Report and Recommendations
The Campus Network Committee (CNC) was charged with
developing a plan for providing undergraduate access to email and
other Internet services for UCSB's 16,000 undergraduate students.
In February, 1996, the CNC formed the CNC-Email Committee to
pursue this effort. This report encompasses a significant portion
of that charge, and contains recommendations pertaining to providing
email service and support. Access to other Internet services,
presumably via augmented public access stations (e.g., Netstations),
will be addressed in a subsequent report.
This report describes problems with the existing
email system, efforts made to identify solutions, and the committee's
recommendation.
Problem Description
The existing email system is operated by the Microcomputer
Lab (MCL). It has notable deficiencies in hardware, staffing,
and physical space.
In the current email model, undergraduates have an
account on a computer at the MCL. They use the "telnet"
program to log in to the server. At this point they may access
their email, engage in "talk" sessions, read Usenet
(Internet) news, and use other miscellaneous services as they
are available. The MCL computer is a host (server) for the telnet
sessions. It also runs the Pine email program. When a message
is sent or received, it must run "sendmail" to exchange
messages with other computer systems. All the workload is focused
on one machine.
Problems with this model include:
- The current server hardware (a Hewlett-Packard
735) cannot support more than approximately 130 concurrent users,
at which time access is denied to additional users. This happens
on an almost daily basis.
- Only one staff member handles system administration
tasks, and that is only a portion of his job responsibilities.
Student consultants and system administrators help fill the gaps,
but the lack of adequate staffing has delayed response times for
a variety of service and performance issues. System documentation
is nearly non-existent due to staff turnover.
- Improper and inadequate physical space has also
taken its toll. The email server failed during "dead week"
one quarter due to overheating. It took days to get a replacement
for the failed part because there wasn't a maintenance contract.
- The existing system does not provide some desirable
features for academic use, such as simple document attachments,
online address books, shared mail folders, etc. Many of these
features are difficult to provide in the character-based (non-graphical)
environment provided by telnet.
The MCL has not been in a position to address these
issues because it did not receive funding to implement the service
or to handle its subsequent growth.
Committee Membership
The CNC-Email committee membership has broad-based representation
of faculty, staff, and students from a variety of academic departments
and administrative units.
Weekly meetings were held beginning February 22, 1996.
Problem Resolution Process
The committee began by developing a requirements
list. Over the course of several years preceding the formation of this committee,
Jamie Sonsini (Information Systems and Computing) led an effort
by various campus technical staff to develop a set of email goals
and requirements. Using this work as a starting point, the committee
updated some requirements and refined the criteria to better meet
the needs of the undergraduate population. The completed requirements
list has approximately 60 items, including various
required and desirable features for the client, server, network
protocols, and directory services. This requirements list became
the basis for product research and comparison.
The research and evaluation of email products was
handled as follows:
- The requirements list was too long to allow a
detailed comparison with each product on the market, so a subset
(the "basic six") was used to pre-screen potential candidates.
The basic requirements included:
- Multiple-platform client support
- TCP/IP support
- SMTP support
- MIME support
- Server-based mail storage and management
- No remote file system mounts (client/server preferred)
- Potential products were identified through research
at conferences, industry trade shows, library searches, and a
survey of other institutions.
- Products that met the "basic six" requirements were
then given a cursory evaluation against the complete requirements
list. If they still appeared applicable, a vendor presentation
was scheduled.
- After the above steps, two products were considered
viable candidates. One was OpenMail, from Hewlett-Packard, and
the other was Simeon, from Esys. These products were subjected
to detailed testing and evaluation against the requirements list.
- A vote was held and Simeon was selected (12 for,
0 against, 2 abstentions).
Products were evaluated based upon their shipping
version on May 23, 1996. This was necessary because product development
and market changes are rapid in this field.
Technologies and Benefits
In addition to the "basic six," many other
features were listed as desirable and several technologies came
to the committee's attention. Because these technologies will
be referenced later in this document, an overview is in order.
For several years there have been "POP"
(Post Office Protocol) email client programs. They connect to
a POP server, which is a program that runs on the machine where
email is received and stored. After connecting to the POP server,
the POP client retrieves the user's email and displays it on the
local computer. POP clients are helpful because they typically
are graphical, readily support document attachment, and reduce
server load by having very brief connections. While POP works
well for message retrieval, it does not offer any server-based
message management. In a mobile undergraduate population, it
would be helpful if one could read email from multiple locations
without its disappearing from the server. Dial-up support could
also be improved, if only to avoid retrieving a large attachment
via a slow modem connection.
