Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond: A Progress Report (166164141)

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Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond: A Progress Report

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Computing and Network ServicesUniversity of Alberta

Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond

Strategic Plan forComputing and Network Services

February 1992

Table of Contents



Purpose of the Plan 2Mission of Computing and Network Services 4Goals and Objectives 6Key Strategic Issues 8Technology Evolution 9Networking 11Research Computing 14Instructional Computing 17Administrative Computing 21Policies and Procedures 23Coordinating Computing Initiatives 24Organizing CNS 25Marketing 26Finance and Partnership 27Strategic Directions and Action Plans 29Research Computing Services 29CAI and Computer Labs 29Central Services 30Professional Services 31Institutional Data 32Data Communications Network 33

Sharing Expertise 35Numerically Intensive Computing 35Funding Partnerships 36Communications Program 36Standards 37Leveraging Technology 38New Funding Sources 38

Charging for Services 39Reorganization 39

Acknowledgements 40Purpose of the Plan

Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond outlines thecomputing directions to be pursued by Computing and NetworkServices (CNS) in collaboration with the user community over thenext four years. The change in the name of the University'scomputing department from University Computing Systems toComputing and Network Services is directly related to thestrategic planning process and is more than a verbal exercise. Itis meant to reflect a renewed emphasis on a client-centeredservice orientation and it refers to networks in order to conveythe growing importance of network services in the universitycontext.

The computing directions in the plan were derived by analyzingcampus computing as it is today and by looking ahead to a futurecomputing environment that will allow the University to becompetitive in education and research.

Planning is mandatory in the current environment. Informationtechnology is changing rapidly and computing is now campus-wide.Coordination of technology evolution and interoperability ofdifferent computer systems are real issues. At the same time,financial constraints that many universities are experiencing



require the focusing of resources. This plan constitutes a meansto formulate, with user participation, common goals for computingon campus. It allows the University to organize and focus humanand technological resources in an efficient and economicalmanner.

Strategic planning activities have taken into account the inputof individual campus users and University departments, the reporton University Computing Systems by the President's AdvisoryCommittee on Campus Reviews, the Task Force reports of theUniversity Computing Advisory Group (UCAG), and the results ofthe Computing Environment Survey. The latter two initiatives werecarried out under the auspices of Dr. Lois Stanford, Vice-President, Student and Academic Services.

This plan is only the beginning of an exchange of informationwith the user community. CNS wants collaboration to continuethrough new user advisory committees and individual anddepartmental contacts. The computing environment is complex andwe need to hear about campus computing needs and priorities.Strategic Planning ProcessStrategic planning activities commenced at Computing and NetworkServices at the initiative of the CNS Director, Dr. MonicaBeltrametti, shortly after her appointment in April 1991. CNS

staff were encouraged to participate in the process with an on-line discussion pertaining to CNS services and the futuredirections of the computing service organization. This wasfollowed by the compilation of planning working papers, based onweekly meetings of CNS staff and managers, and a discussion ofthe working papers with UCAG Task Force chairs and then the wholeUCAG committee.

Early in October, planning activities crystallized in an intenseset of week-long sessions which included senior Universityadministrators, UCAG Task Force chairs, and CNS management. Thesessions were facilitated by Bill Beairsto, a professional withover 25 years experience in the computer communications industry.

Phase I of the facilitated planning involved the UniversityPresident, Vice-Presidents, and the Director of CNS. Agreement onthe mission of CNS was the result. Phase II of the process,involving UCAG Task Force chairs, the Vice-President of Studentand Academic Services, and the CNS management team, developedhigh-level goals and pinpointed information technology areas ofstrategic importance to the University. With these strategicareas in mind, in Phase III CNS management decided on the futuredirection of CNS by weighing various options against theresources available. Phases IV and V, also involving CNSmanagement, developed a consensus on an action plan to give thestrategic options a concrete basis in the activities of CNS.

Strategic Plan OutlineThe CNS Mission Statement, found in Chapter 2, is the foundationof all CNS activities. Chapter 3 of the plan lists CNS goals andobjectives. Goals describe what CNS must achieve to fulfill themission statement; objectives are shorter-term indicators ofsuccess in moving toward the goals. Chapter 4 of the plan, "KeyStrategic Issues," provides a discussion of important areas ofinformation technology at the University. Each area of computing



is analyzed from the point of view of where technology isheading, the current context we find ourselves in, and thevarious options CNS has to contribute to each area. Chapter 5 ofthe plan, "Strategic Directions and Action Plans," shows whereCNS will focus attention in the next few years.

Mission of Computing and Network Services

Computing and Network Services and senior Universityadministration have developed a mission statement defining thepurpose of the department.

Mission StatementThe mission of Computing and Network Services is to providevalue to its clients through leadership in innovativecomputing and information-technology solutions to support theteaching/learning, research, and public service goals of theUniversity of Alberta. By the optimal application of availableresources, CNS provides the required computer/ communicationand professional services, including the infrastructure tointegrate the various systems throughout the University.

The components of the CNS Mission Statement are defined below.

"Value to its Clients"Computer and data communications technology is complex andevolving rapidly. Even though information technology is withinreach of many today, great efforts are required to use it to itsfull potential, efforts often far beyond what a user is willingto expend.

CNS services and expertise must provide value to clients byenabling them to apply information technology more effectivelyand economically. Minimizing the burden of maintaining computer

resources allows users to concentrate on their academicendeavors. Value is also provided by access to facilities andservices that are best shared among users, such as a networkinfrastructure and costly equipment.

Clients of CNS include faculties, academic departments, serviceand administrative units, individual researchers, instructors,administrators, staff, and students of the University of Alberta.

"Leadership"Computers are spreading across the campus and users have thecapability to implement their own computing solutions. CNS mustensure that these solutions are compatible with each other and

with central infrastructures. CNS must be pro-active and provideleadership in anticipating trends and in advising on theacquisition and use of information technol-ogy.

"Innovative Computing and Information Technology Solutions"To exploit technology to the maximum, CNS must make inventive useof the variety of technology available today. It is our mandateto capitalize on the University's current and future computinginvestments through innovative information-technology solutions.



"Support the Teaching/Learning, Research, and Public ServiceGoals of the University"The University's mission is to excel at teaching and research andthe primary mandate of CNS is to support these mission-criticalactivities. CNS services for the University's administration andthe wider community are in support of teaching and researchactivities.

"The University of Alberta"The University of Alberta is defined as all the organizationalunits included in the University's consolidated financialstatement.

CNS will only provide services to other users if they arerequested by members of the University of Alberta, and if therequests are in direct support of University activities.Exceptions to this policy will be considered verycarefully.

"Optimal Application of Available Resources"CNS must apply resources in a way that achieves the highestreturn on investments. We must show entrepreneurial spirit infinding and applying technological, human and financial resourceson campus and elsewhere.

"Provides the Required Computer/Communication and ProfessionalServices"It is the mandate of CNS to provide central computer andcommunications equipment that benefits a large user base. CNSprovides professional services for utilizing this equipment andalso provides services to users in support of the acquisition anduse of distributed computing facilities.

"The Infrastructure to Integrate the Various Systems throughoutthe University"CNS must create the necessary computer and human communicationsframework to provide an integrated distributed computing

environment which ensures interoperability and appropriateexploitation of hardware, software, and computing knowledge.

Goals and Objectives

The following goals and objectives are to be achieved over thenext four years. The goals describe what CNS must achieve tofulfill its mission successfully. The objectives are shorter-termindicators of success in moving toward the goals.

Objectives are formulated in terms of numbers such as percentages

and increases; or in terms of perceptions gathered throughopinion surveys or evaluations. It is the intent of CNS to carryout an annual opinion survey to gauge the requirements of clientsand the progress made toward fulfilling goals and objectives.

Value to ClientsGoalTo provide, by December 1994, nationally recognized value toour clients which is comparable to that found at the top three



computing service departments in Canada's foremostuniversities.

Objective* Measure the perceived value of CNS to the University throughthe annual campus opinion survey. We will rely on our clientsand their contacts in other universities throughout the countryto rate us in comparison with other computing servicesdepartments.

Leadership in Innovative SolutionsGoalTo be recognized, by December 1993, as a leader in thedevelopment and implementation of innovative computing andinformation-technology solutions in comparison to otherorganizations with similar applications.

Objectives* Establish a procedure to identify and track the implementationof innovative solutions.* Record the number of implemented innovative solutions on anongoing basis.* Annually count the number of innovative solutions delivered or

facilitated by CNS and increase the number annually.* Verify the perception of CNS as a deliverer of innovativesolutions via the annual opinion survey.

ServicesGoalTo provide a range of services, by December 1994, which meetthe needs of our clients so that they can have a competitiveedge over those at or from other organizations.

Objectives* Measure on a yearly basis the change in the number of new

services offered, and the number of out-dated services deleted.* Increase the number of services that are highly-rated in theannual survey and increase the overall rating we achieve on allservices.* Measure user perception on a yearly basis to determine how wellCNS services enable our clients to excel in being competitivewith their peers.

