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Cisco VPN client for Linux
Well.. after quite a bit of fiddling (what else is new) I managed to get Cisco’s VPN Client working on my Linux box. OIT provides a download for this, but it’s just a tar file of the client software.. no docs or any other info. Details: I run Debian, and most of my Linux boxes…
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Parking Permits and EasiPipe hacking
I bit the bullet today and bought a UMBC Parking Permit. Now, for someone who works at UMBC, this may not seem too remarkable. But, this is the first time I’ve had a parking permit in about 4 years. I’ve always had philosophical issues with the University charging its employees for parking, but that’s kinda…
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SGI, we hardly knew ye
At UMBC, we have a bunch of web apps which are running on SGI hardware. The SGIs are no longer under maintenance, no longer being upgraded, no longer getting new software builds, etc. etc. Let’s just say “we’re phasing them out.” I can’t help but feel a little melancholy about this turn of events, having…
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Whew… what a day
Thursday was quite the day of triumphs and tribulations. It all started out with a successful swap-out of my home Linux server. It had been running on an old, trusty-but-tired Dell P2-300mhz, and I upgraded it to a slightly-less-old Dell P3-450mhz (Linux is far from perfect, but it truly shines at getting new life out…
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CWebProxy channels and self-signed certs
OK. Just so I don’t forget this when I inevitably have to do it again. We are starting to add some CWebProxy channels that access the portal web server via its external URL rather than one of the loopback interfaces (long story why, but there are a few issues with proxying to a localhost URL,…
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Revisiting legacy myUMBC session management
Now that we’ve entered the brave new world of SSN remediation, it’s time to think about taking another step with myUMBC: We should stop using HP-ID as the primary key for legacy session management, and use UMBC Campus ID instead. Here’s why… All of our web proxy channels which use the old portal as a…
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Oracle SQL Developer
I’ve just discovered Oracle SQL Developer, and it looks like it’s going to really make my life easier. I’ve been using an old, crusty version of SQL Navigator for my SQL visualization needs, and it’s always worked, but I’ve never been crazy about it. For one, the UI is very klunky — the mouse wheel…
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myUMBC redesign coming along
What’s this… a rare work-related entry on a weekend?? Well, it is the weekend, but I’m hacking on the portal anyhow, to get ready for our relaunch this August. It’s coming along marvelously, thanks mainly to Collier, but I’ve been busy with it too. The relaunch will include: A complete redesign of the front end…
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SSN Remediation is here
Woo-hoo! SSN Remediation happened over the past weekend, and we’re back up and running. I really think this is going to be a big win over the long term. On the myUMBC side of things, there wasn’t much I needed to do. Just update my code in two places (one on the uPortal side, and…
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Student Parking Registration
I should have seen the writing on the wall 5 years ago.. I’m busy fixing the online Student Parking Registration app, which has been sorta broken ever since the uPortal launch. Student Parking is a unique application. It’s the only app we have here that: Communicates directly with the HP3000 mainframe via TCP sockets, and…