The answer to POP's limitations can be found in IMAP
(Internet Message Access Protocol). IMAP allows messages to remain
on the server in user-managed folders. It can recognize attachments
within messages, so the client may retrieve only those parts of
the message the user is interested in. It also supports shared mailboxes,
which can be created and shared among arbitrary users.
IMAP sets the stage for mobile students. They could
consistently access their email at home and on campus. However,
there is still a need for client configuration information. If
a student walks up to a Netstation, it should be simple for her/him
to configure the client software.
IMSP (Internet Message Support Protocol) provides
configuration and address book services. Email software that
uses IMSP can retrieve configuration information from an IMSP
server. This allows students to read email at home, then use
it on campus and still retain their interface environment (e.g.,
window positioning, folder names, signature information, address
books).
Another useful standard is LDAP (Lightweight Directory
Access Protocol). It allows access to on-line directory services.
This can be used to publish email addresses, phone numbers, and
other data. There are security mechanisms to limit visibility
of data in the LDAP service.
Although not specifically required, these protocols
clearly met the needs of our requirements list. Because they
are open, published Internet standards, they have been embraced
by a variety of major software companies including Apple, Microsoft,
and Netscape. This is particularly true for IMAP. We expect
that maintaining compliance with open standards will allow server
and client software evolution without significant impact to users.
Recommendation
Our recommendation is to use IMAP for client-server
mail transfers, with POP as an acknowledged transitional alternative.
Simeon is the recommended graphical client, while Pine should
be used for character-based access.
Directory services should be offered via LDAP. This
will require coordination with the Registrar to avoid problems
with disclosure laws. The LDAP service may be discontinued should
a suitable X500 directory service become available.
IMSP should be implemented to provide configuration
portability and address books to Simeon clients. A set of undergraduate
address books should be generated from the LDAP directory.
Email support services should be available from 7:00 a.m.
to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
weekends. Support should be provided via email, telephone, web-based
and paper documentation, a help desk, and training classes.
A minimum of 1,000 concurrent IMAP clients should
be supported, as well as at least 150 telnet clients. The current
1 megabyte disk quota per user should be raised to 5 megabytes
to facilitate document exchange.
The email service should be administered in the Microcomputer
Lab. It has experience providing undergraduate email, suitable
training facilities, and a pool of student staff from which the
help desk staff may be drawn.
A review should be conducted of the other (non-email)
Internet services used by students. "Talk," for example,
is relatively low impact, but is not specifically addressed by
this recommendation.
The CNC-Info committee should develop "acceptable
use" and account management policies for the undergraduate
email system.
Implementation Details
The following costs and implementation information
comprise a recommended configuration. Separate documentation
provides a more detailed cost breakdown. If, at implementation
time, hardware changes would result in equivalent or better service
at a reduced cost, that should be pursued and the balance returned
to the funding organization.
| Expense Category |
Acquisition Cost |
Estimated Tax* |
Annual Cost |
| Site Preparation |
$62,986.00 |
$1643.00 |
|
| Network Router and Switch |
$34,878.88 |
$2703.11 |
$3814.35 |
| Hewlett-Packard Server |
$62,276.35 |
$4744.12 |
$9341.45 |
| Sun Server |
$150,522.00 |
$11,665.45 |
$8113.08 |
| Backup Power |
$7056.00 |
$546.84 |
|
| Hardware Replacement |
|
|
$50,946.65 |
| Simeon Email Software |
$114,660.00 |
$8,886.15 |
$20,250.00 |
| Staff |
|
|
$192,020.00 |
| Supplies and Expenses |
|
|
$27,140.00 |
| Totals |
$334,514.35 |
$30,218.68 |
$307,811.18 |
*Estimated taxes calculated at 7.75% of taxable items.
First year costs are the combined total of acquisition,
annual costs, and applicable taxes. Career staff costs are assumed
to be 19900 funds, and would increase to accommodate benefits
if non-19900 funds are allocated.
Site Preparation
Site preparation costs were estimated based upon the use of Phelps
1508 and may vary greatly at other locations. This provides adequate
physical space for personnel and equipment, including necessary
furniture, security, electricity, and telephones.
Network Router and Switch
The Microcomputer Lab should upgrade its campus network connection
to a direct FDDI because its current connection is inadequate
for large numbers of remote users. This will necessitate a new
router. To improve throughput between the server hardware, MCL
networks, and the campus network, switches should be implemented.
As with all critical services, rapid-response maintenance contracts
or readily available spares should be maintained.
Hewlett-Packard Server
(The HP K220 described below has already been purchased and installed by MCL.)
An HP K220 with 512MB of memory and 20GB of disk storage can be
used to provide an "access point" for email services.
Users may telnet to this system to access email using Pine.
