General Information

Dear PP&B User!

Here are some information and notes for setup your working environment and the installed application programs to make the handling with your Windows PC's for you as simple as possible.

In order to mitigate the very expensive dependence on Microsoft we prefer to install open software products (e.g Libre Office instead of Microsoft Office).

Please do not use Outlook as mail/calendar system. We prefer the installation of thunderbird and lightning.

New PP&B Cluster PCs

New PP&B-Cluster PCs are presently getting a standard software installation.

Other custom software can be ordered at PP&B. A list with software which additionally can be acquired and the prices for the licenses you can get at: Licenceprices.
The licenses needed for this software can be bought at PP&B.

If you want to buy new hardware see WindowsDesktops for prices.

User account

A user request for an account online under: https://account.rz-berlin.mpg.de. As user name we recommend to use your lastname. With this account you can log on at each computer administrated by PP&B (e.g. PCs, UNIX systems, mail/web system etc.)

IMPORTANT: For changing your password please use only the following site: https://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/passwd/. (access via FHI-WWW-Portal-Function)

During the setup of the account a home directory on a UNIX file server will be automatically assigned. All computer systems can connect to the file server system. The UNIX permission of your home directory is: 0700, User: r,w,x (read,write,execute), group: -,-,-, other: -,-,-. That means only you have read and write permissions. All other users don't have any access rights. To give them access you have to change the permission. Please ask PP&B for help if you don't know how to proceed. You can find out the name of your home file server by using the following page: https://account.rz-berlin.mpg.de/homedir.php

Your home directory includes an automatic generated directory "private". Only you have the permission to read, write and execute this directory and all its subdirectories and files.

The modification of the permission is only possible at unix systems. On PCs use: “remote login” with "telnet" or "ssh" with the command "chmod" can you change the permission. Infos about "chmod" command with "man chmod". Don't hesitate to contact PP&B if you are not familiar with this.

If your computer is a PC your home directory, placed on a department file server, is automatically mounted as drive R:. Please save your entire data, documents etc. at drive R:. That data will be backuped every night. We also provide a online backup with snapshots see details.

All data, documents etc. that you save at local disks of your PC (Drive C:, E:) don't get backuped and are lost in case of a damage of the disk.

At the institute we use "roaming profiles" for Microsoft Windows users. This profile is saved at the file server in your home directory and is loaded or saved at each log on or log off. To keep the profile small (what means to get short log on/log off times) please don't save documents in directories "My Computer" or "Desktop". You can use shortcuts, witch use less memory.

Some notes for saving data

documents and measurement data you should save in document archive (http://doc.rz-berlin.mpg.de/)
Please save mp3 files, html sides, films and also pdf-files that you can load from official sides only local. These data don't need a backup because there are available at any time.
Please use file names without special characters (e.g spaces, ä,ü,ö etc.).

Microsoft Software

Please change the default saving path of office applications. You can do this e.g.. in Word at:
Tools | Options | File Locations. Choose drive "R:\" for documents !! Similar at Excel, Corel....
You work with

• Outlook: change the saving path for your outlook.pst file and the archive!
• Internet Explorer: by default the “Temporary Internet Files“ were saved in your profile. Please change the saving path at:
  Tools | Internet Options | General | Temporary Internet Files | Settings | Move Folder. Here you have to choose the folder C:\temp (that accelerates log ON and OFF).
• Outlook Express: you should change the cache path, too. At Extras| Options| Maintenance | Storagefolder you have to choose C:\temp.

Settings MUA's (mail user agents, mail programs z.B. Thunderbird, Internet-Explorer, pine, etc.)

Incoming Mail-Server : imap.rz-berlin.mpg.de
Incoming protocol type: IMAP
Outgoing Mail-Server (SMTP) : mail.rz-berlin.mpg.de:587

It is important, that you choose the IMAP mail protocol, because by using this protocol the mails remains within the mail server. The mail are available from every PC at the institute and other computer systems(e.g. from home) and get backuped! The IMAP protocol enables creating subdirctories in your mail box. The access to the FHI-Portal-WWW-Mail interface is possible (https://webmail.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/).

All portal accesses also via www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de ("log in")

Print server

Cups for all operation systems (see http://ppbwiki.rz-berlin.mpg.de/Main/Cluster -> Printserver Access)

Mail filter

You can create your own filters in Webmail.

Example for out-of-office notification: https://ppbwiki.fhi.mpg.de/Main/Webmailoutof

Example of the possible spam we have marked: https://ppbwiki.fhi.mpg.de/Intern/CreateSpamfilter

Questions? call PP&B / 3456 or ppundb@fhi-berlin.mpg.de