[comp.os.vms] Policies for Central Systems Support Staff"

GOLDMAN_S@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU (SALLY D. GOLDMAN) (10/31/87)

I have not seen this yet on the net, so I am resending the message.  
Sorry for any repetition!


Increasingly,  local area networks are becoming the norm
instead of the exception.  With these local area networks,
departmental computers require some standardized
maintenance, support, upgrading and servicing, in order to
minimize company- or campus-wide disruption of service. With
established expertise in supporting extensive computer
resources as well as economies realized by not forming
numerous distributed staff organizations, computer center
staffs are being asked to assume the responsibility for
supporting distributed departmental systems which are
network connected. The number of departmental computer
systems is increasing at a much greater rate than the size
of the centralized systems support staff required to support
them. 

We are attempting to develop a written policy here at
Stevens to outline the responsibilities and obligations of
the university administration, the centralized support
staff, and the individual researchers or departments in
supporting departmental systems. We would appreciate input
from other sites on the following topics and any other
related issues which people think are important. 
 
    - What level or levels of support should be supplied by
      the central computer staff? If there are to be
      different levels of support, on what criteria should
      the different levels be based? More specifically: 

          Should departments be expected or encouraged to
          manage their own systems?  To what extent?  How
          much training, and what kind of training should be
          provided to the departmental managers? 
 
          Who is responsible for performing backups?
          Software upgrades? Troubleshooting and problem
          solving? 
 
          What requirements should be met and agreements
          made before a departmental computer system is
          allowed to connect into the local network? 

          What should be the remedy or penalty when a
          departmental system causes a serious degradation
          to network performance if the problem was caused
          by either improper modifications by the department
          or user, or failure to permit software upgrades to
          be installed??  On what scale should a system's
          relation to network performance be evaluated?
	  
      Please detail what support should include and provide
      examples where possible. 

    - Suppose a department or user decides to significantly
      change system parameters or otherwise reconfigure its
      machines.  Must the central support facility be
      notified?  Who should perform the changes?  If they
      are not to be done by the support staff, should it be
      notified prior to the changes? If not, what is the
      responsibility of the Computer Center if changes to
      the departmental system result in serious problems? 

    - Should the central support facility review the initial
      configuration of the machines (both hardware and
      software)? And what about future hardware and software
      modifications? 
  
    - Should a plan for both hardware and software support
      be agreed upon prior to the purchase of systems that
      will be network connected? 
      
    - Is there a policy to determine how distributed file
      systems or LAVCs are handled?  Must they be placed on
      a local network with a Level II or III bridge to the
      outside world? 
 
    - How formal should any policies be: written? signed? 

    - Should some exchange of credit or internal money be
      used in order to insure funding for employing an
      adequately sized support organization? 
 
    - Under what circumstances should punitive action be
      taken? What type of punitive action?  Should network
      connectivity ever be terminated, and, if so, under
      what circumstances? 
	
We would like to know what guidelines and policies have been
adopted by other installations, and how successful they have
been. Any such information will be greatly appreciated.  If
there is sufficient interest we will summarize to the net.
Please send responses to: 

	INTERnet:   SIT-POLICY@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU
	BITnet:     SIT-POLICY@SITVXA
	CCnet:      SITVXA::SIT-POLICY


Thank you in advance.

Sally Goldman
Systems Programmer
Stevens Institute of Technology
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