DSNlink Transiiton BoF

[George_145]

Hi,

Rather than adding to Martin's original note I thought it worthwhile to start a new one.

I'm responsible for the OpenVMS OS ECO kit production and release process. Not really related to DSNlink but I've started looking into getting a BoF set up with the right players to talk about the DSNlink transition. To make it really worthwhile I need your input. Some of the DSNlink replacement tools are found at the ITRC and some are found at the ISEE. At the end of this note is a list of the different components. These are taken from the customer letter that went out. [ I've intentionaly left off the patch functionality. That was the subject for last year's BoF and the focus of this BoF will be the other funcitonality that is now coming online ].

To make the BoF as usefull as possible I need your feedback on what parts of the DSNlink transition are an issue so that I can have the correct speaker(s) come. (Yeah, I know, but "all of it" doesn't really help much"
:-) ). I've also asked Martin for whatever information he's collected. What I would like to hear is what tools people are most concerned with and what problems they are experiencing. I'd like to structure this BoF similar to the ITRC ECO one last year, in that we have a demo of the new functions and then a Q&A so people can voice their concerns, suggestions, and I suppose there will be...ahem... one or two complaints. To make the demo productive, I'd like the speakers to be able to address some real world VMS issues in the demo - the "I can do this with DSNlink, how can I do it using the new tools?" type of examples.

DSNlink Tool
-----------------
Service Request

New Tool
-------------
ITRC Maintenance and Support (Compaq Products Support Case Manager

DSNlink Tool
----------------
Interactive Text search

New Tool
-------------
ITRC Maintenance and Support(Compaq Products) Natural Language Search(http://askq.compaq.com)


DSNlink Tool
----------------
File Copy

New Tool
--------------
XFER

DSNlink tool
----------------
Remote Login

New Tool
--------------
Instant Support Enterprise Edition (with SPOP)


DSNlink Tool
----------------
System Healthcheck

New Tool
-------------
Instant Support Enterprise Edition(ISEE)


DSNlink Tool
------------------
Remote Config Monitoring

New Tool
-----------------
ISEE

DSNLink Tool
----------------
WIS

New Tool
-------------
Replaced by ITRC functions listed above)


Also let me know if this structure sounds like it will address what you need to be addressed.

George

[Bradford Hamilton_1]

Hi George,

I've had an opportunity to use askq.compaq.com, and I've been pleasantly surprised - it looks as though the DSNLink information is being preserved properly (so far).

My one gripe is with the URL name - since COMPAQ no longer "exists", I fear that some clueless corporate type at hp will "accidently" do away with the site in the future. Can someone be persuaded to change the URL name to include the letters "hp", thus ensuring the site's survival?

:-)

--Brad

[Ian Miller.]

my problem with the askq site is the very large number of hits. If I'm looking for a specific example I don't want the other few thousand hits.

[BR764713]

I too have an issue with the large number of hits returned by ASKQ. While using the +keyword +keyword... search syntax helps, it does not deliver the granularity that the DSN "open DATABASE" does, and ASKQ still returns articles on UNIX or other servers not relevant to VMS at all. e.g. I could do a OPEN STORAGE and SEA VOLUME SHADOWING and get relevant information. Using ASKQ, a similar search also gives UNIX articles !

Another issue is being able to extract the text copy of the article. Many people we provide information to, do not have internet access or other network access, and we have to cut/paste the article into a document or email, or even fax. The EXTRACT of DSN was perfect, but cutting/pasting is browser dependent as well as article formatting, because there appears to be different fonts used.

[Mobeen_1]

George,
Thanks for asking people for input, i really appreciate it. Here are some of my observations with regard to the replacement tools for DSNLink

DSNlink Tool
----------------
Interactive Text search

New Tool
-------------
ITRC Maintenance and Support(Compaq Products) Natural Language Search(http://askq.compaq.com)

I think the new tool returns too many results from a search string and also i would like to just ask you to reaffirm myself if all of the DSNLINK ITS database has been ported across to http://askq.compaq.com

regards
Mobeen

[Martin P.J. Zinser]

Hi,

I just want to thank George for his effort here. He contacted me off-line concerning the proposed dicussion during the ITRC. I think it is fair to say that his question here is based on the feedback I gave him from earlier discussions. Please take the opportunity to give him constructive suggestions. I am not sure if hp listens, but George definitly tries to!

Greetings, Martin

[George_145]

Based on the feedback in this note (keep it coming) and from other contacts it sounds like people are most concerned about the ITRC part of the DSNlink migration - the natural language search and the service request tools. I haven't heard anything, good or bad, about the ISEE parts. So, I've asked that the group handling the migration send up a presenter that can answer questions on those ITRC parts.

I'm expecting that the BoF will start with a presentation and demo on how to use the tools with an ongoing Q&A so that you raise whatever concerns you have.

If you are interested in this topic I urge you to go and try the new tools so that we have some concrete examples of what works and what doesn't that we can talk about at the BoF.

George

[David M Smith_1]

George, I have not commented on the ISEE part because we are not (yet) in a position to use it. I don't know much about it, but understand from my support contact that it will require the installation of a special piece of hardware on our network -- this will be an administrative issue and we are looking at other alternatives.

I, for one, am upset that we have to do anything, in terms of money, time and effort, to replace a well functioning and secure setup (DSNlink login via the Internet) with something we know so little about. I could give you a more technical reaction if I knew more about ISEE.

I think the reason you are getting "good" feedback (helpful, directed feedback) on the natural language query is that we can all try it out right now and see exactly how it works.

[James Cristofero]

I don't know see any mention of the other tools i/f such as WEBES/CCAT and CADC.

Some of these used to use DSNLINK as a transport. The only way in which we could get our companies to "OK" two-way access was with triple DES it offered in V3.

Now what's being offered as an alternative?

Also is HP going to be any more responsive to (re:more) now that WFM is in place and CHAMPS has been de-com'd with regard to these tools?

SICL calls go out and 12-18 hours before response is seen on WEBES events.

[Steve Reece]

Another "me too" for the lack of granularity and the number of returned items in the askq.compaq.com search! I'm happy that the information is available to those without maintenance contracts, but the ITS search was far more intuitive for me. I don't know whether that says something about me or about ITS!

Another issue that I can see coming is that HP web page URLs tend to be hnumbers.www1.hp.com, like the VMS "home" page at h71000.www7.hp.com. Translations from "sensible" addresses (like www.openvms.compaq.com) to these HP corporate patterns need to be maintained as they have so far in my view.