 | LinuxTag 2001 July 5th - 8th, 2001 Stuttgart, Germany |
Infomail #10 -- Network News and Last Minute Infos -- July 2nd, 2001
This is probably the last mail that I write before LinuxTag begins. I'm looking forward to meeting you all at LinuxTag. Have a lot of fun at LinuxTag and enjoy it!
- Joey on the Road
When you read this mail, I'm already on the road, travelling to Stuttgart with a car full of strange stuff. If nothing serious occurs I expect to arrive there at the afternoon.
This means that I cannot be reached via mail, and even if I see the mail at some time, I probably won't be able to respond in time. For urgent requests please use the phone numbers of our office in Kaiserslautern (0631/3109371 and 0631/3109373). One or both numbers should be routed to our Stuttgart office on tuesday or wednesday.
In Stuttgart you'll find our office at the lower floor of Congress Center B in room XIIa.
If you still have questions, please check all ten infomails that I've sent, your question may already be covered there. They are all stored here.
- Network
Did you make the same mistake like me and also thought that having not enough IP numbers and having to masquerade is the worst scenario? We lost, entirely. There will be _exact one_ network connection for each pavillon (for 4 to 8 booths) and we can use only one Class-C network. Due to the structure of the network we cannot use a general masquerading host to multiply the address range. Isn't that pure wonderful?
We are trying to get at least some small switches for each pavillon. But: Please take all your hubs and switches with you and help us build the network on wednesday. I'm already heaving nightmares about having a selfmorphing, chaotic and not-working network at LinuxTag. Please also take all your *long* network cables with you.
If you have good ideas how to manage this type of network, please drop by at the office and discuss it with me. There are currently 163 computers registrated, but I expect this is only 60% of what will be there.
I'm currently considering this solution:
- 200 addresses will be managed by dhcp
- 50 addresses are reserved for static assignments
- On the dhcp server a listing is generated to show current assignments
- For better understanding, static assignments should get a name/booth
- I need somebody who is around very early, doesn't leave before sunday and can provide a machine that can host this technique.
Even this may or may not work since the network is said to be splitted somehow. This we'll have to find out on wednesday. The company providing the network (nextra) doesn't expect a working network before wednesday afternoon.
- Equipment in our Workshop Rooms
Apparently I have forgotton to tell you how the workshop rooms will look like. Thanks to those who have asked me in time. They are small rooms and there should be some 50 chairs placed in it. There will be a screen in it and a beamer. There will be no computer provided by us. For your presentation please take your own computer (i.e. laptop) with you. If this is not possible, please ask around the others at your booth if they can loan you a machine. Please be advised not to use the most recent beta or CVS software since others may not have installed it. The room will not have a network connection since it is too far away from the exhibition area so cables won't work, and there are ferroconcrete walls so wavelan won't work either.
- Spontaneous Meetings / Workshops
Currently there are 18 spare slots in the workshop schedule. If you want to use a room during the exhibition spontaneously, please check if the room is used currently, and if not, take a pen and write your name and a title on the paper schedule which will be placed on the door of the respective room, and just use it. You'll find the entire schedule at the following url, a downloadable postscript file is available as well.
- Booth Responsibilities
It is often useful if only one person is responsible for the entire booth if there are more than half a dozen people working at the booth. Turn to that person on questions for organizational stuff or problems. If the booth is too crowded by developers, it may also be useful if the person who is responsible for the booth would have the power to throw out some developers in order to making space for visitors.
(This text was written and inspired by Ralf Nolden from KDE.)
- iCafé and LUG area
We will have an internet Café within the exhibition area. However, it is meant as service to normal visitors. I'd like to ask you not to use it for reading mail etc. since you would lock a chair + machine a visitor could use otherwise. You are, however, invited to help visitors and demonstrate stuff, so they will leave LinuxTag thinking "Wow, what an event". :)
There will be a booth for Linux User Groups where one can sit down, relax and discuss. You are invited to drop by.
- IPv6 and Names
Bastian Blank
Bastian also tries to get the domain linuxtag.eu.org assigned to the exhibition network. If you would like to use name.project.domain, just contact him (or somebody else in addition to my proposal for ip assignments from above).
- Booths
Please keep the booth tidy, looking well. For "random stuff" we have three storerooms, you can use. You can place your jackets and other stuff there, they don't have to be at the booth.
- Keysigning
Some projects depend on digital signatures, their members would like to improve the web of trust. Large events like LinuxTag, where a lot of developers will meet, are quite helpful for this. Please don't forget to print our your GnuPG fingerprint and sign it (with a pen, so if s/o wants to exchange it he has to fake your signature as well). I have written some additional information about keysigning, placed here
- Sleeping at the gym hall
You will need at least these things for personal use:
- towel
- soap or similar stuff
- sleeping bag
A camping mat should not be required since there are some mats in a gym hall normally.
Since, at the moment, it is not yet decided if dinner and breakfast will be provided, I'll better drop the costs here. Dinner will be about DM 10-15,--, breakfast about DM 3,-- as well a lunchpackage.
- Press people
It is quite possible, that some press people will be around, looking for good stories and seeking for information. I'm sure you'll do your best to provide whatever they want to hear, right?
- Dismantling the booth
The show ends on sunday at 16 o'clock (4pm). The booth can be cleaned up at the same day or on monday from 7am to 4pm. Please do not leave any valuable stuff at the booth over night. Last year two computers got feet and wandered off. If you can only transport valuable equipment on Monday morning and it could be easily carried away (normal pc boxes for example), please contact me so we can store it in the office, which will be locked.
Since we have had some trouble with regard to garbage after the show, please use the proper plastic bags for garbage and don't throw it around blindly.
- Booths
Regards, Joey