Planning for remote users

ABSTRACT

Technical and economic problems in accessing remote computers have virtually been eliminated. It is now feasible and economical, for a user to access remote computers through private or public data communications networks. From 1966 through the present, administrative issues in the sharing of computing resources among higher education and research institutions have been the topic of conferences, publications and experimentation. EDUCOM, the inter-university consortium of colleges, universities and research institutions, sponsors much of this activity regarding the sharing of computing resources. In 1974 EDUCOM established the Planning Council to more actively experiment with network issues. On July 1, 1979 the Planning Council's experiment in a national educational network, EDUNET, became an operational reality. EDUNET is supported by regular and sustaining membership fees. Carnegie-Mellon University has opted to become a supplier of computing services to the EDUNET network. This paper describes the issues considered in planning to service remote users. The paper uses Carnegie-Mellon as an example of a host site on EDUNET. Administrators in charge of user services organizations and/or computation centers who plan to sell their computing resources to a remote market will find this paper contains a useful checklist of items for consideration.