University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

University Computing Directions Statement 1989

May 9, 1989


University Computing Committee
University of Waterloo
Waterloo,Ontario, Canada

Purpose and Call for Participation


This statement is the first of a series of annual Computing Directions Statements which are to identify and articulate overall trends in computing at the University of Waterloo. As such, the statements should provide a useful reference for Faculties, groups and users planning their own developments as well as for University management which plans the evolution of University-supported computing services. By necessity, this first statement must deal with a number of somewhat general matters. Additional recommendations will follow after further study and consultation. This statement also serves as a call for participation in the process of developing the statement for 1990.

The content is based on a process which was started approximately a year and a half ago. During the period, individual, group and Faculty level input was solicited. In late fall 1987, a discussion document was distributed in the University to encourage comments. A number of written responses were received in the period January to September, 1988 ranging from informal individual comments to resolutions by some Faculty councils. All communications were carefully reviewed and were very helpful to the Committee. During the fall, 1988, the Committee received detailed advice from the senior staff of the Department of Computing Services and the Department of Data Processing. The statements in this report are based on all of this information. It is clear that the challenges, directions and required action will evolve from year to year. To this end, the University Computing Committee calls upon members of the University community to provide it with comments.

Background

Computing has always been very important to the University of Waterloo and, in spite of many years of inadequate funding of universities, Waterloo has a well-known record of achievement in computing; this includes software and systems development, student computing, extensive connectivity for computer systems, computer graphics and image processing, systems simulation, computer aided design, and symbolic computation. There are many others, equally important. This document is not intended to discuss the detailed history of computing and computing related developments at Waterloo. Accordingly, a short summary of key aspects of the current context is provided followed by a series of specific statements in sections relating to challenges, directions and recommendations. The statements have been numbered simply for reader convenience; they do not imply relative importance.

Context

Computing at Waterloo has evolved into a highly decentralized activity with many groups providing important computing services -- often involving significant staff and operations support expenditures. While this evolution was taking place, the process of pricing central computing services and distributing resources to acquire services did not change to reflect the distributed nature of computing. It is generally felt that this process is flawed and needs replacing. Administrative and academic activity should be subject to similar control/allocation mechanisms, and support of essential decentralized computing should be strengthened. At the same time there is a continuing need to provide a set of centrally supported services for such things as data processing and communications networks.

While many essential central applications rely upon timeshared mainframe computing support, there is increasing interest in seeing applications move to a more open, vendor-independent environment.

Information is a valuable resource in a university. Over the last quarter century, many general and specific administrative applications have developed large databases. Creation, update, maintenance of and access to these data has largely been managed by Data Processing and rely on mainframe activities. However, there is increasing interest in using distributed computing and networks to increase appropriate access to corporate information in user areas. This will require the development of a University policy on information management and a commitment of resources to move appropriate information to a more general "platform" which can be accessed easily by a variety of users through a variety of equipment.

Waterloo has generally allowed users to make their own choices regarding specific computing developments, equipment, operating systems and applications. This has helped Waterloo maintain flexibility to respond to new directions and opportunities. Because computing is so ubiquitous at Waterloo, user requests to provide general support for an increasingly wide set of equipment, operating systems, and applications stresses the support systems and can create a confusing array of options for users. It is clear that the University cannot adequately support all systems and major applications which are commercially available. Some choices must be made.

Challenges

The directions stated in this document are intended to address some of the following important challenges for computing at Waterloo in the next half decade to:

C.1. Revise the University's computing related organizational structure, resource allocations and financial support to be consistent with the distributed nature of computing.

C.2. Define and provide well focused, supported and consistent distributed University computing services. The services should be developed to encourage users to operate in a common environment with a sufficiently restricted set of services so that excellence in support can be achieved. However, such services should be widely and economically available to all and in their development should recognize established preferences in use, investment in hardware, software, information, research directions and trained staff.

C.3. Specify general connectivity standards to facilitate basic access to the University network for those users who, for compelling reasons, must operate outside of the common services provided.

C.4. Monitor the essential University computing services required by the Faculties and evaluate the financial support and any fees charged for such service activities.

C.5. Develop the common computing environment based on common industry standard "platforms" to achieve appropriate hardware and vendor independence.

C.6. Develop a University understanding of what constitutes the corporate information base, including rights to access and update policies.

