** ** ****** ** ** ******** ** ** ***** ** ** ** * ** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** * **** **** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **** ** ** ** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ****** ** ** ** ***** ***** ** ** ** ****** ****** ***** ** **** ******** ****** ****** ** ** ** ** * ** ** * ** ** ** ** ****** **** ** ** ** ** **** ****** ** ** ** ** **** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ****** ***** ** **** ** ****** ** ** **** KY REGISTER **** KY REGISTER **** KY REGISTER **** KY REGISTER *** AUGUST 1989 TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Back!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Conversion to VM/XA SP on the 3084 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 UKCC Consulting Support Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 UKCC Short Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Computer Classes Around Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Coursework on the Computers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 Buying a Microcomputer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681 Care and Handling of New Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829 Micro Lab Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974 Music in the Micro Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990 Good News for Micro Lab Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1100 Special PC Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1108 Getting Your Output at the Data Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1123 Introducing Exploring CMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1147 Exploring CMS: COPYFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1178 Holiday Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1245 Reel-Type Tapes to be Phased Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1255 IMSL 9.2 to be Removed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1281 LANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1306 Converting from the HP 2689 to the IBM 3800 . . . . . . . . . . . .1424 3090 Research Projects Supported by the CCS . . . . . . . . . . . .1518 Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1680 UKCC Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1780 Service Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1797 ************************************************************************* WELCOME BACK! We've been busy this summer, upgrading the systems and improving our services. If you haven't been around since spring, here's what you've missed. The most obvious change was the conversion to VM/XA SP 2 on both the IBM 3090 and 3084. The Consultants in 110 McVey Hall, 257-2249, can help you with any conversion questions you might have. User Account Services has a new accounting system that will provide you with improved utilization and accounting information. Our modem pool telephone numbers changed July 1, and we now have twenty 2400 baud modems and sixteen 1200 baud modems. We've removed the HP laser printer from service. If you used to send your output to the HP laser printer, contact a Consultant in 110 McVey Hall, 245-2249 for help in converting to the IBM 3800 laser printer. Detailed information on converting is included in this issue. The VIEW facility on CMS has a new list, featuring current weather information. Just enter VIEW WEATHER. TeX users now have a new list for their special interests. Contact Shashi Sathaye at 257-2247, SYSSHASH@UKCC.UKY.EDU, for more information. The Micro Lab will be operating under extended hours beginning September 11. Renovation continues throughout McVey Hall, but most offices and staff are still located where they were in the spring. Beginning with this issue we'll be featuring a new column, Exploring CMS, that will provide information on specific CMS commands. If there's a particular command or topic you'd like more information about or help with, contact Bob Crovo, 257-2258, CROVO@UKCC.UKY.EDU. This month we've included our short courses for the fall, computer classes being offered by other campus departments, what to look for when buying a microcomputer, how to care for new software, hints to instructors on using the systems, suggestions, UKCC statistics, what the SuperUsers are up to, and lots of other helpful information. The Kentucky Register continues to be published online every month. To see back issues, enter VIEW UKCC REGISTER. If you have suggestions or ideas for the newsletter, or just want to subscribe to the printed newsletter, contact Marguerite Floyd, EDITOR@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257-2219. We're always interested in computing-related articles from our users. Welcome back -- this year promises to be better than ever. -- The UKCC Staff ************************************************************************* VM/XA SP 2 AND CMS 5.5 ON THE 3084 On July 23 the IBM 3084 was converted to VM/XA. The two 3084 nodes, UKCC and UKCCB, have been merged into a single node, UKCC, running under VM/XA. VM/XA SP 2 is the latest version of IBM's VM operating system. In addition to providing new functions, it has changes in many existing commands and messages. CMS 5.5 is a significantly new and different CMS. There are new commands and new options, but the biggest changes are internal and not immediately obvious. VM/XA SP 2 and CMS 5.5 have been in use since early May of this year on the IBM 3090, node UKCCS. Extended Architecture The traditional 370 architecture allowed only 24 bits for storage addressing, limiting programs to a 16 megabyte address space. The new extended architecture (XA) uses 31 bits for storage addressing, providing a potential for billions of bytes of addressability. (VM/XA SP has an implementation limit of 999 megabytes, and each userid has an assigned limit which generally is lower still.) XA introduces many other changes, most significantly in the input/output system and the format and use of reserved storage locations, control registers, and status indications. VM/XA SP Release 2 VM/XA SP makes the new features of XA available to CMS and programs running under it. XA SP supports two modes of virtual machine operation: 370 and XA. In 370 mode (the initial setting at logon) the old 370 architecture and its constraints apply. This increases compatibility with previous releases of VM, but restricts programs to 16 megabytes. In XA mode, all of the new features of XA are used but at the cost of compatibility. The important point to remember here is that if you don't need a larger virtual machine you should keep below 16 megabytes and run in 370 mode to minimize your difficulties during conversion. The STORAGE command automatically handles mode switching as necessary based on your machine size. VM/XA SP introduces a number of other changes that are unrelated to the new architecture. Changes in the spool system are perhaps the most obvious. There have been changes in the syntax of some commands and in the formats of many messages. Many messages that were formerly all uppercase are now in mixed case. This may require changes in EXECs that examine the responses from CP commands. VM/XA SP does not yet provide all of the features of earlier, non-XA versions of VM. CMS Storage CMS uses the address space from about 12 megabytes to 16 megabytes for its nucleus, disk directories, and shared code. This is true regardless of the size of your virtual machine. Thus, a 12 megabyte machine provides about the same amount of space for user programs and data as a 16 megabyte machine. The initial storage size for most users at logon is 2 megabytes with a maximum of 4 megabytes. Mail With CMS 5.5 we are introducing version 89.01 of Mail. It has several performance enhancements and will use less CPU time, but requires slightly more virtual storage. There are several new features, including dynamically updated menus and better support for domain addressing. This is also a new NAMES command that allows longer userids and node names (this version was previously available as NNAMES). The IBM version of NAMES will continue to be available as IBMNAMES. Online help is available for both. FORTRAN The current VS FORTRAN (2.3) is supported under XA SP in XA mode. Large arrays that will extend above the 16 megabyte boundary must be declared in dynamic common. If these arrays are passed through to subroutines through the calling sequences, then only the calling program needs to declare them in dynamic common. Conversion Continues In general, IBM-supplied commands work in all modes. Most other commands work in 370 mode (16 megabytes or less), but may not work in XA mode (greater than 16 megabytes). Commands that haven't been converted will often fail with "operation exception" or "specification exception" errors. Recommendations * Use storage under 12 megabytes whenever possible. * Use the STORAGE command to define your storage size and machine mode. * If you need a function that isn't supported in XA mode, switch back to 370-mode by defining a storage size less than 12 megabytes. Other Notes * VM/XA supports only 30 simultaneous SESSION host userids. If SESSION is not available, use PVM to get another session. (PVM does not have all of the features of SESSION, but PVM is available in any mode while SESSION is available only in 370 mode. Consult the online help for more information.) * The CMS Batch