InfrastructureGoalTo spearhead, in cooperation with other units on campus, thedevelopment of human, communication, and information

technology infrastructures which provide the highest level ofeffective and efficient use of physical and human resources ofany Canadian university by December 1994.

Objectives* Make network access available to all campus clients byDecember 1993.* Make access to CNS network services, such as electronic mailand file transferring, available to all campus clients byDecember 1994.



* Measure annually the number of campus clients with networkaccess.* Measure yearly the number of network services available andused by campus clients.* Measure annually the number of people who perceive benefitsfrom participating in CNS facilitated special interest,planning, and working groups.

Application of ResourcesConstraint* Apply the available resources in an optimal way such that ourgoals are achieved.

Key Strategic Issues

A state of the art information technology environment ismandatory to maintain and improve productivity in research andthe quality of instruction, and to facilitate the University'sadministration. Advances in many areas of information technologyhave given rise to tools that facilitate and enrich universityactivities. Those institutions which fail to exploit them will be

left behind.

Information technology services must be aimed at providing anadequate infrastructure to meet the University of Alberta'sacademic agenda. These services must be driven by the specificrequirements of the user community, comprising faculty, students,staff, and administrators; they must relate to the futureevolution of computing. As there is a broad range of rapidlyevolving technologies and as university budgets are generallyshrinking, it is very important that services be established toride the technological wave in the most economical manner.

Not long ago, most universities' computing resources, both human

and technological, were concentrated in central computingdepartments. Clients were mostly scientists and engineers, laterfollowed by social scientists needing high-speed statisticalcomputations and administrators automating institutionalprocesses. In contrast, hardware/software and computing expertisetoday is distributed widely over the campus. The emergence ofmicrocomputers, with their ease of use and affordability, hasopened new frontiers for research, instruction, andadministration. A growing user population, extending beyond thetraditional groups, is now acquiring computing equipment andhiring, training, or becoming computing experts.

The role of a central computing organization like Computing and

Network Services has clearly changed. The primary justificationfor its existence now, is to provide added value to the spreadingand diverse computing resources and expertise on campus. Freedomhas to be left to the departments to come up with their owncomputing solutions, but a central computing organization has toensure that these solutions are interoperable. It has to providea network infrastructure and the technical expertise andleadership to help users make effective use of network computing.Only then can the University reap the benefits of a seamlessdistributed computing infrastructure in which a desktop computer



can access a library catalog, student records, a color printeracross the campus, or a supercomputer across the continent.

Another important role for a central computing department is toexploit economies of scale. Site licence agreements for software,providing access to equipment that is best shared amongdepartments, and offering general purpose tools and services areall functions that improve the cost-effectiveness of computer-related tasks on campus.

There is a new service that central computing organizations havebeen asked to provide. Departments with a variety of computingequipment are concerned about the amount of time spent lookingafter computing tools instead of on academic, instructional, andadministrative tasks. They are now looking back to centralorganizations for expert advice on standard solutions tointegrate their working environments, and for the day-to-dayupgrading and maintenance of computing tools.

In contrast, some services can now be better provided by otherdepartments. For example, CNS presently offers support forprogramming in numerical computation, statistical analysis, andadministrative applications but as information technologyspreads, touching all campus entities, it will be difficult to

provide central programming support for all disciplines. Thelevel of expertise and the specific knowledge required will bedifficult to provide and if, indeed, departments look forassistance with their programming tasks, they will probably findbetter service in other organizations specializing in theirparticular field. More and more turn-key solutions will beavailable from these organizations.

The issue of who should design and implement application softwarewill have to be constantly monitored and reassessed. Generally,we want to position CNS to provide expert advice at the systemsoftware and hardware level, leaving discipline-specificapplication development work to the departments whenever possible

and practical.

CNS must carefully choose the services it will provide. Focus hasto be on providing services that help a large user base, servicesthat CNS can provide better than other departments or agencies,and services that improve the cost-effectiveness of informationtechnology on campus. In the following sections, we discussvarious areas of computing and analyze the options that CNS hasin providing services.

Technology EvolutionThe variety of old and new equipment on campus makes

interoperability and maintenance a real issue. Combined withuniversal financial constraints, this requires that technologyimplementations on campus be planned even more carefully than inthe past.

Central funding for CNS for capital acquisition of computingequipment has decreased by a factor of eight in the last fiveyears. At the same time, the service department's shift fromcentralized to distributed computing support has been indecisiveand incomplete. As a result, computing resources and services



have failed to keep up with either technology or demand. Today,we are more than five years behind in mainframe technology andthe campus community only benefits from a modest central supportfor distributedcomputing.

The campus is very much aware of the technological lag. The CNSstrategic planning pro-cess has provided incentive to think abouthow we can realistically close the gap between where we are nowand where we need to be. Our clients are ready to collaborate andare supportive. They have a large installed base of relativelynew equipment in their workplaces and will welcome support basedon our experience with networks and large mainframes.

CNS will have to face a number of challenges to make theappropriate transition. The department has suffered from a lackof focus and as a result has been perceived as hidebound andbackwards. CNS will have to work hard to keep up with rapidlyevolving technology; it has to gain more expertise in distributedcomputing, and apply good judgement in bringing forwardappropriate technologies to solve problems.

There are several options to consider in creating the computingenvironment necessary for the University to be efficient and

competitive:* CNS could decide to stay at least one generation behind in thetechnology. While remaining one generation behind might beentirely satisfactory for one set of clients, such a strategywould severely impact those who need to be at the forefront oftechnology to compete with other universities.

* CNS could form an alliance with one or a few vendors andimplement their specific set of technology. This could resultin a limited set of solutions being available quickly andeasily, which is satisfactory for some clients, but could betoo restrictive for others. A possible danger is being lockedout of important new developments.

* Selected technologies could be picked from several sources andCNS could integrate them on an "as required" basis to achievethe maximum utility with the limited resources available. Thiswould demand constant attention to maintenance of interfacesbetween technologies to ensure continued usability.

* CNS could define an integrated system architecture, setting adirection for the maximum benefit of all our clients.Unfortunately, this solution demands resources far beyond thoseavailable today and in the foreseeable future and does notallow new computing investments to build on those of the past.

* Finally, CNS could carefully choose new technology forstrategic applications and refrain from using leading-edgesolutions for the base set. This has the advantage of focusingour energy on the strategic needs of the University but wouldbe an unsatisfying situation for those users and staff leftbehind.Preferred Course of ActionGiven the strictures of our current environment, where newinvestments must build on those of the past, and where CNSattention can only be devoted to restricted applications, we



must rise to the challenge of providing the best possiblesolution with a carefully selected mix of new technologies forstrategically important areas blended into the existing set.This will require diligence in rationalizing our offerings toavoid expensive and unnecessary duplication. Constantattention must be given to ensuring that the interfacesbetween new and old technologies are usable and efficient andthat new technologies bring the desired return to mission-critical endeavors.

NetworkingWith the advent of distributed computing, users have thepossibility to realize their own solutions with a growing varietyof often incompatible technologies. Exchange of information amongthis diverse equipment is essential. As more and more data is puton-line and stored across the campus and elsewhere, and as itwill include images, text, graphics, sound, and digital signals,the demand on communications will steadily increase. A seamlessinfrastructure has to be developed to ensure that each user hasaccess from their personal workstation to the full hierarchy ofresources available both inside and outside the institution.

Many benefits become available via the network. Users gain the

ability to communicate with peers through e-mail and electronicconferences. They can access local and remote library catalogsand institutional and discipline-specific data bases. Throughsharing, more equipment becomes available to the user:specialized computers and peripherals like printers and plotters.Software tools are now available that support distributedservices to clients over the network, such as software upgradesand backups of data and programs.

Networks can provide a greater return on the campus investment inworkstations. Tools are emerging to tap into the computing powerspread over the campus, enabling workstations to exploit idlecompute cycles from other workstations over the network. Networks

also allow users to tap into off-campus computing power.Researchers, for example, can access supercomputing facilitieswhich are too expensive to be supported by a single university.

The goal today is to provide connectivity with a hierarchy ofnetworks. Local area networks (LANs) connect to wide-areanetworks like a campus backbone which in turn connects tonational and worldwide nets. To deal with the huge quantity ofdata to be transferred, emphasis has to be placed on newtechnology such as fibre optic networks using the FibreDistributed Data Interface (FDDI).

In the coming years, we will see much more software providing the

transparency necessary to make the underlying network connectionseasy to use on a variety of equipment. Not all network softwareavailable today has reached the desired level of maturity.

