Administrative Computing
a) Overview
Administrative computing started in the Secretary's office with the
establishment of a Data Processing Unit (DPU) to serve the central area
administration, primarily the Finance and Secretary's departments. IBM hardware
and software was chosen using IBM terminals running IBM's private protocols.
There was little contact with the computing service.
The second area of administrative computing originated in the Faculty
offices often starting with word processing and evolving into the manipulation
of class lists, marks, etc. This was often performed on micros or stand alone
machines. The offices were subsequently provided with a terminal into the DPU
machine on which data could be displayed but not easily transferred into the
Faculty machine except by re-keying.
The third birthplace of administrative computing was individual departments
starting naturally with the highly numerate departments. These expected to use
the same terminal or workstation for their admin as for their research and
expected also the same level of sophistication such as mail and file transfer.
The departments were not pleased to be unable to access faculty or DPU machine
in any convenient way or even at all. The most widespread and sustained
criticism encountered during departmental discussions concerned the
inaccessibility of quite normal administrative information and the amount of
paper involved in simple information transfer like a students change of address
or course.
It is also clear from visits to other Universities that some have access to
much more convenient administrative computing.
b) MIS and Faculty Administrative Computing
The bulk of MIS computing is done on the DPU machine an IBM 4381 running
the VM/CMS Operating System. Much of the software is IBM provided although some
third party products are used. Where bespoke software has been written the
language used has been PL/1 -sensible enough in the narrow DPU context but
helpful in that it can not be run or adapted to run on any of the academic
machines.
Some of the data on the MIS machine is highly confidential and IBM
operating systems were not, at the time of installation at least, noted for
their exceptional security when on an open network. Consequently terminal
provision was by direct connection of 3270 terminal from secure or trusted
offices. This limited access eased any security problems but it had the
unfortunate side effect of encouraging the use of software particularly tailored
to these devices. When a Network connection was provided it was at the modest
speed of 9,6 Kbit ( as against 1 Mbit for direct connections) and the software
consequences of emulating 3270 terminals over X25 were underestimated.
Substantial computation has to be scheduled in the IBM before transmission can
start which can contribute a delay. After this the data has to pass down a
medium speed line taking at least 1 second and further substantial computation
is needed in the terminal emulator. However provided the emulator is at least an
8 Megahertz PC ( most are currently much less powerful) and the IBM is not
overloaded adequate remote access is possible. It is hard to escape the
conclusion that inadequate investment has been made in remote access as compared
to direct access; the unintended result has been to perpetuate a tradition of
two classes of user with solutions acceptable to directly connected users being
deemed satisfactory however they seem to a remote users.
The Faculty offices have terminal access to the MIS machine direct or via
the network according to location. They also normally have their own
administrative machine, often a micro, although a manual system exists in more
than one office. The linkage between the faculty system and the MIS machine is
tortuous, a recurring comment is that it is easier to re-key information unless
the amount of data is large. This lack of linkage, together with the absence of
many signs of improvements is disappointing; the remark that it was easier, or at
any rate no harder five years ago was heard several times.
There is no obvious consensus on how or where administrative data should be
stored. MIS feels it should kept on the DPU machine and this is probably best
for highly confidential data. However less confidential data like class lists,
could be distributed or kept centrally. DPU's wish to centralize everything does
not seem very sensible - Medical Faculty with its large variety of clinical
classes need much more elaborate records than (say) Arts; however distribution
requires a revolution in both communications, which is coming, and thinking.
c) Departmental Administration
Administrative computing in departments has grown quite separately from MIS
and Faculty computing. It has two origins, the first is from the secretary's
typewriter to the word processor and electronic letter. The second is from the
academic computing scene. It is generally a rather untidy situation although
much ingenuity has been shown. The inaccessibility of central student data and
accounting information id universally criticized. The overwhelming desire was
for information to be readily available through familar channels particular via
the normal terminal, micro or workstation on the users desk.
Further faculty specific points are discussed under section 3 of this
report.
d) General Observations
If the University was a commercial organization it would impose a uniform,
but almost certainly highly distributed, office system over all faculties and
departments. The substantial cost would be recouped by staff savings and better
quality of management information. Given the high degree of numeracy in the
University and the substantial ingenuity already shown many of the benefits of a
large investment program could be achieved by pragmatic, but carefully
coordinated, measures leading slowly to more convergence, better use of existing
equipmenrt and less untidiness.
The objectives of MIS are defined by the University's Academic plan
as "to provide and support computer and related systems for the handling of
information required by the University's administration in its efforts to
achieve the Academic Plan". MIS interprets this to require the provision of:-
a) A central Computer to manage the key records of the University
b) A Network(sic) to link users in administration with the computer,
each other and other networks including EDNET.
c) Microcomputers and terminals to access and complement the mainframe
service
Provision of a central computer and private network in an increasingly
distributed computing scene clearly presume that administration is an activity
confined to a small number of people in the Old College area. Yet almost any
academic considers himself involved in, if not bogged down by, administration.
It is clear also that this unstated assumption is also the reason why
departmental administrative computing is almost totally divorced from MIS
computing and largely uncoordinated.
If the narrow view of administrative computing is accepted the objectives
of MIS in the 1990s appear modest but sensible . This view would leave
departments out in the cold without guidance or access to data, a logical
consequent of the feeling that all serious administration was performed
in the central area.
If the wider view of administartive computing is accepted as it would be in a
commercial organization, MIS becomes the key to substantial efficency
improvements throughout the University; it does however require different
priorities from MIS. In particular records will mostly be distributed, all
access should be via EDNET not an MIS network and as many as possible of the
many micros and workstations should be able to complement the MIS provision by
mounting suitable software. The effect of this on choice of software and
networking methods is profound but the basic choice of what is administration as
defined in the MIS remit is outwith the scope of the EUCS planners.
It is clear that historic support arrangements with the departments looking
towards the ERCC but central administration looking toward MIS have not helped.
Whatever computing arrangements are decided on will need to be overseen by a
single body whose responsibilties will include ensuring that close contact is
maintained between providers of administrative computing and the EUCS network
team building the new very high speed campus network.