system is considerably different than the system used under HPO. The functions provided are about the same, but batch jobs must be written as EXECs. The syntax of the BATCH command has changed, too. HELP NEWBATCH for more information. * To avoid a problem with the loader in virtual machines greater than 16 megabytes the EXECs used to load and execute programs (VSF2CG, for example), specify RMODE 24. * Accounting information is not yet available. This means that the COST, BALANCE, and CC commands do not function at this time. Getting Help If you need help with or more information about the conversion, contact a Consultant in 110 McVey Hall, SUGGEST@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257-2249. -- Dave Elbon ************************************************************************* UKCC CONSULTING SUPPORT LISTING The UKCC offers a wide array of consulting services. We've compiled and published a detailed listing of the hardware and software consulting that we offer. This listing will automatically be sent to campus subscribers of "The Kentucky Register." If you'd like an extra copy, stop by the Consulting Room in 110 McVey Hall or by the Main Office, 128 McVey Hall. The listing is free and will be updated quarterly. ************************************************************************* UKCC SHORT COURSES The following short courses are free to all UK faculty, staff, and students, but preregistration is required. If you register for a course and then find that you will be unable to attend, please cancel your registration by calling 257-UKCC. Failure to do so may jeopardize your right to register for future UKCC short courses. You can register online -- some classes require online registration. Just enter VIEW UKCC SHORTCOURSE on your CMS account on the IBM 3084, and follow the menus. Many of these classes don't require any knowledge or experience with any computer system. If there are prerequisites for a particular class, they'll be listed in the class description. If you have questions about class content or bypassing prerequisites, call the instructor for that class. INTRODUCTION TO VM/CMS AND XEDIT September 7 and 8 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall October 2 and 3 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall November 9 and 10 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall A basic introduction to interactive use of the IBM mainframe systems, this class presumes no previous knowledge of the IBM systems or any other computer system. You'll learn how to access the computer, how to create and manage files on your account, and how to use online tools such as CALENDAR and VIEW. You'll also learn how to use the CMS text editor, XEDIT, to create and modify individual files. This course will be taught in two two-hour sessions. Both sessions will provide hands-on practice of the commands that are covered. You will be given a class computer account which will remain active for the duration of the course. This course will be offered three times during the Fall semester. Your instructor will be Pat Murphy (257-2244). INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC MAIL ON THE IBM September 12 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall October 13 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall November 13 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall An introduction to the MAIL command on the IBM 3084, this class is for the beginner. You'll learn how to create mail files and send them to other IBM system users, to WANG system users, or to PRIME system users. We will also cover the use of BITNET to communicate with individuals at other academic centers around the world. You will learn how to read incoming mail and some techniques for storing old mail. We'll also discuss how to create and maintain a NAMES file of individuals with whom you frequently correspond. You will be taught the logon sequence and some basic CMS background before we begin the discussion of MAIL. This class presumes no previous knowledge of the IBM systems or any other computer system. You'll be given a CMS account for the duration of the course and will receive hands-on instruction for all the commands covered. Your instructor will be Pat Murphy (257-2244). INTRODUCTION TO PHOENIX November 2 and 3 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall The UKCC has recently purchased Phoenix, a courseware authoring and presentation system, to run on the IBM 3084. This software greatly simplifies the task of creating computer-based training packages and computer test bank applications. The system provides a powerful full screen editor for creating presentation screens. Standard question types which are supported through a complex answer analysis feature are short answer, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and true-false. The entire system from sign-on to sign-off is menu-driven, making it relatively easy even for non-programmers to develop quality computer courseware to supplement or enhance existing classroom instruction. Students can access courseware written for the IBM 3084 from any of the terminal cluster sites on campus. This introductory course is intended for anyone who has an interest in developing computer-aided instruction. No previous computer experience is required. Pat Murphy will be your instructor (257-2244). INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPT October 10 and 12 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 103 McVey Hall An introduction to the text processor on the IBM 3084. This course will be particularly helpful if you must prepare large documents for research work or for routine course work. This class will cover the basic SCRIPT commands and commands for generating letter-quality output on the Apple LaserWriters. Completion of Introduction to VM/CMS and XEDIT, described above, is an adequate prerequisite. Your instructor will be Dave McCreary (257-2264). Online registration is required for this course. INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPT EQUATION PROCESSING October 17 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 103 McVey Hall The UKCC recently installed release 88.1 of SCRIPT which provides commands for including very complex equations as part of a text document. These commands will be discussed in this class. Experience with using SCRIPT or completion of the Introduction to SCRIPT class described above is a prerequisite for attendance in this course. Your instructor will be Dave McCreary (257-2264). Online registration is required for this course. INTRODUCTION TO FORTRAN September 25 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall An introduction to using VS FORTRAN and WATFOR-77 on the IBM 3084. The course will cover the statements used to compile and run FORTRAN source code using the CMS or MVS systems. Useful options available with the VS FORTRAN compiler will be covered. Converting older FORTRAN code (FORTRAN G, FORTRAN H, etc.) to compile and run with the VS FORTRAN compiler will be discussed. Prerequisites are familiarity with CMS and XEDIT for file building and editing, and a solid background in FORTRAN coding. This is NOT a course about learning to program in FORTRAN. Tom Faller will be your instructor (257-2236). Online registration is required for this course. INTRODUCTION TO VECTORIZED FORTRAN October 2 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall An introduction to coding VS FORTRAN programs to use the vector facility on the IBM 3090 computer. Vectorization reduces the amount of time needed to process DO loops by concurrently processing the DO loop elements. Vecotrization will work on unmodified code, but program speedup can be increased by proper coding techniques. A good background in FORTRAN is prerequisite, as well as familiarity with CMS and XEDIT. Vectorizing works only with VS FORTRAN, so the FORTRAN class described above is a useful prerequisite if your code is in an older version of FORTRAN. Your instructor will be Tom Faller (257-2236), and online registration is required. INTRODUCTION TO SAS September 19 to 22 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall October 7 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall SAS is a collection of powerful and flexible data management and statistical analysis procedures that allow you to create and analyze libraries of data files on the IBM 3084. This course will emphasize simple data manipulation and general syntax and is designed for new and inexperienced SAS users. CMS and XEDIT knowledge is prerequisite. Your instructor will be Lorinda Wang (257-2204) for the September class and Steve Thomson (257-2259) for the October class. Online registration is required. INTRODUCTION TO SAS/GRAPH September 26 to 28 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall SAS/GRAPH is a collection of SAS PROCs that can be used to draw text in various fonts; plot values in the x-y plane with various curves; draw three-dimensional and contour plots of functions; display bar, pie, star, and block charts; and plot several different map displays using SAS datasets for county, state, and country boundaries on the IBM 3084. The Introduction to SAS short course, described above, is a prerequisite. Lorinda Wang will be your instructor (257-2204). Online registration is required for this course. INTRODUCTION TO SPSS-X October 3 to 6 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall