DIS Information Updates, February, 1996 To: "E - All WRD Employees" Subject: DIS Information Updates, February, 1996 Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 17:22:16 -0500 From: "Gloria J Stiltner, Chief, DIS Suprv Hyd, Reston, VA" DIS INFORMATION UPDATES, FEBRUARY 1996 This document contains approximately 410 lines. The following is included in this update. 1. REMINDER: USAGE OF EDOC ENDS MARCH 1 2. STATUS OF Z-MAIL ELECTRONIC MAIL SOFTWARE 3. STATUS OF SYNCHRONIZE CALENDAR/SCHEDULING SOFTWARE 4. AVAILABILITY OF WORLD-WIDE-WEB GUIDELINES 5. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON MS-WINDOWS SOLUTIONS 6. NCTM '96 REGISTRATION 7. SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS TOWN MEETING TO BE HELD AT NCTM '96 8. RELEASE OF DIS APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE TAPE 8 9. NEW FRAMEMAKER 4 TEMPLATES FOR TRAINING FORMS AND PERFORMANCE PLANS 10 SIMPLE SEARCH COMMAND FOR USERIDS AND PHONE NUMBERS 11. DIS-II CONTRACT MODIFICATION 22 12. PRIME MAINTENANCE CONTRACT MODIFICATION 1. REMINDER: USAGE OF EDOC ENDS MARCH 1 ---------------------------------------- This is a reminder that usage of EDOC by WRD users will end on March 1, 1996, as stated in WRD Memorandum 96.10. Users who have not switched to the Geomail electronic mail system should contact their system administrator as soon as possible. Prior to March 1, the DIS Office will provide guidance to WRD system administrators on how remaining automated processes using EDOC will be affected. 2. STATUS OF Z-MAIL ELECTRONIC MAIL SOFTWARE --------------------------------------------- A contract for Geomail-related software was awarded on September 19, 1995, to Spectrum Office Systems for Z-Mail and Synchronize software. Z-Mail, a mail-reader program, is available for purchase by all USGS email users for use on multiple platforms. These platforms include: PC MS Windows, PC MS DOS, Apple Macintosh, Sun Sparc OS, Sun Sparc Solaris, Novell Univel, DEC Ultrix, Windows NT, IBM OS/2, HP UNIX, and the Data General AViiON. The Z-Mail software is fully compliant with SMTP and, therefore, communicates well with the Water Resources Division's (WRD) existing MH email reader programs, exmh and plum. Z-Mail is similar to exmh in functionality and ease of use, but is a more polished commercial product. The Distributed Information System (DIS) Program Office purchased a limited number of Z-Mail licenses. The Z-Mail software licenses are currently being tested, evaluated, and configured for the DG, PC and Macintosh. During the evaluation and testing, Z-Mail software problems have been identified, and the DIS Program Office and others in the bureau are in the process of resolving these problems with the vendor. The Z-Mail software licenses can be obtained by contacting Angela Hall (aehall) by Geomail or phone (703) 648-5625. The cost of a single-user Z-Mail license is $37.74. There is no charge for maintenance during the first year of the contract, however, in subsequent years, the cost of the Z-Mail software licenses will be $41.77, and the maintenance cost will be $7 per license. 3. STATUS OF SYNCHRONIZE CALENDAR/SCHEDULING SOFTWARE ------------------------------------------------------ As part of the Geomail-related contract with Spectrum Office Systems, an optional calendar/scheduling software package named Synchronize is available for purchase. Synchronize is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, multi-user time and task management program that operates on a variety of computing platforms, including PC-Windows, Data General (DG), and other versions of UNIX. A Macintosh client version is expected in April 1996. You can use Synchronize to keep an online calendar and address book, make appointments and meetings with other users, and write messages and assign tasks to yourself and other users. The DIS Program Office has purchased a limited number of licenses for Synchronize Version 1.3/Motif and is evaluating the functionality and possible configurations. We are currently working with the vendor to resolve problems that have been identified during the evaluation. Additional information, including a Synchronize demonstration and Quick Start Guide, is available on the World Wide Web at the following URL: On the USGS contract, the cost of a single-user Synchronize license is $54.24, and the maintenance is free during the first year of the contract. In subsequent years, the maintenance will be $13.50 per license. More information concerning the contract for Z-Mail and Synchronize may be obtained by contacting Angela Hall by Geomail (aehall) or by phone (703) 648-5625. 4. AVAILABILITY OF WORLD-WIDE-WEB GUIDELINES --------------------------------------------- The rapid growth and success of WWW activities has caused some understandable confusion. Not all Districts, for example, are aware that we already have in place guidelines for WWW sites. These guidelines say, in effect, that WWW pages should identify USGS, link to other USGS pages, and present appropriate materials, and that approval is delegated to District or equivalent office chiefs. Sound too good to be true? Look up the guidelines at for details. The guidelines are the product of our Strategic Planning for Internet Dissemination, Evaluation, and Retrieval (SPIDER) Team, whose minutes can be found at . We also are beginning to realize how helpful the WWW can be for our own internal communications. Please take a look at the newly-revised WRD Internal Home Page to see some of the services that are available on-line to USGS users. This page is now the default "home page" for Headquarters browsers, and it's recommended that other locations adopt this or a similar page. 5. