Computing Service newsletter 152 (March/April 1990)
Newsletter 152 March/April 1990
The following text was produced from the original GCAL by
processing it with a modified header in order to provide
a file readable reasonably easily online or via line-printer
output. Little or no attempt has been made to adjust TAB
alignments etc. for the fixed pitch font. Some lists etc.
have been removed (they are in Phoenix files).
Diary
Thursday 12 April Phoenix system dump at 21.00 followed by
unattended running over Easter holiday
period. Reception, Advisory Service,
Bookshop etc. closed for holiday from normal
closing times.
Tuesday 17 April Normal running resumes at 08.20. Reception,
Advisory Service, Bookshop etc. open as
usual.
Monday 23 April Phoenix User Group Meeting. Note that this
user group has elected members and is not
normally open to all; see the Phoenix file
INFO.PUG.MEMBERS for list of
representatives.
Tuesday 1 May Computer Syndicate Meeting.
Thursday 10 May MS-DOS User Group meeting at 16.00 in the
Phoenix Seminar Room (New Museums Site); see
Personal Systems News for details.
Monday 14 May User Representatives Committee open meeting
at 14.15 in the Cockcroft Lecture Theatre
(New Museums Site). All welcome.
Thursday 17 May Macintosh User Group meeting at 16.30 in the
Phoenix Seminar Room (New Museums Site).
Monday 28 May Unattended running over Bank Holiday;
Reception, Advisory Service, Bookshop etc.
closed. See below.
Wednesday 30 May Arts and Humanities User Group meeting at
17.00; venue not yet fixed.
General News
In This Edition
Prospective users of the Central Unix Service are invited to
suggest what applications software should be acquired; see
page 2.
The Computing Service is offering co-ordination of user
identifiers across the various University computer systems;
see page 2.
As a result of the recommendations of the Computer Syndicate's
Working Party on Software Distribution, a software support and
distribution facility is being set up; see Software Support
News.
The Fawn II Macintosh terminal emulator program has been
released; see Personal Systems News.
A new file archive system is to be introduced on Phoenix later
this year and unattended running is to be extended; see
Phoenix New.
New editions of some manuals and leaflets are now available;
see Documentation.
May Bank Holidays
The Computing Service will run normally on Monday 7 May, but
will close on Monday 28 May. The Service will run unattended
from midnight Saturday 26 May until 08.20 Tuesday 29 May.
Reception, Advisory Service, Bookshop etc. will all be closed
all day Monday 28 May.
Central Unix Service Starting Summer 1990
Starting this Summer, significant Unix computing power will be
offered by the Computing Service. This Unix service is
intended to complement Phoenix, rather than to replace it or
to provide alternative facilities of a similar nature, and the
immediate objective is to provide a platform for software that
is built for Unix and cannot readily be run under Phoenix.
The system is modest, but is intended to serve a restricted
set of users reasonably well. Based initially on three Sun
SPARCserver 390s with about four gigabytes total of file and
paging space, it should support about fifty logged-on users
out of five hundred registrations (Phoenix currently supports
about four times this load). The service is aimed primarily at
teaching and research staff and is unlikely to be available to
undergraduates; nor is it likely to have sufficient capacity
to handle classroom sessions. It should also be noted that it
will lack peripherals of its own, such as line printers and
tape decks, and cannot immediately be seen as a complete
service on its own. It is intended to develop network access
to laser printers and other peripherals in users' departments.
At this stage the Computing Service is particularly interested
in suggestions from potential users as to what software should
be acquired. The budget is of course limited, and general
purpose affordable software is likely to be favoured over
specialist and/or expensive software, but all requests will be
considered. Please send suggestions to Steve Kearsey (mail to
SK17@CAM.PHX, ext. 4689). General comments and enquiries
should be directed to Tony Stoneley (mail to AJMS@CAM.PHX,
ext. 4710).
University-wide User-identifier Registration Service
At present a common user-identifier registration scheme is
used on all Computing Service systems including Phoenix,
MacJanet, the RML Network and the various departmental
Personal Workstation Facilities; it will also be applied to
the forthcoming Central Unix Service. This means that each
user has a unique username which is the same on all systems
(whereas passwords are system specific and are changeable by
users). There are currently 10,000 people registered.
