems …. and the hardware could be damaged (also during winters).

• the computer staff ONLY is authorized to move any part of a workstation. Every “ movement ” has to be requested and approved in advance by the hardware responsible of your Sector and by our staff (sometimes it is not possible to do it for technical/electrical supply problems). Every “ movement ” has to be planned, because the staff has to warn all the users who have files on it….

and sometimes other workstations and “ unexpected ” users can be involved in a movement. Often workstation software configuration has to be changed by our staff before shutting down, so please do not switch off and/or disconnect any part of the workstation … wait for us.

Users are generally provided by one personal workstation in his/her office. If you wish to run (in “ remote ” mode using ssh not in “ local ” mode) your computations on a workstation of another user (your room-mate for example) you have to ask him/her for permission before doing. You should not run more than one production job at a time on it and always run your executable at the lowest priority.