[223] in Enterprise Print Delivery Team
Notes from 5/15 Meeting
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David F. Lambert)
Tue May 16 07:47:14 2000
Message-Id: <10005161149.AA01438@MIT.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16 May 00 07:44:34 EDT
From: "David F. Lambert" <LAMBERT@MITVMA.MIT.Edu>
To: Enterprise Printing Delivery Project Team <printdel@MIT.EDU>
Gang,
Here are the notes from yesterday's meeting. I've embellished the
presentation notes a tad as I typed them in. Your feedback would
be greatly appreciated given the importance of tomorrow's meeting
with VM-SST & ASST.
-Dave
5/15 PrintDel Meeting Notes
1) Decided on moving forward with IPM/AIX.
2) Remainder of meeting was spent drafting the 5/17 ASST &
VM-SST discussion material.
- Print Discovery Project
o 11/98 - 6/99 (Van Aken*, Bushnell, Lambert, Durland, McGovern)
- Print Delivery Project
o 11/99 - 6/00 (Whitson*, Lawless*, Clarke, Lambert, Bushnell,
Durland, Talamantes, Bruggeman)
- Why and why now
o mainframe is the centralized print server and is going away
o customers need Postscript; strong desire for MICR checks
o customers want to use centralized service from anywhere
o CAO is maintaining parallel SAP scripts for reports; SAP AFP
drivers are not compatible with VM AFP
- Scope & Charter
o identify and implement a new centralized print service
o focus on centralized printing
o not an Athena Print Services (APS) replacement
o not document management; focus on hardcore printing
- Requirements Analysis
o BAR - existing services meet the needs of the older applications;
strong desire for Postscript (CAO & Alumni)
o Moore report - industry/vendor/product watch & architectural models
- Chosen Solution: IBM's InfoPrint Manager for AIX
o functionality, price & usability
o automated datastream transformations (PCL, IPDS, Postscript)
o manages network attached printers
o manages print files from "anywhere"
o file retention
o built-in accounting
o can share AFP network attached printers with mainframe PSF
o CMS "PRINT" files will remain on the mainframe
o can move VM print queue files to IPM but ONLY with SNA or
Token Ring; no plans to move forward with this
- The New Service: IBM's InfoPrint Manager for AIX
o AIX based
o provided by a vendor we know & love
o 7x24 availability ("Category 1" service)
o two production servers; one small test/dev server
o need RAID protection on production servers
o IBM has agreed to Kerberize IPM
o server sizing based on aggregate concurrent PPM, number/size
of printers, file retention settings; the team will provide
gathered information to ASST; ASST to order hardware
o can use direct attached console for now if need be; still need
to resolve Web interface vs IPM client
o manage service as part of ASAP & ASOP
- More Work Ahead
o 3827 -> 3160 migration
- could be used for new applications or migrated appls such as
the monthly GL statements
- full redundant compatiblity of page printers
- could be used for more IPM testing by technical team members
- lower maintenance (9 month payback if purchased with Matching
Grant credits)
o handling multiple types of print datastreams
- ramp down AFP printer capacity & ramp up Postscript printer
capacity as the load shifts and/or...
- implement multiple datastream compatible printer(s) such as Xerox
and/or...
- convert multiple datastream types to one type and provide
compatible printer engines
o to charge or not to charge; presumably we'll need to provide
cost allocation information
o new PSF/VM beta testing (provides for improved sharing of
network & channel attached AFP printers from VM & IPM/AIX
o whither SSL Web interface or Kerberized IPM client
o lobby IBM for improved method(s) for moving VM spool files to
IPM server (available on MVS today)
o lobby IBM for IPM/Linux
o review the potential use of network attached AFP impact printers
to replace 4245 impact printers
o specifically define the expectations for Support; and develop
a community education program
- Schedule
We'd like to have an initial service implementation up & running
by 7/1. Production print can be migrated to the new service as
staff feel comfortable regarding their ability to manage the new
service.