There are various factors that put the University of Alberta in agood position to implement a fast campus network with goodconnectivity to the rest of the world. The University has gainedsome experience with the network, which today connects parts ofthe campus and provides worldwide connectivity through theInternet. CNS has capable staff who can plan, implement, and



maintain advanced networking technologies. The presence of thecampus tunnel system and experienced Physical Plant staff greatlyreduce the investment that would otherwise be required to installa backbone network. We are also planning for our network at theright time. Fibre optic networks have emerged as the viable,industrial strength technology of choice and, as evidenced by theUCAG Task Force reports, there is wide campus support for movingon to the next generation of backbone networking technology. Anational initiative is underway to increase the capacity andspeed of the backbone Canadian network by 1993. The improvementsproposed for the Canadian Network for Advanced Research, Industryand Education (CANARIE) could coincide with the firstinstallments of a campus backbone, giving campus users the rightcommunications speeds to make appropriate use of CANARIEcapacity.

Despite these positive factors, networking the campus willpresent several challenges. Facilitating central funding for thebackbone network, and departmental funding for LANs to beconnected to the backbone, will be challenging. Difficulties areanticipated in migrating the coaxial connected workstations andolder or incompatible LANs to the new fibre optic backbone.Carrying the burden of existing technology while developing thestaff skills and campus support infrastructures for the new

technology will be problematic. Throughout, there must becognizance of the emerging networking technologies along withtheir appropriate incorporation into the campus network.

The University is seeking leading-edge network solutions. Thereis a risk that without due care and attention it could finditself on the "bleeding edge" of an unproven emerging technology.Similarly, it may be that the total networking costs are beyondwhat the University can afford, resulting in erosion of theUniversity's standing compared to peer institutions withinCanada. Network technology develops at a fast pace and the lifecycle for a particular implementation is often only five to sevenyears. By far the greatest risk is in choosing a technology that

proves to be a dinosaur in the long run.

Given this context, there is a range of networking options forCNS to consider.

* In the area of LANs, CNS can provide departments withrequirements analysis, installation cost estimates,coordination of installation, user training, and contract LANadministration on request.

Options related to the campus backbone network are more numerousand demand more planning.

* The University could refrain from implementing a fibre opticbackbone altogether and could instead install bridges betweenthe LANs on campus. This would, however, reduce theeffectiveness of the network to that of its slowest LAN.Bottlenecks would occur and the high-speed communicationssought by many in the user community would not be possible.

* The University could install a fibre optic backbone, choosingeither a one-time complete installation across the campus or aphased implementation over three years. The complete



installation option is expensive and there is a risk incommitting everything to a particular technology at aparticular time. In contrast, the phased option amortizes therequired investment and can exploit declining prices astechnology evolves while affording appropriate reviews ofnetworking strategies.

* There is also the possibility of contracting out the provisionof campus networking to one of the major telecommunicationstechnology vendors such as IBM, AGT, ED TEL, or Digital. It islikely that such an arrangement would result in a proprietaryimplementation requiring a sole vendor relationship for up tofive years. There are dangers in relying on a single vendor fora strategic service.

* Outsourcing the provision of campus networking to ED TEL as a"pay as you use" utility is an option. This would place theUniversity, as a high-volume user, at great disadvantage inhaving to pay for each packet of message data.

* Forming an alliance with an emerging FDDI technology vendorwould accrue cost reduction benefits above those normallyreceived through privileged customer discounts. Due care mustalways be taken to ensure that University staff resources are

available to support such arrangements and that the vendor hassimilar relationships with other institutions.

* Seeking economies of scale through intra-universityarrangements is an option. By choosing a common technology, allmembers could achieve beneficial pricing arrangements throughvolume purchases from selected vendors. Due to the variety ofproducts in the marketplace, and the differing needs ofuniversities, this option has been impractical in the past.

* Undertaking to provide a fully functional seamless network tothe campus is an option. This would require the imposition ofstandard hardware and software across the campus. It would

necessitate a high focus of staff and funding and a departurefrom the freedom of choice extended to faculties anddepartments within the collegiate fabric of the University.

Preferred Course of ActionThe most important requirement for connectivity and computerinteroperability is the presence of a fast backbone networklinking campus computers to each other and the outside world.There is concern that a single-vendor solution for the networkwill unduly expose the University to a severely limited set ofchoices in the future, based upon how such a vendor may seetheir position in the market at a given time. Consequently,the University must seek a networking solution that is

nonproprietary and capable of evolving according to the besttechnology of the time. Within this framework, CNS sees thefirst priority as the installation of a campus fibre opticbackbone. Design and installation of the backbone will beprimarily self-contracted by the University.

There are clearly scenarios where cooperation with industryand other institutions will be of benefit, and they will beexplored, but not at the risk of compromising what is one ofthe most advanced network initiatives at a Canadian



university. Through careful selection of software tools and by definingcommunications standards, CNS will provide access to computingresources across the campus as transparently and seamlessly aspossible.

Research ComputingResearch computing can be divided into numerically-intensivecomputing (NIC) and the other wealth of research computing thatis nowadays performed primarily, but not exclusively, onworkstations, ranging from choreographing a ballet to composingmusic to cataloging and analyzing archaeological collections. Inthe past, numerical computing obtained the most attention but asmore types of research of equal value are being done with thehelp of computers, universities are devoting more effort toproviding appropriate information technology to all parties.

Numerical computing will see significant changes in the nextdecade. Researchers will continue using a hierarchy of resources,ranging from workstations to mid-range computers to high-poweredsupercomputers, and we will see significant evolution in allthese computer architectures. It is essential that we get on the

evolutionary path for our researchers to remain competitive intheir fields.

There is a need to provide ever more cost-effective workstationsintegrating multimedia tools. Leading companies are building thenext generation of high-performance computers. These machineswill be parallel computers and will arrive on the market in a bigway in two to three years. The hope is that eventually these newarchitectures will allow scientists to attack the grandchallenges of numerical computation.

Numerically-intensive computers are today being progressivelylinked with scientific visualization systems. These systems allow

simulations to be analyzed in three dimen-sional space that ismore in tune with human perception. New insights are possiblewhen terabytes of raw data, generated by computers, laboratoryinstruments, and sensor technology, are visually represented inreal time.

Tools for both mathematical and statistical analysis aremigrating from mainframes to workstations. Although workstationversions of these tools cannot yet handle problems as large astheir mainframe counterparts, they excel in ease of use and overtime they will become dominant. Our science will also be refinedto the point where expert help is only needed in exceptionalcircumstances-the software will choose correct parameters in the

vast majority of cases. Publishing the results of research, forexample, used to be the exclusive domain of the professionalprinter but most publishing functions have been automated intoday's desktop publishing software.

Positive developments are occurring in research computing. Thereis an increased awareness in government of the strategic economicimportance of a national high-speed network which can drawtogether the nation's researchers in collaborative endeavors.There is growing support for a national supercomputing centre to



exploit economies of scale for researchers requiring expensiveand powerful facilities. At the same time, research computingusers presently find themselves in a buyer's market. Cost-effective and powerful workstation and mid-range solutions forresearchers are readily available.

Given the increasing breadth in the use of computers in theresearch community, and the increasing depth of applications, CNSfinds itself in a difficult position. CNS has not changed as fastas the times. Some shortfalls in our set of skills, such as UNIXand scientific visualization, will have to be quickly overcome,but resources are not always available to start new supportactivities. CNS can either choose to support many areas ofresearch computing in a superficial way or concentrate on a fewservices in depth.

There are several options to consider in the area of researchcomputing:* CNS could confine itself to the services it currently offersbut this would not allow it to react with more support for thespreading computerization in research.

* CNS could rationalize current services by emphasizing system-level support and by encouraging departments to independently

develop discipline-specific applications. CNS could provideadvice on statistics and NIC tools but would not help solve theusers' research problems. This would agree with our goal ofleaving application work to departments and would releaseresources for new services.

* Some services could be outsourced, such as the development oftools and utilities. This could have some financial benefits,but care would have to be taken to keep proper control ofcontracts and to ensure adequate quality of services.

* CNS could provide researchers with access to increasedcomputing capacity. For the NIC users, it could provide access

to a supercomputer facility in Alberta and strike agreementswith North American supercomputing centres. CNS could alsoprovide users with innovative ways of networking workstationsto take advantage of unused capacity.

* CNS could further facilitate the acquisition and maintenance ofspecialized resources, such as a visualization centre.

* Funding efforts could be facilitated by CNS. It could act as apartner in the research lobby to amplify the effectiveness ofour clients in dealing with funding agencies and vendors. Itcould also coordinate (and perhaps fund) the acquisition ofsite licences and volume purchase agreements for software that

is either in wide use on campus or in heavy demand.

* CNS could help coordinate the computing knowledge of ourresearchers. It could facilitate the writing of user manualsand handbooks and the formation of cooperatives with commoninterests. (This support applies to a wider group than theresearch community.)

* CNS could help researchers with the day-to-day management ofequipment, helping sites with complex computing environments.



There has been high demand for this service, which could beprovided by CNS staff alone, or by staff jointly appointed byCNS and faculties.

Preferred Course of ActionCurrent services for research computing will be rationalizedand departments will be encouraged to develop discipline-specific applications independently of CNS. New services willbe in support of new demands.

