Data distribution by electronic means

Question:

Data distribution by electronic means currently includes ftp. Are there other mechanisms you would propose to deliver very product large files via the Internet in a reliable, secure manner? Note that delivery latency requirements may vary according to customer service agreements. Some customers will require delivery of files within an hour or even minutes of final production, while others may require delivery within 24-48 hours. Does your solution address both extremes?

Response:

Yes, there are now available several technologies which can be a part of the environment. Which technique is most appropriate for each situation will require a bit of discussion as new, previously impossible relationships with these customers may be created.

First and foremost among these new techniques, we would propose our publishing system, an optional sub-component of BigSur. This system is most appropriate for customers with whom a long term or large scale relationship exists because the production system itself will have knowledge of the clients site and will deposit newly created objects directly into the clients repositories under publishing rules setup on the source system. Further, for scientific purposes, if the client also happens to use a BigSur System® to manage their repository, the publishing system can then ensure that robust meta-data is transferred. Doing so permits a two-way linking of the science such that a bi-directional meta-data will exist, permitting "downstream" results to be re-evaluated all the way back to their origins, including all data processing steps and absolutely every detail of an items production history. Results can, therefore, be easily checked for having come from preferred algorithms or data sets, for example. And, downstream results are also known, such that if a question should arise for any reason, users of derived data-products can be notified. This opportunity for improving science deserves more than just a short paragraph here but this white paper did not give us the opportunity to explore with you how our system aids science itself.

In addition to Publishing, we can also use any of a number of transport mechanisms to get results to users. These include VPNs, 'scp', 'wget', 'encrypt', encryption such as SSL and OpenSSL, and rsynch, and our system can use any of these. As we discussed above under security, we also have been working on improving the security of the connectivity between our system and its clients and are developing new methods as this is being written. There are various levels of security too. For example, it may be enough to transport data unencrypted so long as the data isn't available at an end-point. In some cases obfuscation may be enough - with hundreds of gigantic data objects laying around with no meta-data identifying them, perhaps there's less need for concern. Such decisions must be left to customers and their clients, but BigSur is ready to deliver.

Custom "views" of customers elements and processes

Question:

Using the same underlying software infrastructure, does your solution allow users to develop custom "views" of customers elements and processes in accordance with their needs or functional roles? Give examples.

Response:

Yes; under the presumption that by the term 'users' you mean customers staff, there are robust opportunities to develop custom views. Because the underlying storage mechanism is a relational database engine which speaks SQL92, there are a very large number of tools available, COTS and public domain, which can help with the creation of just about any kind of view or application desired. In addition, we provide an Application Programming Interface, in Java, which can really help users with access to the database.

Project planning and implementation, system performance and status, external reporting or strategic planning, direction of business

Question:

What capabilities are available to assist senior customers managers in project planning and implementation, to view system performance and status, to gather information for external reporting or strategic planning, and other functions necessary for direction of a diverse business?

Response:

BigSur is not a project planning tool, however, there are various components in the system to aid in implementation of BigSur related projects, such as the BigSur Java API. Neither is BigSur a strategic planning tool intended to aid in the management of a diverse business. It is a Science System and is the system needed for managing a diverse scientific environment.

With regard to systems performance and status, the system does maintain process performance numbers and current status of connected processing daemons and a time-stamp to identify when the latest access occurred. Every process is timed and status is also kept on each process run, including a starting and ending time, and the current access times are also recorded. This information can be used for strategic planning by providing real historical data on how long processing steps take.

Training

Question:

What training services does your solution require? Which basic skills will customers personnel require prior training? Will your firm carry out this training, or do you recommend a specific provider? Explain your strategy.

Response:

Customers need a Database Administrator (DBA), Java and SQL programming skills, and someone with Graphical User Interface skills. The more of these skills in a single individual, the more valuable they will be to the project. Customers will also require training on BigSur - how much will depend upon the quality of the existing candidates. We feel that it is the development staff and systems engineers who will most need training. We anticipate integrating many existing components into BigSur so that Operators at various levels will typically not need a lot of skill or expertise other than that which they already posses. As these systems are replaced, of course, individual training requirements can then be evaluated.

Science Tools will deliver training on our products.

Maintenance and support philosophies

Question:

Describe in detail the maintenance and support philosophies for your solution. Do you have any planned upgrades for your solution(s)? How do you envision upgrades to be procured, implemented, and supported? What facilities are available for configuration management?

Response:

Our philosophy is to create and deliver quality, well thought out products that are designed with support staff needs in mind. In the four years our products have been doing production work in the field, we have never had a customer report a problem, or ever call us with a production problem with the product. We know this may sound strange, but it's true. When you create and deliver a quality product, you have an opportunity to have this experience, with a little luck, perhaps. However, every member of our staff, without exception, has computer support experience and we know how to provide support. Our products are designed with the support staff in mind which is probably why we've never been called - our customer's staff has already found what information they needed to know.

We are planning the release of our new version 3.0 very soon. (It has been in Alpha testing since February, '01, and is in the process of transitioning to Beta testing now.)

We envision upgrades to be procured, implemented and supported in the same manner as a primary product purchase. If customers purchase support from us, they will get to choose the level of support, from dedicated support person on the one extreme to email-only support on the other extreme. We will provide the exact level of support that they need and feel comfortable with.

So far, all of our customers have already had their own configuration management tools, though for one customer we have architected a strategy of using BigSur, including the Archiving component, and created a configuration management system using it. To BigSur, the challenge of configuration management is a subset of the problems of Earth Science.