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Governance Minutes ArchiveSeptember 5, 1990
MINUTES COMPUTER COMMITTEE FOURTH FLOOR BURRUSS HALL BOARD ROOM SEPTEMBER 5, 1990 3 PM PRESENT: Don Allison, John Burton, Joseph Cochran, John Cosgriff, David Goodyear, Bob Heterick, Bea Mahan (for Katherine Johnston), Fred Medley, Harlan Miller, Mary Miller, Terry Rakes, K.B. Rojiani, Richard Sorensen, Jay Stoeckel, J. R. Webster, Jeff Wilcke, Michael Williams ABSENT: Darrell Bosch, James Gamble, Joan McLain-Kark, Gerry McLaughlin, Ernest Stout VISITOR(S): Barbara Robinson and Bill Sanders (Computing Center) Jim Thomas (Mechanical Engineering) AGENDA ITEM 1: MINUTES OF THE APRIL 4, 1990 MEETING Motion made, seconded and passed to approve the minutes of the April meeting. AGENDA ITEM 2: 1989/90 COMPUTER COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT (THOMAS) Motion made, seconded and passed to approve the 1989/90 Computer Committee Annual Report. The report will be forwarded to the University Council. AGENDA ITEM 3: COMPUTING CENTER ANNOUNCEMENTS (WILLIAMS) When it became clear last winter that a major upgrade would not be forthcoming, the Center initiated stopgap measures to allevi- ate problems associated with saturation of the systems. Memory was doubled on the 3084, which produced substantial improvement in MVS throughput. The special measures required last spring to accommodate registration were unnecessary this fall. Memory was also added to the 3090 (VM1). This improvement is less apparent to most users, but has had significant effect on throughput for larger memory-bound jobs. The growth of usage continues, how- ever, with many shifts registering 100% utilization for the en- tire shift. Other measures were also taken to improve throughput, including upgrades to disk and tape controllers. The Computing Center has been working for some time on an elec- tronic directory which will serve as a link between individuals and the electronic entity that represents them, often described as electronic "white pages". In order to produce a system of comprehensive value, the directory also includes other personnel data, such as physical addresses and telephone numbers, with se- curity controls to assure access to confidential information is available only to authorized individuals. The directory was de- veloped in accordance with the well-defined X.500 international standard, in order to allow interconnection with our peers on networks around the world. The system will be made available in stages, beginning this fall and a solicitation will be sent to departments soon, asking for help in identifying userids and for the designation of a departmental representative to be responsi- ble for maintaining some of the data. While system startup may require some effort on the part of departments, the long-term value for the entire University is expected to be significant. The University is facing a crisis related to the movement of pa- per on campus. The Computing Center alone is responsible for de- livering 2-3 tons of paper each week, at extraordinary expense since the Center has moved off campus. Interdepartmental and U.S. mail have grown in volume for many years without a corresponding growth in mail service staffing. One attack on the problem is to increase the use of electronic mail. It is anticipated that the X.500 directory will facilitate the transition, and efficient delivery of information is expected to be one of both the Center's and Information Systems' top priorities this year. With this in mind, a motion was made, seconded and passed to promulgate Computer Committee minutes and agendas by electronic mail only. VTTCF, the new mainframe UNIX system, is relatively stable, though there are some performance problems with numerically in- tensive jobs. System usage is currently free, but the Center ex- pects to begin charging soon. As the transition is made from centralized to distributed comput- ing and the entire community becomes computer-enabled, the rig- idly defined central systems are unable to meet many of the changing requirements of users. Dr. Robert Heterick has devel- oped a draft report, "Administrative Systems Development," which addresses this issue, describing strategic directions that emerge from the trends. Budget cuts in the Computing Center mean prospects for a system upgrade are highly unlikely for three to four years. Demand for computer time already exceeds the supply, work is not getting done, and the problem can only get worse. Replacement of old, worn-out equipment will have to be postponed, resulting in more frequent failures. AGENDA ITEM 4: PC SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT (SORENSEN) Last year the PC Subcommittee asked the academic colleges for in- formation on the scope of their current computing activities and future needs. Since many of the concerns that emerged from this survey related to the bookstore, a meeting with the leadership of VPI Facilities and other concerned individuals was held to dis- cuss the issues. The bookstore felt that the dialog and inter- action provided by the formation of an advisory committee would be helpful in developing policy and correcting some miscon- ceptions. It was suggested that the PC Subcommittee, with some additional members, might also perform this liaison function. AGENDA ITEM 5: ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA o Charge of the Committee The Computer Committee's purpose is not operational. It does not set policy, but rather offers the opportunity to examine issues and make recommendations. The committee may pass resolutions and forward them to the University Council for action. Computer Committee minutes are also forwarded to the Council, where they are noted and accepted. o Subcommittees There are three subcommittees, Personal Computer, Computer Capacity and Planning, and User Services. New members were solicited for each. The next meeting will be held on October 3 at 3 p.m. in Burruss 400. Meeting adjourned at 3:55 p.m.
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