C.7. Encourage the transfer of the corporate information base to a sufficiently general platform so that it can be readily accessed over a distributed network.

C.8. Make a sound plan for becoming less vendor dependent regarding central computing equipment.

C.9. Begin a replacement program for the obsolete equipment and services in what are commonly referred to as the "teaching networks". Achieve this as much as possible with strong industry standard systems.

Directions for the Next Half Decade

D.1. Develop a centrally supported University-wide computing "backbone" network with suitable server systems capable of providing large file transfers, access to computing "cycles", electronic mail and conferencing, automatic file backup and archiving services. The network should be available through inexpensive connections and be "transparently compatible" with the major classes of operating environments found on most computers (micro through large systems). Local area networks should be able to communicate through the "backbone" network.

D.2. Develop centrally a software support system, delivered via D.1, to provide basic support to users with applications in:

(a) DOS systems
(b) Macintosh systems
(c) Unix systems

D.3. Develop and administer centrally D.1 so that the network system is the server used to deliver to users the current version of site-licensed applications software supporting:

(1) word processors
(2) desktop publishing
(3) database managers
(4) spreadsheets
(5) statistical packages
(6) graphic presentation aids
(7) standard languages (compilers, interpreters) and their associated libraries

D.4. Develop specifications and identify, through vendor competition, user-level equipment which, in general, could serve well the next phase of computing equipment development at the University. Develop an acquisition and support program for user workstations which makes the equipment very attractive from a technical and financial point of view to individual users and departments. Train central staff so that the University can provide its own workstation hardware maintenance.

D.5. Provide staff consulting support for the services provided under D.1 through D.4 on a distributed basis. This staff is to be trained and administered centrally by an Office of Distributed Computing Support.

D.6. Develop a corporate information management, support and user policy and migrate essential corporate information to a universal database system accessible through the network. Provide documentation and consulting assistance to users wishing to make direct use of the information.

Recommendations for Action

The following are seen as essential action items in the short term. In the light of other points and concerns made in previous sections of this report, further action items will have to be articulated. In providing this advice to the Vice-President, Academic and Provost, the UCC recognizes that adequate resources are required to carry out these tasks. Further, it is understood that these recommendations may need some further interpretation in the context of the general reorganization and restructuring currently being developed within the University.

R.1. Restructure the organization and financing of computing at the University of Waterloo to take into account both distributed and centralized computing. As an initial step, restructure the Department of Computing Services to consist of two main areas with specific service mandates: (1) Distributed Computing Support, and (2) Centralized Facility and Data Processing Support. The Distributed Computing Support section will provide the coordinated delivery of focused user support, including: networking group, software site licensing, operating systems support/consulting, provision of applications software over the network, general user consulting, support of electronic mail and conferencing. The Centralized Facility and Data Processing Support section primarily will organize and deliver services required to support the main administrative and corporate database functions.

R.2. Establish a committee reporting to the Provost, with representation from major administrative areas and the UCC, to develop the definition of the corporate database and to review the general approach to administrative computing. This committee would recommend on policies, content, priorities and approach to be taken to implement the corporate database on an appropriate system independent "platform" and recommend on the evolution of administrative computing. It should outline the commitment of resources which would be required to implement the corporate database under a specific schedule.

R.3. Begin a test implementation (see D.1) of the University computing "backbone" network. This should involve support for representative participation across the University based on TCP/IP and NFS using current Ethernet capability and the addition of some centrally supported Unix based servers.

R.4. Develop, through the University Computing Committee, procedures for identifying levels of support and selection of hardware/software items supported centrally by the University.

R.5. Through the University Computing Committee, with assistance from DCS, identify and recommend priorities for the items of software to be supported by DCS. This list of items would be reviewed annually.

R.6. Through the University Computing Committee, develop specifications and process for achieving a functionally and financially attractive approach to the next phase of University computing. The Committee will develop a generic description of the preferred environment. This will serve as a "request for proposals" to vendors. The Committee will coordinate broad internal reviews of options (in consultation with DCS and other experts) and recommend a course of action.

R.7. The Technology in Education Committee, in consultation with the University Computing Committee, should study and recommend on the requirements to be met by teaching networks.

R.8. Pending the developments which will result from the recommendations previously stated, the University should avoid making major new central computing equipment commitments in the short term. This may be achieved by negotiating an extension to the existing leases for the existing central equipment under financially advantageous terms.