PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT April 1994 - Volume 10:6

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Announcements

Penn to host EDUCOM'96

The annual conference of EDUCOM, a consortium of universities and colleges concerned with applications of information technology, will be held at the new Pennsylvania Convention Center October 8-11, 1996. The largest higher-education-computing conference, EDUCOM attracts over 2,500 university computing specialists, faculty, vendors, and government representatives from around the world. As host institution, Penn will be invited to showcase innovative uses of computing and networking, either at the Convention Center or on campus. For further information about EDUCOM and the 1996 conference, contact local arrangements chair Daniel Updegrove, Associate Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing, 898-2883, updegrove@dccs.upenn.edu, or 898-9348 (fax).


DCE Task Force forming

To explore ways that Penn can better manage an increasing number of powerful and complex computer systems, improve systems security, and take advantage of advanced file sharing protocols, Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing Peter C. Patton has endorsed the formation of Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) Task Force. The task force, which will seek participation and input from throughout the University, is expected to be engaged for at least a year in assessing standards, evaluating products, studying DCE experiences at other universities, and producing a final report. An advisory committee for the DCE Task Force will be chaired by Ben Goldstein, Associate Dean for Computing in SAS, and Daniel Updegrove, Associate Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing. For further information, contact Chris Shull, Academic Computing Services, 898-5930 or shull@isc.upenn.edu.


Network Architecture Committee

Ira Winston, Director of SEAS Computing, and Noam Arzt, Director of Finance, Administration, and Systems in DCCS, have been named to chair a Network Architecture Committee to make recommendations on the future design and performance of PennNet, the University's campus-wide component of the Internet. The committee has been charged by Daniel Updegrove, Associate Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing and Executive Director of DCCS to:

  • Develop a quantitative needs statement for on-campus, remote access, and Internet gateway bandwidth and reliability for the next 3-5 years
  • Analyze suitability of current and in-process PennNet architectures for meeting University needs
  • Scan the technological horizon for potential new products and services
  • Develop recommendations, with cost estimates, for upgrades, phaseouts, design changes, and new technology deployment, as appropriate
The committee is expected to make its report over the summer. For more information, contact Noam Arzt, 898-3029 or arzt@dccs.upenn.edu.


PennNet changes

DCCS is planning to convert the format of the data for PennNet asynchronous (DIAL and annex) connections from 7 data bits and even parity (7E) to 8 data bits and no parity (8N). The planned conversion would make the use of desktop communications packages easier, since most are configured to operate on 8N networks.

The impact of these plans will be tested and assessed during the last few weeks of April. In May -- pending the results of the testing -- an implementation plan targeting completion of the conversion for early in June will be available. For updated information, please check PennInfo (keyword "8N") or contact George McKenna, 898-8184 or mckenna@dccs.upenn.edu.