The possibility of co-ordination of identifiers across the
various University systems has been raised at various times in
the past. The Computing Service believes that a user
registration scheme which applied to other University systems
would be advantageous, and is particularly anxious to avoid
the confusion resulting from the same identifier being
independently allocated to different people, or an individual
having multiple similar identifiers on different systems. This
can only be achieved by the use of a single central database.
It should be noted that the HELP USER ... command on Phoenix
is not a reliable indication of which identifiers have not
already been allocated; in any case identifiers chosen on this
basis cannot be reserved unless they are officially recorded.
Subject to the availability of manpower and mutually agreed
conditions, the Computing Service is willing to undertake the
administration of a central registration scheme for other
Departments and groups. Anyone interested in this service is
invited to contact User Services (mail to USERV@CAM.PHX,
ext. 4712). Those preferring not to be involved should at
least be aware of the scheme and, if possible, avoid using the
same style of identifiers (initials followed by digits e.g.
JS142, FJC53).
Change to the Rules
Some minor changes have been made to the Computer Syndicate's
Rules (see the end of this Newsletter for the revised
version). The changes have been made so that other computing
facilities in the University may be covered by the Rules, in
addition to those facilities provided by the Computing
Service.
Information on Research Supported by the European Community
UK Research Councils European Office
The five UK Research Councils established a joint office in
Brussels in 1988. The office provides information and advice
on research and development activities supported by the
European Community. The University subscribes to the services
of UKRCEO and it is therefore open to researchers to contact
that office direct for information and advice.
UKRCEO can be contacted using electronic mail. Apart from
providing a response fairly quickly, this has the advantage of
being centrally funded and therefore free of charge to the
University. Permission to use international network facilities
should be requested when applying for computing resources.
Email UKRCEO@RL.IB
Telephone: (010 322) 230 5275
Fax: (010 322) 230 4803
UKRCEO also produces the "Brussels Bulletin", a compendium of
advance information on European Community Research and
Development activities. The General Board Office receives a
copy, and researchers are welcome to arrange a time to call in
and consult it (contact Dr Alex Donald, mail to APD11@CAM.PHX,
ext. 2265).
Europe: Research and Development Information on Phoenix
There is available on Phoenix a summary of basic information
which may be of interest to researchers who hope to attract
funds from the European Community. The file is about 40 pages
long, and contains details on the following:
current and forthcoming R & D programmes supported by the EC
addresses and telephone numbers
(e.g. UKRCEO, helpline for DGXII, UK government contacts)
forthcoming/recently passed grant application closing dates
summary of the latest "Brussels Bulletin"
EC-related terms
current ecu rate, etc.
An advantage of having details in this form is, of course,
that incomplete information such as an address, acronym or a
projected field of research can be seen in context using an
editor. The file is APD11.EC; it is updated about once a week
and suggestions as to how to expand it are welcomed (contact
Dr Alex Donald as above).
Arts and Humanities User Group Meetings
The next meetings of the Arts and Humanities User Group (AHUG)
will be on Wednesday 30 May and Tuesday 23 October, at 17.00.
The subjects, speakers, and venues have not yet been fixed.
Contact John Dawson (mail to JLD1@CAM.PHX) or Rosemary Rodd
(mail to RR25@CAM.PHX), ext. 5029, for further details nearer
the time.
Bilingual Computing in Arabic and English
The Literary and Linguistic Computing Centre and the Centre of
Middle Eastern Studies jointly announce the 2nd Conference and
Exhibition on Bilingual Computing in Arabic and English to be
held in Cambridge from 5 to 7 September 1990.
Themes
(1) Software copy protection---problems in the Arab World
(2) Bilingual data bases: compiling classical Arabic sources,
contemporary data banks
(3) Publications on bilingual computing: magazines, books and
manuals
(4) Computer based lexicography and machine translation
(5) Teaching of Arabic by computer
For further details, contact Ahmad Ubaydli at the Literary and
Linguistic Computing Centre (mail to AU100@CAM.PHX,
ext. 5029).
Withdrawal of Paper Tape Facilities
Users are reminded that paper tape facilities will be
withdrawn at Easter as announced last October (Newsletter
149). Anyone still needing help with changing to other
mechanisms should contact User Services (mail to
USERV@CAM.PHX, ext. 4712).
Software Support News
Software Support and Distribution
Following the recommendations of the Computer Syndicate's
Working Party on Software Distribution, a new software support
and distribution activity is being set up within the Computing
Service, and additional central resources are being sought to
provide for it.
