Present:

• Chair: Martin MacLeod, Engineering Computing
• Erick Engelke, Engineering Computing
• Hector Budman, Associate Dean For Computing, Faculty of Engineering
• Hon Tam, Engineering Computing
• Ray White, IST
• James Morrison, Systems Design
• Pete Routledge, Mechanical Engineering
• Mike Herz, Civil Engineering
• Richard Scott, Civil Engineering
• Martin Macleod, Engineering Computing
• Bruce Campbell, Engineering Computing
• Bernie Roehl, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Dennis Herman, Chemical Engineering

Regrets:

• Paul Martin, Management Science
• Steve Hitchman, Mechanical Engineering

Discussion:

Security

Bruce outlined EC's plans

•  education - contact Linux users about risks, spread the word about all systems' vulnerabilities
• network scans - requires some authority (ECC, APC or UCIST)
• DNS database update - agreement to share the workload among departments

Linux

• EC is planning to set up an experimental lab of linux machines in the GAFF lab.  These will replace the existing HP donated X terms, so no Windows PCs will be displaced.  The project team consists of Bruce, Paul McKone and Mike Hurst.
• will be tied to our existing EC infrastructure
• same password
• same filespace - engfile
• same printers
• Mike questioned why EC would use anything other than Windows

Linux discussions turned back to security talk
 

Dennis, Mike, James and others expressed ideas about MS and Linux security vulnerabilities and treatment

discussion of Xhier, RPM, desire for Xhier-lite

Dennis mentioned that users don't bother with security patches on personal workstations

Bernie felt education is important

it was suggested by Mike and agreed unanimously that an IST course on Linux security would be a good thing.  But Hector was not optimistic about client turnout.