COUNCIL ON ACADEMIC COMPUTING

DR. GEORGE E. KLINZING, CHAIR
MEETING SUMMARY –
MAY 3, 2001



The meeting was called to order at
10:03 a.m.
 

Minutes

No changes were requested to the minutes of the April 9, 2001 meeting.

High Performance Network Applications Initiative Program

The proposals have been distributed to the reviewers and the Council is expected to vote on their recommendations for funding at the next meeting.  Galletta inquired whether the review subcommittee has the authority to request further information.  Klinzing stated that reviewers may ask for clarification, but proposals should be reviewed "as is."  Klinzing asked reviewers to comment on each proposal to provide constructive criticism and feedback for improvement of future proposals.

Subcommittees

Systems Failure
The subcommittee anticipates presenting its report at the next meeting.

Security
The subcommittee is working with Bill McGahey of the Senate Computer Usage Committee to coordinate efforts between the committees in implementing recommendations on security issues.

Bandwidth
The subcommittee has met and will present its final recommendations at the next meeting.

Announcements

Klinzing anticipates that the meeting in June will be the last one until the fall term.  Council members should contact him via e-mail with agenda items for discussion, exploration, and resolution to present to the Provost for next year.

Report of the Director -- Jinx Walton

The grant awarded to the University by the National Science Foundation, which subsidized connection costs of close to $140,000 to the vBNS system, has expired.  CSSD discovered that only ten universities nation-wide are connected to vBNS, that the University can access vBNS through Abilene, to which the University also subscribes, and the significant subscription charge prohibits the University's participation in both services.  After careful consideration of these issues, CSSD has opted to discontinue its subscription to the service.  If you or your colleagues are aware of anyone who accesses a specific site through vBNS that cannot be accessed through Abilene, please inform Ms. Walton immediately.  Council endorsed the proposal to eliminate this service.

The gigabit ethernet upgrade in Allen Hall and Chevron Science Center is ahead of schedule.  WPIC is scheduled to be upgraded next.

The Tower C residence hall has been wired to the DHPC service.  A pilot project is underway to expand these connections to other residence halls and common areas by fall.

The computing lab in Posvar Hall will be closed for renovations.  Other computing lab schedules, especially those in David Lawrence Hall, will be adjusted accordingly to accommodate the overflow created by the temporary loss of this facility.

Several Council members inquired how they may request the installation of e-mail kiosks in their buildings.  Currently, kiosks have been installed in those areas requested by students via survey.  Each kiosk is equipped with a "retired" computer from one of the computing labs in a graffitti-resistant "shell" at a cost of $3,000 each. Efforts are underway to install kiosks for the wheelchair bound.  Requests for installation of e-mail kiosks should be directed to Jinx Walton.

The subscription period for DSL connections through Stargate is expired.  CSSD will participate in quarterly meetings with Stargate executives, at which time they will receive progress reports on the status of sign-up for services, installation of connections, and positive and negative customer feedback.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:41 a.m.

The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for Monday, June 11, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in 817 Cathedral of Learning.