SPSS-X is a powerful program for displaying and analyzing data on the IBM 3084. This course is designed for those who have little or no knowledge of SPSS-X, but experience with CMS, or completion of the Introduction to VM/CMS & XEDIT, is prerequisite. Your instructor will be Lorinda Wang (257-2204). Online registration is required for this course. GENERAL LINEAR MODELS IN SAS October 9, 11, and 13 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall This course will cover features of SAS procedures for the analysis of univariate and multivariate linear models. The course will review the use of SAS procedures for multiple regression and the analysis of balanced and unbalanced designs. Included will be an overview of the various regression diagnostics in PROC REG, a discussion of the various types of sums of squares in PROC GLM and PROC REG, hints on analyzing repeated measures designs, and a review of the various multiple comparisons. This course is designed to be of help to those who need to analyze many different linear models in SAS. Completion of the Introduction to SAS course or equivalent experience in SAS, plus some experience with regression or ANOVA, is a prerequisite. Steve Thomson will be your instructor (257-2259). STRUCTURAL EQUATION ANALYSIS AND PROGRAMS October 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, and 27 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 103 McVey Hall Structural equation analysis can be viewed as a generalization of regression analysis, simultaneous equestion, and factor analysis. Basically, one analyzes linear relations among certain inexactly measured, possibly latent, variables. This course is an introduction to the methodology of structural equations and the main programs that implement such analyses, i.e., LISREL, EQS, and LISCOMP. Some experience with regression and factor analysis and running programs using such techniques is a prerequisite. Your instructor will be Steve Thomson (257-2259). ************************************************************************* COMPUTER CLASSES AROUND CAMPUS Many of our readers ask about computer literacy and microcomputing short courses. Below are the short courses available and who to contact for more information. All of these classes require a tuition fee. Community Education 205 Frazee Hall Community Education computer classes provide hands-on training on personal computers. You may enroll in any class, including those in the Computer Certificate Program. General computing courses include: Basics of Computer Shopping Building Your Own Computer Demystify Your Computer First Course in Computing Wordperfect Introduction to Lotus 1-2-3 Intermediate Lotus 1-2-3 Intermediate BASIC Programming Understanding MS DOS and PC DOS Accounting for Computers The Community Education Computer Certificate Program certifies students' skills in basic microcomputer applications. It also serves as a core for those who wish to continue in the Advance Business Applications. Classes include: Data Management Fundamentals of Microcomputers Introduction to Electronic Spreadsheets Introduction to Programming in BASIC Word Processing Advanced Business Applications are also offered by Community Education. They include: Custom Menu Macros Macros to Print Loan Payment Formulas Lotus Add-Ins Lotus Accounting Macros and Databases General Ledger with Lotus Practical Uses of your dBase III Mailing Lists Creating Reports with dBase III Introduction to dBase III Programming Additional information is available by contacting the UK Community Education Office at 257-3294. Lexington Community College Moloney Building LCC has added several short courses in their Computer Productivity Center. Most classes run three to six hours; Ventura, PageMaker, and CAD classes run fifteen to twenty hours. Each class has been broken into specialized topics so you can select just the topics in which you're interested. DOS Applications Introduction to the PC Advanced DOS Applications dBASE III+ Beginning dBASE III+ Intermediate dBASE III+ dBASE III+ Programming Screen Creation and Customized Reports Database Query & Organization Techniques Networking with dBASE III+ Programming Upgrading to dBase IV Lotus 1-2-3 Lotus Spreadsheet Applications Lotus Database Applications Lotus Basic Graphs Accounting with Lotus Graphs and Analysis Lotus Style Personal Productivity Macros Macro Applications Development Symphony Beginning Advanced AutoCAD Beginning Applications CADKEY Beginning Applications Desktop Publishing PageMaker Ventura Word Processing with DisplayWrite, Microsoft Word, Word Star, or Wordperfect Creating Revising Columnar Text Special Document Handling Producing Repetitive Documents For more information, contact the Computer Productivity Center at 257-1163. Office of Engineering Continuing Education 223 Transportation and Research Building Engineering Continuing Education offers short courses statewide. Offered are: Microcomputer Analysis of Transit Flow in Pipe Networks (Nov. 8-9) Computer Analysis of Pressure and Flow in Piping Systems (Oct. 18-20) Analysis of Pressure and Flow Distribution in Pipe Networks (Sept. 20-21) For more information, call Glenna Vickers at 257-4296. ************************************************************************* COURSEWORK ON THE COMPUTERS Availability of Hardware and Software The three PRIME computers and the IBM mainframes are available for instructional work. The PRIMEs generally are used for coursework; however, if the software you need is only on the IBM systems, course accounts can easily be established. Accounts for the PRIMEs and the IBM can be opened by calling Wayne Beech and giving him the needed information such as number of students, storage needed, and time requirements. It may be necessary to make an appointment so he can help establish the accounts. If you have questions about software or requests for additional software, call Lavine Thrailkill at 257-2257. Beginning September 11, the Micro Lab at 107 McVey Hall will be open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Students, faculty, and staff can use the computers for homework, word processing, to download or upload files to or from the mainframes, and to explore new hardware and software. Accessing the Computers Clusters of terminals are available to students and instructors at several locations on campus. These sites are listed in this issue, along with their hours of operation. Most microcomputers that have modems and appropriate software can access the PRIMEs or IBM systems. Communications software for some of the micros is available through the Micro Lab. KERMIT or YTERM software can be copied onto a diskette, and instructions for its use are available. Documentation Most departments at UK are using computers in their coursework. Since using computers can often be a frustrating experience for the instructor as well as the students, the UKCC staff has prepared some introductory manuals which are available free of charge. The demand for the manuals is usually heavy at the beginning of the semester, so to prevent delays it would be helpful to give us an estimate of your class requirements. Call Peggy Akridge (257-2237), Bob Crovo (257-2258), or Lavine Thrailkill (257-2257) so your manuals can be printed before they're needed. The following manuals are available: UKCC PRIME Users' Guide Introduction to the Computing Center IBM CMS Introductory Guide Getting Started on the IBM PC IBM PC BASIC UKCC PRIMEWORD Users' Guide UKCC Sheffield Editor Users' Guide Helpful documents for instructors and advanced classes are available and can be printed with the MANUAL command on CMS. Consulting Help During the regular semesters, UKCC student Consultants are available at the various cluster sites to help students with terminals and some consulting. The hours for consulting are posted at the sites. In general, afternoons and evenings are covered, except for Saturdays. The student Consultants can help with logging on and off, editing, and general problems on the central computing facilities. The UKCC has staff consulting help available when the student Consultants are unable to answer hardware or software questions. The Consulting Room is in 110 McVey Hall and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Instructors are encouraged to check with a UKCC Consultant about system changes and to get help concerning the best way for a class to use the computer. Since so many academic disciplines are now using computers, Consultants are able to help students with computer-related questions, but usually cannot apply a specific discipline to the computer. End of Semester Instructors set the dates for student accounts to expire on both the PRIMEs and the IBM systems. Often, students are not aware of these dates and don't realize their programs can't be accessed after the semester ends. We can help students who want to download their programs to a microcomputer, but this must be done before the accounts expire. Therefore, it is helpful if your classes are informed of these dates. The accounts are automatically deleted from the system after they have expired. -- Lavine Thrailkill ************************************************************************* BUYING A MICROCOMPUTER Many students find a personal computer to be one of the most useful tools they can buy for college work. Personal computers have been steadily increasing in