Computing Service kekekeyyynotesnotesnotes Volume 25 Number 3 January 1999

Distance Learning

Also in this Issue:

Managed UNIX Workstations

MIS News

RALPHY

1 kkeeyynotesnotes Volume 25, Number 3 From the Editor

Chris Joy explains the procedures by contents which the Computing Service is able to manage UNIX workstations on behalf of users, removing this burden news in brief from them. Turn to page 2 for more Windows 95 Login Problems 1 details. King's Manor Update 1 ❖❖❖ New National Service Computing Resources 1 On page 6, Gareth Johnson writes news about RALPHY, the Library's Managing UNIX Workstations 2 electronic reserve project, which is Distance Learning 3 providing students, on and off campus, with improved access to a mis range of publications. York Skills Management System 4 ❖❖❖ Postgraduate Degree Certificate Production 4 New Tuition Fees: New Software 5 Opposite, John Robinson details the Syllabus Plus 5 national computing services library available to academics within RALPHY 6 higher education. ❖❖❖

Finally, best wishes for the New Year. And keep an eye on the Millennium Countdown...

Joanne Casey Information Officer

millennium countdown

51 weeks to go!

Are you prepared? See http:// www.york.ac.uk/services/cserv/offdocs/ y2k.htm for further information.

2 news in brief in news Windows 95 Login Problems Andrew Smith

Since the start of last term, we have vicinity, could you please report it to (network, filestore, etc), it sometimes had a number of problems with users the Infodesk. It is a simple matter to takes a while to diagnose a fault not being able to login to an office or pick up the phone and leave a message report which may initially point to a classroom Windows 95 PC. It has on the answer phone (ext 4343) at any PC problem. On detailed been very difficult to trace this time of day or night. In order to help investigation it may be found that it is problem as the fault never occurred diagnose the problem could you report one of many of the integrated during the working day. We believe the following information to the components that are used to provide we have now found the source of the Infodesk: the Windows 95 PC service. This fault but are not able to provide a “fix” investigation may involve any until the next version of the software Your name and user id member of the Computing Service controlling the logins is released. In Name and location of PC and not just the Personal Systems order to minimise any inconvenience Time and Date Group. we are automatically monitoring the Detailed description of problem Windows 95 logins and will restart the login software if any failure occurs. For the detailed description of the King’s Manor The downside to this is that if the problem, please could you report your software fails (outside of working observation of the behaviour. For Developments hours) there may be a delay of up to 15 example, if you can not login, it is Doug Moncur minutes before anyone can login. We difficult for us to diagnose the problem hope to receive a fix for the software if you just say “I can not login”. A more soon. accurate report would give the A dedicated server for the Windows approximate wording of any error 95 service in the King’s Manor was We are sorry that the fault was not message that appears on the screen. successfully installed mid-November, diagnosed and fixed sooner. One We would appreciate your patience resulting in increased performance. cause of not being able to diagnose the when there are problems with the problem is that we have had very little Windows 95 Service. We do not A 34 Mb/s network link has also been feedback from users informing us of regularly work late into the night or at ordered to replace the current paired the problem. In future if you are weekends, and are thus unable to megastream link, and once in place unable to login to an office or observe first hand the nature of any should further improve access to classroom PC, and it looks to be a faults. Due to the highly integrated resources and filestore situated at generic problem with all PCs in the nature of the computing services Heslington. New National Service Computing Resources John Robinson

The Research Councils and JISC fund machine and the datasets is free. Staff T3E-1200E, and Fermat, a 16 a number of national computing or students wishing to register for this processor Origin2000, will be services for use by academics in all service should contact John Robinson physically situated at the University higher education institutions. These to complete the registration form and of Manchester. The are services (access to large datasets, be given a username. In addition, configuration is one of the largest high-performance computing) which access to many of the datasets requires a computers in the world, and certainly could not feasibly be provided by each further registration with the data the most powerful computer currently institution’s local computing facilities provider, often the Data Archive at in use in academia in Europe. The and support staff. Essex (http://dawww.essex.ac.uk/). For service is called CSAR (Computing some datasets you can register on-line. Services for Academic Research) and New National Datasets service you can find more information about system New High Performance Computer it at http://www.csar.cfs.ac.uk. System MIDAS (http://midas.ac.uk) provides Large projects which need these access to a variety of datasets covering The consortium, Computation for resources can be given a ‘Class 1’ the social sciences, economics and the Science (Cray/SGI, CSC and the access after a peer-review process. physical sciences. It is currently hosted University of Manchester) was chosen Smaller projects of less than 1 year on a Cray CS6400, a multi-processor to run the EPSRC’s new national high can be authorised through the Sun system. This has been in service performance computing service. Two Computing Service - contact John for some years, and will be replaced machines - Turing, a 576 processor Robinson, jsr1, for details. during the spring term. Access to the 3 Managing Unix workstations Chris Joy