There is a clear and immediate need for the support ofcomputing in the workplace, rather than in the computingcentre. Instead of faculty spending valuable time tending tocomputers and software, CNS can help researchers manage theirfacilities.

Bulk purchases of software, and training in the use of commonpackages, are ways to exploit economies of scale across a wideinstitutional base.

Finally, to enable our researchers to be competitive, we willfacilitate access to increased computing capacity on and offthe campus.

Instructional ComputingIn the next decade, we will see the spreading of multimediainstructional material and a growing student population both onand off campus. The network will extend the classroom to otheruniversities, institutions, and private homes; it will offerstudents remote learning and the best education, even ifspecialized expertise is not available locally.

It will be an enormous challenge to provide the software,hardware, and the enabling technology for the new instructionalenvironment. The University has been asked for its commitment tostart planning for this revolution. It must face issues involving

copyright restrictions, rewards for designers and developers ofinstructional material, financing of and access to instructionalequipment, and many others.

Presently, the University is trying to solve some of theseproblems in a disjointed fashion, leading to frustration for themany individuals involved who are unaware of the procedures tofollow. The precise role of CNS in this field has to be definedas part of the planning process for instructional computing. Twoaspects have to be analyzed: computer laboratories and computer-assisted instruction (CAI).

Computer Laboratories

There is general recognition of the importance of computerlaboratories for teaching and assisting students which isevidenced by the extensive institutional support for thecontinuing operation of the laboratories, from caretaking throughto presidential support. Signifi-cant capital and operating fundsare annually advanced to maintain and expand the current base of26 public laboratories. In addition, many faculties haveestablished computer labor-atories with their own financialresources and a knowledgeable and efficient support organizationis in place.



It is perceived that computer laboratories should berepresentative of industry-standard products and that alllaboratory computers should be configured with base tools (e.g.,word processors, spreadsheets, data base and graphics programs).It is also perceived that speciality laboratories should beconfigured for discipline-specific use (e.g., CAD, musicsynthesis, animation, virtual reality, etc.). The increased focuson CAI will accentuate the shortage of specialized labs whichrequire different types of equipment. The growing population ofstudents with their own portable computers will create demand forlaboratories with plug and play facilities for accessing theUniversity's computing resources.

Accessibility must be tempered with protection against malicioususe, security breaches, and disastrous events. There is a needfor distributed file servers and network connectivity in supportof distant students who should have the ability to dial intolaboratories from remote locations. Special attention will berequired to provide a working environment for the handicapped.Graduate students currently have no guaranteed access to computerlaboratories. Although functional, the current method ofscheduling laboratory time is not conducive for irregularbookings.

Overall, there are insufficient capital and operating fundsallocated to computer laboratories by the University. Thedifficult choices necessary in providing appropriate currenttechnology have led to a lack of planned upgrading for theexisting laboratories and have resulted in severaltechnologically obsolete and embarrassing facilities. The jointownership of laboratories across departments should continue tobe explored. Furthermore, the provision of funding according tothe fiscal year for services to be provided within the academicyear severely compromises University purchasing policies andprocedures for seeking tenders from prospective vendors.

The primary risk is that computer laboratory funding will bereduced while demand increases and that CNS will be unable toprovide an effective support operation with the availableresources. The further risk exists that the University will beunable to halt and reverse the decline in laboratory facilitiesas the pace of technology proceeds faster than laboratories canbe refurbished. A likely consequence would be less public accessfor students as laboratories become increasingly privately ownedby faculties seeking greater autonomy in lab availability andtechnology choices. This would result in a less than effectiveuse of University resources.

There are several options for the future of computer laboratories

on campus:* CNS could relinquish laboratory operation and transfer theresponsibility to the faculties. This would ignore achievedeconomies of scale and the spirit of sharing from which theUniversity enjoys reduced costs.

* Plug and play facilities could be provided by CNS, leaving thefaculties to provide special-purpose laboratories. Without anattendant policy requiring and assisting students to ownportables as a requisite of enrolling at the University, this



would discriminate against students who cannot afford their ownequipment.

* CNS could provide only base tools in public laboratories. Thiswould limit centrally provided services while leaving thefaculties to construct, maintain, and operate specialityfacilities without the benefit of established Universityexperience.

* The University could decide to have no private departmentallaboratories and could seek support from CNS for all campuscomputer labs: a somewhat daunting spectre that would ignorediscipline-specific requirements and the benefits of localownership.

* Joint ownership and operation of public laboratories could beestablished. Shared responsibility in the operation oflaboratories would leverage resources and experience that maywell be available within a faculty.

* CNS could provide seamless remote access to instructionalcomputing servers from both on and off campus.

* CNS could provide leadership for improving laboratory booking

and seek methods that lead to the full use of laboratories.

* Outsourcing the provision of laboratory facilities is anoption.

* CNS could assume leadership in managing site licences andstandard products for common needs.

Preferred Course of ActionFor the foreseeable future, the student population willrequire unscheduled access to computing laboratories. Incontrast, academic instructors will increasingly seekscheduled time in computing laboratories in support of their

teaching programs. CNS must improve booking of laboratories toachieve optimal usage by the entire community. There are many central services which are essential for theoperation of laboratories. CNS can ensure the connectivity oflaboratories with the campus and the world. It can helprealize economies of scale in the purchasing of equipment, labproctoring, and software site licensing. The campus can alsobenefit from CNS experience and expertise in assistingfaculties with lab planning and in helping set criteria forthe selection and evaluation of proposals for centrally fundedinstructional labs.

Sharing the responsibilities of laboratory establishment andoperation is the preferred option.

Computer Assisted InstructionToday, components of traditional teaching are being replaced withCAI. CAI is perceived by some to be cost-effective and is amedium for delivering a consistent instruction message.

There is growing campus interest in seeking more efficientteaching methods as evidenced by the creation of the new



Department of University Teaching Services. Several faculties areindependently developing CAI courses in various disciplines.Remnants of the expertise gained during the PLATO service aredwindling but are still available to the campus. Improvements inmultimedia technologies have greatly improved the potential for aquality product that could well be a component in all courselevels.

Apart from a loose and informal cooperation between adventurousindividuals, there is virtually no campus infrastructure for thedelivery of CAI. A standard courseware development and deliveryplatform is lacking. CAI system development and coursewareauthoring are uncoordinated and the University does not benefitfrom shared expertise or economies of scale. There are limitedsite licence/vendor alliance arrangements in place, but vendorsupport cannot be focused because of the lack of a CAIinfrastructure. In summary, there is no method of sharing CAIresources or avoiding duplication across the campus.

As of yet, there are only ideas about who could undertake CAI andwhere CAI campus support could best be located. Notwithstandingan infrastructure mechanism, CAI will require specialty computerlaboratory space that is protected against malicious use,security breaches and disaster events, with support for

handicapped access and irregular bookings. There may be a needfor remote connectivity to such laboratories.

If the University should decide it does not want a CAI supportservice, it will lose an opportunity for institutional leadershipand participation in advanced educational methods. The resourcesthe University has chosen to allocate to date have been minimal.For its part, CNS may be unable to provide any effective supportoperation without increasing the current staff base.

There are several options for CAI:* CNS could take leadership in providing full CAI authoring,licensing, and facility services. Although providing focus, it

is hard to envisage that an all encompassing and qualityservice could be provided from a single location. A CAI courseis discipline-specific and a computer expert remote from thefaculty would likely have difficulty transferring knowledgeinto the desired educational message. The academic instructormust be closely involved.

* Collaborative CAI support structures could be established withleaders such as Medicine, Education, and University TeachingServices. CNS could seek to participate in common platformsupport and author training, while avoiding the costs of a fulldevelopment service.

* CNS could support the base platform, i.e., hardware, operatingsystem, courseware site licences, the network, without anyspecific involvement or responsibility in CAI as anapplication.

* It could be decided that CAI services are purely a facultyresponsibility.

Preferred Course of ActionThe University will be unable to ignore the benefits of



computer-assisted instruction. Past experience with PLATO hascorrectly led to an atmosphere of caution and a realization ofthe complexities involved in the enterprise. However, thefragmented and uncoordinated CAI developments across thecampus can only lead to islands of excellence rather thanoverall leadership in the field for the University.

CNS expertise lies in the provision of computing assistancerather than in skills of course preparation. CNS shouldencourage collaboration with program developers but limitinvolvement to hardware and software procurement and selectedproduct support and training. As time goes on, the campusshould strive to build a consensus around a limited set of CAIdevelopment and delivery platforms and there should be betterdelineation of CAI responsibilities between CNS and faculties.

Administrative ComputingEfficient on-line manipulation of institutional data is essentialfor the operation of the University. Institutional data comprisesdata on markets (prospective students, funding, competitors),data on products (students, research, inventions, technologytransfers), data on finances (accounts payable, accountsreceivable, endowments), data on personnel (faculty, staff), and

data on physical assets (real estate, equipment, animals,collections).

