University of Minnesota

Institute of Technology

Minutes of ITICC Meeting

November 15, 2001

3:40 p.m., 170 Physics

Present: Graham Allen (Phys), Randal Barnes (CivE), John Baxter (Math), Andrey Bayrashev (ECE), Evan Bollig (ITSB), Bryan Carlson (ADCS), Tom Chase (ME), Tracey Delaney (Astro), John Hall (Math), Peter Hudleston (IT Stud Aff), Satish Kumar (CEMS), Jerry Larson (ADCS), Larry LeMay (ADCS), Dan MacEwan (Chem), Jim MacDonald (CSE&ITLabs ), Robin Panda (EE), Jeremy Pape (ME), Karen Swanberg (Geol)

1) Status reports from CSci and ADCS

LeMay noted that we will be moving shortly to extended hours in ME 308. We are already running Lind 24 on the end-of-semester 24-hour schedule.

Hall reported a problem with running Mathematica in Lind 26. Apparently, syntax errors cause the machines to crash. He provided MacDonald with a written description of the problem.

2) Final Presentation of Proposal for Lab Improvements for Fall 2001

MacDonald distributed the final list of proposed improvements to the public labs for this fall. The only differences from the list presented at the last meeting are the finalized costs and addition of 5 licenses for Macromedia’s DreamWeaver and Flash software, requested by a student. MacDonald sent details of the proposal to ITICC by e-mail on November 14. Details can also be found on the ITICC web page at <http://www.itlabs.umn.edu/iticc/>. Total cost of the improvements is $36,388 for hardware, $14,225 for hardware maintenance and $5,590 for software maintenance.

Hudleston said he would get ballots out to ITICC members shortly for a vote on this proposal. The improvements should, hopefully, be in place by the start of spring semester.

3) Other Business

b) Proposal from ADCS for ITICC support of Walter Library and Coffman Union computer labs.

Jerry Larson described the proposal (also given as a handout) he has prepared seeking support from ITICC to help install and run computers in the new facilities in Walter Library (home of the Digital Technology Center) and Coffman Union. The proposal was distributed at the meeting and had been sent earlier to ITICC by e-mail (from MacDonald on November 14). The new Walter Lab is scheduled to open in the new year. It will have about 100 seats, with a mix of Windows machines (about 2/3) and Macintoshes (1/3), and with up to 15 Unix workstations – if the proposal to IT is accepted – dedicated to IT students. Larson said he would like ITICC to consider funding both the 15 workstations dedicated to IT students, and also a share of the general computers available to all students. He noted that ITICC now supports a share of the cost of running Lind 24 – a general purpose ADCS lab – through the cost of adding a consultant to allow the lab to remain open 24 hours and, in the past two years, also for the cost of a night security monitor. You could consider that, in supporting the ADCS proposal, IT would be in part shifting general lab support from Lind 24 to Walter when the new lab opens.

Larson noted that in the past decade or so, the former source of support for ADCS from royalties has dried up. As a consequence, and with the establishment of student technology fees, the resources for instructional computing have shifted from central units to the colleges. He also noted that ADCS has submitted a funding request to CLA, whose student are likely to provide the bulk of the users of both these labs. He estimates that IT students will constitute about 1/3 of the users of the Walter lab.

Hudleston said we should view this as an opportunity to increase the capacity of computing facilities available to IT students. It would be like setting up a lab in IT space, except that we take responsibility only for purchase and maintenance of a fraction of the machines, and of the consultant support associated with those machines. One benefit would be that both Walter and Coffman labs will be open 24 hours. As an indication of the need for more seats, Pape noted that there is currently high pressure on the Windows machines in ME 308, which are frequently all occupied, while Unix seats remain unoccupied (MacDonald said the open UNIX seats reflects the age of the SGIs).

The question was raised about whether there would be licensing problems running “IT” software on the non-Unix machines in the new lab. MacDonald said he thought probably not. Nearly all non-Unix software packages used in the IT labs are not restricted by license to IT students. ProEngineer, foe example, can be run on any university machine.

There was some discussion of the likely cost to ITICC of providing support for computers in the new facilities. Roughly, this could be expected to be about $2,500 per workstation, with $1,000 for four years maintenance of hardware and software.

A motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to charge the IT Tech Committee to work with Jerry Larson to come up with a specific proposal for ITICC support for the Walter facility. The proposal will include purchase and support of 15 workstations and a similar level of support for non-workstation computers. Consultant costs would be prorated.

b) Microsoft Campus Agreement to include students?

Swanberg asked if departments or the college had considered including students in the Microsoft Campus Agreement. She said some students would like to have the option of using the software on personal computers and be able to take it with them when they graduate. No-one present was sure if this had been considered – except to note that it had not been considered by IT at the college level. It was noted that access to the software available through MCA is provided now at low cost to all students using the IT labs. Hudleston suggested that Kachelmyer (not present) be asked to provide an estimate of what the cost of adding this option would be at the college level and in a department.

Swanberg also asked how the software available under the MSDN Academic Alliance Program would be distributed. Macdonald said that it probably would be accessible on a server to staff and faculty. Students would have to get the software on CDs, which we would have to be sure was returned. Carlson will be responsible for setting this up.

Handed out at Meeting:

1) Fall FY02 ITICC Proposal for Lab Improvements

2) Report on the Use of Summer FY02 Small Contingency and Spare Parts Fund

3) ADCS Computer Lab Support Proposal