flexibility and power, offering a student the means to reduce the time they spend writing, organizing, and analyzing. Yet few students can afford to go all out and get the most powerful machine, or one with the most expensive features. Paradoxically, the microcomputer costs more than any software bought for it, yet it is usually bought with less information beforehand. This article will explain some of the buying strategies for microcomputers, and explain some of the features a college student will find useful in a computer system. This article is being printed at the beginning of the semester for a reason. If you're buying a computer to use as a word processor, to write the semester's papers, to do the number crunching for a research project, to organize a database, or spreadsheet a financial project, you'd better get it early in the semester. That way, when the crunch comes (the crunch always comes), you won't waste time trying to tackle the basics. Software First First of all, decide why you need a computer. You may be able to get a substitute much cheaper than a computer. A great programmable calculator is about a fifth of the price of the cheapest computer; an electric typewriter or a dedicated word processor is about half the price. If you decide to get a computer, look for one that does several things well. A computer is only as useful as the software it runs. Look at the software a computer runs before you look at specific features of hardware. Many programs today allow exchange of data between programs. Buy a computer that has several choices in the program type you want. You may find that you need a feature of one program, but another is easier on a day-to-day basis. A program that will work in a professional environment will allow you to postpone an immediate upgrade if you graduate to a job that relies on a personal computer. When you know what software you need, try a computer out. Find someone who has had their machine for about six months, and watch them work. Try something on their computer. Then try someone else's. If you can, try the same software on different machines. Take your time on other people's machines, and you'll save money on your own. Treat computer stores as a place to learn about computers before you buy. Computer stores have the widest selection of equipment and the most up-to-date selection. Sit down at a machine in a store and try things. Talk to the salespeople. Ask them to show the machine off, then ask for a demonstration of the type of software you'll want to use. Try different stores, but don't ask the salespeople to defend the features of their product line versus another store's. This gains you little factual information about features that may matter to you. Brands aren't as important as a salesperson may tell you; most of the good software programs are available on all computers. Your effort should be to find a computer that does what you want, in a way that you enjoy working with, at a price you can live with. A good buying strategy is to go to all the computer shops in town, and look at the total range of products. Try an expensive machine to see what "luxury" features you'd like to pay more for. Try the low-end machine to see what features you'd put up with to save a few dollars. Start making lists of machines that interest you, and the prices involved. Check the local library and bookstores for books about the hardware and software you are most interested in. Look at computer magazines for an in-depth review of programs and machines. Weed out your choices until you have, at most, two or three models that you'd consider buying. These should be your first choices, and your main focus should be finding the best price for one of them. Buying At this point, if you know what you want, but the price is still too high to buy a new computer, you still have several options. Buying a computer through a mail-order house is riskier than getting it through a local dealer because of the distance factor of conducting all transactions by mail or over the phone. Mail-order houses are more reliable than they used to be, but expect any problems to take a lot longer to resolve. The main concern is to know exactly what you want and to make sure that's what you're ordering. Another route is to buy a used computer. This is a touchy subject. It's easy to get burned, but if you do some smart shopping, you won't get burned too badly. The basic circuits in a computer are cheap, and don't wear much. Disk drives will wear out, taking data and programs with them, so don't sink a lot of money into used hard drives. Try to get a computer for which you can get cheap, generic parts. Many computer companies, in order to insure consumer loyalty, make their motherboards or cases so that only their products will be compatible. Avoid "great deals" on these. It's better to get a good, stripped down model that is compatible with everything dirt cheap, and then add your own accessories. One problem with buying used computers cheaply is that new computer prices have steadily dropped over the last decade. Many owners try to get half of their old computer's purchase price in trade, to pay for an upgraded model. A typical computer system in 1984 may have cost $4,000. The owner may want to sell it for $2,000, but it can only perform at the level of a $1,600 new computer on today's market. Know what you're buying and you can avoid overpaying for a used computer. Accessories Several features can make your life with computers easier, but there are tradeoffs with any of them. The most popular accessories are discussed below, with some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Monitors. High resolution color is addictive, but can add megabucks to the cost of your system; text in low resolution color mode can drive you crazy. A low-cost option is to forsake all graphic games and live with a monochrome high-res monitor, and then trade up later. Whatever you do, the monitor is your interface with all of the programs and will greatly affect how you work. Hard Disk Storage. Hard disk storage is highly reccommended, with 20 megabytes of storage being a minimum. Hard disks keep data handy, reduce or eliminate shuffling floppy disks, and speed up access to programs and data by an order of magnitude. It's easy to load one with everything you have and run out of disk space, so you'll have to learn to manage your file structures and weed on a regular basis. If you're dedicating your machine to word processing, plan on getting a large hard disk. Back up your hard disk often or expect to cry a lot -- hard disks will all crash eventually. It may take months or decades, but those high-speed moving parts will eventually meet in an unfriendly way. Mouse. Quicker than a joystick, better than a keyboard. A mouse is optional on everything but an Apple Macintosh, which requires it. A mouse is the best cheap tool for graphics. Modem. A modem can be an introduction to computer bulletin boards and high phone bills. Modems allow you to access the University computer from a remote site, if you have a UKCC userid. Printers. A column could be devoted to this. Basically, there are a lot of good cheap printers, and a lot of poor expensive ones. Some dealers will try to recoup the discount they gave you by selling you the house Dotbuster Deluxe. Try before you buy. The best use of computers in college is for word processing those notes, term papers and reports. This virtually requires a good printer. You can find one for under $200, which gives serviceable, "near-letter" quality, and for under $400, you can get a letter-quality printer. For top quality, borrow the services of a laser printer, available through the University or an independent print shop. An alternative to computer stores, mail-order houses, and catalog sales is UK's PC Sales Service. UK students, staff, and faculty can receive discounts on Apple, IBM, Zenith, and Wang personal computers and peripherals. Their office is in 102 Student Center, with Copy Cat. They have information about the products they sell, and regularly advertise in the Kentucky Kernel. And don't forget the Micro Lab in 107 McVey Hall as a good place to try out new hardware and software. -- Tom Faller ************************************************************************* CARE AND HANDLING OF NEW SOFTWARE You gladly paid for your new software, and you're anxious to get started, but what happens after you tear open the box is of paramount importance. Before you plow ahead, read the small print and take some precautions to protect your investment. In this article, we'll explain some of the things you should expect when getting a new piece of software. The Manual Probably the largest item in your package is the computer manual. If you toss the manual aside, you may be doing your software a disservice. The manual is sure to contain some valuable advice on how to install the software properly and how to get started. Don't feel obligated to read the manual from front to back before you even touch the software, but at least try to familiarize yourself with the contents. Check out any sections that discuss installing your new software, backing it up, and using an online tutorial. The true test of a manual is its index. As you're trying to master a new program, you'll probably spend a lot of time flipping through the manual trying to figure out how to do this or that. All too often, new users experience