One of the primary aims of the Software Support service will
be to help coordinate the collective software requirements of
University and College institutions so as to take best
advantage of the opportunities for reducing software costs
through special educational discounts, bulk purchase
agreements and site licensing deals. In this way it is hoped
to be able to obtain software for the University at more
favourable rates and, in certain circumstances, it may even be
possible to fund popular pieces of software centrally.
The support and distribution infrastructure needed to operate
such deals will be provided by Software Support and, in
addition, it will seek to establish and maintain effective
communication mechanisms, both to determine user requirements
for software across the University and Colleges, and to
promulgate information about software to all relevant sectors.
Where possible, it is also hoped to provide technical support
and advice to users concerning software.
The Computer Syndicate will also shortly be establishing a
Software Advisory Panel to supervise, on their behalf, the
activities of the Software Support service and to advise them
on general and resource requirements. Appropriate steps will
be taken to ensure its membership and terms of reference are
widely known.
Advantage has already been taken of a number of deals for
various pieces of software (see next section) which are
generally available to any member of the University. The use
of software distributed by Software Support is subject to a
specific Code of Conduct, which has been adopted by the
Computer Syndicate as recommended by the Computer Board for
Universities and Research Councils. All individuals who are
issued with software will be required to sign the Copyright
Acknowledgement which forms part of the Code. A copy of the
Code of Conduct follows this article.
To enable us to distribute information effectively throughout
the University and to gauge the community's response to
potential deals, it is hoped that a network of departmental
and college contacts can be established through which such
information can be channelled. With this in mind, we will be
contacting heads of departments and colleges in the near
future, requesting that they nominate suitable contact points
within their organisations for such a purpose.
In addition to the above mechanisms, relevant information will
also appear in the file INFO.SOFTWARE.NEWS on the Phoenix
mainframe service, and will be reported from time to time in
the Newsletter. Members of the University are welcome to
contact the Software Support Administrator, Jane Perks (mail
to JEP4@CAM.PHX, ext. 4695).
Software Catalogue
Product Versions Available Price
BRS/SEARCH PC/MS-DOS 6.00
also available for VAX/VMS
and SUN 3/SUNOS 3
EMU-TEK 4200 Plus PC/MS-DOS 7.00
INGRES PC/MS-DOS 34.00
MINITAB PC/MS-DOS 35.00
Micro OCP PC/MS-DOS 3.00
NAG Wkstn Library PC/MS-DOS (Microsoft 4.01) 6.00
PC/MS-DOS (Microsoft 4.1) 16.00
PC/MS-DOS (Salford 386) 4.00
also available for VAX/VMS,
SUN 3/SUNOS 3, SUN 3/SUNOS 4
NAG Graphical Lib PC/MS-DOS (Microsoft 4.01) 12.00
PC/MS-DOS (Microsoft 4.1) 12.00
PC Professional ORACLE PC/MS-DOS 38.00
Ryan McFarland Fortran PC/MS-DOS 6.00
Salford FTN77/386 Fortran PC/MS-DOS 2.00
SPSS/PC+ V3.0 PC/MS-DOS 40.00
UNIRAS IBM/MVS,VAX/VMS,SUN 4/SUNOS 4, Please
HP 9000/300/HP-UX enquire
WORDSTAR PC/MS-DOS 81.75
The prices quoted above are usually for the software alone.
Manuals may need to be purchased separately. Please contact
Jane Perks (mail to JEP4@CAM.PHX, ext. 4695) if you wish to
obtain any of the above software or to enquire about prices.
Recent Software News
1) CHEST have recently announced a site-licence deal for the
PC-NFS Network File System for Personal Computers. The
software will run on all IBM PC and PC compatible machines
using BICC, RM, 3COM, Ungermann Bass, Micon-Interlan or
Western Digital ethernet cards, or any other cards
supported by SUN. A site-licence for PC-NFS costs 1100
plus VAT per annum, with a commitment to having it for five
years. We are interested in hearing from members of the
University who might be interested in this deal, with a
view to sharing the annual cost of the licence.
2) CHEST are currently negotiating a deal with Ashton Tate to
supply dBase IV at special rates. They indicate that the
expected cost will be an annual charge of 1000, paid for
the University as a whole, which will allow individual
members of the University to obtain a copy for 25 each.
More details will be given when available.
3) CHEST have asked us to indicate if there would be any
interest within the University in a deal to provide the
Medline databases on JANET. It is expected that the cost of
purchasing unlimited access to the service for members of
the University would be between 1500-2000 per annum.
