State of California Cal Poly San Luis Memorandum Obispo CA 93407 To: The Campus Community Date: March 25, 1996 File Via: David B. Walch, Interim Associate No.: Vice President for Information Copies: Technology Services File No.: From: Joe Grimes, Chair, Instructional Advisory Committee on Computing (IACC) Subject:E-MAIL (AIX) SYSTEM IN CRITICAL CONDITION! The subject of this memo is depressing, but there is good news and it is that Cal Polys electronic mail (e-mail) system is scheduled to be replaced or upgraded in the next year. Bids for the new system are currently being evaluated and a contract should be awarded during Spring Quarter. quarter. So, help is on the way, but we need to take steps now to ensure that the current system will continue to function during the interim period. What is the Problem? AIX (UNIX) system is the primary e-mail and Internet server for the campus. Expanded instructional computing use on campus has increased the workload and demand on the AIX system. During Fall Quarter, the AIX system supported more than 18,000 user accounts, processed about 50,000 mail messages each day, and received approximately 1.3 million requests to access the World Wide Web and Gopher services each month. This increased instructional use has placed an unexpected and heavy burden on the system, and at least three major components are approaching failure points: 1. Computing power on the primary AIX sites (e.g., oboe, flute, cymbal, etc.) is already reaching maximum (100%) utilization during peak hours. 2. The E-MAIL system is nearing its saturation point. 3. File storage is nearing capacity. Information Technology Services (ITS) is doing what it can to alleviate these problems by fine-tuning the existing system and transferring services to other computers temporarily, but your help is needed, too. How Can You Help? Until the new system is in place, there are a number of steps users can take to help ease the load. The intent is not to discourage instructional use of the system, but rather to conserve the resources we have until a new solution can be implemented. To that end, IACC urges all faculty, staff and students to take the following voluntary actions: 1. Continue to avoid misuses of the system, such as games and mass mailings to friends. Remember that chain letters are illegal. 2. Try to use the AIX system during off hours (10 p.m. to 10 a.m.) as often as possible, especially for less time-critical or classroom- dependent activities, such as reading news. 3. Wait until off-hours to send e-mail to large aliases and distribution lists. 4. When responding to an e-mail message sent to an alias or distribution list, respond directly and only to the sender and not to the entire alias or list, unless there is a valid reason to do so. 5. Don't stay logged on in Pine. It uses a great deal of space and checks for e-mail every 30-60 seconds. 6. Don't sit idle in any application unless absolutely necessary. 7. Don't use LYNX on AIX to browse the World Wide Web if you can get there directly using Netscape. (Using personal computer labs rather than the terminal labs to access World Wide Web will facilitate this.) 8. Don't use AIX to telnet to other campus systems if you can log on directly. 9. Faculty should, stagger due dates of e-mail assignments or any assignments requiring the use of AIX. Have some assignments due on Mondays, some on Tuesdays, and so forth, rather than having all assignments due on Thursdays or Fridays. 10. Wait a few minutes after getting out of class before trying to log on. The AIX system often receives a substantial number of logons at 10 minutes past the hour. Waiting until 15 or 20 minutes past the hour to log on will help reduce the load. 11. Change the default setting in Netscape so that it first loads with a blank page or the Netscape home page rather than the Cal Poly home page. 12. Clean up your accounts. Freeing up disk space is important. Download old assignments, news and other files. Important information should always be downloaded to your own system. If such voluntary measures on the part of users are not successful in reducing the load, users users will face some or all of the following conditions when using the system:: o Response time may be slowed, limiting ability to run application programs, send or receive e-mail, or access Internet services such as World Wide Web. o Delivery of e-mail may be delayed up to five days or even lost when the load exceeds system capacity. o It may become impossible to log on to the system. o It may become impossible to add new accounts to the system. To avoid such potential problems, we urge you to do what you can to modify your own use and to encourage your colleagues and students to do the same. Your patience and understanding in the past and throughout the anticipated transition to a new, improved instructional computing system is greatly appreciated. Until then, if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact me or your IACC representative. __________________________________________________________________________ IACC is a standing committee that advises ITS and the university on information technology policy issues affecting instruction. IACC members welcome your input on this or any other information technology issue. The current membership includes: MEMBER REPRESENTING John Cotton College of Architecture and Environmental Design Bob Clover Information Technology Services, ITS Charles Dana Academic Senate Douglas Genereux College of Agriculture Joe Grimes, Chair, College of Engineering, Chair Adam Hafez Associated Students, Inc. Wayne Montgomery Robert E. Kennedy , Library Wes Mueller Former Chair, IACC Roxy Peck College of Science and Mathematics Mary Shaffer, Staff Information Technology Services, Recording Secretary Doug Smith College of Liberal Arts Allan Weatherford College of Business Tom Zuur Administrative Advisory Computing Committee (AACC)