the "I know I saw it in here somewhere" phenomena, and you'll end up in the index trying to track down a particular detail. If an index is good, you'll be able to find the information you need right away. It's your manual, so feel free to mark up your index and write comments in the margins. Diskettes When you get right down to it, the most valuable items in your new software package are the diskettes. Never work directly with the original diskettes. These are your masters and should be kept in a safe place. You don't want to risk erasing them or altering the programs accidentally. Your first step after examining the contents of the package you bought is to copy, or back up, the diskettes. The manual will explain the procedure. Usually, it's as simple as using a diskcopy command on an MS-DOS machine or dragging one disk icon to another on a Macintosh. It's your legal right to make a backup copy of software you've purchased for yourself. Copyrights Diskettes will normally be sealed in an envelope with a written copyright agreement on the flap. The small print states that as you open the envelope to remove the software, you're entering a legal contract not to distribute the software illegally. This agreement will generally discuss things such as your right to make a backup copy and who is liable if something goes wrong. Most software companies exempt themselves from responsibility if you lose thousands of dollars due to, say, an error in their spreadsheet program. Some of the more progressive companies warrant that their packages operate "as advertised," with a promise to upgrade at a minimal cost if problems turn up in the program. The important thing about all this legal mumbo-jumbo on the seal of the software package is that, like in a china shop, once you've broken it, it's yours. The software company usually isn't obligated to take it back. If you don't agree with any of the terms, or you peruse the manual only to find that the software won't do what you want it to, return the package before cracking open that diskette envelope. Reading software reviews and manuals and getting good advice from a friend or dealer should help you avoid this kind of situation. Also, take advantage of the large collection of commercial software in the UKCC's Micro Lab, 107 McVey Hall. Try out a package there before you buy. Installation Sometimes installation of your new software will be as easy as copying it into a directory or folder on your hard disk. Other times you actually have to run a special Install program where you specify the type of monitor and printer you have. The manual will describe this process. The idea behind using an installation program is to customize the software to your particular hardware configuration. The software installation may also be affected by the amount of RAM in your machine, whether or not you're using a hard disk, where on the hard disk you want a program to reside, what serial ports may be in use on your machine, and so on. An installation program will make for an orderly process when trying to get a new piece of software to run on your computer. Tutorials If you're completely new to the software package, try poking through the diskettes and manuals to see if there is a tutorial. Most software comes with a tutorial, and going through it will help introduce you to the program. Some tutorials consist of nothing more than a document created by the program, which you can create, alter, and edit while you follow along with a printed text. Other tutorials may be self-running demos of the program, or better yet, interactive versions that let you use the program while receiving online help and cues. Recently, software companies have also been including free videotapes of new programs in action. While some are merely long advertisements for the product, others are more interactive and useful. Whatever type of tutorial is included, try it out. You'll pick up valuable pointers that might otherwise take you weeks or months to discover. Once you've become an experienced user of the new software, go through the tutorial again to review special features you may have glossed over in your first viewing. Readme Often, software manufacturers will include a "Readme" document on a diskette. This file usually contains pertinent information about the package discovered too late to be included in the manual. Manual errata and clarifications are also included. It's a good idea to print this file and keep it with your manual. Once you have a copy of the information, you can discard the Readme file from your backup copy. Registration Cards If there's a registration card with your software, fill it out and send it in right away! By doing so you'll let the software company know who and where you are, and they'll be able to keep you posted about upgrades. Some companies only keep track of purchasers through these returned cards. Also, if you ever need to call the software company for help, they may insist that you be a registered user, identifiable by a serial number on the disks and on the registration card. Tech Support Look in the manual for a technical support phone number and keep it handy. Bigger companies may have a toll-free number, but even if you have to pay for a call, it may be worth it. If you call the technical support line of the software company for help, be prepared with the serial number of your software, the version of the program that you're using, the exact type and configuration of your computer, and a concise description of the problem. Trying to describe a problem over the phone is difficult, but it's harder still trying to understand a description of a problem about a computer hundreds of miles away. By being fully prepared, you'll make the best use of the tech support person's time and of your money. Remember, a few minutes spent at the start may save you a lot of time and money later. And don't forget to make those backups! -- Ross Yahnke Editor's Note: This article was adapted from the June 1989 issue of Micro Monitor, the newsletter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ************************************************************************* MICRO LAB HOURS The Micro Lab in 107 McVey Hall is open to all UK faculty, staff, and students. The Lab contains IBM PCs, Apple Macintoshes, and printers. Microcomputers can be reserved for one-hour sessions by calling 257-2207. From August 7 through September 8, the Micro Lab will be open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Beginning September 11, the Micro Lab hours will be: Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ************************************************************************* MUSIC IN THE MICRO LAB In the late 1960s and early 70s a new type of musical instrument was developed. It not only had a distinctive sound, it also gradually became capable of mimicking the sound of other musical instruments. Called the music synthesizer, it came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and configurations with various capabilities. One type, the digital music synthesizer, became dominant as its capabilities paralleled the rise of the personal computer. By the early 80s several digital synthesizers were capable of incorporating computer programs to define the sound the synthesizer would produce and to handle routine chores such as tuning and calibrating. At the same time, dozens of auxiliary digital accessories such as drum machines, audio processors, sequencing machines, and interfaces appeared, each designed to work with one brand of synthesizer. Digital synthesizers could be interfaced with computers, but only on a custom basis. A standard interface which would allow data to be interchanged between machines and computers was needed to allow any digital music machine to be interfaced with any other music machine, and to allow any computer to control the intricate processes which result in musical output. That interface is MIDI. The acronym stands for Musical Instrument Device Interface. MIDI has been standardized for several years and new applications keep appearing for it, but the basic uses still allow digital instruments to interface with each other and with a computer, and to allow a computer to control the programming and playing of a synthesizer or other digital instrument. MIDI Available in the Micro Lab The Micro Lab in 107 McVey Hall has a computer equipped with a MIDI interface and a complete synthesizer. Programs on the computer allow you to score music on a computer and interface with a keyboard. The interface and synthesizer are on an IBM Music Feature card, installed in a PS/2 Model 30 that we call "Betty." The Music Feature card has a chip with a complete Yamaha FM synthesizer, the same chip that controls a Yamaha DX-7. The Music Feature card can be used as a stand-alone synthesizer, with the computer-generated score as input. It can also be used to control a MIDI-equipped instrument, such as a keyboard or drum machine. The Music Feature card can record and play tracks in full stereo. A stereo headphone jack is provided on the card so you can hear the music. Stereo output jacks on the card, used with a standard stereo connection cable, can drive an amplifier and stereo speaker setup. The card also plugs into a MIDI interface, available in the Lab, which allows MIDI input, output, or throughput. This allows the card to control several digital instruments at one time, or to