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON MS-WINDOWS SOLUTIONS -------------------------------------------------- The DIS Program Office continues to investigate new technology for providing an interoperability solution for using UNIX Windows and Microsoft Windows applications on a single desktop. A Special Interest Group (SIG) has been formed to include USGS technical staff with expressed interest or expertise. The group, named WINSIG, met on February 20, 1996, to discuss solutions for integrating Microsoft Windows applications into the DIS-II computing environment. The group is actively testing different Windows Server solutions that can support the use of "popular" PC application software determined from Division-wide interest: ARC/View2, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Framemaker, Lahey Fortran 90, Microsoft (MS) Visual Basic and Visual C/C++, MS Office Pro, MS Project, Netscape, SAS and SAS/Graph, Travel Manager, MS Bookshelf CD-ROM, and Z-Mail. Information on the investigations and activities of the WINSIG is updated regularly and can be obtained via the URL: 6. NCTM '96 REGISTRATION ------------------------- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Computer Technology Meeting 1996 (NCTM '96) is to be held May 20-23, 1996. The theme of NCTM '96 is "USGS, Plugged into the Planet." The NCTM '96 Registration Memorandum, agenda, training schedule, and registration form were sent via Geomail on February 15, 1996. If you are interested in attending the meeting and you have not received the registration packet, please contact Pat McAlwee (pmcalwee, 703-648-5609). If you plan to attend NCTM '96, please complete and return the meeting registration form to Joyce Solomon (jsolomon), or by Fax to 703-648-5295). You may also register on the World Wide Web: All NCTM '96 information can be found at the URL above. Please remember that all forms of registration must be received NO LATER THAN MONDAY, APRIL 8, 1996. 7. SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS TOWN MEETING TO BE HELD AT NCTM '96 ------------------------------------------------------------- All system administrators are invited to a town meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, 1996 at NCTM '96. Topics to be discussed include DIS-II, NWIS-II, and AIS status, DIS-related procurement strategies, and the integration of MS Windows servers into the DIS environment. There will be ample time for questions and answers. 8. RELEASE OF DIS APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE TAPE 8 ----------------------------------------------- The DIS Applications Support Unit (ASU) released the general version of Application Software Tape 8 to all WRD sites during the week of January 29, 1996. Tape 8 includes a new revision of USGS-G2, among many other software updates and new programs. The list of contents of Tape 8 can be found at: 9. NEW FRAMEMAKER 4 TEMPLATES FOR TRAINING FORMS AND PERFORMANCE PLANS ----------------------------------------------------------------- TRAINING FORM (SF-182) Thanks to Magello Gonzales (Indiana District Office), a FrameMaker 4 template has been created for the Request, Authorization, Agreement, and Certification of Training form (SF-182). This template and the macro file may be retrieved via anonymous ftp from qvarsx.er.usgs.gov (130.11.51.82). The gzipped files are in the pub/TEMPLATES directory and are called Training-Request.SF-182.gz and SF182.macro.gz. The sum information for the files is: 22708 548 Training-Request.SF-182.gz 49279 1 SF182.macro.gz Before opening the files in FrameMaker 4, issue the following command to unzip the files: gunzip Training-Request.SF-182.gz SF182.macro.gz Please read the help information on page 1 and 2 of the Training-Request.SF-182 before using the template. EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE PLAN & RESULTS REPORT (DI-2002) A FrameMaker 4 template has been created for the Employee Performance Plan and Results Report (Form DI-2002, September 1995). This template was included on Application Software Tape-8 that was mailed to all WRD offices the week of January 29, 1996. Once this tape is installed at your site, the template will be available by clicking on NEW in the main FrameMaker window. The new DI-2002 form replaces the following forms: 9-2011 Employee Work Plan (April 1987) 9-2011-A Employee Work Plan Cont. Sheet A (April 1987) 9-2011-B Employee Work Plan Cont. Sheet A (April 1987) 9-2015 Annual Employee Performance Appraisal (April 1987) 9-2099 Interim Employee Performance Appraisal (April 1987) AWARDS FORM Also, a new DI-451 form is in the works for awards. This will replace many forms currently in use. As soon as the hard copy form is finalized, the FrameMaker 4 template will be revised, made available for retrieval via anonymous ftp, and announced on usgs.frame in NetNews. 