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Public-Access Computer Systems Review Volume 04 Number 01
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
Volume 4, Number 1 (1993) ISSN 1048-6542
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CONTENTS
COMMUNICATIONS
The University of Pennsylvania's PennInfo Campus-Wide Information
System
By Alfred C. D'Souza (pp. 5-12)
To retrieve this file: GET DSOUZA PRV4N1 F=MAIL
While there has been an interest in campus-wide information
systems and videotext applications at the University of
Pennsylvania for quite some time, it was in the Summer of 1991
that the University's Department of Data Communications and
Computing Services (DCCS) led a formal campus-wide effort to
determine the best approach for implementing a campus-wide
information system (CWIS) for Penn. After evaluating three
systems as well as local development, MIT's TechInfo CWIS was
chosen. TechInfo was customized for the Penn environment to
create PennInfo, which runs on a dedicated 24 MIP DECstation
5000/200 with two (RZ57) 1.3 gigabyte disk drives under Ultrix
v4.2. A critically important feature of the system design is its
client/server architecture. This client/server architecture
enables Penn to distribute the responsibility for posting
information on the system, and it reduces the potential for
performance bottlenecks by utilizing the computing power of
end-users' desktop workstations.
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COLUMNS
Casting the Net
USMARC Format Integration, Part II: Implications for Local
Systems
By Priscilla Caplan (pp. 13-17)
To retrieve this file: GET CAPLAN PRV4N1 F=MAIL
Recursive Reviews
The Challenge of Multimedia Networking
By Martin Halbert (pp. 18-23)
To retrieve this file: GET HALBERT PRV4N1 F=MAIL
REVIEWS
The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking,
by Tracy LaQuey (with Jeanne C. Ryer).
Reviewed by David F. W. Robison (pp. 24-28)
To retrieve this file: GET ROBISON PRV4N1 F=MAIL
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
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Editor-in-Chief
Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
University Libraries
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-2091
(713) 743-9804
LIB3@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or LIB3@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet)
Associate Editors
Columns: Leslie Pearse, OCLC
Communications: Dana Rooks, University of Houston
Reviews: Roy Tennant, University of California, Berkeley
Editorial Board
Ralph Alberico, University of Texas, Austin
George H. Brett II, Clearinghouse for Networked Information
Discovery and Retrieval
Steve Cisler, Apple Computer, Inc.
Walt Crawford, Research Libraries Group
Lorcan Dempsey, University of Bath
Nancy Evans, Pennsylvania State University, Ogontz
Charles Hildreth, University of Washington
Ronald Larsen, University of Maryland
Clifford Lynch, Division of Library Automation,
University of California
David R. McDonald, Tufts University
R. Bruce Miller, University of California, San Diego
Paul Evan Peters, Coalition for Networked Information
Mike Ridley, University of Waterloo
Peggy Seiden, Skidmore College
Peter Stone, University of Sussex
John E. Ulmschneider, North Carolina State University
Publication Information
Published on an irregular basis by the University Libraries,
University of Houston. Technical support is provided by the
Information Technology Division, University of Houston.
Circulation: 6,125 subscribers in 52 countries (PACS-L) and 1,242
subscribers in 42 countries (PACS-P).
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Back issues are available from LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 (BITNET) or
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available files, send the following e-mail message to the
LISTSERV: INDEX PACS-L. The name of each issue's table of
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
Rights Reserved.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
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Casting the Net
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Caplan, Priscilla. "USMARC Format Integration, Part II:
Implications for Local Systems." The Public-Access Computer
Systems Review 4, no. 1 (1993): 13-17. To retrieve this file,
send the following e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU: GET CAPLAN PRV4N1 F=MAIL.
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When we last left USMARC format integration (see "USMARC Format
Integration, Part I: What, Why, and When?" The Public-Access
Computer Systems Review 3, no. 5 (1992): 33-36; GET CAPLAN PRV3N5
F=MAIL), it was defined, approved, and in imminent danger of
being implemented. We concluded then that format integration
would have to offer substantial benefits to the end users of our
public catalogs to be worth the bother. Before going on to
consider what some of those benefits might be, it's worth
spending a little time belaboring the bother.
Impact on Catalogers
For most catalogers, the burden of change caused by format
integration should not be too great. Most of the impact occurs
in a few specific areas: items with accompanying materials,
multimedia, and non-textual serials. Monographic catalogers will
see relatively little change, and catalogers of textual serials
will see the least change, since most conflicts in usage between
the old formats were resolved in favor of serial practices.
Cataloging staff should not fear that they will now have to learn
vast numbers of field tags that they never used before, since
chances are good that fields not previously defined for a
particular type of material aren't ordinarily relevant to it.
Catalogers who never before needed a 306 (playing time) or 586
(exhibitions note) are unlikely to need one now.