write notes played on a keyboard onto staffs on the screen. COMPOSE and PLAYREC There are two main programs on the Model 30 which work with the Music Feature card. One program, COMPOSE, allows you to enter notes on a staff, using the mouse or keyboard. The other program, PLAYREC, records music from a direct input, performs the music, changes voices, positions voices in a stereo background, and adjusts tempo. COMPOSE is the equivalent of a word processor for musical scores. Either mouse- or keyboard-driven, it allows the freedom from tedious recopying. COMPOSE displays two staffs (bass and treble) when started and allows eight simultaneous voices, out of 336 possible synthesized instruments on the Yamaha chip. It handles 64th notes, has a fairly complete repertoire of musical notation, and up to 13,000 "musical steps;" a code phrase for a lot of music. COMPOSE's best feature is its ability to move sections of music around, copying, repeating in different keys, transposing and copying to different staffs. The output of COMPOSE (it's not music until you hear it, right?) can be saved as a file, played through the Yamaha chip and headphones as you go, or sent to an outboard keyboard through the MIDI interface. PLAYREC, the other main program to use the Music Feature card, is a sequencer. It allows recording of music played on a keyboard or another digital instrument. It works like a "tapeless" tape recorder, that is, you can build up a musical piece by recording the individual instruments, track by track. The musical data is stored on a floppy disk and is put back together by the program. PLAYREC can use the internal Yamaha synthesizer chip for all voices, or can use an external music source. It can record tracks simultaneously, or can build up a composition one track at a time. To use these programs, just sign up for time on Betty in the Micro Lab. To get audio output, bring a pair of headphones with a mini jack, the type found on Walkman-style lightweight headphones, and plug them into the card face on the back of the computer. Make sure the computer is on, and the C>: prompt is showing, then type: CD/MIDI and PLR to enter PLAYREC, or CMP to enter COMPOSE. If you wish to use the MIDI interface to connect your keyboard to the MIDI card, bring two MIDI patch cords, at least 3' long, and some form of power source for your keyboard. You'll also need a 3.5" floppy disk formatted to 720K to save your programmed score. The UK Music Department is the best source for information about musical theory and composition. Just as mastering a word processor does not make you a writer, mastering a sequencer will not get you on MTV. The Music Department has several computer controlled MIDI systems and is a good source of information about the technical side of MIDI. For specific questions about the Music Feature card or the COMPOSE or PLAYREC programs, contact Tom Faller, 257-2236, 314 McVey Hall, TOMFAL@UKCC.UKY.EDU. -- Tom Faller ************************************************************************* GOOD NEWS FOR MICRO LAB USERS We're increasing the number of microcomputers in the Micro Lab, 107 McVey Hall, and they should be in place by the Fall Semester. The additional computers will double our present capacity and will include IBM PS/2 Model 30s and Macintoshes. Most of the present equipment will still be available for use. ************************************************************************* SPECIAL PC SALE Now's the time to get a great deal on a personal computer. The PC Sales Service has special discounts for the beginning of the semester for all UK students, staff, and faculty. These discounts are approximately 40% off the retail prices, and include products from Apple, IBM, Wang, and Zenith. For more information, contact PC Sales at 102 Student Center (with Copy Cat), 257-6320. They're open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. ************************************************************************* GETTING YOUR OUTPUT AT THE DATA CENTER In response to requests from users, we're changing the method of filing centrally printed output. The new system will be in effect September 1, 1989. Each of your userids will be assigned a box code, and all output for that userid will be filed together in the same box according to its assigned box code. You'll be able to get your output by simply telling us your box code. You can find out what your box code is by entering FINDPRT on CMS. You can also request your output by your userid until you've memorized your box code. We recommend that you continue to make a list of your job numbers, so you'll know you've gotten all of your output. For help or more information, contact an Operator at the Data Center. -- Ben Rice ************************************************************************* INTRODUCING EXPLORING CMS What's so mysterious about using CMS? You probably feel you could write a book answering that question. Beginning with this issue we'll try to take some of the mystery out of using CMS. By the way, if you've always wished you had time to learn how to use CMS, now's your chance. Just open an userid with User Account Services (257-2217, 130 McVey Hall), and then sign up for the UKCC Introduction to CMS short course listed elsewhere in this issue. The course is free to all UK students, faculty, and staff. This continuing column will assume some knowledge of CMS, about the amount you'll learn in an average UKCC VM/CMS short course. Different CMS-related topics will be addressed in each issue, including MAIL, XEDIT, REXX, and VM BATCH. Novice users will certainly want to follow this column, and with a little practice these former novices will become "power users." And even experienced users will find some topics they didn't know about. To get the most out of this column, take a copy to your favorite terminal location. Try out the commands and do the exercises. Don't be discouraged if you don't understand all the concepts. Just contact the Consulting Room in 110 McVey Hall, SUGGEST@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257-2249 for clarification; we're here to help you. If you have suggestions for future topics, let us know. Send e-mail to SUGGEST@UKCC.UKY.EDU or call 257-2249. If you have a command or an EXEC that you've written and find useful, offer it as a contribution for the PUBLIC disk. The PUBLIC disk contains a collection of staff- and user-written commands that you may find useful. ************************************************************************* EXPLORING CMS: COPYFILE Online Help Files It's always a good idea to review the online help files for the various commands. The help files are the final authority on how a command is used, and they usually offer lots of extra information you'd miss otherwise. To review online help for this month's command, enter HELP COPYFILE The menu at the bottom of the screen defines the PF keys. Just follow the directions. COPYFILE You're probably familiar with the COPYFILE command for backing up your CMS disk files, but did you know you can use it to modify, combine, and merge several files into one? We will explore the use of the SPECS (specifications) and OVLY (overlay) options that combine two files into one so that the contents of one file is alongside the contents of the other. There are many options available for COPYFILE. While we won't explain all the options here, it's wise to review the online help file for a complete description of each of the options. Let's take a simple example using the SPECS option. Suppose you have two files that you need to combine. You could combine them so that one follows the other using the APPEND option of COPYFILE, but suppose you'd really like for the data in one to be alongside the data in the other. Then the two files must contain the same number of records. Let's say the two files are NAME DATA and ADDRESS DATA, and both files are on your A disk. The files contain the same number of records and you've carefully kept them in the same order, but the lengths of the records differ. You can see from FLIST that the record length of the names file is 25 and the address file is 47. The first thing you do is back up the file using COPYFILE. The OVLY option will write over the original file, and if you don't get it right the first time, your data will be lost. Here's how to back up your file. COPYfile NAMES DATA A OLDNAMES DATA A Then specify the copy you want to do. COPYfile ADDRESS DATA A NAMES DATA A (SPecs OVly COPYFILE will prompt you for a specification list. This is where you specify how you want the copy performed. 