4) We have signed a site licence for the SAS statistical suite
of products, for PC/MS-DOS, SUN 3, SUN 4, HP 9000/300,
HP 9000/800 machines. Details will be announced as soon as
possible.
5) A member of the University has expressed an interest in
obtaining a site licence for the Hoskyns Group Plc. Project
Manager Workbench. PMW is a PC-based project planning and
control system, integrating Gantt charts, critical path
networks and resource spreadsheets. The site licence costs
1100 plus VAT, which is a one time charge. If anyone else
in the University is interested in this software, and in
sharing the cost of obtaining a site-licence for it, or
would like further details, please let us know.
Anyone interested in any of the above or wanting more details
should contact Jane Perks (mail to JEP4@CAM.PHX, ext. 4695).
Code of Conduct for the Use of Software in the University and
Colleges
This Code of Conduct should be observed by all users of
software that has been issued or made available to them by
institutions in the University. The Code does not constitute a
licence and, in all cases, users of software should acquaint
themselves with the provisions of the relevant licence when
they obtain a copy and before putting the software to use.
1. This code should be applied to all software acquired for
educational use (the term "educational use" is defined in
the next section).
2. The institution will maintain records of software available
together with details of licensing arrangements.
3. All employees and students will be informed of this Code of
Conduct and will be advised of the conditions under which
software may be used and will acknowledge that they have
been informed (either directly for each piece of software
or by acceptance of appropriate University and/or College
regulations).
4. The institution will organise arrangements for backup,
copying and distribution of software and documentation
subject to the conditions of the licence. Individual users
of software will not be permitted to copy or distribute
copies of the software unless permitted to do so under the
terms of the licence.
5. Where it is a condition for supply of a software product
the institution will organise a single contact to deal with
related queries and support.
6. In the event of termination of the licence for a software
product the institution will endeavour to remove all copies
of the software and make arrangements for the safeguarding
of the authorised archival copy.
7. Unless advised to the contrary, it is to be assumed that
all software is subject to Copyright Law.
___
8. The institution will use its best endeavours to apply,
administer and ensure compliance with this code of
practice.
Definition of Educational Use
The product may be used by any employee, student or other
person authorised by the Licensee for the purposes of the
normal business of the licensee's organisation, whether or not
they are located on the licensee's premises. Such use of the
product normally includes the following:
Teaching;
Research;
Personal educational development;
Administration and management of the business of the
licensee's organisation;
Development work associated with any of the above.
General Exclusions:
Research, consultancy or services leading to commercial
exploitation of the product;
Use of the product which leads to it being commercially
exploited by the employer of students on industrial
placement or part-time courses.
The licenser may allow such use in return for acknowledgement
of use of the product or for a negotiated fee.
Notes:
"Commercial exploitation" in the context of this code is
the use of the software product for monetary gain either
by the institution or an individual. Where the product
is so used this must be a matter for discussion between
the supplier and the licensee.
All persons who are provided by the licensee with copies of
the product will sign a declaration incorporating a
Copyright Acknowledgement.
Software Advice
In connection with the above articles, users are reminded that
the Computing Service cannot condone the use of software that
has been obtained other than through authorised distributors;
in particular, it would be improper to offer advice or
assistance with the installation or running of such "pirated"
software. It is hoped that users will understand and respect
the need for this policy.
Personal Systems News
Fawn II Terminal Emulator for Macintoshes
The Fawn II Terminal Emulator for Apple Macintosh computers is
now available.
Fawn II provides VT100, SSMP and Tektronix 4014 emulations as
well as TTP-style file transfer and printer support within a
terminal session. The SSMP support enables the full-screen
facilities of the E editor on Phoenix (and some other hosts)
to be used.
Distribution of Fawn II is being handled under the Service's
Software Support and distribution activity and will be via
files stored on the MacJanet network in the User Area. For
further details of the procedure for obtaining a copy, please
refer to the Phoenix file MICRO.FAWNII:DISTRIB.
Fawn II has also been installed on the MacJanet fileserver for
use on the Macintoshes attached to MacJanet. It will shortly
be installed for use on the Personal Workstation Facility
Novell networks.
The leaflet "M415: Fawn II on the Apple Macintosh" will be
available from the Computing Service Bookshop shortly.