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Of course, catalogers will need an overview of the purpose
and major effects of format integration as well as specific
training in those changes affecting the materials with which they
work. Cataloging departments will need to spend some time
determining their own policies in areas where choice is allowed,
including how to select a primary format, when to create an 006,
and whether to use very specific note fields when applicable.
Catalogers will also need to get used to new documentation from
the bibliographic utilities and to the changes both the utilities
and their own local systems have made in response to format
integration.
Impact on Local Systems
The impact on local systems will be significant although not
radical. The Library of Congress and the bibliographic utilities
are coordinating their implementation plans so that these systems
will be able to exchange data with each other from "Day 1"
(currently scheduled for January 1, 1994). This means that every
library receiving cataloging from LC or any of the utilities will
have to be able to accept post-format-integration data from Day
1.
The extent to which software changes are required will vary
from one local system to another. Some functions likely to be
affected include data validation, data entry for the new 006
field, the import and export of USMARC records, duplicate
detection and resolution for imported records, and reporting.
(Staff who receive reports like "acquisitions expenditures by
format of material" may also want to reconsider how they define
format information.) Systems that have format-dependent
functionality, particularly functionality specific to AMC
(archives and manuscript control) records, could require some
reprogramming.
Vendors may or may not decide to require full- or
partial-file conversion. An advantage of converting is that it
is easier for a system to handle a consistent bibliographic file,
particularly in the leader and fixed fields. The disadvantage is
that, since the older content designation is still valid in older
records, all records from the utilities or other sources would
need to be examined and converted at the time of import to
maintain consistency. Unless, of course, the utilities decide to
convert their own files. Conversion in general is one of the
messier issues, but my suspicion is we'll be living with
pre-format-integration content designation for at least as long
as we have lived with pre-AACR2 cataloging. Longer than it takes
a whale to gestate, anyway.
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Whatever their vendors decide to do, systems librarians and
others responsible for managing local systems will need to have
the changes installed, tested, and ready sufficiently in advance
of Day 1 to provide local training and updated documentation.
The big question here is whether one's vendor will require its
customers to be using the current version of its software in
order to install the format integration release. Bringing
software up to the current level will doubtless be a non-trivial
task for many installations.
Impact on Public Services
Reference and public services staff should escape relatively
unscathed. Certainly, they will see some changes, especially if
vendors take full advantage of the power of format integration to
improve searching and display, as noted below. Still, as a
reference librarian recently told me, "Every time we get a new
CD-ROM, I'm expected to learn a completely new set of data, new
search software, and a new user interface. So I'm supposed to
get excited over a few changes to our online catalog?"
Now for the Good Stuff!
These "few changes" to the online catalog, however, should
contribute to helping patrons get what they want and know what
they've got. For starters, systems can take advantage of format
integration to eliminate an existing problem with search
qualification. Many library systems allow patrons to limit or
qualify their search results by format--to say in effect, "I want
to see only maps," or "I want to see only serials." Today, such
a qualified search is likely to exclude relevant items. A map
issued serially, for example, if cataloged as a serial in
accordance with CONSER rules, would not be retrieved in any
search limited to maps. After format integration, since both the
map-like and serial aspects of this publication can be
represented in the fixed fields, a local system could let the
record be retrieved by searches limited to maps as well as
searches limited to serials. While this will be a helpful fix,
it won't exactly revolutionize online retrieval. At my
institution, transaction logs indicate that less than one percent
of OPAC searches are limited by format, and I suspect a healthy
subset of these are done by library staff.
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A more pervasive, if more subtle, improvement will come from
the simple ability to record and thus to display any relevant
information about a publication--regardless of its USMARC format.
Trying to describe a mixed or multimedia publication in a single
format has always been a problem--you're likely to leave out
something important. This, in turn, is reflected in OPAC
displays, which can be cryptic, confusing, or even misleading.
Along the same lines, an incidental effect of format integration
could be that vendors will rethink and redesign their OPAC
displays. Hopefully, more systems will explicitly label and
display format information instead of requiring the patron to
infer it from clues in the bibliographic description.
The greatest benefit of format integration, however, isn't
in simplifying USMARC rules or enhancing our catalogs. The real
benefit is that format integration allows us to describe and thus
give our patrons access to things that exist in the world. How
could we catalog electronic journals like The Public-Access
Computer Systems Review if we had to describe it as either a
computer file or a serial but not as both? How would we cope
with digitized maps or slides? Are you planning a project to
scan and store images of sheet music or architectural drawings?
The fact is that information resources are increasingly in
electronic forms, and electronic materials are increasingly
multimedia in content. It makes no more sense to try to describe
these in terms of a single USMARC format than it does to describe
yourself only as a staff member and not also as a mother/father,
sister/brother, church-goer, bridge-player, etc. Which of these
aspects is most important at any particular time may depend on
the context, but in the case of library materials, our patrons'
needs should define the context and not cataloging rules, system
limitations, or the USMARC format specifications.
