VAX e-mail accounts to be transferred to new system

The migration of accounts to the new system has some built in risks: The system could be slowed due to the migration of thousands of accounts and die-hard VAX users will have to learn the new system.

"When we look at the two systems they are actually doing the same thing. We can maximize by moving all of them (accounts) to the U cluster," said Linda Drew, computing manager principal.

The Center for Computing and Information Technology is giving advance notice to VAX users, so they can open an account under the new U cluster well before the change over in May 1998. They are hoping to prevent a system slow down.

The CCIT staff watches the U cluster closely, and Drew said keeping it up and running is one of their highest priorities.

CCIT has a plan in place to maintain an alias for e-mail sent to the old system, which will not only forward the e-mail to the U cluster, but notify the sender that there is a new address.

"We will extend that (alias) as long as we need to keep messages coming," she said.

The VAX system used to be a heavy number crunching machine used to run FORTRAN, PASCAL and statistical programs, but once those functions were transferred to other computers the VAX system has become used mainly for e-mail and Internet applications, Drew said.

Some students who have gotten used to the VAX system will have to learn to use the new system under the U cluster. E-mail users will not have as much to worry about as students who learned programming on the VAX cluster, she said.

"If they learned programs on the VAX cluster for a class they will have to learn new steps on the U cluster. It shouldn't be a really big deal," Drew said.

However, some students prefer the old system, said graduate student Jeffrey Miller who works as a consultant for the Apache-Santa Cruz terminal site.

Miller said he spoke to a student who wanted to open a VAX account through CCIT because he was familiar with the system, but his request was denied.

"Some students with previous VAX experience will just have to relearn," Miller said.

Changing to a new, single system means CCIT will not have to hire two additional systems employees - at about $30,000 a year - and will allow the existing systems people to work together on one system, Drew said.

Drew hopes this can make the U cluster run smoother. So does Luis Jimenez, an international studies junior.

"For my needs its been good," he said. "It's a necessary evil to make it more efficient."