Please note that Fawn II supersedes TTP for the Macintosh and
support for Macintosh TTP will cease by October 1990.
Macintosh Virus
A new virus, WDEF, is believed to be widespread in the
University and has been discovered on the Macintoshes in the
Computing Service User Area. WDEF infects every unprotected
disc it comes into contact with, so it spreads very quickly
from disc to disc and from machine to machine. Most existing
virus protection and disinfectant programs do not protect
against or remove the WDEF virus.
The WDEF program is believed to cause
Performance problems on AppleTalk networks
Crashes when trying to save files under Multifinder
Problems with the display of font styles
Possible damage to discs
Macintosh floppy discs and hard discs should be checked for
infection by WDEF or any other known virus with the
Disinfectant program version 1.5 or later. Earlier versions of
Disinfectant do not look for WDEF. It is recommended that
Macintosh systems are protected against infection by including
the programs Gatekeeper Aid and Vaccine in the system folder.
Disinfectant 1.5, Vaccine and Gatekeeper Aid are all public
domain programs. Copies may be obtained from the Macintosh
systems in the Computing Service User Area or from the Micro
Adviser. Further details may be obtained from the Micro
Adviser.
The Computing Service can give advice about protection against
viruses and virus removal. For further information please
contact the Micro Adviser (ext. 4722) or make an appointment
to see a consultant (ext. 4600).
Macintosh User Group Meeting
The next meeting of the Macintosh User Group will be at 16.30
on Thursday, 17 May in the Phoenix Seminar Room (New Museums
Site). The main topic for discussion will be databases
(including 4th Dimension).
MS-DOS User Group Meeting
The next meeting of the MS-DOS User Group will be at 16.00 on
Thursday, 10 May, in the Phoenix Seminar Room (New Museums
Site). The main topic of the meeting will be a discussion by
Paul Browning, Department of Earth Sciences, on AXUM
scientific graphing software.
Problem with Upgrading Cheap PC Clones
Microcomputer Support staff and engineers are continually
having problems with requests from users to upgrade cheap PC
clone machines. Often such machines cannot be upgraded in the
manner which the user desires. Users are strongly urged to
consult the Computing Service before purchasing PC clones to
discuss possible problems with upgrades and with hardware and
software compatibility.
T3 Scientific Word-processing System
T3 is a PC-based technical word-processing program. T3 claims
to provide WYSIWYG preparation of Mathematics, Chemistry and
Language documents, while providing all the capabilities of a
full-featured menu-driven word processor (40 fonts, tools for
revising and creating characters, on-line help, spelling-
checker, graphics import, macros, multi-column printing, etc.)
using a single mode---T3 is not a formula typesetting program
which must then be integrated with another word processor.
T3 requires 640k of RAM and a hard disc. All major screen
types are supported, and a large number of dot-matrix and
laser printers (PostScript is supported). T3 prints in both
fixed and proportional spacing, in portrait and landscape
modes.
Anyone wishing to try a demonstration copy of T3 should
contact Personal Systems (mail to MICRO@CAM.PHX, ext. 4724).
The interactive demonstration version is licensed to the
academic community for evaluation purposes.
Phoenix News
New File Archive System
The introduction of the new improved archive system is
scheduled for August 1990. It is intended that it will replace
the general use of TLS for files which are not in current or
frequent use, and those that are too large to be held
permanently on disc. A limited number of private cartridges
will also be available. These facilities will dramatically
reduce the need for manual mounting of tapes. The service
should be available to selected "guinea pig" users over the
Summer. Further details will be published in due course.
The new archive system uses the Automatic Cartridge System
(ACS) which, unlike magnetic tape, does not require Operator
intervention. This means that archived files will be
accessible even during periods of unattended running.
Unattended Running to Start at Midnight from August 1990
From August 1990, it is intended to extend by two hours the
period of unattended running on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays; i.e. 00.00--08.00 instead of 02.00--
08.00.
With the introduction of the new archiving system, it is hoped
that the new schedule will not adversely affect many users,
whilst enabling better use to be made of Operators' time.
Obviously users who currently make heavy use of TLS may need
to adapt their jobs and working methods to take advantage of
the new facilities. However users who think they may be
seriously inconvenienced should contact User Services (mail to
USERV, ext. 4712).