1-47 27 This tells COPYFILE to copy columns 1 through 47 of ADDRESS DATA into NAMES DATA starting with column 27 (to leave at least one space). The OVLY option tells COPYFILE to keep all the other data in the original NAMES DATA file. By adding the FROM and FOR options and using COPYFILE several times, you can further combine your data files. Blocks of text or data can be moved around by splitting and recombining the records. Experiment with small files to master the techniques, and you'll soon be using COPYFILE with confidence. If you need more help, contact a Consultant in 110 McVey Hall, SUGGEST@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257-2249. -- Bob Crovo ************************************************************************* HOLIDAY SCHEDULE Monday, September 4 is an official UK holiday. The UKCC offices, Consulting Room, and Micro Lab will be closed. The Data Center and Users' Rooms in 103 and 111 McVey Hall will be open from Noon until 12:30 a.m. The IBM and PRIME systems will be in operation, as usual. ************************************************************************* REEL-TYPE TAPES TO BE PHASED OUT The UKCC has two types of tape drives, the IBM 3840 tape cartridge drives and the older 2400-foot tape reel drives. We are planning to convert as many tapes as possible to cartridge in order to phase out most of the older reel drives and to save valuable floor space. Effective September 1, 1989, reel-type tapes will not be accepted for permanant storage. A 400,000 volume serial pool has been established for replacement and will use the same guidelines as the 20,000 series. If you'd like to go ahead and convert your tapes to cartridge, just bring us a cartridge for placement into the 400,000 series. After copying the contents of the 20,000 to the 400,000, you can pick up your 20,000 series tape. You can purchase the 3480 type cartridge from the Department of Stores for approximately $5.00 per cartridge. We are planning to remove three reel tape drives by September 1, 1989 and, as usage declines, remove more at a later date. If you need help with this conversion, contact Joe Williams at UKA048@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257,5632, 122 McVey Hall. -- Joe Williams ************************************************************************* IMSL 9.2 TO BE REMOVED IMSL 9.2 will be unavailable after August 6, 1989. If you haven't converted to version 10.0, be sure you do by August 6. Until August 6, IMSL 9.2 will be available on both CMS and MVS. IMSL 10.0 is a major revision to IMSL 9.2. There are new routines and algorithmic improvements to current routines in numerical mathematics and statistical analysis. IMSL 10.0 contains double precision routines, and it allows you to vectorize using Basic Linear Algebra Subroutines (BLAS). There are major incompatibilities between IMSL 9.2 routines and IMSL 10.0 routines. The names of most IMSL 9.2 routines have been changed. In some routines, the definitions of the parameters have changed and the sequences are different. IMSL has provided a conversion guide, IMSL Libraries Edition 10.0 Update Guide, which crossreferences version 9.2 routines with version 10.0. A reference copy of the guide is in the Consulting Room, 110 McVey Hall. If you have any questions about the IMSL libraries or run into problems while converting your programs, send mail to SUGGEST@UKCC.UKY.EDU or contact a Consultant at 257-2249, 110 McVey Hall. ************************************************************************* LANs A Local Area Network (LAN) is a departmental network that connects PCs to each other and to file servers (shared hard disk), printers, and other resources. A LAN allows users to share printers, modems, and access to mainframes. The first personal computers were single-user machines. A user could store, retrieve and manipulate information, and produce reports, but the processing and the results were isolated to that one machine. PC use proliferated with the availability of software to perform a wide range of functions. Before long, PC users wanted the capability to exchange information between PCs and to access other devices. This need was answered by the development of PC LANs. topology + protocol = LAN One way to look at a PC LAN is to separate the topology from the protocol it uses. The topology is the type of wiring scheme used to build a LAN, including the network adapters (circuit boards) inside each PC, the wiring that attaches these adapters, and any physical devices required to make the connections. The three main types are bus, ring, and star. The protocol is a set of communication rules used on the network. Some PCs require special software, sometimes called a network operating system, to participate in a network. LANs can be joined into a network that connects departmental networks with bridges or routers. These larger networks are called wide-area networks (WANs). UKnet, which connects numerous departments throughout the campus, is a WAN. Ethernet Very briefly stated, an Ethernet LAN consists of a single trunk cable with devices tapped directly to the cable via a transceiver. As the physical limitations of each segment are reached, a barrel connector or repeater is required to extend the network. AppleTalk AppleTalk is a protocol developed for Macintosh computers, although it can also be used by IBM, Apple II, and other computers. The protocol can be used over several kinds of cabling including inexpensive shielded cable or twisted-pair telephone wiring (called LocalTalk) or Ethernet (called EtherTalk). An AppleTalk LocalTalk network is very inexpensive (although relatively slow) since all Macintoshes come equipped for it and only cables and connectors must be purchased. LocalTalk networks can be bridged to Ethernets. IBM PCs and Apple IIs can participate in AppleTalk networks with the addition of an adaptor card and software. AppleTalk networks can be bridged to Ethernets or other networks. Token-Ring Token-Ring topology uses a Multi-station Access Unit (MAU) which acts as a junction box to connect a maximum of eight devices per MAU on a Token-Ring LAN. However, multiple MAUs can be connected to create a Ring of more than eight devices. The maximum number of devices on a Token-Ring LAN is limited only by the cabling architecture and the type and length of cabling, rather than strictly by the eight ports on a MAU. The Token-Ring network gets its name from the Token-passing concept and a Ring topology. Token-passing means that a signal, called a Token, is sent around the Ring from one device to the next looking for a network task to perform and performing that task. A network task could be sending a message to another PC, transmitting a file to a file server, or sending a document to be printed on a network printer. The NOS consists of the software that lets users applications use the shared disk and printer resources on the LAN as if they were attached directly to an individual PC. Other pieces of software (including the adapter's device drivers and DOS) are required to enable a PC to operate on a LAN. Novell's NetWare, IBM PC LAN, and StarLAN are three NOSs in use on campus. Each provides commands and menu options to enable users to perform network tasks and manage network resources. The software permits sharing (by server devices) or using (by other devices) network resources. Advantages and Disadvantages The major advantage to a LAN is that users can access network printers, disk space, data and programs as if these resources were attached to their PCs. A LAN can be implemented and managed to provide extensive resources for each PC user, to provide cost effective distribution of expensive hardware resources, and to share information throughout an office, while still allowing each PC user to retain control over his PC. There are some LAN disadvantages: the NOS can require so much RAM (Random Access Memory), whether the LAN's resources are being used or not, that there may not be enough memory left to load and run program. There are also the added complexities of coordinating the interrupt levels and settings for LAN adapters and programs with any other adapters and programs needed for non-LAN use. Resolving any conflicts depend on specific hardware and software configurations. Do You Need a LAN? There are several planning considerations when installing or expanding a LAN. The first is whether there is a specific need for the capabilities a LAN provides. Second, are existing and planned applications compatible with a LAN? Third, is the current hardware capable of supporting a LAN or will upgrades or replacements of components be needed? LANs are Useful In a relatively short time, PCs moved from slow, single-user machines with limited software availability to the fast, multi-tasking workstations in today's network environment. The number of LANs should continue to increase for some time. Software and hardware vendors are creating new products to make LANs more useful and easier to use, and less expensive to establish and maintain. If you'd like additional information about or help with PC LANs, contact Daryoush Marefat at 257-7682 or Charles Bynker at 257-2229. -- Information Centers Branch Editor's Note: This article was adapted from the April/May 1989 issue of The Computer Link, Kentucky Department of Information Systems. ************************************************************************* CONVERTING FROM THE HP 2689 TO THE IBM 3800 Effective August 1, 1989 the Hewlett Packard 2680 laser printer was removed from service. You can determine if your print was being done on the HP by examining your separator page. PRT1 indicates the HP laser printer. PRT3 indicates the IBM 3800 laser printer. Conversion Made Easy Output previously printed on the HP 2689 laser printer can be directed to the IBM 3800 printer without traumatic changes to your CMS commands or MVS JCL statements. All the same page layouts, one-, two-, and four-up printing in both portrait and landscape orientations, that you knew and loved on the HP printer are available on the IBM 3800. Removing the HP forms code and letting the forms default to standard forms (STD) will cause your output to be directed to the IBM 3800. Unlike the HP printer, which uses forms codes to control