There is a tendency to associate ownership of this data withUniversity administrative personnel only, neglecting the factthat faculty members also need access to institutional data forstudent advising, processing of grants, etc. The goal is tocreate an environment where access to data is shared acrosscampus and where data retrieval and manipulation is made easy bystandard tools that work uniformly, independently of where datais stored. To make this work, policies and procedures arenecessary to determine custodianship of data and authorization toview and change information.

In the past, as institutional data was put on-line and systemssuch as student records and payroll were developed, littleplanning occurred at universities to make the various systemscompatible. As a result, most of these systems today cannotexchange information, leading to duplication of data andunnecessary paperwork. The challenge is to create aninfrastructure with common data elements and standards that allowappropriate communication among systems. This task is made evenmore difficult today as there is a tendency to move institutionaldata from centrally run mainframes to special purpose platformsrun by individual departments. In this distributed data basescenario, an efficient network and standards of communication are

essential.

Solving business problems and enhancing University of Albertaoperations with information technology has wide support on campusand demand for distributed information systems is high. TheUniversity has demonstrated success in utilizing informationtechnology for administration and there is a solid foundation ofcore administrative systems in which newer distributed technologycould be incorporated. A cooperative attitude is evident acrossthe campus toward sharing and exploiting information systems



expertise.

While the benefits of the distributed model look alluring, thetransition from centralized administrative computing todistributed systems raises its own set of concerns. Thefundamental risk is that departments will develop non-integratedsystems on their own without adequately acknowledging the needsof others. Another concern is the lack of available funds toinvest in new technology which comes with a substantial pricetag. An overall University business plan is lacking and there areinadequately defined avenues for cooperative applicationdevelopment. Fear of diminishing central control is a factor anda mainframe mindset exists in small segments of theadministrative computing community.

Some problems at the technical implementation level must also beironed out. Extensive data duplication must be eliminated and thecumbersome and slow application development process must berejuvenated. The current system architecture must be brought up-to-date to meet the criteria of easy access to mainframe datafrom workstations. Use of commercially available packages shouldbe pursued more aggressively, even to the extent of modifyingbusiness processes in order to achieve cost savings and quickerimplementation.

There are several options for CNS in administrative computing:* The most pressing task for CNS is to complete the developmentof an information systems plan. The plan will identify currentUniversity business functions that need to be addressed; itwill develop various data structure, communication, andprocedural standards and guidelines to facilitate moredevelopment and operation of applications by end-userdepartments. Implementing the plan successfully will require aharmonious blend of central and distributed functions so thatCNS can ensure proper integration of departmental systems withexisting centralized applications.

* The best-case scenario for the University would be to acquirenew hardware with sufficient capacity, and modern softwaretools incorporating relational data base support and commonquery facilities. This would, however, involve a mammothundertaking to convert existing applications and to retrainstaff.

* A less daunting option is for CNS to focus resources on thedevelopment and maintenance of administrative applicationsdefined as critical to the University, leaving otherapplications to departments, who may contract out developmentwork and application maintenance from commercial serviceproviders.

Preferred Course of ActionIntegrated and compatible information systems that improve theeffectiveness and efficiency of administration are of vitalimportance to the University. The legacy systems currently inplace that support existing administrative processes will haveto be continually supported with substantial resourcecommitments in order to facilitate problem resolu-tions,essential changes, and enhancements to improve efficiency.Priorities are required for administrative computing. CNS does



not have the resources to support the existing applicationsuite and at the same time develop new applications andredevelop existing applications in line with strategicintegration requirements. The most effective choice is for CNSto concentrate on mission-critical applications and to provideassistance to client departments in the development andsupport of their own applications. Emphasis will be placed onestablishing a planning process and on building aninfrastructure to promote the development of integratedinformation systems.

Policies and ProceduresThe key management issue in a distributed computing environmentis integration and exploitation of a variety of equipment,information, and expertise. Key to this pursuit are standards, asthey provide the necessary communication links between themultitude of computing resources. Standards have to be responsiveto technological advances and can only be introduced if demandfor information technology is anticipated and lead. It is verydifficult to manage the computing environment in a purelyreactive mode.

Besides standards, other policies and procedures are important.

User policies and proce-dures provide guidelines for issues suchas the ethical use of computers and proper use of labs. InternalCNS policies and procedures, such as problem resolution tracking,give users reassurance that their requirements are properlyaddressed.

Central control of all information technology on campus is notonly unwise, but it is unworkable as well. However, to functioneffectively there must be some central policies and procedures,especially in infrastructure matters such as connection to abackbone network.

For information technology owned by faculties and individuals,

voluntary standards should be in place for those who wish togarner the benefits of interoperability (e.g., all LAN packageson campus need TCP/IP compatibility to properly utilize theInternet). These standards should be developed with therepresentative involvement of those concerned.

The following specific options were examined with regard topolicies and procedures:* CNS could wait for clear direction from the University's senioradministration. This would be an abrogation of ourresponsibility to coordinate the effective use of informationtechnology.

* CNS could wait for clear direction from faculties anddepartments. Although the user community expects to be involvedin the process, they look to CNS as the responsible party.

* To maximize user involvement, understanding, and cooperation,CNS could organize a standard-setting committee havingrepresentative membership from the campus.

Preferred Course of ActionCNS will take a leading role in defining infrastructure



standards for interfacing with a central network backbone andin establishing common data definitions for institutionalinformation systems. A list of supported products that conformwith infrastructure standards will also be defined with userparticipation. Use of these standard products is voluntary butunless they are adopted no central support can be provided.

Policies and procedures will also be developed with users inareas such as security and access to information and they willbe communicated to the entire campus community.

Coordinating Computing InitiativesMany of the tasks involved in developing an effective technologyinfrastructure involve resolution of issues that go beyond themandate of a central organization like CNS. Two such issues arecustodial responsibility for institutional data and theUniversity's commitment to instructional computing. The problemfacing all universities as information technology spreads, is theidentification of the responsible decision-making and organizingbodies.

These bodies must be formed with the various types of clients inmind. At a university, there are fundamental differences between

faculty, students, and administrators. University administratorsform a business-like hierarchical organization with clearreporting lines; faculties are more of a guild. Although it isappropriate and widely recommended in the literature to appoint asteering committee with executive power to plan foradministrative computing, this concept cannot be applied tofaculty computing where committees have to be advisory.

User involvement should not be limited to committee participationand to expressing computing requirements. Users should alsoprovide some of the implementation support.

Computing is becoming more important in the everyday activities

of campus individuals and there is a growing abundance ofknowledge within the University. There is a need to access thislatent expertise in a way that will effectively support the goalsof the University. Achieving more effective utilization of thisexpertise will depend on the individual/departmental willingness to share. There may be some resistanceto becoming more formally involved in the sharing process. Thebureaucracy in managing the process must be kept to a minimum toensure that it does not outweigh the advantages.

There are several options for coordinating computing initiatives:* CNS could facilitate the formation of steering and advisorycommittees to help coordinate and plan information technology

activities on campus.

* The varied expertise currently available across campus could becataloged. This expertise could be coordinated and exploitedfor the good of the University.

* The jurisdiction of departments involved with delivery ofvarious aspects of computing services could be clarified.

* Individual constituencies could be left to fend for themselves



in acquiring needed expertise and assistance.

Preferred Course of ActionCNS will facilitate the formation of user interest groups, andsteering and advisory committees which will be advisory to theVice-President, Student and Academic Services. The mandate ofthese committees will be to organize and coordinate computingactivities and they will involve the appropriate CNS and userexperts and support from senior executives.

CNS will catalog the variety of expertise on campus, making itaccessible to the entire University. The success of such anendeavor will be dependent on the willingness of theUniversity community to participate.

Organizing CNSMany central computing service departments are undergoingorganizational changes to better respond to new management andcomputing environment challenges. An organizational approachalong technological lines has been adopted by severaluniversities, including Indiana, Cornell, and the EcolePolytechnique de F_d_ral Lausanne; it promises to be responsiveto the new computing environment. Expert units, each specializing

in a different aspect of information technology, are the mainconstituents of the organization. The efforts of these units areguided by chosen standards and the requirements of a particulartype of computer user. These requirements are collected andvoiced via committees of the specific user groups.

Organizational change is motivated by the widespread concern thatcomputing service departments with the old structure, like theformer UCS, comprised of different units for academic andadministrative computing, are incurring severe inefficiencies asboth groups increasingly have the same technology needs and userbase. As Hawkins, Weissman, and Wolfe write in Organizing andManaging Information Resources on Campus (Hawkins, Brian L.,

editor. EDUCOM, 1989, p. 249.), "Academic and administrativecomputing have often been supported by separate groups havingseparate cultures. In a distributed computing environment, theneed to access different kinds of information in a seamlessfashion makes it imperative that these areas work harmoniously.Administrative users, for example, require the same kinds of wordprocessing and other kinds of productivity tools as faculty do.Faculty need access to administrative data bases of many kinds tosupport student advising and the processing of grants. And at adepartmental level, the boundaries between 'academic' and'administrative' computing may be hard to discern."

