[Fed-Talk] Reply to Re: DTS (Defense Travel System)
[Fed-Talk] Reply to Re: DTS (Defense Travel System)
- Subject: [Fed-Talk] Reply to Re: DTS (Defense Travel System)
- From: Yannuzzi Mark J Civ AFRL/SNDD <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 16:28:15 -0500
Angelo:
I am at WPAFB in SNDD. We (I) just bought 7 new Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8 GHz machine for our
Mac-only users, like me. I am redeploying out older G4's to upgrade some test machines (I
am learning Obj-C & XCode to rewrite our electronic device testing software in an object-
oriented way aic conjuction with a co-worker) and some other Windows-Mac users. I have about
20 active Macs in my "domain" (SND) and have converted our Unix admin (he's a FreeBSD guy) in
SNOO to OS X since he recently bought a PowerBook G4 for home and now only uses his Linux-box for
some Peachtree Acounting software for his buisness. SNOO has classified Mac OS X as a flavor of
*(U)nix along with Linux, HP-UX and Solaris, and are Mac-friendly which helps me out alot.
ML here used to have a lot of Macs, but some Col. who took over there has supposedly "banned" them, although we have at least 1 ML guy in my bldg. still using 9, and I am upgrading him to
OS X. Another SN division is looking to replace there Linux boxes with Power Mac G5's for there
simulation and modeling efforts, and am I (once I can convince the company whose Physical Device
Simulation package I use to do a port to OS X, and even to Linux on PPC as a first step). There
is yet another SN group that bought 1 or 2 PowerBooks recently and there are others I know at WP
that have a few. So I think things are looking up, although it is sometimes still a battle,
particularly is the AFMC starts to enforce these "bulk-buys" of computers once every 6 mos. or
so no matter what kind of machine you want. If this sticks, then any other puchase outside
of these bulk buys needs a "waiver" from AFMC's CIO. (Apple, you should contact someone re-
garding this and find out how to get in the "bidding" process they are talking about for these
bulk buys, otherwise, I bet they will be all PC-clones, and if you want a Unix box someone is
bound to puch you to a cheap-PC and run Linux)
Anyway, I am beta-testing Tiger and with a couple of things that you mentioned I can identify
a few snafus that will keep some ex-Mac only guys from rejoing the fold, and perhaps other PC-
only folks who would like to use a Mac:
1) E-Mail. Right now some of us Mac folk are using Outlook 2001 under Classic. This will
eventually end, particularly when the CAC-signing starts being enforced. Others including
myself are use Outlook Win under a Citrix ICA Thin Client for now. When the 88th finshes
transition from Exchange 5.5 (IMAP/SMP/POP have been turned-off) to Exchange 2003 I hope
to use a Mac OS X native e-mail app, depending on whether IMAP is left on or only WebDAV.
If IMAP is on (I understand Gunther has left it on, so this is encouraging) then any-SSL
enabled client should do. If only WebDAV is on, then Entourage X or Entourage 2004 will
have to be it. Apple Mail has a WebDAV option but I cannot find any info regarding how to
set it up properly.
2) CAC support for web browsers. Right now Mozilla is it, but Tiger SHOULD help this situation
out and I hope Apple enable CAC in Safari.
3) DTS a.k.a DBsign. If 2) is taken care (the guy I spoke with at Gradkell asked me what
browsers OS X supports and when I mention Firefox he lit up a bit, so I suppose DBsign
under Linux/Unix works with it). We here use the Thin Client or a community PC for things
that have no native OS X app, like the evil "FormFlow" and the new PureEdge proprietary
XML-editor (why the AF didn't just pick Acrobat is beyond me, for all the Acq training
I have been required to suffer thru with all its talk of "open software standards", I have
yet to see the AF practice what it is preaching. The PureEdge app is a great example).
I did not ask specifically how many seats Gradkell would want to see before they were
motivated to do a port. But, he was not at all hostile to the idea and asked a lot of
questions about OS X and who else in DoD were using it. I could only fill him so far,
hopefully Bob Fimiani with speak with him and can give him more info. I am just trying to
get the ball rolling.
4) FormFlow. No OS X port, I called the company and they are planning a Linux.Unix port at
"some point". Again, I can fall back on the thin client or a local PC or even Virtual PC
if I can get the new copy of Office 2004 (another long story, still not resolved).
I have Active Directory working in our AD domian via ADmitMac and Apple's plugin under Panther.
What I haven't yet been able to try is authenticating via CAC into our AD domain because the 88th
has yet to tell me what field of the CAC certs that they use to identify a User's account from
(I bet it's the EOI(?) identifier number, since the NT Principal bla, bla, bla field is blank
on our CACs) and most importanly what the call this field in the AD schema (I am assuming it is
not a hard-coded value/name give Apple's example of how to do it). But, I still trying.
Regards,
Mark
__________________
Mark J. Yannuzzi
Research Engineer
Air Force Research Laboratory
Sensors Directorate - Electron Devices
(937) 255-1874 x3458
} Message: 1
} Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 20:42:38 -0000
} From: Bonavita Angelo M 1stLt AFRL/VSSE
} <email@hidden>
} Subject: [Fed-Talk] Re: DTS (Defense Travel System)
} To: email@hidden
} Message-ID:
}
} <email@hiddenand.
} afmc.ds.af.mil>
}
} Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
}
} Mark and other DTS Users,
}
}
}
} DTS use with OS X is one of the reasons I joined this list.
}
}
}
} I haven't tried DTS with OS X, but I was told by Computer
} Support that it wasn't supported. Additionally, I've been
} unable to get it to work with a browser other than IE - even
} after trying to reinstall DBsign.
}
}
}
} We have 1 Mac user in our group, and a few more at the
} division level. As well, I've been told that the Directed
} Energy directorate of AFRL [Air Force Research Lab] has a
} number of Mac users. I know of at least 1 Mac user at AFIT
} [Air Force Institute of Technology], there at
} Wright-Patterson AFB as well. My group is looking at buying a
} few more Macs, and I know three physicists with Linux
} machines interested in such a dual-use box.
} Unfortunately, with the unavailability of DTS, along with a
} non-native PureEdge / Formflow viewer, there remains just a
} few things left that keep the PCs assured in the offices.
}
}
}
} Any idea how many users it might take to become significant
} enough to justify a port? Any idea how we may attempt or
} obtain a head count?
}
}
}
} Angelo
}
} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
}
} Angelo M. Bonavita, 1st LT, USAF
}
} Space Radiation Effects Physicist
}
} AFRL/VSSE
}
} 3550 Aberdeen Ave; Bldg 914
}
} Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5776
}
} Phone: 505-846-5813 (DSN 246)
}
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