About the Author
Priscilla Caplan, Head, Systems Development Division, Office for
Information Services, Harvard University Library. Internet:
COTTON@HARVARDA.HARVARD.EDU.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
journal that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other
computer networks. There is no subscription fee.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1
(BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says:
SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also
receive two electronic newsletters: Current Cites and Public-
Access Computer Systems News.
This article is Copyright (C) 1993 by Priscilla Caplan. All
Rights Reserved.
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
Rights Reserved.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
requires permission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Page 5 +
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D'Souza, Alfred C. "The University of Pennsylvania's PennInfo
Campus-Wide Information System." The Public-Access Computer
Systems Review 4, no. 1 (1993): 5-12. To retrieve this file,
send the following e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU: GET DSOUZA PRV4N1 F=MAIL.
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1.0 Introduction
While there has been an interest in campus-wide information
systems and videotext applications at the University of
Pennsylvania for quite some time, it was in the Summer of 1991
that the University's Department of Data Communications and
Computing Services (DCCS) led a formal campus-wide effort to
determine the best approach for implementing a campus-wide
information system (CWIS) for Penn.
Penn's CWIS project team used a requirements-based process
to determine the best approach to implement the system. One of
the most important criteria was that it should support the
decentralized organizational structure at Penn, permitting a wide
range of information providers throughout the University to post
their information to the system with minimal effort, training, or
prerequisite computing expertise.
A fundamental decision to be made was whether we should
develop our own CWIS, utilize a public-domain system developed at
another university (use it "as is" or modify it to meet our
needs), or purchase a commercially available product. After a
brief investigation of available systems, we narrowed our choices
to three public-domain systems (Cornell's CUINFO, MIT's TechInfo,
and Princeton's PNN) and a fourth system, which would be
developed through an in-house effort. These choices were, in
part, prompted by our knowledge that the developers of these
three systems were pioneers in introducing CWIS systems to the
Internet community (through conferences such as EDUCOM and
CAUSE), and they were also collaborating on the development of a
new protocol, CWIS-P, which would permit the "seamless" sharing
of information between heterogeneous CWIS systems.
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The result of these deliberations was a decision to use
MIT's CWIS, TechInfo. [1] A critically important feature of the
system design is its client/server architecture, which is
consistent with the strategic direction for computing at Penn as
articulated by the Vice Provost for Information Systems and
Computing, Dr. Peter Patton. This client/server architecture
enables us to distribute the responsibility for posting
information on the system, and it reduces the potential for
performance bottlenecks, which occur in traditional terminal to
host systems, by utilizing the computing power of end-users'
desktop workstations. Macintosh and VT100 implementations of the
client software are the only ones currently available, but others
are forthcoming. We made our decision while realizing that some
effort would be necessary to customize TechInfo for our
environment.
2.0 Implementation
DCCS engineers, Linda Murphy and Jerzy Sliwinski, customized
TechInfo, as follows:
o Linda changed the way the system is configured to
permit automatic start-up via "crontab," a UNIX daemon.
This provides unattended recovery from a system crash,
minimizing the downtime that follows any such event.
o Linda modified some text strings in the UNIX code, as
required. For instance, during start up, the message
"PennInfo initializing" replaces "TechInfo
initializing."
o Linda wrote a program to capture local weather
information, several times a day, by running the NNTP
weather daemon. The source of the weather information
is the University of Michigan, which permits
noncommercial use.
o Linda wrote several programs to generate usage
statistics from system log files. Thus, we are able to
tell information providers how often their documents
are read (we have no way to determine by whom, but we
would not want to do so because of privacy
considerations). We also have access to gross usage
statistics for the PennInfo system.
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o Linda also wrote programs to generate both a document
index and a series of keyword lists for each
information provider's files.
o Jerzy used ResEdit, a Macintosh programming
tool/resource editor, to customize text strings, create
new icons (such as the PennInfo icon that is used to
fire up the PennInfo application from the end-user's
Macintosh), and set certain default configurations for
use in the Macintosh environment. The document, Site
Specific Macintosh TechInfo Customization, provided by
MIT, was useful in this process.
The Penn-specific version, PennInfo, was successfully launched as
a supported service in November 1991, and it has since grown to
include approximately 3,000 documents, posted by over 70
information providers from various schools and offices at Penn.
Recruitment of new information providers remains a critical
activity that is necessary for the continued success of PennInfo
as a network service that is widely used by members of the Penn
community.
3.0 Description
PennInfo is a menu-driven system that includes information on a
wide variety of topics, ranging from the University Calendar of
Events to information about counseling and support services for
staff and students.