A more effective organization of CNS, with sufficient flexibility

to meet constantly changing needs, is an urgent necessity.Reorganization is supported by CNS staff and the campus.

CNS has several organizational options. All the options requirethat CNS strengthen communication channels both horizontally andvertically within CNS and develop effective interfaces to theUniversity community so that clients needs can be effectivelyunderstood and addressed.

Reorganization must minimize the duplication and overlap of



services provided by CNS and others in the user community. Itmust ensure adequate depth and breadth of staff skills andexpertise. Bureaucracy must be kept to a minimum. Success of thereorganization will depend on the ability of management toprovide challenging opportunities and on the willingness of staffto revise their outlook along new lines.

CNS staff have to be encouraged to participate in planning. Pro-active identification of skills to perform the various functionsis required to ensure that effective training plans are in place.Career path options for staff have to be developed to providethem with interesting and challenging opportunities. To do thiswhile honoring the staff association agreements and the currentUniversity performance appraisal system are big challenges forthe management team.

Preferred Course of ActionCNS must evolve a competent, flexible, and efficientorganization. Skills from the department must be balanced withthose of the community in addressing constantly changingtechnological requirements. An effective structure willaccommodate the diverse needs of clients without duplicatingefforts within CNS or elsewhere on campus.

MarketingA computing services department must provide an easy point ofcontact for clients to voice their requirements. Clients have tobe kept informed of future plans; problems have to be tracked andresolutions communicated to the affected users; solutions tocommon problems have to be documented and reported widely;services and facilities have to be advertised in a comprehensivefashion and education programs have to be organized.

Some of these tasks have become much more complex with the adventof distributed computing: requirements are much more diverse thanin the past and the equipment to be looked after involves

knowledge of many architectures and an understanding of manydifferent vendor contracts and agreements.

While CNS had an excellent image as a computer centre in theearly era of centralized time-sharing, its reputation iscurrently diminished. The current strategic planning processwill, however, focus the department's attention on therequirements voiced by users. As results will be achieved andcommunicated widely, CNS hopes to satisfy users and regain a goodreputation. We will use the Dispatch newsletter, which is well-respected and widely read, as our primary communication vehicle.

Involvement of senior administration and a large user base in

developing our strategic plan gives CNS a level of comfort thatwe will be moving in the right direction. While we imple-ment thestrategic plan, CNS must be careful not to raise falseexpectations with promises that cannot be kept. We have todevelop a positive attitude, despite the tough financial timesahead, and CNS staff have to overcome discouragement and developincreased pride in their work.

Preferred Course of ActionCNS will provide a uniform and reliable point of contact



between the users and the department and will publicize itsstrategic and operational plans widely. It will deliver onpromises. Services and achievements will be widely publicized.CNS will also increase its involvement in the continent-wideuniversity computing community. By playing a significant rolein organizations such as EDUCOM and CAUSE, CNS can reap thebenefits of leading-edge thinking and enhance the reputationof computing services at the University. This will helpattract outstanding students, researchers, and instructors tothe University of Alberta.

Finance and PartnershipDemarcation of financial responsibilities is necessary in adistributed computing environment. The question of who owns andwho pays for computing resources is fundamental to building anefficient and effective information technology infrastructure.Presently, universities are committed to funding a core ofcomputing resources and services, but this core is gettingsmaller due to shrinking budgets.

The CNS base budget has not escaped these economic constraints.Both operating and capital funds are decreasing. External andinternal revenues are also decreasing on a rapid scale as users

acquire more independent workstations and facilities. Financialresources for new initiatives and new services are thereforeinadequate.

Another underlying problem is the current charging structure forcomputing services which is irrational and ineffective for bothCNS and its clients. A charging mechanism has to reflect the realcost of each service and must treat each category of userequally.

The University can opt for a number of financial orientations. Itcould continue to provide a core of centrally supported servicesand leave funding for specialized facilities and services to the

user community. Alternatively, it could opt to make CNS anancillary organization based on full cost-recovery. Shrinkingbudgets make a third possibility of complete central funding forall services an unlikely choice.

Preferred Course of ActionCNS prefers to operate with central funds for mission-criticalservices and to recover costs for specialized facilities andservices from the departments. A fair charging mechanism willdefine, with the appropriate user participation, the servicesin each category.

Looking beyond the current circumstances, CNS must identify

and capitalize on alternative funding sources and untappedexpertise. Together with the Vice-President, Development, CNScan establish specific and intensive fund raising projects. Itcan develop joint ventures with other campus units andexternal entities and it can get more involved with otheruniversities, government agencies, and industry. For example,a collaborative strategy holds the most promise for gainingaccess to adequate supercomputing facilities for researchers.

CNS fund raising initiatives can rely on a general increase in



campus awareness that computing is essential and that its costis necessary to the present and future operation of theUniversity. This has been emphasized by the UCAG Task Forcereports and the increasing role that technology is playing inmany areas of University life. A favorable marketplace withincreased competition and falling costs will also enable moreeffective use of funds.

Strategic Directions and Action Plans

Analysis of the strategic issues, the options available to CNS,and the preferred courses of action, leads to the strategicdirections and action plans described in this chapter. Both thestrategic directions and the action plans will be reviewedannually and updated as required.

The actions described in this chapter will be implemented withinthe next two to three years. More details of the plans areavailable from CNS.

Strategic Direction #1: Research Computing Services

To assist in reducing the complexity of computing in theresearch environment, launch distributed services to supportcomputing by individual researchers or research groups attheir locations.

Our aim is to help researchers manage their computingenvironments. Initially, CNS will restrict these services to theresearch community only as we do not have the resources to expandthem to other users.

Actions

* In collaboration with research users having complex computingenvironments, CNS will determine a list of distributed servicesto help plan and manage the researchers' computing facilities.These services will range from hardware and software selectionand maintenance, to assistance in software upgrading, tomanaging contracts with vendors and writing and distributinguser manuals.

* CNS will train a pool of staff to deliver distributed servicesand devise methods to exploit commonalities among the variousresearch environments on campus.

Strategic Direction #2: CAI and Computer Labs

To assist in the application of information technology toinstruction, launch distributed services to support the use ofcomputing in the teaching/learning process.

Instructional computing has two components: computer laboratoriesand computer-assisted instruction. Our aim for laboratories is todevelop partnerships with faculties and departments to ensureoptimal use of facilities. Our aim for computer-assisted



instruction is to focus the efforts of those involved incourseware development.

Actions

* CNS will assist in the formation of a campus instructionalcomputing standing committee to deal with computer-assistedinstruction and computer laboratories. CNS will facilitateservices identified as essential by this standing committee.Computer Assisted Instruction* Establishment of a courseware centre will be facilitated byCNS, where interested faculty can view and evaluate availablecourseware in their subject areas. An on-line directory of theavailable courseware will be provided.

* CNS will coordinate and advertise site licences for coursewaredevelopment packages and shareware and public domain tutorials.

Instructional Laboratories* CNS will help plan and coordinate public computer laboratoryproposals and evaluate them in consultation with theappropriate committees (e.g., UCAG, the Task Force onInstructional Laboratories, the Computing Science Liaison

committee, the Faculty of Arts Computer Committee, etc.).

* Policies will be developed by CNS, together with faculties andthe responsible directional committees, to defineresponsibilities for the use and operation of shared computerlaboratory facilities.

* Access policies and booking procedures will be developed byCNS, to ensure optimal usage of laboratories by Universitydepartments in their teaching, and to assist students inaccessing computing facilities.

Strategic Direction #3: Central Services

To optimally apply available resources, de-emphasize the roleof central services by rationalizing the number of supportedservices and their level of support.

Central services based on large mainframes are expensive toacquire and operate. Unless the demands for each service aresufficient, economies of scale cannot be applied. By identifyingthe users and the utilization of each service, and clients'future intended usage patterns, plans can be made to provide thebest possible services by reducing or eliminating those of lessinterest. This process will be applied to all central services on

a regular basis. The challenge of evolving central facilitiesconsists of maintaining investments in applications while takingadvantage of newer technologies.

Actions

* CNS will plan for central services by working with specialinterest groups and advisory committees. These groups willprovide CNS with information about the current and future needs



of each application and service running on central facilities.Measurements determining the demands on the systems ofcentrally run applications will be undertaken and CNS willrecommend on the best platform, whether central ordepartmental.

* CNS will work closely with the University of Alberta Library toaccomplish the goals outlined in the Library's plan, Riding theWave.

* A policy will be developed by CNS and users by which centralservices may be declared redundant. Criteria will be developedto test, on a regular basis, the cost-effectiveness and valueto clients of the various services. This process will beapplied to the MTS service as a pilot project and extended toall major services.

* For technology deemed obsolete by the rationalization process,CNS will provide assistance in orderly migration ofapplications to different platforms.

* The MVS service will be reconfigured by CNS to meet the demandfor open access to some applications such as the Library's on-line catalog.

* CNS will react to current system load requirements and servicedemands. Expanding VM capacity, for example, will improve PROFSperformance and will allow the incorporation of new servicessuch as SPSS.