Introduction Managing your workstation updates and security fixes to the system will In recent years, the Computing The Derwent classroom now contains be performed when the relevant Service has been able to manage workstations running Irix 6.5 and the maintenance streams have been workstations on Computing Service is in a position to released by Silicon Graphics and behalf of departments. This service extend this environment to properly tested by the Computing unix removes the burden of computer departmental systems which meet the Service. The regularity of system administration from the users following requirements: upgrades will be at the discretion of and has many direct benefits: the Computing Service but it is • R4000 generation CPU or later anticipated that a termly upgrade will • A carefully configured user be required to fix software bugs and environment • 32MB minimum (64MB add new functionality. The recommended) memory department will be charged a • Access to all centrally provided compulsory annual fee of £150 for applications and compilers • 2GB system disk software support and upgrades which covers the staff time necessary to • Access to the user’s home directory Unfortunately, older systems such as complete the task. the R3000 Indigo workstation cannot • Regular operating systems updates be managed because they are not able Individual backup of workstations and security fixes to run the Irix 6.5 operating system. will not be required because the system disk configuration can be The final point is particularly To begin managing a workstation, it is readily reproduced by the Computing important because external users or necessary to upgrade the operating Service in the event of system failure. ‘hackers’ have been known to gain system to the standard Computing However, a department may wish to unauthorised access to workstations Service configuration of Irix 6.5. This use a secondary disk on the which have not been properly provides a user environment matching workstation for storage of additional configured from the insecure ‘out-of- the Derwent classroom where users software or as user filestore. The the-box’ environment. can run all the centrally provided department will be charged an annual applications and gain access to their fee of £50 per Gigabyte of specialist In accordance with the home directory. No additional disk backup. This cost covers staff recommendations of the Computing software or unapproved modifications time and the provision of backup Service review, a new service has been can be made to the system disk in media. defined for the management of Silicon order to enable a fast system rebuild in Graphics workstations. This service the event of failure. This configuration In summary, the cost of managing a will be duly covered by a service level process is chargeable through a single Silicon Graphics workstations is: definition and is described in this fee of £100 which covers the staff time article. necessary to complete the task. Configuration £100

The Operating System The core Irix 6.5 operating system Licensing £140 only includes the basic functionality Silicon Graphics systems run a variant required to run the workstation. Support £150 of Unix called Irix. The latest release Additional software products such as of the Irix operating system is Irix 6.5. the compilers and graphical tools are Total (year 1) £390 This is termed an all-platform release available under a master ‘Varsity’ Recurrent annual cost £290 because it can run on all systems with licensing agreement between the an R4000 generation CPU or later. Computing Service and Silicon If you have any questions regarding There are many operational advantages Graphics UK. The department will this new service, then please contact to running Irix 6.5 on a workstation, be charged an annual fee of £140 for Chris Joy ([email protected]). The including improved management and the provision of Varsity software. This Computing Service is also able to security. From a user perspective, the cost covers the annual charges of advise departments on the purchase of ability to run the latest software is a Silicon Graphics UK and compares to Unix systems or upgrades. significant benefit. an individual cost of £330 for individual purchase of licences.

