CMS ROC Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happened to the CMSUAF cluster?
2. How does one organize a videoconference at CERN?
3. Where can I find the pictures taken by Visual Media Services?
4. How can I access GUIs and protected web pages from outside the .cms network?

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Q: What happened to the CMSUAF cluster?

A: The CMSUAF interactive cluster was retired due to age and security issues. Users should now use the CMSLPC interactive cluster. Additional details can be found in the Computing Announcements presentation given by Jon Bakken at the US CMS Mtg on 25 Jan 2008. Also see the Connect to the LPC Cluster web page for instructions which are maintained by the CMS Tier-1 operations support group.
[Added 10 Mar 2008 - Alan L. Stone]

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Q:How does one organize a videoconference at CERN?

A: Follow the procedures described on this web page: http://it-multimedia.web.cern.ch/it-multimedia/collaborative/howto.html
One will also find links to the CERN videoconference rooms and recommendations for audio and video hardware (available from the CERN store) for desktops and laptops to use with EVO.
[Added 10 Mar 2008 - Alan L. Stone]

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Q:Where can I find the pictures taken by Visual Media Services?

A:Search through the Fermilab Visual Media Services (VMS)online images: http://www-visualmedia.fnal.gov/VMS_Site_2/search/photography/OnlineImages.shtml
In the Caption field, try search strings such as "LHC FNAL" or "Remote Operations". Request permission from the VMS Manager Fred Ullrich prior to using any of the photos.
[Added 10 Mar 2008 - Alan L. Stone]

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Q:How can I access protected URLs from outside the .cms network?

A:Use SSH tunnelling. The following examples, provided by Lassi Tuura and Andreas Meyer, illustrate how to access an Online DQM GUI URL.

Option 1: Create a back-to-back tunnel to the web server:

   ssh -tCL 8888:cmsusr2:9262 lxplus.cern.ch ssh -tC cmsusr2 ssh -tCL :9262:localhost:8888 srv-xyz

   Then point your local browser to http://localhost:8888/dqm/devtest/
   Note that you must use the trailing slash you'll get a redirect
   to the wrong host from the web server.  If you get a bad redirect
   you just change the host:port back to localhost:8888 and it should
   just work.

Option 2: Create a back-to-back tunnel to cmsusrN and start firefox there:

   ssh -tCY -c blowfish lxplus.cern.ch ssh -tY cmsusr2 firefox

   Then point this remote firefox to the srv-xyz:8888/dqm/devtest/
   Absolutely use compression and blowfish crypt engine or you'll
   die of old age before being able to interact with anything.

Option 3: SOCKS tunneling: Instructions can be found at:
   http://xdaqwiki.cern.ch/index.php/SOCKS_tunneling

   setup tunnel:
   ssh -L 11080:localhost:11081 lxplus.cern.ch -t ssh -D 11081 cmsusr1

   setup Firefox:
     preferences->network->settings
     select "manual proxy configuration"
     SOCKS version 5
     SOCKS Host: localhost
     SOCKS Port: 11080
     type in address line: "about:config" and type in filter "socks"
     make sure "network.proxy.socks_remote_dns" is set to true
   type URL in address line as if one were in P5: e.g. http://srv-c2d05-19:8030/dqm/online