HASCS Installs Central Server

Harvard's computer network will be restructured by beginning of the fall semester and will feature a new machine handling general use options, several involved with the change said this week.

While the restructuring of the network has been planned for some time, the new server slated to handle general use--e mail, newsgroups, bulletin boards--was delivered at the beginning of this week.

The new machine, a Sun Sparcserver 1000, is a multiprocessing one, according to Michael G. Burner, manager of the Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS) Unix systems. HASCS is in the process of building the new machine.

While machines currently used on the network have one central processing unit (CPU), the new server will have several CPUs and can be expanded, Burner said yesterday.

"This has been a long time in development. It was only about six months ago...that it became really an option," he said. "It looks very promising."

Right now, several machines are used to handle both general use and course use. To log in for any purpose, users must choose between machines such as husc4, husc7 and husc9.

The hard disks that store home directories must be accessible to the different central computers used in the network, Burner said.

With the new server, general users will have only one machine to log in to, "the name of which is being debated," he said.

Centralizing the hard disks in the computer on which users log in should decrease traffic across the system, reducing strain on the network, Burner said.

The Sparcserver will also be inherently faster and allow for more disk space, according to Eugene E. Kim '96, president of the Harvard Computer Society.

"It should allow HASCS to increase the quota that people get," Kim said.

Since there will be only one log in option for general users, "new users should be a lot less confused," Kim added.

For experienced general users, the only major apparent difference should be the single log in option, although "more sophisticated" users may notice more of a change, Burner and Kim said.

Those doing course work will use the Hewlett-Packard work terminals, Burner said. While general use options will be available from the Hewlett-Packard machines, users will be encouraged to use the Sparcserver for non-course work.

"Hewlett-Packards do not work well as multi-user machines," Burner said. "They're something you're supposed to sit down at and use."

Kim said the separation of course use should reduce the chances of a system overload from the "compiling" often required for coursework in computer science classes, in which programs written in English are converted to "machine language."

"The compiling option won't be available on the Sun," Kim said.

But Burner said that the new server itself,when combined with the recently-installeduninterruptable power supply, is supposed todramatically reduce the amount of system downtime.

"It's supposed to be a system that just staysup," he said.

Though the HASCS staff is currently working ongetting the Sparcserver up and running, Burnersaid that not too much time is left before the newsystem has to be ready to go.

My guess is that it would be late August," hesaid. "It had better be done by the first week ofthe semester.

But Burner said that the new server itself,when combined with the recently-installeduninterruptable power supply, is supposed todramatically reduce the amount of system downtime.

"It's supposed to be a system that just staysup," he said.

Though the HASCS staff is currently working ongetting the Sparcserver up and running, Burnersaid that not too much time is left before the newsystem has to be ready to go.

My guess is that it would be late August," hesaid. "It had better be done by the first week ofthe semester.