4 news Distance Learning Joanne Casey

Held on 18th November, the Open resources. Options include providing information about projects set up Forum for Distance Learning provided single photocopies of materials for elsewhere, including the Merlin a preliminary opportunity for staff to individual users, or providing copies Project at Hull, and Scottish share their thoughts, concerns, and electronically: Gareth Johnson writes Knowledge, a consortium of Scottish current progress in the provision of elsewhere in this issue on RALPHY, universities. Of equal interest to many Distance Learning. Distance Learning the Library’s electronic document was information about web based is becoming increasingly attractive to reserve. Copyright issues, and the teaching softwares such as WebCT, students, and is an issue which the complexity of administering postal Top Class and Learning Space. University is recognising a need to loans, ensure that photocopies are still consider in detail. the simplest way of catering to the A wish for central support, and information needs of such students, perhaps even guidelines to setting up Around 35 people attended, variously and as a consequence, providing core such courses, was a common theme. A representing academic departments, materials can be difficult. concern with maximising investment central administration, and service was also evident; start up costs for such departments. The meeting was Wayne also noted that Teaching courses can be high, and chaired by Mike Jinks of the Committee is already looking at disproportionate to early income Computing Service; presentations distance learning issues, and will make expectations. were given by Martin Forster them a priority in the coming term. (Economics), Steve King (Computer It has become clear that this is a Science) and Wayne Connolly The role of central services, such as the burgeoning area; it is increasingly (Library). Library and the Computing Service, common for customers within and was considered, both during Wayne outside the UK to request courses on a Martin Forster outlined the proposal Connolly’s presentation, and through distance learning basis, and the feeling for a Diploma in Health Economics later discussion. Off site students have of the meeting was clearly that the commencing in Summer 1999. It will similar expectations, and rights, to University cannot afford to be left be at a pre-masters level, and aimed at support as those on site, but these are behind in this respect. Areas of the students studying at home or at work. presented in a much more concentrated University are already working on Delivery will be mainly by hard copy way, for instance during short such projects, and the meeting felt that material, posted to the student, residential visits. the opportunity to share experiences supplemented by some material on and expertise was valuable. the web, and an element of residential Members of the Computing Service study. He was the first person to were able to give more information, For more information on progress so highlight a need for central support, both on the potential of developing far, please contact Mike Jinks (kmj1). particularly apposite in this case, as technologies in supporting distance there is only one person working on learning, and of potential problem For other information, please contact the proposal. areas which need to be addressed, Alison Kennell (ajk8), who is particularly issues around security and Secretary to the Teaching Committee Steve King spoke on behalf of a team access. Working Group on Distance Learning. working on providing distance learning from Computer Science. They are A number of staff informed the group Useful web addresses: preparing to provide courses, marketed of their own experiences both as to industry, and delivered at the providers and customers of distance http://www.mailbase.ac.uk - the list company’s location, via the web or via learning courses. This included ‘web assisted assessment’. CD ROM, with email contact. http://www.hull.ac.uk/merlin http://www.essex.ac.uk/tbl/index.html Wayne Connolly looked at the issues http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked/ - involved in supporting distance features Hot Potatoes, a piece of learners, who have similar information freeware designed for language needs to full time students, but often teaching. find accessing information more difficult. The library has already begun to consider their specific needs, and produced a guide to available

5 MIS News

York Skills Management System Sue Bolton mis There are a number of supplementary skills courses available At the beginning of 1998 the MIS Records system. Until this new to students outside the academic office were asked by Debra Fayter system was introduced, registration curriculum such as Languages for All (ILIAD), Dr Margaret Ferguson details for York Skills courses were (LFA) and Information Literacy in (LFA) and Dr Robert Partridge held in local Paradox databases or All Departments (ILIAD). These (York Award Co-ordinator) to spreadsheets with no link to the courses can be undertaken by design and write a York Skills MAC Student Records system. The members of staff or by members of Management system that could be new system offers many advantages the public as well as by York used by all course co-ordinators to over the old systems, particularly students. Some students may choose record and monitor applicants speed on entry of registration details to enrol for some of these courses as participating in this scheme. The because of the link to MAC. There part of the York Award. The York system was completed in June and are several management information Award is a qualification earned in has been actively used since the reports available and we expect to be addition to a student’s degree which beginning of October. making enhancements over the includes language and information coming year as feedback from the literacy skills, together with The system is written in Powerhouse users is obtained. involvement in community activities 4GL and makes use of certain data and voluntary work. items held on the MAC Student

Postgraduate Degree Certificate Production Kevin Gardner

Until recently, the method of and, if successful, their award. If well as MAC data. If all are present producing Degree certificates for these data items, together with the and correct, the certificates can be postgraduate students was a manual date of the ceremony and fixed printed on a suitable postscript process. It consisted of passing a list certificate text could be formatted printer loaded with blank of names, awards and program titles with the correct font and size, then certificates. to the Print Unit where these data the only manual intervention would items were keyed in and certificates be to select the desired batch of This system has benefited the printed, one by one. To simplify students. Postgraduate Office by allowing matters, the Print Unit had set up them to produce the certificates templates of known awards and With this aim, a system within MAC without reliance on the Print Unit. titles, but this still left the labourious was set up to allow the Postgraduate Duplicate data entry has been task of entering the name of every Office staff to select successful eliminated and therefore typing successful postgraduate student, students according to their award or errors have been reduced. approx 750 each year. program of study. The system also Certificates can be produced within allows for the maintenance of award minutes of the awards of successful It seemed logical to automate this descriptions and ceremony dates. A students being entered into MAC. process as much as possible. The check list of the selected students can MAC system holds details of all be produced; this allows for cross students, their programs of study checking against departmental lists as

