The department provides computing facilities for research and education. Both sets of facilities are connected to the Internet via the university service network, SeRRA, and the Italian research network, GARR.
The facilities for research include thirty servers with UNIX-like operating systems: 1 runs SunOS 4.1.3, 1 run HP-UX, 10 run Solaris and 19 Linux for Intel processors. There is a plan to have the Solaris machines migrate to Linux for Sparc processors. There is a file server operating a RAID array under Linux. Most Intel systems are Pentium II's (three are dual processor systems) with different clock frequencies.
A large number of personal machines (more than 200) are deployed in the different offices and laboratories: most of them are dual boot Intel systems, running some version of MS Windows with some version of Linux. There are twentysome Macintosh systems, one of them running Linux for PowerMac experimentally. There is also a SUN JavaStation.
Seven network printers, accessible from all operating systems, provide high-quality laser printing facilities. Other available equipment include a couple of scanners, CD masterizers and a digital camera.
The department's dial-up service is provided by 4 dedicated telephone lines.
The facilities for education include half a dozen servers (Solaris and Linux), a highly sophisticated Linux firewall, a Linux RAID array, and approximately 120 workplaces with Linux and/or Windows 98.
The students have 16 telephone lines for remote dial-up access.
Both for research and for education, all computers are organized in a network with a high degree of integration and interoperability. Most of the disks, printers, graphic workplaces and processing resources are accessible from any machine independently of their native operating system. Most of the services are provided through a client - server architecture, facilitating access by all users from their preferred workplace. System administration is performed centrally by means of a suite of management and distribution tools maintained by the Computing Center staff.
The department operates
Many other web services are managed by the individual research groups.