The first-time reader may want to traverse up and down the
hierarchy of menus and read many of the documents available in
the system. However, prior to moving through the menu hierarchy,
an "Outline" feature is provided to indicate the type of
documents that are available under the various menu headings.
This enables the user to see a "road map" of the document
structure before actually traversing it. A "Path" feature tells
the user how he or she got to a given document in the hierarchy,
which is a useful "navigational" tool. One of TechInfo's
strengths is that, compared to other CWIS systems, it provides
many more "traversal" aids to users. Help screens are also
available to assist the novice user.
+ Page 8 +
While traversal through the hierarchy of menus and documents
is useful in giving the user a sense of the breadth and depth of
the information content of PennInfo, an easier way to find
information on any given topic is to use the keyword search
feature, which produces a dynamically generated menu of all items
(e.g., folders, documents, or other menus) that have been
assigned that keyword by any information provider. Since the
base TechInfo software does not currently include a full-text
search engine, the effectiveness of search efforts by end-users
is limited by the thoroughness and experience of the many
information providers who are responsible for deciding how many
and which keywords are assigned to the various documents.
Recognizing that choosing the right set of keywords for a
document is an art, we have worked with experts from Penn's
University Library to train information providers on appropriate
techniques. An e-mail feedback mechanism has also been set up to
provide us with the details of unsuccessful searches by
end-users.
4.0 Technical Features
One of the design goals of TechInfo was to provide ubiquitous
access from any computer. Thus, access from dial-up, Telnet,
UNIX character-based (curses), and Macintosh environments is
provided. PennInfo runs on a dedicated 24 MIP DECstation
5000/200 with two (RZ57) 1.3 gigabyte disk drives. The operating
system is Ultrix v4.2. We also run a customized version of MIT's
VT100 (curses) "client" software program to provide access for
Telnet-based connections to the PennInfo server. A "point and
click" interface is also provided via MIT's Macintosh "client"
software package, which we have customized for the Penn
environment and distribute to the growing number of end-users
that use Ethernet-connected Macintoshes as their desktop devices.
A key benefit of this Macintosh software is that it enables the
user to print documents on locally attached LAN (AppleTalk)
printers.
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5.0 Operational Support
We can provide operational support for PennInfo with existing
staff because of their depth of experience in the UNIX and TCP/IP
environments. The DCCS Operations staff also creates POI
(Provider of Information) accounts, with password control, for
the many information providers that have joined the PennInfo
program. Over 70 individuals from about 30 offices (called
"Sources" in TechInfo jargon) participate as information
providers.
End-user support has been provided primarily by existing
staff at Penn's Computing Resource Center, but demand has been
minimal. We distribute a Quick Reference Card, which explains
the various features of PennInfo. Training and ongoing support
of over 70 information providers, however, is a very
time-consuming undertaking in Penn's decentralized environment,
and it requires a dedicated staff person. Our PennInfo
Administrator, Gayle Belford, trains these persons in the use of
the TechInfo "Provider" software (which, at the moment, requires
the use of a TCP/IP-connected Macintosh), and she also provides
guidance in the areas of planning the menu structure, screen
presentation, and keyword selection techniques. This care and
feeding of providers is facilitated by the use of an e-mail
mailing list, which is augmented with occasional, well attended
meetings of the POI SIG (Provider of Information Special Interest
Group).
As with many UNIX-based systems, there have been problems
related to the number of simultaneous users that can be supported
with PennInfo. Specifically, the number of "pseudo-ttys" that
can exist on an Ultrix system, as shipped by the vendor, defaults
to 32. The number of "open file descriptors" per process, on
Ultrix systems, likewise defaults to 64. To resolve these
problems, Linda Murphy of our engineering staff has made some
modifications that effectively permit up to 170 simultaneous
accesses to the system. These changes are particularly useful
during course registration periods each semester, when many
students use PennInfo to obtain course information posted by the
Registrar's Office.
Another important aspect of the PennInfo program is the need
for kiosks to provide access to those in the Penn community that
do not have connections to the network. We have accomplished
this by providing free connections to qualifying offices
(preferably located in public-access areas with high traffic).
Additional work remains to be done, however, to develop an
integrated PennInfo Kiosk application for this purpose. We have
been working with MIT on this matter.
+ Page 10 +
6.0 Future Plans
We have recently upgraded to version 3.1 of MIT's server (along
with version 3.9 of the Mac client), and we are excited about new
features that have either been released or will be forthcoming.
Of particular interest are:
o Worldwide TechInfo, which gives the user access to
other systems on the Internet that use the TechInfo
protocol.
o GIF support for TechInfo desktop clients with graphics
capability, which will permit the display of GIF images
such as campus maps.
o Built-in full-text search capability using the WAIS
search engine.
o A "What's New" function that will allow the end-user to
enter a date and find all documents that have been
created or modified since the date entered.
o An X-TechInfo application (minus provider functions)
and a DOS/Windows client software package.
o A kiosk-mode function.
o A feature, to be available on the VT100 client only,
that will enable users to automatically send a PennInfo
document to anyone via e-mail.
