The recommendations listed above do not constitute a ``great leap forward'' in the way the recommendations of the Computer Planning Committee of 1986 did. We do not appear to be on the cusp of some great revolution in computer technology that the Observatory can exploit to unique benefit. Rather, the ``growth'' curve for hardware and software continues to steepen in bewildering fashion, driven largely by commercial interests catering to the general public's desire for computers new and improved. This situation is already affecting computing at Lamont, as PIs and research groups feel free to customize their own computing solutions without much in the way of Observatory oversight. We do not think we can or should attempt to undo this situation, but believe instead that we must move forward, making the best of the situation while instituting better management procedures and safeguards that do not infringe on investigator prerogatives. This does not imply that the CPC01 has no vision for the Institution's computing future. That is not the case. Incremental improvements in the way we do computing at Lamont covered in the recommendations will provide sufficient course corrections and guidance that, within a few years, the following will become a reality:
The vision for the future is that, apart from designated specialized laboratories, a user arriving at work plugs his/her laptop into an office ethernet connection, or logs into the Observatory network on his/her preferred (but approved) desktop computing device. Incremental disk back up, download of operating system and security patches, and software upgrades are all provided automatically on connection. Access to network resources is transparent to the user, no matter whether these resources are Observatory-wide data bases and tools for their analysis, connection to off-site computational facilities, or use of nearby printer/plotter service and peripheral devices. Network file systems (shared files) are consolidated in way that allows efficent management by a small, dedicated group. Everyone pays a network service fee that is commensurate with the level of service extracted from the computing environment. And, great computing gets done.Your Comments: Discussion Board