Since the Simeon client supports Usenet news, Usenet news should
also be available on this system for consistency. No other services
should be provided, as they are not supported and would detract
from the performance of this server in its email role.
Sun Server
A Sun Enterprise 3000 with 2GB of memory and 126GB of disk can
act as the IMAP, IMSP, and LDAP server. (Configuration sizing
parameters came from the Simeon System Administration Guide.)
No user logins should be allowed for security reasons. The internal
disks should be configured as mirrored swap and operating system
partitions. The external disks should be set up in a RAID configuration
that allows for hot-swapping of failed drives. Nightly incremental
backups should be performed.
Backup Power
Backup power is specified for the network and server hardware.
This will allow a minimum of 20 minutes for proper automated
system shutdown during a power failure.
Simeon Email Software
Esys pricing (see attached quote) will provide a Simeon site license
to UCSB. Anyone conducting academic business with UCSB is covered
by this license. Installation assistance and initial training
are also provided. Esys provides the Simeon client and the IMAP
and IMSP servers. An LDAP server is freely available from University
of Michigan.
See the Usenix LISA X conference paper, "How to
Get There From Here: Scaling the Enterprise-Wide Mail Infrastructure,"
for possible implementation issues.
Staff
There are three staff positions involved in this service: Email
Administrator (Assistant Director of a Functional Unit), Systems
Administrator (Programmer/Analyst III), and Customer Support Manager
(Programmer/Analyst II). There are also approximately 100 hours
of student staff time per week. Ongoing cross-training will allow
for sick leave and vacation coverage.
The Email Administrator (EA) supervises the Systems Administrator
and Customer Support Manager, and reports to the director of the
Microcomputer Lab. The EA is the lead technical person, and would
participate in campus coordination and development efforts related
to this project. The EA is expected to carry a pager for emergency
off-hours response to system failures.
The Systems Administrator (SA) handles daily server operational
issues. This includes system backups, disaster recovery procedure
development, security audits, patch installation, software update
installations, throughput testing, and emergency off-hours response
to system failures. Coordination with the Customer Support Manager
will be necessary to ensure proper deployment of new client software
releases. A pager is appropriate for this person.
The Customer Support Manager is responsible for all aspects of
undergraduate email training and support. This includes development
and maintenance of training documents, handouts, and help-desk
procedures, as well as scheduling of training classes, supervision
of student help-desk staff, and response to postmaster email.
Student staff would also be hired. Qualified students can be
recruited from the MCL consultant pool to provide help-desk support
and training classes. They would operate under the direction
and supervision of the Customer Support Manager. Sufficient hours
have been budgeted to allow the necessary support hours, as well
as over 50 training classes per year.
Please note that we consulted with Gartner Group, a private consulting
firm, and they recommended one "mail system administrator"
per Unix server platform. In addition, a system administrator
and help-desk staff were suggested. We believe our division of
responsibilities will be adequate for the task. We are not recommending
quite the level of staffing recommended by Gartner Group because
the academic environment is not directly comparable to their typical
commercial environment. See the attached "Gartner on Email
for Undergraduates" document for more details.
Conclusion
The CNC-Email committee is pleased to present this
report, and expects that an implementation of its recommendations
will provide the following benefits:
- Greater access to email. The system will accommodate
a minimum of 1,000 simultaneous IMAP connections and at least
150 telnet connections. Access would exist via graphical and
character-based interfaces.
- Improved reliability. Proper facilities, maintenance
contracts, and adequate support staff will reduce failures and
permit rapid response to down times.
- Greater support. Support would be provided via
training classes, email, web and paper documentation. A phone
and walk-up "help desk" would also be implemented.
These support services would be available on weekdays from 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
- Migration path. The current email program, "Pine,"
can be used with the Simeon email server because they both support
IMAP. Incoming students would be trained on Simeon, while existing
students may remain on Pine if they prefer.
- Simplified document exchange. Documents can
be easily exchanged and distributed via Simeon's graphical interface.
- Server-based message storage. Mail could remain
on the server, rather than always being transferred to the user's
computer. This feature allows one to read mail at home, then
see the same messages in a classroom or at a Netstation.
- Shared folders. Arbitrary groups, such as classes,
could have a shared folder for collaborative work or informational
postings. The degree to which this is implemented is dependent
upon the expressed needs of faculty, as well as a cooperative
effort with administrative units to automate management of shared
folders on a quarterly basis.
- Directory services. The Simeon client can access
electronic campus directories as they are developed. At this
time, a set of address books and an LDAP server would be the likely
implementation and would contain only undergraduate names and
email addresses.
We look forward to continuing our work on providing
improved undergraduate access to email and Internet services.