Cancellation of Expired Undergraduate/Graduate Identifiers
In June 1989 all Phoenix identifiers believed to belong to
undergraduates were "suspended". Later that summer, the same
was done to identifiers of people registered as graduate
students on Diploma, MPhil and similar 1-year courses. Any
such identifiers which have not been reinstated by 1 May 1990
will be cancelled permanently. This will affect anyone in this
category who has not used the system since June 1989.
Annual Suspension of Undergraduate/Graduate Identifiers
On Friday 29 June 1990, all undergraduate identifiers (except
1st and 2nd year Computer Science Students) will be suspended.
A Phoenix message will be sent in early May to all users to
whom this applies. To enable summer projects to be completed,
the identifiers of CST students and graduate students
registered on MPhil, Diploma, PGCE courses etc. will be
suspended at the beginning of October.
First and second year students may avoid suspension or (if
after 29 June) may be reinstated by applying in person, with
proof of identity, to User Services in Room P14 of the Phoenix
Building. This may be done during office hours from Monday
4 June. Note that students leaving the University are no
longer entitled to use Computing Service facilities free of
charge. Those staying on to do post-graduate courses or
research should re-apply for a new Phoenix project via their
new department; forms are available from Reception: please
quote user identifier and emphasise change of status, and
obtain the signature of the Departmental User Representative.
It is possible that some identifiers belonging to non-
undergraduate users will be suspended by mistake. Anyone in
this situation should contact User Services (ext. 4712); any
inconvenience is regretted.
Phoenix System News
The following items concerning the Phoenix system have been
added to the file INFO.NEW since the last Newsletter (see also
the file INFO.MISCNEWS for very recent information).
Norcroft C interface to CAMPLOT
New version of SIR
New Version of Norcroft C
Minor bug fix to SWITCH
Genstat: New Screen Graphics Driver
New Version of Mail
Using Phoenix commands in Mail, E & other programs
Incompatible changes to ENLARGE
New version of TeX
Fujitsu Fortran bug fixes
UNIGKS Fortran Subroutine Library
SETDSCB command
New version of Syncsort
New FILEPDS option O
New GINO 2.7D Library
Network News
Network Progress Report
The previous report on network matters appeared in Newsletter
148 (Summer 1989) and mainly concerned a report from the
Granta Backbone Network Working Party. Work on the GBN
continues and a draft specification for the duct and fibre
systems has been produced. All colleges have expressed support
for the scheme, though there are still some financial wrangles
to be sorted out. The University is also considering financial
matters and it may be necessary to adjust the timing of
installation to accommodate financial constraints.
The CUDN ethernet continues to expand. The most recent site to
be connected is Engineering, adding nearly 50 segments at a
stroke. The sites currently on the CUDN ethernet (that is,
with a connection to the central hub, not just an isolated
segment or two) are as follows:
New Museums Site
Mill Lane Site
Downing Site
Old Addenbrooke's Site
New Addenbrooke's Site
Chemistry
West Cambridge (Physics)
West Cambridge (Astronomy, Earth Sciences)
Engineering
Sidgwick Site
Some of the Departments on these sites run their own ethernet
systems, linked by remote bridges to the central hub; the
Service is therefore not in a position to know in detail how
many separate segments are actually involved---probably well
over 100.
The ethernet is linked to the X.25 part of the CUDN by
gateways (SpiderGates). The Service currently has seven of
these units, each being allocated to a particular site or
group of sites to spread the load. There is thus access
outside the ethernet for terminals and workstations with
suitable software.
A substantial project sponsored by IBM has been set up at New
Addenbrooke's for the Medical Departments. It involves both
video and token ring networks; the token ring is linked to the
New Addenbrooke's Site ethernet using a PC-based gateway which
is being evaluated. The gateway provides both terminal and
file transfer access to the academic community at large.
Smaller network projects have also been sponsored by IBM in
three Colleges; these are linked to the X.25 part of the CUDN,
again by similar PC-based gateways.
CUDN X.25 continues to expand, the main demand now being for
64Kbit/sec (or faster) links. It is hoped to increase the
speed of the connection to the Joint Academic Network (JANET)
to 2Mbit/sec during 1990 to take advantage of the trunk link
to London currently being installed by Mercury Communications.
Finally, the Network Division still installs a steady stream
of new terminal-style connections for smaller Departments and
for Colleges. Recently, however, the total number of active
CUDN terminal ports has started to fall as major departments
change to ethernet workstations or transfer existing terminal-
style machines to their own etherPADs or X.25 PADs.