Because of the tremendous Internet-wide success of the University
of Minnesota's CWIS and "navigational" system, Gopher, we have
recently adopted a "best of both worlds" strategy and set up a
central Penn Gopher server (gopher.upenn.edu) along with two
bidirectional gateways, which were developed by DCCS engineer,
Linda Murphy. [2] These new additions to the PennNet
infrastructure effectively enable end-users at Penn to use the
CWIS client software of their choice to get to both PennInfo and
worldwide Gopher information.
+ Page 11 +
7.0 Conclusion
In summary, the PennInfo project has been very successful, both
as a key network service to the Penn community and as a working
partnership between the developers at MIT and the project team at
Penn. We invite readers to browse through PennInfo and to enjoy
reading the many interesting documents found there, including Zen
and the Art of the Internet, The BITNET List of Lists, and the
CIA World Fact Book. [3] We look forward to getting feedback and
comments from our users.
Notes
1. Information and documents about MIT's TechInfo are available
via FTP from MIT's server, net-dist.mit.edu, in the /pub/techinfo
directory.
2. To access Penn's central Gopher server, Telnet to
gopher.upenn.edu (or "point" your Gopher client to
gopher.upenn.edu, port 70). DCCS has put up some of the better
Gopher clients (preconfigured to point to our Gopher server where
possible) on our FTP server, ftp.upenn.edu, in directory
pub/gopher.
3. To access PennInfo, Telnet to penninfo.upenn.edu. If you
have the MacTCP software (developed and sold by Apple Computer,
Inc.), use FTP to obtain pub/mac/penninfo.hqx from ftp.upenn.edu.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to express thanks to Gayle Belford, Linda
Murphy, Jerzy Sliwinski, and Dan Updegrove of DCCS, and to Steve
Neiterman Wade of MIT for reviewing and providing useful
suggestions for this article.
+ Page 12 +
About the Author
Alfred C. D'Souza has led the efforts to select, deploy, and
provide ongoing support for Penn's PennInfo CWIS. His address
is: Alfred C. D'Souza, Director of Program Management, Data
Communications and Computing Services, University of
Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 221A, Philadelphia, PA
19104. Internet: DSOUZA@DCCS.UPENN.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
journal that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other
computer networks. There is no subscription fee.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1
(BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says:
SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also
receive two electronic newsletters: Current Cites and Public-
Access Computer Systems News.
This article is Copyright (C) 1993 by Alfred C. D'Souza.
All Rights Reserved.
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
Rights Reserved.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
requires permission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Page 18 +
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Recursive Reviews
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
Halbert, Martin. "The Challenge of Multimedia Networking." The
Public-Access Computer Systems Review 4, no. 1 (1993): 18-23. To
retrieve this file, send the following e-mail message to
LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU: GET HALBERT PRV4N1
F=MAIL.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There is no question that computer applications such as word
processing, electronic mail, and desktop publishing have changed
the way people work. These computer applications have enhanced
users' capacity for communication and have improved their
productivity. The success of these applications has prompted
both vendors and researchers to continue to seek new ways to
further advance the information technology revolution. Enter the
latest innovation: networked multimedia systems.
Networked multimedia systems convey information in multiple
formats: text, graphics, video, audio, numerical data, computer
simulations, and so forth. Advocates of these systems argue that
they are the next logical step in human communication; however,
modifying our current networks to accommodate the variety of
proposed media formats will present significant technical
difficulties. The articles reviewed in this column examine both
the promise and the peril of developing networked multimedia
systems.
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Koffman, Gail. "Strike Up The Bandwidth." LAN Magazine 7, no.
11 (November 1992): 38-54. (ISSN 0898-0012)
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The technology of multimedia is proceeding along a familiar path:
applications developed initially for stand-alone systems are now
being networked. Koffman traces the recent developments from the
MPC (Multimedia Personal Computer) standard to efforts by vendors
to network MPC software.
+ Page 19 +
The big problem, of course, is LAN bottlenecks. Networks
that link local groups of personal computers are typically
designed around the concept of breaking transmissions into small
chunks (or "packets"), sending these packets to the destination
as network traffic permits, and, at the destination,
reconstituting the transmission from the packets. The problem is
that individual packets may be temporarily delayed on the way by
network "traffic jams." If the transmission is a live video
image, the result is a choppy, halting movie that is completely
unsatisfactory for viewing. Some method of providing direct,
dedicated video feeds or improving the network bandwidth is
needed to solve this problem.
Koffman gives an excellent overview of the issues, the
industry standards, and the current thinking on possible
solutions, especially ATM technology, which is discussed later in
this column (see the review of the article from PC Magazine).