* Along with the de-emphasis of central services, CNS willencourage distributed services by defining plans with users forthe installation of departmental printers, servers, and otherperipherals. CNS will continue operating facilities which aretoo expensive for a single department to acquire (e.g.,Versatec plotter, optical mark reading systems).

* To enhance the distributed computing environment, CNS willdevelop UNIX expertise by training a pool of staff in UNIXsystem administration and support. CNS will develop a productsupport mechanism for central UNIX-based services, such aseditors, compilers, and new operating system releases, whichcan be extended to client workstations.

Strategic Direction #4: Professional Services

To assist all of our various clients in fulfilling the missionof the University, provide professional services on anequitable basis.

Personnel-based services must be rationalized in the same way ascomputer services. CNS staff must give, without prejudice,assistance to all types of clients at the University at the samecost. The services offered must be valued by the clients andsupport their endeavors to achieve excellence. Care must be takento determine which services and products are key to successfulapplication of information technology; resources must not besquandered on support of non-essentials.



Actions

* CNS will catalog and publish a list of its professionalservices. Areas of support are networking and datacommunications, workstations and distributed computing,information systems, computer-assisted instruction, statisticalanalysis, numerically-intensive computing, and visualization.In these areas, only well-defined, selective support will beprovided.

* Help services will be focused through the establishment of aUser Support Centre for problem resolution and tracking,computer course enrollment, public relations and publicationsactivities, client registration, and usage accounting.

* CNS will provide a wide range of network and datacommunications services involving installation, operation,maintenance, development, consulting, and training. Theseservices cover mainframe connections including serial,Ethernet, Hyperchannel, and 3270 technology, as well asnetworks and LANs of different sorts, and their routers,bridges, and basic network servers.

* Workstation support and distributed computing services willinclude requirements analysis for computer labs, departments,and individuals. Support will be provided for workstations,peripherals, and common software products.

* In addition to supporting mission-critical requirements, CNSwill facilitate the provision of other information systemservices to departments by external agencies.

* System software services will include expert consulting for theMTS, MVS, VM, and UNIX operating systems. User support will beprovided for centrally run compilers, editors, file systems,and data base management tools. Support for e-mail will consist

of assistance in installing packages on local area networks andindividual workstations and providing usable e-mail systems ona central service for those without a local option.

* Central operating services will allow access to centralresources, assist with printing output, provide optical markreading facilities, and ensure data and physical security.

* In statistical analysis, visualization, and numerically-intensive computing, CNS will emphasize system-level supportand will help establish user groups in areas where they do notalready exist. CNS will encourage departments to provideindependent support for solving discipline-specific problems

not directly related to the use of computers.

* CNS will work to provide services without duplicating otherefforts on campus. Following the PACCR Report recommendation,the Data Library will be transferred to the jurisdiction of theUniversity Library.

* CNS will enhance interoperability by developing and applyingend-to-end diagnostics and problem resolution.



Strategic Direction #5: Institutional Data

To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Universityadministration, concentrate CNS resources in the developmentand support of mission-critical applications, while assistingend-users in their development of other applications.

The overall effectiveness and efficiency of the University'sadministration is greatly dependent on the development andutilization of robust and innovative information systems. Thesesystems, whether constructed centrally or by end-users, will bedeveloped optimally under guidance of an information systemsplan, and according to priorities determined by a steeringcommittee. Standards and guidelines will be established topromote and encourage intersystem integration and compatibility,easy accessibility, reduction of process and data redundancy, andcost-effective utilization of distributed and mainframeplatforms. The primary thrust will be on the development ofmission-critical applications and those that achieve an overallbenefit to the University.

Actions

* In collaboration with the University community, CNS willcoordinate the development of an information systems plan whichwill identify the information systems required by theUniversity.

* By means of a steering committee comprised of senioradministration, user representatives, and CNS, a process willbe established for determining priorities for the projectsidentified in the information systems plan. The process willaddress integration and compatibility requirements and needsthat benefit the University as a whole.

* CNS will develop, implement, and maintain mission-criticalsystems in the order determined by the information systemssteering committee. Solutions for mission-critical systems willfollow established standards and guidelines and acknowledgeresource constraints.

* Administrative computing standards and guidelines will beestablished by CNS. These standards will apply to integrationand compatibility issues, data administration, and distributedprocessing.

* CNS will establish and maintain a technology architecture planto support the University's information systems. New technology

such as Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE),relational data bases, easy-to-use query languages, anddistributed processing will be utilized in the new architecturealong with existing technology. Compatibility between thevarious information systems in the architecture is a basicrequirement.

* CNS will continue development and implementation of previouslycommitted projects: STAR (Student Advising Report); HRIS (HumanResources Information System); and PARK (Parking Information



System).

* For existing information systems, CNS will continue to provideessential support. This will involve resolving productionproblems, accommodating constant changes in government andUniversity regulations, and modifications to improve efficiencyand effectiveness.

Strategic Direction #6: Data Communications Network

To improve the productivity of our users and to expand theirhorizons, provide faster global connectivity andinteroperability by evolving the campus data communicationsnetwork and the supporting distributed facilities.

A campus-wide fibre optic backbone network is essential forsolving issues of campus and worldwide connectivity andinteroperability. Such a backbone linked to modern off-campusnetworks would allow advanced research projects to connect withlarge data stores. The Library could advance to thetranscontinental virtual library which supports full text andgraphics retrieval. Through careful product and standardselection, users on local area networks connected to the backbone

could achieve seamless and peer-to-peer access to campuscomputing resources.

Actions

* CNS will establish a steering committee for data communicationsunder the vice-presidential umbrella. The committee willanalyze needs, form consensus in objectives, and reviewachievements. Representatives from the key service providers,user constituencies, and financial authority should make up thecommittee.

Network Hardware* CNS will participate in the planning, installation, and supportof campus LANs. This will involve requirements analysis,estimates for installation costs and, on request, thecoordination of installation and LAN administrator training.

* A centrally funded, high-speed (100 megabits per second), high-capacity, campus-wide fibre optic backbone using FDDItechnology will be installed by CNS. Initially, this willinvolve publicizing and coordinating the campus commitment to amulti-year phased network implementation and financial plan.Phase I implementation of the fibre service between the GeneralServices Building and the Central Academic Building will begin

in 1992. Subsequent phases will involve technological review,the installation of fibre between the Central Academic Buildingand the Walter C. MacKenzie Health Sciences Centre, and theinstallation of the service in the remaining central quadrantbuildings and the balance of the campus.

* In our commitment to availability, reliability, andserviceability, CNS will provide the support required toinstall, upgrade, maintain, and manage the backbone network.CNS will provide the specifications and information needed for



connections to the fibre backbone.

* CNS will participate in the development of high-speed nationalnetworks. The federal government, through the Natural Sciencesand Engineering Research Council and Industry, Science, andTechnology Canada, is developing a proposal to achievesignificantly increased speeds within the national researchnetwork.

* CNS will participate in an orderly advancement to T3 speed (45megabits per second) on the national backbone network. Such anadvancement requires active participation in the management andadministration of the Alberta Research Network (ARnet).Furthermore, the University will participate in the expansionof ARnet to other seats of learning throughout Alberta andassist in seeking support in this venture from the provincialgovernment department of Technology, Research andTelecommunications.

Network Software* To help users manage their workstations, CNS will provide acentral network service that allows remote backups and recoveryof data as well as software distribution. Packages such asAthena and New Era will be evaluated and implemented.

* In the area of electronic mail, CNS will integrate and extendstandard products that can be used across all platforms. Thiswill require the implementation of a general purpose mail hubon the CNS UNIX server which is able to resolve addresses androute messages using the X.400 open systems data communicationsmodel.

* CNS will support the use of e-mail by providing assistance ininstalling packages on local area networks and individualworkstations, and by providing usable e-mail systems on acentral service for those without a local service.

* Electronic calendaring systems which offer more functionalitythan VM PROFS will be investigated by CNS. This will enable thelarger community to make use of scheduling and conference roombooking capabilities.

* CNS will provide a secure networked environment based onauthentication tools. CNS will evaluate and implement the bestauthentication systems, such as Kerberos, which provide secureaccess to distributed resources.

* CNS will collaborate in the Internet endeavor and willimplement our portion of the address data base that routesmessages going through the University of Alberta Internet node.

* An anonymous ftp (file transfer protocol) service which can beaccessed by unregistered users over the network will beestablished by CNS. The department and other campus groups canmake files and programs available to the Internet world bystoring them in a common location.

* File servers accessible over the network will be made availableto users for site-licensed, shareware, and public domainsoftware packages.



Strategic Direction #7: Sharing Expertise

To better utilize the application of human resourcesthroughout the University, facilitate the sharing ofexpertise.

Expertise in technology has spread dramatically in recent years.As the breadth of technology use has widened, the ability of CNSto be expert in everything is no longer possible. It is necessaryto ensure that all information technology knowledge and expertiseis made widely available throughout the University on acollaborative basis. CNS intends to be the leader in establishinga catalog of this expertise.