In the interest of brevity, the above report is clearly not
jargon-free (segments, bridges, X.25, PADs etc.). However, any
user who would like further explanations on networking matters
is welcome to contact Roger Stratford (mail to RS12@CAM.PHX)
or Ken Warner (mail to KNW1@CAM.PHX), ext. 4691.
Dialup
Newsletter 150 described some plans for changes to the dialup
service. There has been mixed progress: an extra modem has
been added to the "fast" set (300/300, 1200/75, 1200/1200 and
2400/2400) in order to reduce congestion, but it has proved
difficult to find an ideal product for an overall upgrade.
It has already been decided that the service will continue to
be based on the four speeds mentioned above; although faster
modems exist they are far more expensive.
The present difficulty centres on error-correction, which is
necessary for satisfactory performance at 2400/2400 on many
telephone lines. SPAR is no longer recommended; some modems
will be kept for a while to support existing use but new
purchasers should not buy SPAR-only modems. MNP Level 4 is
clearly here to stay and will be supported as soon as
possible; the existing service modems have MNP, albeit only at
Level 2 which is rather "jerky" in use. V.42 looks set to be
the "obvious choice", but it is apparent that the industry
needs a while to establish reliable interworking between the
products of different manufacturers. It has been reluctantly
decided that it is not feasible to provide a V.42 service at
the moment.
Meanwhile, discussions are taking place with the General Board
about the provision of more telephone ports at the Computer
Laboratory for dialup so as to be ready to connect suitable
modems when they arrive.
For information about suitable modems for home, College or
Departmental use, see under modems in the Phoenix file
MICRO.DISCOUNT.
Documentation
Phoenix Reference Summary
A new edition of the Phoenix Reference Summary is now
available. The price remains the same at 30p.
Phoenix Newcomers' Guide
Some updates have been made to the Phoenix Newcomers' Guide to
take account of generic file protection etc. The price remains
3.
New and Updated Leaflets
The following leaflets are being worked on and new or updated
editions will shortly be available from the Bookshop, price
15p each. For the full list, see Leaflet L1 or the Phoenix
file INFO.LEAFLETS.
L1 Documentation and Courses
L2 Introduction to Phoenix
L4 Use of Filespace
L41 Text and Word Processing
L66 Icon
L102 Unigraph
M415 Fawn II on the Apple Macintosh
Documentation available from the Computing Service Bookshop
The full list of Computing Service documentation is in the
leaflet L1, together with a list of forthcoming courses. Note
that the Computing Service Bookshop is on the New Museums Site
(telephone ext. 4726, Cambridge (0223) 334726); it is open
from 09.30-13.00 and 14.00-17.00 Monday to Friday. See the
Phoenix file INFO.BOOKSHOP for possible alterations, holiday
closing etc.
User Representatives Committee
Lent Term Meeting
The Lent Term User Representatives Committee Meeting was held
on 19 February 1990 and minutes are being circulated to
representatives. A brief summary of the meeting is given
below.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved after minor
amendments.
Under matters arising, the Chairman asked about the release of
Fawn II; this is delayed until bugs in "cut-and-paste" are
fixed.
Reports were received concerning the Phoenix User Group, the
MS-DOS User Group, the Macintosh User Group, the Cambridge
Statistical Software Group, the VAX/VMS User Group, the SUN
User Group, the Computer Aided Learning Special Interest Group
and the Arts and Humanities Computing User Group.
David Hartley presented his Director's report.
Networking: Ethernet expansion is continuing; machines
__________
had been delivered and were being commissioned for
development of a number of network-related services (name
server, mail distributor and a pilot directory server);
planning for the Granta Backbone Network continued while
the University central bodies investigated possibilities
for funding.
Mainframe: Disc refurbishing was now complete; a limited
_________
user service on the Automatic Cartridge System (ACS) was
expected after Easter; the possibility of running
unattended during the third shift was under discussion;
there was concern about degradation of the Phoenix
service owing to lack of main memory and urgent
discussions were taking place with IBM (additional memory
had been promised some time ago).
Distributed Systems: Three SUN SPARCservers had been
___________________
delivered and were being commissioned for the Central
Unix Service, planned to start in the Summer (the
possibility of a User Group was being considered); a
machine for the development of an Information Service had
arrived---this service should be experimentally available
after Easter; upgrades to the DAP (at DAMTP) and the
Meiko (at Biochemistry) were in hand; the University had
purchased enough SUN equipment to reach the "top" SUN
discount level, but discussions were taking place to see
if further incentives could be negotiated.