6 mis MIS News

New Tuition Fees: New Software FTM Willson

In order to comply with the recent Registration system within MAC; accepted in early September and legislation that requires all new populating a new customised was fully operational along with Home and EU students to make a database, processing this data into the Registration System at the means tested contribution to their MAC and using the current SBS end of that month. Apart from Tuition Fees (to a maximum of software to build as much of the fee minor glitches associated with £1000) the University has had to put data as possible. The government student withdrawal and course in place a suite of programs that can anticipated that the funding split changes, the whole process has record who is paying how much (the would be evenly between “Fully gone smoothly. To date we have student and/or the Local Authority). Student”, “LEA” and “part student/ processed over 1550 new tuition As the previous software would only part LEA” so no more than one third records, for all but 88 of which handle the building of fees for one was expected to create additional written verification was provided sponsor at a time and could hold work. As it turned out the York by the student, and £1.5M worth only the most basic fee history, MIS division was more like 50:30:20. of invoices will be scheduled for was commissioned to write the Further complications were that the payment under this scheme as software that could handle the LEA funding has to be officially you read this article. The concept of “Multiple Sponsors” and verified and a large number of the software was delivered on time, record fee application data. The new “unitary” authorities would be within budget (inevitably there input had to be simple, fast, efficient funding fees for the first time. New were no funds for this) and to and adaptable as the methodology concepts and new bodies promised specification. Another that individual LEA’s were going to at best Delia Smith scrambled eggs! “Yorkshire” University within adopt was unclear. Following several (a lot of effort followed by an three weeks of the beginning of planning meetings between the unpalatable result). their term had barely started, had Registry and Finance Department it several staff-months of was decide to “hang” the Tuition Fee However, to mix one’s metaphors, programming to do, and no time Input Screen off the In-house we appear to have come up trumps! to test! The software was beta tested and

Syllabus Plus Jenny Jackson

Currently the University’s teaching MIS are currently involved in the parallel with the manual preparation timetable is produced manually, on implementation of Syllabus Plus at of the timetable during the summer a termly basis, by staff in the York. Information from the student term. The 1999 autumn term Examinations and Timetabling records system, such as student timetable will be the first to be Office. Manual production of the module choices, has been loaded into produced using Syllabus Plus alone. timetable has become an the timetable database. Other In the future, the production of the increasingly difficult and lengthy information has been loaded from teaching timetable should be a less process due in part to growing the MAC Space record (teaching arduous process for the student numbers and in part to the rooms) and from the MAC Examinations Office ensuring a clash range of combined courses on offer. Personnel record (teaching staff). free timetable with more effective use Syllabus Plus is a software package Further information is to be collated of teaching resources. which is specifically designed to and manually entered into the produce planned timetables for system. The aim is to produce a higher education institutions. timetable using Syllabus Plus in

