General Information

Venue

The 2010 Open Science Grid All Hands Meeting will be held at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois. Fermilab is located approximately 35 miles (56.35km) west of Chicago, on 6,800 acres of former Midwest farm land. The weather during the spring can be cool and rainy. There is very limited public transportation in the area surrounding Fermilab, so a rental car is necessary.

Accommodations

A variety of hotels is available in the area surrounding Fermilab. The list and map can provide you with information on local hotels.

Transportation

Transportation to and from Chicago O'Hare and Midway airports to the Hotel is available by limousine, rental car, or taxi. There is no bus service or public transportation from O'Hare International Airport or Midway Airport to the Hotel and taxi service is very costly.

Car Rental:

All of the usual rental companies (Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, etc.) are located at the airports. For the best price, we recommend Ace Rent-a-Car at O'Hare Airport, telephone 1-800-243-3443 or 1-847-297-3350, as their prices are competitive and include the cost of insurance. Go to:

http://www.acerentacar.com/landing/lp_ordo01.aspx

for further information and reservations.

Driving Instructions:

Click here for driving instructions from O'Hare/Midway airports to Fermilab.

Limousine Service:

Reservations for limousine service should be made in advance when possible. We suggest the West Suburban Limousine Service. It is a shared-car limousine so the rates are reasonable. They are familiar with Fermilab and do not overcharge. Reservations for this service can be made by calling West Suburban at the following numbers:

Out of State, call 1-800-345-LIMO
Local, call (630) 668-9600

or by e-mail to WSTL@att.net.

For pickup instructions AFTER your arrival at O'Hare Airport or Midway Airport, call 1-800-942-LIMO.

Visa Information

Foreign nationals visiting Fermilab temporarily to attend workshops, conferences, “schools” or other events usually must enter the U.S. as a “Business Visitor”. This is done either by entering with a B-1 visa (obtained from a U.S. Consulate) or using the Visa Waiver Program.

Individuals who want to attend a Fermilab event therefore should read both our information about Business Visits to Fermilab , Changes to Visa Waiver Program, and follow the guidelines below:

If applying for a B-1 visa, you must book a visa appointment at the consulate in your home country or country of current residence. During the interview at the Consulate, ask when the visa might be issued. If the visa will be issued too late to permit attendance at the workshop or conference, explain this, so that the consular officer knows.

The attendee should contact visaoffice@fnal.gov:

You cannot get a visa appointment at least 4 months before the date of arrival in the U.S.,
It appears from discussions during the visa interview that the visa will be issued too late,
The “anticipated” date of visa issuance passes and there is no news from the Consulate, or
There is no news from the Consulate within 45 days of the date of the visa interview.

Computer Security

Anyone conducting work at the Laboratory or using the Laboratory's computing resources that require Internet access must register his or her system's hardware address. To find such, go to URL: http://www-dcn.fnal.gov/DCG-Docs/mac/ selecting the appropriate O/S.

Visitor computers brought on site may apply for a temporary DHCP address by connecting to the Fermilab network (SSID=fgz) using either a wired (Ethernet) or wireless) connection. Note that the system will automatically detect fgz if configured to do so.

After filling out and submitting the Temporary DHCP Address web form, the system will be scanned and must demonstrate the same level of computer security required for all Lab machines. The easiest way to ensure a machine is secure, is to run an O/S update and/or Software update containing current security patches and virus signatures.

There are available Network 'Pix' lines (outside fnal.gov domain) located in the Email Center and in the HelpDesk office allowing individuals to connect to the network and download and install critically deemed patches from a vendor or university. This connection will not have internal access to the Fermilab network but will have access to the Internet.

Note that only those critical vulnerabilities identified on the following web page will cause a system to be denied a temporary address:

http://security.fnal.gov/CriticalVuln/index.html

Machines with non-critical vulnerabilities (anything not on the above list) will be granted a temporary address and you will receive e-mail notification with instructions describing how to re mediate the problem.

DHCP Registration

Temporary Registration:

Users of unregistered computers will need to open a web browser and visit any URL to bring up the DHCP registration form. The form asks for some basic contact information and should take only about a minute to fill out. The registration process is described at:

http://computing.fnal.gov/security/registration_dhcp.html

If the system will be at Fermilab for longer than a few days, it must also be registered in the MISCOMP database, as temporary registration will only be allowed for a few days per visit. Permanent registration is accomplished as described below, and should become effective within one to two business days.

Permanent Registration:

To apply for permanent registration, complete the form at:

https://miscomp.fnal.gov/misnet/cgi/nwsvc.pl

The system name, its IP address (if a permanent assignment has already been made), its built-in hardware address (the so-called 'MAC Address'), its location, and the name, e-mail address, and phone number of the individual responsible for this machine are all required. (Computers with multiple network interfaces must register all of the built-in addresses. See http://www-dcn.fnal.gov/DCG-Docs/mac/ for more information about determining a computer's built-in MAC address).

To see if your system is already registered, go to:

http://appora.fnal.gov/misnet/systemName.html and enter its node name into the 'Any System(s) by Name' query box. To change information on an already registered machine, go to: https://miscomp.fnal.gov/misnet/cgi/nwsvc.pl.