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Polilli, Steve. "Coming to Networks Near You: Multimedia Moves
Toward Mainstream with Server Hosting Video, Sound." Software
Magazine 12, no. 13 (September 15, 1992): 40-45. (ISSN
0897-8085)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While many technical questions about how multimedia can
effectively be incorporated into networks continue to plague the
industry, there is no question about whether vendors are
interested in trying. Virtually all of them are attempting to
solve the technical problems of networked multimedia through new
products.
Polilli reviews the issues from several different
perspectives, including the technical problems and the potential
for improving instruction in the educational setting. Examples
of networked multimedia use in colleges are also given.
+ Page 20 +
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McQuillan, John M. "Multimedia Networking: An Applications
Portfolio." Data Communications 21, no. 12 (September 1992):
85-94. (ISSN 0363-6399)
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Into what categories do the many applications of networked
multimedia fall? McQuillan sets out to organize the numerous
current networked multimedia projects into broad classes, such as
desktop publishing, videoconferencing, self-directed learning,
and so on.
The recurring problem with each of these applications is the
cost of solving network bandwidth difficulties. Multimedia
technology has a wide variety of promising uses in any
organization, but right now the cost of implementation is the
major barrier.
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FitzGerald, Michael, and Henry Olsen. "Genesis of a Multimedia
Social Sciences Curriculum." EDUCOM Review 28, no. 1
(January/February 1993): 36-41. (ISSN 1045-9146)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even if technical problems are solved, development of useful
multimedia resources is daunting. FitzGerald and Olsen's article
(part of a special issue of the EDUCOM Review focusing on
multimedia) provides a good picture of the challenges involved in
working multimedia into the college curriculum. While the
applications discussed are largely not networked, they still
require a significant effort to fund and develop. The
difficulties associated with a similar effort involving the
increased complexity and expense of networked resources are easy
to imagine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
McHale, John. "The Hub of the Future." LAN Technology 8, no. 11
(October 15, 1992): 23-24. (ISSN 8750-9482)
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The next generation of networking systems is being developed now
for use in the mid- to late 1990s. These systems are being
designed around the needs of multimedia and other high-bandwidth
LAN applications.
+ Page 21 +
McHale provides an excellent commentary on the requirements
that multimedia applications will place on LAN hubs. Hubs must
become much more than simple wiring concentration points. They
must be able to intelligently manage heterogenous networks that
incorporate demanding new applications like multimedia systems.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Greenfield, David. "Empire Builders: Six Enterprise Hubs." PC
Magazine 11, no. 19 (November 10, 1992): 291-358. (ISSN
0888-8507)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This article samples some of the newer network hubs that try to
address the demands of new network applications like multimedia.
These hubs provide support for Ethernet, FDDI, Token-Ring and
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol); they possess a modular
chassis; and they have an internetworking module. Unfortunately,
none of them can really guarantee isochronous (uninterrupted)
delivery of real-time, high-bandwidth data like video feeds.
FDDI is currently the best of the available network
technologies, but it requires upgrading to the FDDI II standard
(now under development but unavailable) to approach isochronous
transmission capabilities.
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network technology,
currently being developed by most major network vendors, will
provide the switched isochronous high-bandwidth capabilities
needed for serious multimedia networking applications. ATM
technology will probably be available for (somewhat) reasonable
prices around 1995. Until then, the so-called enterprise hubs
may be the best technology available for multimedia experiments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bly, Sara A., Steve R. Harrison, and Susan Irwin. "Media Spaces:
Bringing People Together in a Video, Audio, and Computing
Environment." Communications of the ACM 36, no. 1 (January
1993): 28-47. (ISSN 0001-0782)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What will it be like when all this multimedia technology shows up
on our networks? The January 1993 issue of the Communications of
the ACM focuses on examples of multimedia in the workplace, and
it includes an article on a networked environment created at the
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).
+ Page 22 +
Research in advanced workgroup applications at Xerox PARC
resulted in a project called Media Spaces. This project was
designed to completely integrate videoconferencing technology
into the working environments of geographically separated members
of a research group. The project proposed to study how
videoconferencing technology could support collaboration. The
project came to many unexpected conclusions about what networked
multimedia technology was good for and what it was not good for.
In order to be successful, the project design had to be shaped by
the collaboration style of the study group. Unanticipated
problems cropped up related to equipment control, interface
design, and system scaling. Despite these problems, however, the
Media Spaces project was perceived as a great success in
exploring remote collaboration through technology. The project
provides a foretaste of the kinds of working environments that
will emerge when networked multimedia applications become
commonplace.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Arfman, Josina M., and Peter Roden. "Project Athena: Supporting
Distributed Computing at MIT." IBM Systems Journal 31, no. 3
(September 1992): 550-564. (ISSN 0018-8670)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The eight-year Project Athena effort at MIT was probably the most
influential experiment in distributed computing technology during
the last decade. This extensive review of the project includes a
perspective on the issues of networking multimedia during the
development of X Windows and Athena MUSE. The technology
developed in the course of Project Athena continues to heavily
influence work on distributed computing and will contribute
significantly to the shape of networked multimedia systems in the
future.