Actions

* A User Support Centre will be established by CNS, to act as afront line interface between CNS and clients. Clients problemswill be tracked using problem management software and commonproblems and solutions will be documented and publicized.

* Based on an analysis of user queries and usage of the UserSupport Centre, CNS will determine areas where training may berequired and facilitate such training in the form of shortcourses, conferences, and seminars.

* CNS will establish and maintain a complete directory of clientsthat includes the services they utilize and their expertise inspecific hardware and software (if they are willing to sharethat expertise). This directory will also include CNS staff andexpertise.

* CNS will publish standards and methods for supported computerand communications hardware and software. This information will

include input from the entire campus computing community aswell as CNS specialists; it will be available in print and on-line through a documentation server accessible over thenetwork.

Strategic Direction #8: Numerically Intensive Computing

To assist researchers with numerically-intensive computationalneeds in becoming more competitive, acquire easy access toreliable, large-scale computing facilities.

CNS must enable researchers to access more computing capacity,

both on and off campus. This capacity can be in the form oflinked workstations, mid-range high-performance systems, andsupercomputers.Actions

* Through collaboration with provincial and national entities,CNS must enable researchers to gain access to high-performancecomputing facilities located in Canada and elsewhere in NorthAmerica. Ease of access will rely on high-speed networks.



* To facilitate access to supercomputers, CNS will investigatehow to evolve current mid-range systems on campus such as theConvex C210.

* CNS will investigate solutions for NIC users involving groupsof networked workstations that share idle machine cycles bydistributing and running programs with a scheduling mechanism.

* CNS will investigate the means to provide high-speed datacommunications links between the University and other sites.CNS will ensure involvement of the appropriate Universityconstituencies in national and international network groups andendeavors.

* CNS will keep users appraised of the technological directionsof numerically-intensive systems, such as parallel computingand visualization developments.

Strategic Direction #9: Funding Partnerships

To support selected new ventures, assist in promoting fundinginitiatives during the formative stages.

Actions

* Through collaboration with other entities, CNS will search forthe necessary sources of funds for new ventures in cooperationwith University Hall and government agencies, providing, forexample, a supercomputer facility or access to high-speednetworks. These ventures might involve funds that are currentlynot available at the University.

Strategic Direction #10: Communications Program

To improve the value of CNS services to its clients, implementa communications program which facilitates a betterunderstanding between CNS and the University community.

It is essential that our services have a high profile in theUniversity community. For our services to remain current andrelevant, it is necessary that ongoing communication existbetween the rest of the community and CNS, determining new needsand directions. Such promotional work, publishing, user interestgroups, and other activities will form the cornerstone of ourcommunications program.

Actions

* To organize and coordinate computing activities on campus, CNSwill define and estab-lish advisory committees with clear termsof reference. The committees will provide input to the planningprocess and will help organize computing activities. They willdeal with special interests, such as research, instructionalcomputing, administrative computing, and networks. Threecommittees will be of interest to all users. The InformationTechnology Standards Committee will establish, monitor, and



promote campus standards; the Technology Watch Group willmonitor product evolution and trends; the Faculty ComputingGroup will provide a means for CNS to keep in touch with andreact to faculty-level information technology

planning.

* To enhance collection and dissemination of informationtechnology knowledge, CNS will facilitate user interest groupsand ensure that expertise is used to the advantage of the usercommunity.

* CNS will coordinate and provide the services of a campus-wideinformation system (i.e., electronic bulletin boards),containing information of interest to unregistered users oncampus events, services, policies and procedures, and student,administrative, and faculty information.

* CNS will publish and maintain a list of the services it offers.

* Dispatch and other information bulletins will be published byCNS on a regular basis.

Strategic Direction #11: Standards

To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Universityoperations, achieve a campus preference for standards,policies, and procedures regarding information technology,developed with the representative involvement of the clientbase.

Without restricting the ability to freely choose local computingenvironments, CNS will develop voluntary standards, policies, andprocedures in cooperation with the user community. This willallow CNS to concentrate on a finite number of software andhardware components and combinations. In some areas whereconsistency must be assured for the stability of all users (such

as in network connections), CNS will maintain mandatory standardsdefined with the user community.

Actions

* CNS will develop, in collaboration with a new InformationTechnology Standards Committee, selected mandatory andvoluntary standards and guidelines. These standards will be forsecurity and access, software and hardware components andcombinations, network protocols, as well as common datadefinitions (especially for institutional data bases).

* Policies on the ethics of distributed computing will bedeveloped by CNS. These will assist the campus in detecting andrecovering from unethical use of computer resources.

* To advise users on recommended configurations for easyintegration in the campus environment, CNS will choose standardhardware and software products. This will be done incooperation with the University Bookstore, Technical Services,Materials Management, and the user community.



* CNS will implement a mechanism to identify supported andunsupported hardware and software.

* With user involvement, CNS will review, revise, and publishexisting and new policies and procedures in selected areas suchas security, access privileges, institutional data standards,and requests for funding.

* CNS will coordinate and advertise application site licences,volume purchase agreements, and public domain software, as wellas the distribution of software under these agreements.

Strategic Direction #12: Leveraging Technology

To provide innovative computing solutions and increased value,leverage the existing technology and carefully apply provennew technologies.

There currently exists, both within CNS and at other sites oncampus, a considerable investment in computing hardware andsoftware. Although the infrastructure supporting this equipmentcannot be considered state of the art, it has been bought andpaid for. It still provides the functionality required for some

applications, at a price which is considerably less, in terms oftime and money, than that of the leading-edge technology.

Innovative solutions and a continued return on investment can beachieved by leveraging the existing technology and by carefullyapplying new, but proven, additions. Actions

* CNS will install and develop interfaces between existingapplications and new technologies to increase the value ofboth. Providing access to high-speed central printers andplotters for any networked client is an example of this; other

examples are communication between the System/370 basedplatforms (MTS, MVS, VM) and the Internet world and invisibleconnections between the various System/370 services. Furtherexamples of leveraging technology are covered under otherstrategic directions in this chapter.

Strategic Direction #13: New Funding Sources

To achieve our goals, develop innovative ways of obtaining thenecessary funding and other resources.

CNS cannot rely on decreasing central University funds to providethe computing services required to create an efficient andcompetitive environment. Through partnership with users, vendors,and government agencies, CNS must find the necessary funds andresources.

Actions



* CNS will collaborate with senior University administration,especially the Vice-President of Development, in findingsources of money beyond the funds now provided centrally.

* CNS will establish partnerships with vendors to find win-winsituations that could finance new initiatives. For example, theUniversity could become a testing ground for new products, suchas networking tools which need a test bed with a great varietyof equipment and users.

* CNS will work with users to acquire additional computing fundsfrom government agencies and foundations.

Strategic Direction #14: Charging for Services

To achieve a rational method of utilizing our resources,allocate central funding to a specified base level ofservices. Additional services above the base level areprovided on a cost-recovery basis.

There is presently no clear demarcation of which services arefunded through central administration and which ones are providedon a cost-recovery basis. There is therefore no way to quantifythe returns on central funding.

Actions

* CNS will rationalize its charging structure in collaborationwith the appropriate University bodies and communicate theresults to the University. The charging structure will definewhich services are centrally funded and those which areprovided on a cost-recovery basis.* An annual financial report will be published by CNS, showinghow funds were spent and how revenue was acquired.

Strategic Direction #15: Reorganization

To support our strategic direction, CNS will reorganize toprovide its services in the most effective manner.

Because different types of clients use the same technologicalbase more and more, the old UCS organization based onadministrative and academic computing became inefficient.

Actions

* A document describing a proposed reorganization for computingservices has been circulated to UCAG. CNS will seek furtherinput and ensure that the proposed new organization isappropriate to implement the strategic plan. The reorganizationwill be implemented with staff participation.

* Internal quality programs will be implemented by CNS to ensureestablishment of an efficient organization. Programs will beinstituted to provide a work environment conducive to good



staff performance; a culture will be nurtured that isresponsive to campus needs and that guarantees qualityservices. Training of staff to ensure appropriate levels ofexpertise is of particular importance and CNS will train asmany generalists as possible who can provide end-to-endservices.

Acknowledgements

Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond was madepossible by the participation of CNS staff, senior Universityadministration, various University planning bodies, and many CNSclients on campus. The strategic planning process has beeninvaluable for CNS. It has given the department the chance tostudy and re-evaluate its role as a comput-ing servicedepartment.

Participation of the President and Vice-Presidents in the CNSstrategic planning process has been greatly appreciated, as hasthe involvement of members of UCAG and the UCAG Task Forcechairs. Interaction with these individuals and groups ensuredthat CNS plans reflect the vision, concerns, and requirements of

the University as a whole.

CNS would like to thank all those who gave their time and effortsto the completion of Networking Computers and People on Campusand Beyond.

Networking Computers and People on Campus and Beyond: A Progress Report (166164141)

Documents