[112] in I/T Delivery
Minutes: 24 October 1997 Delivery Team Leaders Meeting
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Cattey On the Road)
Fri Oct 24 12:31:02 1997
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 97 12:04:12 EDT
From: wdc@MIT.EDU (Bill Cattey On the Road)
To: delivery@MIT.EDU
Next Meeting: 14 November 1997 in E40
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1. First Quarter report:
Thank you everyone for input.
Next report will have a new format.
The project database can help.
Decision: Bob and Greg get earlier requests for quarterly data.
Decision: It's important to let submitters of quarterly data know
that their imput has been received and is sufficient.
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2. FY 98 Budget overview:
Lorraine is doing capital planning for projects.
She would like to know about planned purches for FY 1998/1999.
Even if you expect the project would be separately funded, she'd
like a sense of what-all is happening where.
If you know of capital expenditures for next year
for: equipment, contrctors, taining, licenses, maintenance, etc.
send email to ljr stating:
What, How Much $$, When purchase planned, and who might fund it.
Do this by November 7. (That gives you two weeks.)
Action: Team members should review their plans and email ljr if
appropriate.
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3. SAP Task Synopsis.
Bob handed out copies of a handout given to iTLT that gave
a snapshot of IS's involvement with SAP
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4. Issues in creating a better web infrastructure
Straw-Man proposal:
Defined a standard, supported, web server platform
for small to medium scale projects.
proposing as standard package:
Apache servers running regular and secure http.
useful CGI scripts and/or templates
mini SQL database
some statistics repoting tools.
Concept: An individual project could develop on this standard
"cookie cutter" platform with the expectation that the migration
to service would be graceful.
Other benefits:
simplify service issues by limiting scope of standard platform
leverage a wider base of service expertise on a standardized
platform
speed development by defining an easy-to-deploy development platform
The delivery issue is "what are the applications that need a better
web infrastructure and/or need to be "webified".
The meat and potatoes of this issue is an Integration discussion.
We will be working this issue as a Discovery project, and following
through the other phases in an orderly fashion.
Issue: what about third party Web applications? There may be some
ability to port CGI based offerings to the standard platform, but we
should expect that third parties will be providing proprietary web
servers that will NOT fit into this model.
Suggest the initial focus being upon home-grown systems.
Rocklyn suggests that the standard web package should include an
interface to the roles database.
Bruce points out that fast cgi interfacing would be a good thing for the
standard web package.
Tim asks who the customer is for this? Be aware of financial
constraints on potential customers in departments, and hidden costs.
What about non-unix web infrastructure already existing?
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5. Discussion of alternat format of Delivery Team Leaders meeting --
tactical vs. strategic issues.
Send ideas to rferrara
Bruce Lewis teaches an IAP course on running meetings:
A meeting is divided up:
information
decisions
action items
Reporting style should change to include points and results along with
the fact of items discussed.
Action: Tim and Bob will propose some recommendations next meeting.
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6. Roundtable:
Rocklyn: SAP web is finishing up testing of acct # and object code
support. Will roll out by the end of Oct along with accumulated pending
fixes. Next task is to develop features of "Maxi-Web" compose, modify,
and display a requisition. Will be working with ECAT-II to connect up
with the NECX web pages so that the NECX shopping basket will be able to
be sent to the SAP Web interface.
Larry Dean: Raising issue of it taking way too long to get a server
purchased and deployed.
Jana: No exciting developments in TQF. Telecom: Had to modify ICE-9 to
accomodate newly purchased switch module. Y2K: surveying applications
for issues in Year 2000.
TIm: Pass.
Andy: Teacher/Subject evaluation: handing off leadership to the
customer.
Mike Barker: We're somewhere in the process of getting SGI O^2 machines,
and Sun Ultras so we can have experience for supporting them.
Wade: Roling out new tools for the help desk. Attending a seminar on a
rapid web application tools. Attended PowerSoft's presentation (their
stuff requires NT.)
Bruce Lewis: (guest) Bruce is interested in the standardized web stuff
because it affects many projects he is working on, particularly the
project database. Attending a user interface conference. It will have
a large chunk developed to web application development systems.
Bill Cattey: Progres and change of direction in the project to pick up
the Library 2000 prototype for delivery of AI and LCS Technical reports
to the desktop. Continuity of the old service has heated up as the most
urgent and important issue.
Brenda: Pass.
Greg Anderson: Discovery effort on people, and effort database.
The mail service project (project to enable people to change their MIT
bulk mail list subscriptions) is getting restarted.
Project with technology licensing office.
Alumni has liked the Email forwarding service so much that they're
asking for many more new services.
Ted T'so: Meetings with MIT card office: interrelationship of MIT ID
number, ID card, and kerberos identity. Discovering many common issues.
Trying to improve information handoffs. As use of assigned identities
changes, some assumptions about what compromises are possible may no
longer be valid.
Roles Database: moving ahead. Technical issues under control. Policy
issues are coming to light.
Ixos: Beginning to discuss the security issues.
Looking at Microsoft NT 5.0 and Kerberos.
Lorraine: EDI (back end piece of ECAT-II and EPS) project: Lead by Gerry
Isaacson. Gerry is organizing vendor presentations. Different data
exchange products are being evaluated with a decision of which one to
test out (and confirm that it meets requirements) in November.
Bob Ferrara: no roundtable items.
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7. Announcements:
Ad for 10/28 and hiring status
6 Month review of performance: all but 1 are in.
Project DB:
We now have a MUCH nicer top level: http://web.mit.edu/project-db/
point to THAT from your home page.
ITLT Update:
Most recent was all about budget.
Budget is being re-focused around practices.
Information is being gathered from the processes, but presented
in terms of what business practice area is the customer.
Previous to that one talked about SAP.
Previous to that one was about ILEAD/Community of Practice ideas.
HR Support team:
Commissioned by out of the cgplan team recommendations.
team has met three times thus far. minutes are on the web:
http://web.mit.edu/is/competency/hrsupport/
N42 move news:
No changes in schedule. Seems to be on track.