+ Page 23 +
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Freed, Ned. "MIME Speaks Out." LAN Magazine 7, no. 7 (July
1992): 67-74. (ISSN 0898-0012)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of the MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension)
protocol is to enable Internet electronic mail messages to
contain multiple component parts and media formats. Electronic
mail sent over the Internet is currently limited to straight
text. Binary files can be sent only by first encoding them as
text files (using many nonstandard methods) and then decoding
them after receipt. MIME enables the routine transmission of
multimedia messages containing video, audio, PostScript, and
other formats. Broad access to networked multimedia will occur
when MIME becomes widely used; however, it may be years before
this happens.
About the Author
Martin Halbert, Head, Networked Systems, Fondren Library, Rice
University, Houston, TX 77251-1892. Internet:
HALBERT@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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This article is Copyright (C) 1993 by Martin Halbert. All
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Page 24 +
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David F. W. Robison. Review of The Internet Companion: A
Beginner's Guide to Global Networking, by Tracy LaQuey (with
Jeanne C. Ryer). In The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 4,
no. 1 (1993): 24-28. To retrieve this file, send the following
e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU:
GET ROBISON PRV4N1 F=MAIL.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LaQuey and Ryer and have put together a guide to networking that
almost reads like a novel. The text, written in nontechnical
language, is organized to create and sustain interest in
networking on the part of the user. Included are simple,
somewhat comical diagrams that clarify concepts and systems while
making a neophyte feel comfortable with terms like "Serial Line
Internet Protocol." Helping to convey the authors' own
excitement over networking are numerous sidebars with text taken
from various sources that provide anecdotal evidence of the
richness and power of the virtual culture.
The book begins with a foreword written by Vice President Al
Gore, the leading government proponent of the development of the
National Research and Education Network (NREN) and, when he was
in the Senate, the author of two pieces of legislation designed
to establish the NREN. Gore's foreword helps establish for the
reader the crucial importance of networking, both now and even
more so in the future.
In the preface, LaQuey argues that "If you want to stay
current in the nineties, and even into the next century, you need
to learn about the Internet. Futurists predict that information
and access to it will be the basis for personal, business, and
political advancement in the next century." Having declared the
importance of the network, LaQuey explains what the book covers
and how to use the examples in the book; that is, how the
typography lets the user know what they are supposed to type and
what the machine will answer back.
The book is divided into six chapters: "Why You Should Know
About the Internet," "Internet: The Lowdown," "Communicating with
People," "Finding Information," "Internet In-the-Know Guide," and
"Getting Connected." There are, in addition to these chapters, a
bibliography, an appendix of resources, and an index.
+ Page 25 +
The first chapter begins by putting the Internet in its
historical context, comparing it to other innovations of
communication, and giving a brief history of the Net itself.
Right away, though, there is a sidebar that demonstrates how the
Net played a crucial and exciting role in the dissemination of
information during the attempted coup in the final days of the
Soviet Union in August of 1991. It is this kind of illustration
of the role the network can play in important events that
captures the reader's attention. This is especially important if
LaQuey's purpose is to motivate new or potential network users to
jump into the fray, as I think it is.
Beyond the events of global importance and newsworthiness,
LaQuey also describes in broad brush strokes the network
community of today and traces the plans for the development of
the NREN, including the role it will play in K-12 education and
the commercialization of the network. At the end of the first
chapter, LaQuey recognizes that she has only whetted the reader's
appetite and writes:
At this point, you're probably less concerned about the
future of the Internet than you are about your own immediate
future on the Internet. So stay with us as we explain a bit
about how it works and some concepts you need to know before
we take you to this electronic world. Onward to Chapter 2,
for the "lowdown" on the Internet.
Once again working to put the new user at ease, LaQuey states at
the beginning of Chapter 2 that the most important principle of
the Internet is that "You don't have to fully understand how the
Internet works to use it." This point is important. It helps
users get over their initial fear that they don't know enough,
and that they will break something in their ignorance. While it
is possible to break something, most activities on the Internet
are set up to be protected from both intentionally and
unintentionally destructive behavior. LaQuey does not believe,
however, that users should be blissful in their ignorance, for as
with most things, "the more you know, the more doors are open to
you."
