[227] in Enterprise Print Delivery Team
Re: Notes from 5/15 Meeting
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lynne E. Durland)
Tue May 16 14:20:37 2000
Message-Id: <4.2.2.20000516142328.00da3520@po12.mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 14:25:02 -0400
To: "David F. Lambert" <LAMBERT@MITVMA.MIT.Edu>,
Enterprise Printing Delivery Project Team <printdel@MIT.EDU>
From: "Lynne E. Durland" <durland@MIT.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <10005161149.AA01438@MIT.EDU>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Dave,
the notes look good. Is it worth printing out the spec sheet for the new
release and talk about that?
Some of the "tone" or focus of the messages we will need to use and/or
convey will be influenced by the result of the conversation Rocklyn has
with Karen and Rachel this afternoon.
Lynne
At 07:44 AM 5/16/00 -0400, David F. Lambert wrote:
>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.
Lynne E. Durland
Information Systems
Database Services
W91-109
258-5857
"Happiness often sneaks through a door you didn't know you left open."
--John Barrymore
