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News from the staff team

  • 1 min read

LDAP/Kerberos upgrade Sunday 2/19

As part of our ongoing work to transition from jessie to stretch at the OCF, we will be migrating our LDAP/Kerberos server today starting around 7:20 PM.

To do this, we'll import LDAP and Kerberos data from our on-site backups to test that they still work. Although they have been tested before, it's always nice to make sure that backups actually work and include the right data. After importing these backups, a final dump and sync will be made in case any data has changed in the small amount of time that it takes to import the backup data.

 All users will be unable to log in while the migration is taking place, but this should only be a very short time, as the majority of the migration will be done before the final sync is done.

 Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about the upgrade!

 Update 7:40: All users should be able to log in again, please let us know if you have any issues with accessing your account!

  • 2 min read

MySQL read-only Saturday 2/18

As part of our work to transition from jessie to stretch for our MySQL server, we'll be migrating user data today around 5pm.

To do this, we'll put the existing jessie server into read-only mode, then make a final import to the new stretch host. We believe this will take about an hour and don't anticipate any issues (we've already tested imports from our regular backups without problems).

Read-only mode is necessary during the import to ensure we get a consistent backup, and so that writes made during the transition are not lost.

Some sites may experience downtime while the server is in read-only mode (if they require writing to the database to show pages). Most sites will experience some level of degradation (e.g. can't log in to admin or edit posts).

Update 5:01pm: We have entered read-only mode.
Update 5:58pm: The backup has completed, we are now importing it into the new database server. Probably another 45 minutes or so.
Update 6:07pm: ETA 25 minutes.
Update 6:15pm: ETA 16 minutes
Update 6:25pm: Unfortunately we hit a snag during the import and have to start it over.
Update 6:29pm: ETA 37 minutes.
Update 6:40pm: ETA 21 minutes.
Update 6:46pm: ETA 10 minutes.
Update 6:56pm: Import has finished, we're now switching back into rw mode. This will involve a few seconds of downtime.
Update 6:59pm: MySQL is now available as usual. Total time in read-only mode was about two hours. Total downtime was less than a minute.

  • 1 min read

Daily print quota change 12/5-12/16

For all you who need to print out final papers, the OCF daily printing quota will be increased to 20 pages/day for RRR week and finals week this semester.

This is not a permanent change, nor have we decided yet whether to repeat this bump in future semesters. The semesterly quota is still 100 pages.

  • 1 min read

Scheduled power outage Tuesday 11/22 4am-8am

All OCF services will be unavailable for a few hours on Tuesday morning due to a scheduled power outage in the MLK Student Union. There will be no access to SSH and websites will be down for the duration.

We will be shutting down servers around 3:30am and hope to be back online by 8:30am.

 There is also a chance of additional power outages until 3:00pm.

EDIT: As of 9:19am, user-facing services have been restored.

  • 1 min read

Downtime tonight (10/20) for security updates

There will be a brief period of downtime tonight (10/20), around 10 pm, likely lasting about 20-45 minutes, as we apply kernel updates to our servers.

  • 2 min read

Announcing revamped mail hosting for student groups

We're excited to announce the launch of our new mail service for student groups!

The OCF has provided mail virtual hosting for many years, allowing student groups to create email addresses such as "{name}@mygroup.berkeley.edu" which forward to their primary email address.

With the new system, we're introducing a few new features:

  • Easily edit addresses only. Previously, editing addresses meant modifying hidden .forward files over SSH. These files are no more!

    Instead, log in to our website and add, edit, and remove addresses from your web browser.

  • Send or reply to mail. The old system only allowed you to receive mail. We now allow replying to that mail from your student group address (or composing new mail from it).


You can find out more about using the new system on our website.

What if my student group already had mail virtual hosting?

We've automatically migrated all of your existing forwarding addresses to the new system; there's nothing you need to do. In the future, you'll use the new web-based interface for modifying addresses instead of the .forward files.

Can I forward to multiple addresses?

Yup, each address can forward to as many other addresses as you'd like!

Can I have a catch-all address at my domain?

Yes, and the web interface will help you set this up.

How do I get mail virtual hosting for my group?

If you already have virtual hosting, then we can easily add mail service. If not, we can help you set up both a website and mail hosting.

For details on our web virtual hosting service, see here.

For details on adding mail virtual hosting, see here.

  • 1 min read

Power outage 7am-9am Sunday 9/25

All OCF services will be unavailable for a few hours this Sunday morning due to a scheduled power outage in the MLK Student Union. There will be no access to SSH and websites will be down for the duration.

We will be shutting down servers around 6:30am and hope to be back online by 9:30am.

UPDATE: Power was restored by 9:30am. All services should be back online as of 10:35am.

  • 2 min read

Taking applications for new work-study position

UPDATE: The application is closed! Thanks to all who applied!

The OCF is looking for someone to fulfill the role of OCF Operations Strategist, a new, hired position developed by OCF staff and the first known paid position in OCF history. The Operations Strategist will work closely with the OCF throughout the Fall 2016/Spring 2017 academic year to help guide the OCF as it undergoes the major transition of becoming a fully self-sustained organization starting next year.

For the last several years, the OCF has relied on the support of paid Publications and Media Center staff to open and close on time, provide security, and carry out day-to-day operational tasks when volunteer staff cannot attend the lab. This arrangement is coming to a close next year, however, and thus the OCF is currently fully committed to acquire funding and develop the strategies we need for the front desk to become 100% staffed by OCF hires when the time comes. This new position provided by the PMC will ensure a smooth transition.

The Operations Strategist will play a crucial part during the entire process, and so will need to be committed to the position for the entire academic year. Moreover, the Operations Strategist is not just a front desk job. While performing desk tasks will be a minor part of the Operations Strategist's role, the great majority of the 12-15 hour work week will be dedicated to projects vital to the OCF's transition. We are seeking someone with creative problem-solving skills who can work autonomously on solutions to problems we will face in hiring and managing our own team to staff the lab.

The link to the application is here: http://bit.ly/2deW0ry. Unfortunately, we are only considering applicants who have work-study funds to last the entire academic year.

Interviews are next week.