7 RALPHY - The J.B. Morrell Electronic Reserve Project Gareth J Johnson

RALPHY, or the Remote Access in copyright clearance for print It seems that at least three months lead Library Project Hosted at York to give materials held in a printed format by a time is needed in order to properly its full name, is an Electronic Reserve University. This unfortunately means provide for a course’s reading list (ER) project. ER are digital that in order to use full text materials needs. collections of articles or book chapters electronically every single item must that can be accessed through a be cleared with its right’s owner by the RALPHY has so far achieved a greater computer network. Most often ER project team. A copyright agreement than 60% copyright clearance success schemes are run by individual acceptable to most publishers took rate on journal articles, though Universities and access is provided via some time to develop, aided through unfortunately it seems that virtually all the World Wide Web. Generally, like consultation with other ER projects, publishers are unwilling to clear the the Library’s short loan reserve such as Project ACORN at duplication of book chapters in this photocopy collection, ER material is Loughborough. way without substantial fees. However, library intended to support undergraduate this hasn’t stopped the project from teaching needs. Due to some of the Discovering the range of materials providing access to some 30 articles copyright considerations providing that would be cleared for electronic electronically to date for a range of material for postgraduate use can be reproduction also took time. This is a courses. So far, feedback from users problematical. complex issue as many publishers are has been extremely positive. uneasy about granting electronic The major advantage of an ER is that permissions, suffering nightmares In the future major nationwide large- there are no physical limitations on the over the potential revenue loss, and so scale services such as the HERON & period of access or the JSTOR projects, as well as number of users of an article the continued development at anyone time. Users are also of electronic journals, may able to print articles on well shift the onus of work demand in the same way as from individual institutions they would print any to themselves and provide a document from a computer. much more streamlined This increased availability of service. However, access to items in heavy developments like this take demand that users of the time and money, whether various ER services or not they prove to be particularly favour. effective; for the next few years, RALPHY offers a Electronic documents held viable low cost alternative. on the RALPHY Web site are stored Any departments interested in Adobe Acrobat Portable Data flatly refuse to grant permission. This in just how the project could Format (PDF). This format has a has been particularly seen in attempts potentially benefit them are welcome number of advantages with respect to to provide ERs set up for postgraduate to contact me at any time to discuss it, download time, security, browsing use. Undergraduate teaching materials or alternatively to browse the URLs ease, and electronic document creation. are not seen as a major market and below for more information. Print material to be digitalised are therefore are more likely to be scanned in a page at a time, using a acceptable to publishers. Some RALPHY flatbed scanner and then converted publishers employ the rather annoying http://www.york.ac.uk/services/ into the PDF format. On average an tactic of granting copyright permission, library/reserve.yrk/index.htm electronic copy of an article takes provided a fee of several hundred Project ACORN around 30 minutes to create, so the pounds is paid per article. In practical http://acorn.lboro.ac.uk/ process is not overtly time consuming. terms this means it is more cost HERON effective to actually purchase additional http://www.stir.ac.uk/infoserv/heron/ However, while the technological set copies of an item, rather than attempt JSTOR up takes only a short time, the major to electronically duplicate them. All http://www.jstor.ac.uk/ obstacle to providing an ER is this takes considerable time and Electronic Journals obtaining copyright permission. As it frequently reminder letters have to http://www.york.ac.uk/services/ currently stands the Copyright follow the initial request to gently library/ejournal/home.htm Licensing Authority (CLA) only deals nudge publishers in the right direction.

8 contact information contact

Computing Service Address

Computing Service Telephone: Switchboard (01904) 430000 University of York Direct dialling (01904) 43 followed by ext no. Heslington Fax: (01904) 433740 YORK YO1 5DD Email: [email protected]

Also, try the World Wide Web: http://www.york.ac.uk/services/cserv

Information Desk

Telephone: ext 3838 Email: infodesk

The Information Desk is open from 9am to 5.15pm Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 4.15pm Friday (closed for training Wednesdays 2pm-3pm), for problem solving, advice and information, fault reporting, network connections, file conver- sion, sales, course bookings, registration and documentation. Printed output can be collected from the lobby entrance which is open from 8am to midnight.

Computing Service Staff:

Director: Mike Jinks 3801 kmj1 Deputy Director: Peter Roberts 3802 pdr1 Departmental Secretary: Lorraine Moor 3801 lsm1

Head of Technical Services: Dave Atkin 3804 dla1 Head of User Services: John Illingworth 3803 jji1 Head of Personal Systems: Doug Moncur 3815 dgm1 Operations Manager: Brian Souter 3814 bs1 Information Officer: Joanne Casey 3805 jmc8

Steve Bennett 3832 sgb8 Sue Hodges 3800 sh32 Sue Bolton 2102 sjb28 Jenny Jackson 4455 jj5 Mike Brudenell 3811 pmb1 Chris Joy 3807 cj8 John Byrne 3812 jcb1 Bob Marriott 4454 bdm2 Paul Conacher 4346 pac1 John Marsden 3832 jpm1 Mark Cook 3897 rmc12 John Mason 3813 jrm13 Robert Demaine 3808 rld1 Darren Munday 3821 dam6 Debra Fayter 3839 daf3 Helen Parker 3800 hp7 Ken Finch 4452 kf1 Colin Rea 3817 cr9 Rob Fletcher 3816 rpf1 John Robinson 3833 jsr1 Kevin Gardner 3739 pkg4 Kay Robinson 2101 kr7 Chris Gowland 3823 cg1 Andrew Smith 3809 abs4 Peter Halls 3806 pjh1 Timothy Willson 2123 ftmw1 Vivienne Hemingway 3818 vwh1 Michael Woodhead 3825 mw28

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