[tech] [ucc] New Door/Dispense Server

Mark Tearle mtearle at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au
Tue Apr 12 18:36:23 WST 2011


Dear Dr Zanchey [1],

Found a feature in the new merlo arrangement for users dispensing from the snack machine. 
Currently it requires the users shell to exist on merlo.  As I'm counter-revolutionary tcsh
user mine did not until moments ago.

This is probably worth fixing so we don't depend on users shells and also so users can't do anything
nasty.

Mark


[1] Bob suggested this! :)

On Mon, 11 Apr 2011, Bob Adamson wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm sending this to pretty much everyone, since I'm not 100% sure the coke
> and door lists are working at the moment.
>
> We have a new server, its name is merlo. It's a small, low power box that
> was built for the express purpose of replacing mermaid, and having one
> machine that could run all of snack, coke and door. It has eight (yes,
> eight!) serial ports for this purpose. Currently wheel logins only, but
> this should change once some strict ulimits are put in place.
>
> Last weekend, [TPG] and myself moved dispense2 (aka vendserver) and
> opendispense2 (aka dispense, confused yet?) onto merlo. Everything appears
> to work, and cokelogs have been restored to their usual place in
> /home/other/coke/cokelog on most ucc user servers. Snacklogs are also
> available in that directory, but aren't all that interesting really.
>
> The details for merlo are available at
> http://lists.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/pipermail/tech/2011-March/004002.html
>
> During the build we found that the VIA board clashes with the 60G OCZ
> Vertex 2 we bought for the job (a SMART problem). Unfortunately, the low
> power bling of the ssd had to be replaced with an old fashioned hdd. Total
> power usage now ~16W.
>
> Stuff that still needs doing:
> -db daily backup scripts
> -fix ucc.asn.au/dispense
> -fix door/coke mail list
> -rewire snack/mifare harness
> -fix vendserver to look at the new config file
> -finger coke at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au
> -we still need 3 more small (1mm?) pitch jumpers to set the correct serial
> voltage on the remaining ports. Has anyone got a couple spare? These are
> smaller than the standard ones you find on mobo's, usually found on scsi
> disks.
> -man file for opendispense client
> -update the ucc wiki/website
> -plug serial terminals in the corridor into merlo
> -anything else?
> -volunteers?
>
> Bob Adamson
> UCC President
>
> |"Bureaucracy is a challenge to the be conquered with a righteous        |
> |attitude, an intolerance for stupidity, and a bulldozer when necessary" |
> | ---Peter's Laws                                                        |
>

-- 
Mark Tearle - mtearle at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au

Fish!


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