The Laboratory for Computer Science Research (LCSR)
The Laboratory for Computer Science Research (LCSR)
LCSR operates the network, file systems, workstations, and compute clusters serving the Department of Computer Science.  It is responsible for the design, development, and operations of environments and systems that support state of the art research and instruction in the field of Computer Science.  
Instructional Support
  • Handin, a web-based environment for homework submission and in-class exams, was developed and deployed by LCSR in 2004.  Instructors use a web interface to establish schedules and collect submissions for grading.  Handin manages 50,000 submission annually.
  • Three configurable hands-on instructional lab are maintained  for both in-class instruction and exams.  A single proctor, working alone, can easily setup and administer an exam, provide students with a cheat-resistant secure network, a no-hassle login, and a standard computer environment with a specified set of software tools.
  • VOSLab, a virtual operating system, is a web-accessible cluster of computers that provides hands-on access to students in Operating Systems classes.  It was designed, deployed, and is operated by LCSR staff and is the principle hardware environment supporting CS Operating System courses.  Students can safely experiment with kernel and OS modifications; reboot a machine into a standard configuration, or even power-cycle a machine - all from any Internet capable computer.
Operations
  • Ninety hours of on-site operator coverage is provided by fulltime and student staff.  The opertional staff manages eleven networked printers, provides disk-to-disk and disk-to-tape backups/restores and provides services to several other University units.
  • LCSR maintains departmental and research machine rooms connected to offices and research labs over a 1 GB network.  A 24 node compute cluster and 10TB of networked file systems are maintained as a shared departmental resource connected to a battery-based UPS.
  • The LAWN wireless environment was designed and developed by LCSR  based on open source software.  The environment utilizes a federated authentication system, is deployed in a CS owned spaces and has been adopted by nine other University units.
  • We operate a centralized IMAP email system for Computer Science faculty, staff and reseachers based on Communigate Pro.   The system uses agressive virus and SPAM detection techniques that are made available as a web service to the University.
New Environments
  • LCSR has designed and deployed a colloquium environment to schedule, announce, and remind people of upcoming talks.  Talks are entered and characterized by topic using a simple web form.  The environment maintains the information in a back-end DB, sends email reminders, and makes RSS feeds of the data available for repurposing.
  • The CS Department's centrex phone systems is being replaced with an extension-based VOIP system that will inter-operate with other Universities using the I2/SIP protocols.  This new environment will provide expanded capabilities, integrate with existing computing environments, and provide a significant cost savings.
Login