10. SIMPLE SEARCH COMMAND FOR USERIDS AND PHONE NUMBERS ------------------------------------------------------- In the early electronic mail days in the WRD, many users would enter "sid" as a command to find out a person's userid or phone number. However, in this case, "sid" was an alias that really executed the "search_id" command. When EDOC was updated and replaced by "exmh" and "plum", "sid" still existed. Once again it was an alias for either "search_id" or "srch_id". What many users do not realize is that there is a REAL command named "sid". The real "sid" is simpler and faster than the other types of search commands. It also provides more powerful searches than the "ph" or "xph" commands and it does NOT rely on the Wide Area Network which needs to be accessible for either of these commands to work. The real "sid" command is a simple tool for searching the electronic mail database. The most common way to use this command is to issue "sid" followed by a pattern. For example, sid fulton will return the following: jfulton James L Fulton, (703) 648-5622, Hydrologist, Reston, VA Since many WRD offices now have one main telephone number with different extensions for each employee, "sid" will also list the extension and location (as long as it was entered in the database). For example, sid lgeiger will return: lgeiger Linda H Geiger, (904) 942-9500 x3028, Computer Specialist, Tallahassee, FL A user doesn't have to know the complete name to do a search. By entering: sid loft the two entries with "loft" as part of a record are displayed. No matter what pattern is requested, the same fields in the database are always searched. These fields are: userid, name, phone number, title, and location. To get a listing of all the hydrologists, enter: sid Hydrologist Sometimes a listing of an entire office is needed. If a listing of the Pennsylvania District Office in Lemoyne is needed, a search on lemoyne can be done using "sid". Please notice that "sid" is NOT case sensitive. There is a windows version of "sid" called "xsid". The "xsid" command provides a user-friendly interface that allows a user to search for a specific userid but also gives the user access to all the WRD distribution groups and the system aliases. Once the search is completed, the user just has to point and click on the search result and then on either the "to:" or "cc:" button and the userid, distribution code, or system alias will automagically be placed on the appropriate line in the compose window of exmh. However, there is a small caveat. For this automagic cut and paste feature to work, user-based access must be in place. There is a minor idiosyncrasy with the "sid" command. Often the user's prompt will not return when "sid" is issued. Simply depress the Enter key and the prompt will reappear. To find out if the real "sid" is being used, at the Unix prompt enter the following: alias This lists all of the aliases available to that user. If "sid" appears in the list, remove it. If "sid" does not appear, then enter the following: where sid If the response is /usr/opt/bin/sid, then the user can be assured that the proper "sid" command is being used. More information on "sid" and "xsid" can be found by entering "man sid" and "man xsid". 11. DIS-II CONTRACT MODIFICATION 22 ----------------------------------- The modification to the Data General contract, contract modification number 22, was signed on January 23, 1996. The following are changes to the contract: o Price reduction of the 128MB memory daughter card for the AV8500/AV9500 server systems effective October 1, 1995. CLIN 1418 reduced from $11,400 to $8,400. o Price reduction of all disk drives including the Clariion disks 2GB SCSI reduced from $1800 to $1600 4GB SCSI reduced from $2800 to $2600 Clariion disks: 1GB disk reduced from $1488 to $1200 2GB disk reduced from $2150 to $1600 4GB disk reduced from $3250 to $2600 o Replacement of Ethernet Printer Server (Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) 150l) and price reduction from $625 to $380. The new Print Server meets the specifications in the contract. o Substitution of CLIN 1435 (12ppm) and CLIN 1500 (16ppm) Lexmark printers with newer Lexmark printers. The new printers have 1200 x 1200 dpi, 8MB memory, 500 sheet page tray, and options that include duplexing, 40MB hard drive, and 10BASET option on the 12ppm printer. The 10BASET is included with the price of the new 16ppm printer. CLIN 1587 (12ppm) $1,608 (price remains the same) CLIN 1588 (16ppm) $2,596 (price increase $599) CLINS 1589, 1590, 1591, 1592, 1593, 1594, 1595, 1596 are options *Data General has already submitted a new proposal to replace the above mentioned printers. The proposed substitute printers (also Lexmark 16ppm) are expected to be less expensive. An updated CLIN list can be found on qvarsx.er.usgs.gov (130.11.51.82). /var/ftp/pub/disii filename is clin.list.tar.gz the checksum = 60560 71 For your planning purposes, Data General has submitted the following proposals that are pending review and approval for future modification to the DIS-II contract. o 7200 RPM disk drives that function on 88100 servers (AV52xx or AV62xx) and the AV530 workstations o New Lexmark printer (16ppm) o Faster CD/ROM o Upgrade 45MHz dual CPU board (AV8500 and AV9500 servers) to Quad 50MHz CPU board o New Data Terminal and Keyboard (System Console) 12. PRIME MAINTENANCE CONTRACT MODIFICATION ------------------------------------------- ComputerVision recently informed the USGS that preventive maintenance (PM) on PRIME systems should now be performed every other month, or bi-monthly. Previously the contract specified that PMs should be performed monthly. It is the responsibility of the system administrators to open a service ticket with the 800 service to have the bi-monthly PM performed at their site. If there are any additional questions, please email sshite or smtrapan.