+ Page 26 +
Chapter 2 covers the basics of how the network is
"organized," how the various subnets are able to communicate
through a common set of protocols and sending data in packets,
the three primary applications available on the Internet (e-mail,
remote login, and file transfer), how addressing works, gateways
to other networks (e.g., CompuServe and BITNET), and the NSFNET
Acceptable Use Policy. In one section, LaQuey deciphers a bit of
technojargon that many of us take for granted: "dot speak."
Where others might read an IP address as "128 period 32 period. .
. ." computer types say, "128 dot 32 dot. . . . ." This is a
minor point, but to the neophyte trying to establish a connection
it can be quite confusing.
In the next chapter, readers learn about communicating with
other people on the network, perhaps the most important part of
networking. Starting with simple e-mail, LaQuey explains the
difference between asynchronous communication and real-time
"talking," how e-mail is and is not like fax, the construction of
a user's address, and how to read a message (what's the header
and what's the body). Included here is a list of gateway
suffixes to enable Internet users to send mail to non-Internet
sites. From person-to-person mail we move on to e-mail
conferencing. LaQuey tells readers how lists and USENET News
work, the types of lists one can subscribe to, and how to find
out about the lists and groups available. In addition to
asynchronous communication, readers also learn about "talk" and
the Internet Chat Relay system. Appropriately, the last six
pages of this chapter are devoted to "Netiquette, Ethics, and
Digital Tricks of the Trade." LaQuey educates readers on how
they can be more effective communicators in the network
environment (neatness counts!). She also covers signatures and
how to avoid high emotions on the Net, where misunderstandings
are common. Interestingly, in a section on common acronyms,
perhaps in deference to the "settling" of the Internet, LaQuey
translates RTFM as "read the friendly manual."
From personal communication, LaQuey shifts to one of the
more difficult areas of internetworking: resource discovery, or
finding information. While describing the Internet and its
resources as a virtual library, LaQuey admits that "this
electronic library is not as well organized as a real library."
In this section, LaQuey combines description of resources and the
methods for access. Picking exemplary sites, users are walked
through using Telnet and anonymous FTP to find resources.
Readers learn about campus-wide information systems, archives,
file types, client/server architecture, Gopher, WAIS, World-Wide
Web, and archie.
+ Page 27 +
Chapter 5 is the "Internet In-the-Know Guide" which offers
examples of Internet legends, including one which made me laugh
out loud, and a description of some of the interactive
multiplayer games that are played on the Net. There is a list of
basic UNIX commands, although I'm not sure what knowing the
command for invoking vi (the visual editor) will do for anyone
without further instruction. There is a section devoted to
security and privacy which includes advice on passwords, a
warning that e-mail is not secure, and information on
organizations involved in network policy issues (although only
the Internet Society and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are
listed in this section, others are listed in the Appendix).
There is also further information on locating e-mail addresses
through servers and special commands as well as sources of more
detailed and technical information on the network and its
resources.
The final chapter is devoted to helping users get a
connection. As the network grows more popular and more "lay
people" become interested in joining the community, access to the
network becomes a crucial issue, and the number of opportunities
grows. LaQuey does an excellent job explaining the different
types of connections that are available, what ranges of
functionality are available through these connections, and the
costs involved. Diagrams help the reader to understand the
difference between the various connections. The information in
this section is directed to both personal and business users and
includes options that may be available to specific user groups.
The author seems to have covered all bases on this topic, which
is a subject that really needs it.
The appendix that follows the wide-ranging bibliography
includes source information (e-mail addresses, "snail-mail"
addresses, telephone numbers, and archive sites), further
reading, and software. There is also a list of Internet service
providers organized by area code as well as an alphabetical list.
Unfortunately, the alphabetical list with detailed contact
information is a bit difficult to read.
+ Page 28 +
In the end, it is amazing that the authors have been able to
cram so much into such a small book. They do this by not getting
bogged down in details and by covering topics concisely. This
format is ideal for new users since it is unlikely to intimidate.
Almost in spite of this, the reader is provided with crucial
pieces of information so that they can begin to explore the
network on their own; or rather, with this companion.
Further Information on the Reviewed Book
LaQuey, Tracy (with Jeanne C. Ryer). The Internet Companion: A
Beginner's Guide to Global Networking. Reading, MA: Addison-
Wesley, 1993. 196 pp. $10.95. ISBN: 0-201-62224-6.
About the Author
David F. W. Robison, Information Systems Instruction & Support,
130 Doe, University of California, Berkeley, 94720. Internet:
DROBISON@LIBRARY.BERKELEY.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
journal that is distributed on BITNET, Internet, and other
computer networks. There is no subscription fee.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1
(BITNET) or LISTSERV@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU (Internet) that says:
SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also
receive two electronic newsletters: Current Cites and Public-
Access Computer Systems News.
This article is Copyright (C) 1993 by David F. W. Robison.
All Rights Reserved.
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
1993 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
Rights Reserved.
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
requires permission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
