Operational Meeting

These were approved.

Actions discussed:

• Investigate using Teams

  We should all now be able to use Teams. Give it a try, and let Graham or Iain know of problems.

• Trawl for pages restricted by IP address

  There are still a few, and will likely always be as the htaccess content can be user-provided. It doesn't seem necessary to have this action twice a year, though, so the April one will be deleted.

• Check which services depend on the staff role and Linux group

  Deadline set for the end of May.

  Alastair noted that TAs are now showing as "academic staff", due to the way the web page is generated. Craig will raise a ticket to have this investigated.

• Consider which further entitlements should be removed from the staff role

  Deadline set for the end of May. Contact Graham (roles supremo) with queries.

• IPv6 for student labs

  Graham is very nearly ready to test the new improved lockdown approach.

Actions completed:

• Raise issue of more transparent recruitment at CEG

Blog articles completed:

• Move to central blogging services

Report from Computing Executive Group

1. Appointments

   Alastair gave a verbal report, so far as he could, regarding progress with the current recruitments. Considerable discussion followed.

   Future post advertisements will be announced to (all) staff as well as to the ITPF list.

Reports from Units

• Infrastructure

  1. Forum server room power usage
  2. Wire and ipaddrs headers
  3. New servers

     Carol had seen a similar installation oddity with a handful of desktops too. RT#94985.

     Graham asked whether any of these would impact on the exam lockdown process. George and Graham will follow this up offline. Post meeting: the replacement by oramo of gatti will require a header change when the time comes.

  4. iDRACs/BMCs in new Dell servers
  5. Switch firmware
  6. BPDU protection
  7. rfe problems
  8. KDCs and IPv6

     The cosign servers will be given IPv6 addresses soon too. We should really have a coordinated approach to fail2ban configuration.

• Managed Platform

  • SL7.6
  • MPU servers downtime

• Research and Teaching

  1. nothing to report

• Services

  1. Tibs backup server - again

     The firmware upgrade to the backup server has broken the FibreChannel on the machine. Various options were discussed. There was general disquiet that Dell had declined to do anything for three older cards which were bought with machines which are now out of warranty, even though it was their firmware-upgrade process that had broken them.

  2. New A3 colour MFDs

     A blog article was suggested.

  3. New JBOD
  4. New Web Content Accessibility guidelines
     • The University's accessibility statement
     • The regulations
     • The explanatory memorandum

     A blog article was suggested.

• User Support

  There's a big exam next Thursday. Details are here. Additional assistance will probably be required.

Topics for discussion

None.

• New colour printers — Services Unit
• Accessibiltiy — Services Unit

AOCB

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 8th May 2019 in IF-4.31 at 10:00.