If you need help determining whether the systems you use are registered, contact your General Computer Security Coordinator (GCSC). There is a list of GCSCs at:

http://computing.fnal.gov/security/#contacts

Wireless Network

Wireless (802.11b/g) network connectivity is possible in most of Wilson Hall and in the Village User's Center. Your computer will need to obtain an IP address via the Laboratory's DHCP service. Please be aware, however, of the restrictions for obtaining IP addresses via DHCP. Although all computers must be registered in order to use the Fermilab network, visitors to the Lab may obtain temporary network access.

This temporary registration expires at midnight each day. The maximum number of days one may login using the temporary registration web page is (9) nine days.

To access the temporary registration form, simply start your web browser and request any web address. Fill in the required identification information. Your computer will then be scanned briefly for vulnerabilities, and an IP address assigned.

You will either need to reboot your computer, or restart your computer's networking, in order to use the assigned IP address.

If your wireless driver does not successfully connect to the Fermilab 802.11b/g network, try the following configuration settings:

SSID, also known as 'Network Name', 'Service Area', 'ESSID', 'WLAN Service Name':

· Try leaving it blank for auto-detect

· Try the keywords 'ANY' or 'any' for auto-detect

· Use the keyword 'fgz' (not 'FGZ')

Network type: Use 'Infrastructure Mode' (not 'Ad-hoc')

Preamble mode: Long Tx preamble

Tx mode: 11 MB ('Automatic' will work on some cards, else hardcode to 11 Mb)

DHCP: Enabled

WEP / Encryption: Disabled

WEP Key: WEP is disabled

Radio Channel: Leave blank or set to 'auto'

Most common reasons for being blocked

Unix/Linux/MAC users typically get blocked because of an unauthenticated ssh connection. Native ssh and telnet connections are not allowed. One must use 'kerberized' ssh or telnet to connect to a Fermilab system.

Also, systems must not allow unauthenticated ssh connections to their systems. Typically, MACs come configured with 'Remote Access' checked under the Sharing folder. Other services such as ftp, etc. should also not be selected.

For those systems that have installed ssh, there may be an ssh_config file or an sshd_config file. Contained therein, is a line commented out containing PasswordAuthentication yes. The word 'yes' needs to be changed to 'no' (minus the quotes.

At startup, to prevent ssh processes from executing, enter the command :

/sbin/chkconfig --level 0123456 sshd off

To stop ssh from running, enter the command :

/etc/init.d/sshd stop

Note, to enter the above commands, one must be logged in as root.

If you're running a Windows system and get blocked, either your system's O/S and/or MS Office does not have the latest critically deemed patches, or attempts were made to connect to another system using a non-kerberized connection. Your local system Administrator or Helpdesk Staff member can assist you with how to establish a secure connection to another system complying with Fermilab's Computer Security Policy.

What to do if you have been blocked

If it's been determined that you have been blocked because of a computer security violation indicated from being assigned a 169.xx.xx.xx address or receive email indicating such, you will have to re mediate the event by following the web link contained in the email sent you. You may also seek assistance from a member of the Helpdesk Staff.

The HelpDesk Office is located on the ground floor of Wilson Hall in the Email Center. You may also call (630) 840-2345 or send email to helpdesk@fnal.gov for assistance. Office hours are Monday ' Friday 8am until 4:30pm.

Social Event

A dinner is being planned at the Chez Leon Restaurant in the Users Center in the Fermilab Village for Monday evening, March 8, 2010. Tickets are $35 and are available for purchase on line. Entree selections include chicken or vegetarian.

Electronic Poster Submission Guidelines

A large screen TV will be available for vendor presentations. We will display a video containing 10 minute technical presentations from each participating vendor. The video will play continuously from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Tuesday.

The display resolution is 1920x1080. Sound will be available, but necessarily limited to the immediate area of the display.

Please provide your content two weeks before the OSG meeting. The content must be technical in nature and no more than 10 minutes in length.

Acceptable video formats are AVI, MPEG, MPEG2, MPEG4 and AVCHD . The preferred aspect ratio is 16x9. Other aspect ratios may be stretched or display with black bars. Any captions should be created as part of the video. Closed captioning will not be available.

Slides in PowerPoint, PDF or JPEG format are also acceptable. PowerPoint and PDF slides should be created in a 16x9 format. JPEG slides should be at a resolution of 1920x1080 for best display. Slides in 4x3 format will be stretched when displayed on the screen. All slides will be displayed in your 10 minute time slot. Too many will pass so quickly as to be unreadable. Too few will lose the viewers attention. Plan for 15-30 seconds per slide, depending on the amount of text to be read.

You may send your presentation using USB Flash Drive, SD, SDHC, CD, DVD(+-) or anonymous FTP address. Do NOT attempt to send large files via email!

It is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure the appropriateness and quality of content. Check your presentation on a large 1920x1080 display before you send it. Please contact John Urish (urish@fnal.gov) with questions or special requirements.

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