Backups

Between hardware failures, and operator errors, data is often lost or corrupted and unrecoverable. Backing up your important data is critical, and CompHelp can assist you. We can provide continuous backups for any computer (whether it be Linux, Windows, or Mac) as well as conduct a one-time disk clone.

BackupPC

BackupPC is a fantastic backup service that CompHelp provides to many members of the Chemistry Department. For computers in the building and connected to the wired network, BackupPC backs up data every night. For users who have laptops, BackupPC will create a backup once the laptop is discovered on the network, even if the laptop isn't connected over night. All of this is done in the background - once BackupPC is configured, users never notice it running. BackupPC also provides e-mail notifications if your machine fails to backup properly for an extended period of time. BackupPC also provides a very simple user inteface for users who want to retrieve their information independently of CompHelp. BackupPC is only offered to groups who have purchased disk space on a backup server or a backup server of their own.

If your computer is already set up with BackupPC and you would like another folder to be backed up, follow the instructions here.

Disk Cloning

Disk cloning is an ideal method to make an absolutely identical copy of a drive one time. Because the clone is identical, you could use it in place of an older hard drive without having any downtime (other than the time it takes to make a clone and physically install the drive. Disk cloning is also useful if you have more than one computer (of the same model) and you want all of them to have identical settings, programs, documents, etc. CompHelp can create these clones for you, but if you are feeling adventurous, you can try using CloneZilla.

Email

All members of the Chemistry Department are eligible for an @chem.wisc.edu email account. This account comes with unlimited email storage and can be setup to forward emails to other email accounts. Email accounts can also be set up for research groups or interest groups. To access your email account via web browser, go to mail.chem.wisc.edu. If you would like to set up a mail client to handle your chemistry email account or have other questions about managing your chemistry email, see the email FAQ page.

File Server

If you need to share a file with multiple people or you need to access files from multiple workstations, CompHelp offers a shared file server for you to maintain your files. By default, anyone with a chemistry e-mail account will have access to our file server. Access to group folders is also usually enabled by default and custom access or new shared directories can be set up if necessary. Instructions for accessing the file server in Mac OSX can be found here, while instructions for accessing it via Windows can be found here. If you have any questions or problems using the file server, do not hesitate to contact CompHelp.

Forums

CompHelp provides a forum for the Chemistry Department community to ask questions, share tips and tricks, and to share information. Topics are broken by category: Department Related, Graduate Students, Projects, and Research Groups. Sign on with your Chemistry e-mail username and password. The forum can be found here.

Inventory Databases

CompHelp provides a secure online database for research groups in the building. Groups can use the databases to track chemicals, equipment, and materials. The inventories can be set up in a way that they are only viewable by people in the group or they can be viewable by the entire department. Once configured, users can add, remove, and modify records within the database independently of CompHelp.  Your database will be an autonomous unit once it is finalized, so you'll never have to wait to make a change.

Mailing Lists

If you need to send an e-mail to many users who share some common attribute, you might be able to use one of our mailing lists. Currently, we have lists for:

In addition, there are several mailing lists that are not visible by the public.

For more instructions on how to use one of these mailing lists, contact CompHelp at 608-262-0536 or at comphelp@chem.wisc.edu

The department recently purchased and implemented a research cluster, Phoenix, for department members to use. The cluster is using Rocks on top of a CentOS operating system, along with Gaussian to do chemistry-related calculations. Jobs can be submitted remotely and queued until the cluster is available. To gain access to Phoenix, email clusteradmin@chem.wisc.edu or stop by Room 9311a Chemistry Building to discuss your needs and gain access to the cluster if appropriate.

Visit the Phoenix Cluster Information page to join the cluster user email list.

Room Reservation System

CompHelp provides an online system for reserving rooms for group meetings, presentations, seminars, and receptions at rooms.chem.wisc.edu. You can find where different events will be hosted if you've forgotten, the time the event will be occurring, and if you click on a cell in the table, you can schedule your own event. After clicking on a time slot, you will prompted to log in; use your chemistry e-mail username and password to log in.

SSH/SFTP Access to a Linux server

If you are off of the campus network and need to access Chemistry resources but don't have the VPN service, you can SSH into login.chem.wisc.edu. This server is open to the public network and therefore can be accessed without being on the campus network or VPN. Once logged into login.chem.wisc.edu, you should be able to SSH into other machines in the building.

Surveys

If you would like to create an online survey for free, visit chemistry's custom survey page. After logging in using your chemistry e-mail user name and password, you can create a custom survey, view results from a survey, and invite people to take your survey. As always, if there are any problems using this service, a friendly CompHelp technician can assist you.

Web Hosting

CompHelp provides web hosting for groups in or related to the Chemistry Department. Web site hosting is provided in three ways; we can either host the content you have already created (HTML, CSS, etc.) we can incorporate the content you have already written into our Drupal site (the framework you are currently viewing), or we can create a completely new page for you in Drupal if you have no content created or want to start fresh. Some examples of CompHelp-hosted websites include:

Institute for Chemical Education's Site (example of hosting pre-existing content)

The McMahon Group's Site (example of a Drupal site from existing content)