Welcome to the User Guide of the IPG network. Here you'll find the start point for some hints about the configuration, the services, the use, the possibilities offered by our network.

We are trying to maintain the use of our network and of our services as simple as possible for the end users (in this way we hope the System Administrators can sleep more in the morning). We do this by making use of open source software and open source platforms which are free and offer the widest range of possibilities. When open source solutions are not available, we try to hide the details of proprietary solutions and integrate them so that the users don't have to worry about using different interfaces.

Open Source Platform in our case means Linux and all the software that can run on this platform. The preferred distribution is Fedora built mainly by RedHat, but we accept also other flavors.

• We have various servers, all running Linux, that share services and resources to all users, independently of the operating system they use. Server's configurations are mostly transparent from the point of view of the users.
• Our Linux workstations come with a lot of software already installed (both for productivity, and for leisure). Since not everybody have the same needs, it can happen that something you need is still missing. If this is the case, we encourage you to ask us for improvements. If applicable, the change are made right away on your workstation and then transmitted to all the other machines, so that everybody can find the same software configuration on all the workstations.

We know that not all user of computer use Linux (why ?), so we always look for solutions that can be used to integrate this operating system with others. Normally users of computer choose his/hers Operating System among Linux, Apple Os X or MS Windows so we are focused mainly on the integration of these Operating Systems. The configuration of our network already use different solutions to permit access to file servers, printers, and other resources to all these Operating Systems, for the most part without or with just a little effort from the users.

Only few years ago, the word network meant cables, a lot of cables. Today we live in the wireless revolution: some laptops, some antennas and 1 cable (if necessary) and the network is ready. Is it really so simple? no, but don't worry, the new kind of problem generated by the wireless revolution are managed at best. The solutions implemented in our configurations permit to users of wireless laptops to access the resources of our network (based mainly on wired connections) with little extra effort. Most of the time the user can access the files server and the networks printer directly, without changing the configuration of his/hers laptops.

<note tip> As all the wikis, you can participate to the compilation of this guide. just ask for a login and you can start to insert your ideas/tips/tricks and solution to common/not common problems. </note>