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Governance Minutes ArchiveSeptember 4, 1991
MINUTES Computer Committee President's Board Room September 4, 1991 3 PM PRESENT: Don Allison, Jim Bishop, Jan Carr, John Cosgriff, David Goodyear, Bob Heterick, Matthew Jackson, Bea Mahan (for Katherine Johnston), Gerry McLaughlin, Harlan Miller, Mary Miller, Terry Rakes, K. B. Rojiani, Jay Stoeckel, Jeff Wilcke, Michael Williams ABSENT: Darrell Bosch, John Burton, Wayne Clough, Joan McClain-Kark, Ernest Stout, J. R. Webster VISITOR(S): Barbara Robinson, Bill Sanders (Computing Center) Ed Fox (Computing Center/Computer Science) AGENDA ITEM 1: 1990/91 COMPUTER COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT (MILLER) The chairman of the 90-91 Computer Committee will submit his re- port on committee activities to University Council. Draft copies were distributed, and members of the committee were invited to contact Dr. Miller if they had any comments. AGENDA ITEM 2: COMPUTING CENTER ANNOUNCEMENTS (WILLIAMS) SSI Mail has been released. This software was developed by In- formation Systems to provide a mail facility on PC's without re- quiring a mainframe userid. Registration, which is necessary to meet accountability requirements for anyone who has access to the Internet, is being handled by the Computing Center in its micro- computer labs. The TELNET server is in full production, providing an interface between the CBX and the Internet to allow a terminal to establish an Internet session. SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) is also available. Registration at a lab is required for SLIP or to use the terminal server to access off-campus systems. Access to the Internet is becoming more and more useful as ser- vices, including commercial ones such as LEXIS/NEXIS, are added. A PC-based, online University calendar system is also now avail- able, with a news facility to be added soon. Software to access the system resides on the user's PC, and no mainframe userid is required. The system is oriented toward meeting student informa- tion needs, including items such as athletic events and informa- tion from student advising and placement services. Announcements are installed by individual departments, who are responsible for the accuracy of their information. This service is expected to grow substantially as it gains momentum, providing not only a valuable service to students, but also cutting down on printed matter circulating on campus. The first version of an X.500 directory has gone production. Di- rectory information is available on VM via the PHONEDIR command. Provision of service via stand-alone PC's is also planned. Since the directory follows the X.500 standard, Virginia Tech directory information is available to many other Internet nodes which use the same directory server. The Center has installed a high-end IBM RS/6000. Several large scale applications on the 3090 are being ported to the system, but experience with the machine is still limited. The Center has proposed that the University include replacing the 3084 mainframe as part of its request for special funding initi- atives to be considered during the next legislative session. The 3084 is ten years old, its architecture is outdated, and new software releases are often not supported. The proposed air- cooled machine would reduce costs, provide a small increase in capacity, and allow continued support of existing applications. Computer Purchasing, a new department in the Computing Center, is responsible for managing all computer-related University pur- chases. Consulting is also provided by a new department member, Joe Kelley, who offers help to departments that request advice or information on choosing hardware and software. The Center expects to move to printing the new University letter- head on its 3800 printer this fall. Since the letterhead is printed via a photographic process that allows only one style to be available at a time, managing a long conversion/testing period is not feasible. The old and new letterhead styles are expected to be available for about a week with a fixed schedule for print- ing each style. The 3800 will then move permanently to printing only the new letterhead. Office 3812 printers will need pre- printed letterhead paper since using the printer to produce each letterhead page would be very slow. The Committee agreed to transact business via electronic mail as last year. AGENDA ITEM 3: SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Subcommittees will be formed before the next committee meeting. Drafts of last year's vision statement have been returned to the Computer, Communications and Library committees for further con- sideration. The PC Committee met with VPI facilities to discuss site license policy for PC software. A follow-up meeting with the Provost was held to explore possibilities. Further details of the meeting will be provided at the next Computer Committee meeting. AGENDA ITEM 4: NEW MEMBER SUBCOMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Subcommittees will be formed and all Computer Committee members were encouraged to volunteer for one or more subcommittees. Mem- bership lists will be compiled and disseminated before the next full committee meeting. AGENDA ITEM 5: ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA It was suggested that an ad hoc committee be formed to look at workstation issues, and that a standing committee be subsequently formed if interest warranted it. The Computer Committee wishes to voice special thanks to Dean Sorensen for his work in the past few years on behalf of this committee. Despite the demands of his own office, Dean Sorensen's efforts in chairing the PC Subcommittee were excep- tional. He did a splendid job and, in particular, the good rapport that has developed with VPI Facilities is well appreci- ated. The next meeting will be held on October 2 at 3 p.m. in the Pres- ident's Board Room. Meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.
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