Personal Systems: The Personal Workstation Facilities at
________________
DAMTP and Chemistry continued to work well; the one in
the Small Examination Hall would soon be moved to new
accommodation above the User Area; work on installing the
Cavendish PWF would start soon, but Sidgwick was still
awaiting building work.
General Matters: The Software Distribution Working Party
_______________
had produced its report and copies had been sent to Heads
of Departments; as a result, the Service was setting up a
section to deal with software distribution; matters of
the code of conduct for use of software were also being
discussed; the Educational Computing Working Party had
not yet reported; minor changes had been made to the
Rules so that they could be used to cover departmental
computing facilities (if a department so wished); the
General Board had issued a document for discussion on
resource allocation---the Computer Syndicate were anxious
to correct the erroneous assignation of Computing Service
costs to departments as given in the document and would
be producing better figures in due course.
Representatives' questions concerned the third shift,
assignation of Service costs, obtaining hardcopy at night, the
possibility of the Bookshop selling floppy discs, the mail
distributor, bugs in Rainbow software, Syncsort manuals.
The next meeting will be at 14.15 in the Cockcroft Lecture
Theatre on Monday 14 May 1990.
Advertisements
Posts Vacant in the Computing Service
Applications are invited for the following posts.
NATWEST IT ASSOCIATE
The National Westminster Bank is supporting a fixed-term
appointment associated with the University's advanced
networking programme. The person appointed will work on the
planning, installation and support for networking personal
computers on both local area and wide area networks and
will have a close relationship with the NatWest IT Network
Services Department.
Two COMPUTER ASSOCIATES
One position is in Unix Support, to assist in configuring
and managing interlinked Unix systems both centrally and
throughout the University.
The other is in system support either for the University's
IBM 3084Q MVS mainframe service or for the University's
CSMA/CD and X.25 networks, depending on the interests and
experience of the applicant.
Applications are invited for all three positions from suitably
qualified graduates, or equivalents; experience in one or more
of personal computers, Unix, operating systems and networking
will be advantageous.
Appointments will be initially for two years.
Applications forms and further details are available from
Dr D.F. Hartley, University Computing Service, Computer
Laboratory, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge,
CB2 3QG (mail to DFH1@CAM.PHXor telephone Cambridge
(0223) 334706, University ext. 4706). The closing date for
applications is 12 April 1990.
Vacancies: Duty Advisers and Microcomputer Advisers
The Computing Service has vacancies for regular Advisers to
work in the Advisory Office. An adviser usually works for one
three and a quarter hour session per week and is paid at
demonstrator rates.
Duty Advisers require a working knowledge of the Phoenix
system on the IBM 3084 mainframe, and they should also be
familiar with the GCAL text processing system and Fortran as
these are very widely used. Experience of other languages and
packages is an advantage. Microcomputer Advisers must, of
course, have some experience with micros (especially BBCs,
Macs and PCs). However, for any sort of advising, it is even
more important to have patience and a sense of humour, and to
enjoy helping people and solving problems.
It is regretted that undergraduates and people holding
established posts in the University are not eligible (although
Assistant Staff can sometimes be employed with Departmental
permission). If interested, please contact User Services
(ext. 4712), or send a message to Maggie Carr (MZC1@CAM.PHX),
Pat Stewart (PS10@CAM.PHX) or Richard Stibbs (RJS1@CAM.PHX).
Offers are Invited for the Following Equipment
For sale to Cambridge University or external purchaser:
1 DEC VAX 8350
includes 12MB RAM, Ethernet and X25 interfaces.
Also available together or separately:
3 RA81 discs, LA100 printer
All completely DEC maintained and with maintenance paid until
January 1991 (can be taken over if the system is bought by a
Cambridge University department).
Plus EXSYS 1.1 GB disc system, DEC maintainable; also possible
option to buy a TU81-PLUS 6250 bpi 1/2" tape drive
To place offers or for further details, please send mail to
JCJB@CAM.BIO or telephone Jenny Barna (Cambridge (0223) 333744
or University ext. 3744).
Courses: Easter Term and Long Vacation
Courses list appears here; see INFO.COURSES
Rules for Use of the University Computing Service
Rules appear here; see INFO.RULES
1
This version by the University of Cambridge Computing
Service, September 1995