output appearance, the IBM 3800 printer controls the appearance of its output by using PAGEDEFs and FORMDEFs. PAGEDEFs control the formatting of text on the page and FORMDEFs are used to provide an electronic forms overlay capability. The boxes drawn around logical pages on two- and four-up output is an example of a FORMDEF. The use of FORMDEFs is restricted to MVS jobs at this time. This means that output which is printed two and four up from CMS will not have boxes drawn around it. Most of the HP forms codes have a corresponding PAGEDEF on the IBM 3800. PAGEDEF names have been selected which are more descriptive and more easily remembered than the HP forms codes. HP FORM IBM 3800 NAME PAGEDEF EL61 DOC EL62 DOC2UP EL64 DOC4UP ET11 DOC ET12 DOC2UP ET14 DOC4UP NT DOC PGB1 STD [1] PI61 DOC10 PI62 DOC2UP PI64 DOC4UP PT11 DOC10 PT12 DOC2UP PT14 DOC4UP P601 STD [2] P602 STD2UP [3] P604 STD4UP [4] P661 STD P662 STD2UP P664 STD4UP P801 STD88 [5] P881 STD88 ST DOC STD. STD Notes [1] PGB1 simulates landscape graybar paper. This requires a FORMDEF on the IBM 3800 and is only available from MVS jobs. [2] P601 is the same as P661 except that it only prints 60 lines per page. Substitute STD on the 3800 which is 66 lines per page. [3] P602 is a two-up version of P601. Substitute STD2UP. [4] P604 is a four-up version of P601. Substitute STD4UP. [5] P801 is the same as P661 except that it prints 80 lines per page. Substitute STD88 on the 3800 which is 88 lines per page. Detailed information on how to use PAGEDEFs from CMS and how to use PAGEDEFs and FORMDEFs from MVS is available by entering HELP 3800 and selecting the topics: Specifying page layout with PAGEDEFs Specifying electronic form overlays with FORMDEFs Additional work has been done to match the characters available on the IBM 3800 more closely to those on the HP 2689. This will allow documents to print on the IBM 3800 with no changes. Getting Help For online help, enter HELP 3800 If you need more help with converting to the 3800, contact Bob Crovo, 257-2258, 109 McVey Hall, CROVO@UKCC.UKY.EDU; or Joe Williams, UKA048@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 257-5632, 122 McVey Hall. -- Allan Hetzel ************************************************************************* 3090 RESEARCH PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE CENTER FOR COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES Following are the active research projects currently being supported by the CCS. If you'd like more information about these projects or about the CCS, contact Sandy Leachman at 257-8737, SANDY@UKCC.UKY.EDU. If you'd like to set up your own SuperUser account, contact User Account Services in 130 McVey Hall, 257-2212 or 257-2217. The Application of Computational Fluid Mechanics to the Understanding of Blood Filtration Prof. James E. Funk and Mr. Baoding Chen Department of Mechanical Engineering The Determination of Long Term Trends in Terrestrial Stratospheric Ozone Prof. Frank Clark and Mr. Ji-Chang Hou Department of Physics The Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Space Frames Prof. Hans Gesund and Mr. Chunwei Huang Department of Civil Engineering The Calculation of Atomic Spectra in Strong Electric Fields Prof. David Harmin and Mr. Phillip Price Department of Physics and Astronomy The Analysis of Archaeological Data from the Monte Verde Project Prof. Thomas Dillehay and Mr. Jonathan M. Rossen Department of Anthropology Solution of the Inverse Radiation Problem Using Monte-Carlo Techniques Prof. M. Pinar Menguc and Mr. Shanker Subramanian Department of Mechanical Engineering The Development of Efficient Supercomputer Codes for the Solution of Systems of Differential Equations Prof. Graeme Fairweather and Ms. Karin Bennett Department of Mathematics Computer-Aided Design of Steel Space Structures Prof. George Blandford and Ms. Hong Chen Department of Civil Engineering Numerical Methods for the Solution of Partial Differential Equations Prof. Graeme Fairweather and Mr. Ryan Fernandes Department of Mathematics Nonlinear Thermoelastic Analysis of Laminated Plates and Shells Prof. T.R. Tauchert and Mr. Nan-Nong Huang Department of Engineering Mechanics The Simulation of Fracture in Materials Using the Boundary Element Method Prof. David Shippy and Mr. Zhen-Hong Jia Department of Engineering Mechanics Method of Fundamental Solutions Prof. David Shippy, Prof. F.J. Rizzo, and Mr. Prasanna Kondapalli Department of Engineering Mechanics Numerical Modeling of Atmospheric Turbulence and Reactive Flow in a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor Prof. Tate Tsang and Mr. Prasad Pai Department of Chemical Engineering Numerical Methods for the Solution of Partial Differential Equations Prof. Graeme Fairweather and Mr. Mark Robinson Department of Mathematics New Algorithms in Computational Chemistry Prof. Thomas Hayden and Mr. William Glunt Department of Mathematics Crustal Velocity Structure in Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, and Eastern Tennessee Prof. Ronald Street and Mr. Alex Zekulin Department of Geology Computation for Relativistic Optical Potentials in Nucleon-Nucleus Scattering Prof. Alan MacKellar and Dr. Young Jae Lee Department of Physics Neural Network Modeling of the Cognitive Eliciting Conditions of Emotions Prof. Robert F. Lorch and Dr. Terence Turner Department of Psychology Lattice Gauge Simulations of Quantum Chromodynamics Prof. Keh-Fei Liu and Dr. Ji-Min Wu Department of Physics Boundary Element Analysis of Thin-Body Problems in Acoustics Prof. Andrew Seybert and Dr. Ting-Wen Wu Department of Mechanical Engineering The Nature of the Statistics of the Astronomical Maser Radiation Prof. Moshe Elitzur and Dr. Ying Cheng Wu Department of Physics and Astronomy Numerical Methods for Turbulence and Multiphase Flow Prof. M.C. Roco and Dr. Jian Zhang Department of Mechanical Engineering and Prof. Kurt Helmes Department of Mathematics Numerical Probabilistic Model for Friction Dominated Particulate Flow Prof. M.C. Roco and Dr. Danning Ma Department of Mechanical Engineering Monte Carlo Simulations of Finite-Temperature Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics Prof. Keh-Fei Liu and Dr. Sudhir Nadkarni Department of Physics Scheduling Manufacturing Processes using Parallel and Vector Computers Prof. John J. Bernardo Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems Theoretical Models of High Temperature Superconductivity Prof. Kumble Subbaswamy Department of Physics Modeling of Reactive Flow in a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor Prof. Tate Tsang Department of Chemical Engineering Application of Numerical Analysis to Problems in Engineering Prof. Graeme Fairweather Department of Mathematics The Simple Layer Potential Method of Fundamental Solutions for Certain Biharmonic Functions Prof. Andreas Karageorghis Department of Mathematics, University College of Wales, in collaboration with Prof. Graeme Fairweather Department of Mathematics Electronic Structure of Superconducting Materials Prof. Charles B. Sommers, Physique des Solides, Universite de Paris, Orsay, France in collaboration with Prof. John Connolly Center for Computational Sciences Lattice Gauge Monte Carlo Simulations Professors Richard Woloshyn and Terrence Draper, Tri-University Meson Facility, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Professor Walter Wilcox Baylor University in collaboration with Prof. Keh-Fei Liu Department of Physics and Astronomy Fast Quadrature Routines for ESSL Prof. Ian Gladwell, Department of Mathematics, Southern Methodist University in collaboration with Prof. Graeme Fairweather Department of Mathematics ************************************************************************* SUGGESTIONS 1. Since switching to XA, when I use the GONE exec and come back I get an error message. >>>If you're still having trouble with GONE, please contact Bob Crovo at at 257-2258, CROVO@UKCC.UKY.EDU, 109 McVey Hall, or another Consultant in 110 McVey Hall, 257-2249. We advise caution in using some of the options of GONE because they could loop and/or provide an entry for viruses or worms. 2. Why was the 3090 changed to the XA operating system when half the commands don't work? Wasn't XA thoroughly tested before forcing us to switch to it? VM/XA allows better use of input/output subsystems and larger address spaces. Most development in the IBM VM environment will be VM/XA, including support for new devices. It also allows the eventual merging of the directory for Single-System Image (SSI) entry. XA has been running on the IBM 3090 since October 1988. The current version of XA was tested for three months with less problems than a normal new release. 95% of the commands work, and accounting-related commands will be working when new resource accounting is available. 3. The Micro Lab is open again in the evenings! This is great since I'm not able to make it into the Lab until after 5:30. Thanks for the 19.2k baud support to the network, too. It makes downloading a snap. >>>Thanks! And don't forget that we're expanding the Micro Lab. 4. Any idea what the problem is between links UKCCB and UCCCVM1? It's been down for a couple of days now. >>>There was a phone line problem at the University of Cincinnati, but it's been fixed now. 5. At home we have call waiting on our telephone line. Whenever we have an incoming call and we're using the modem, the line is disconnected. Our problem is probably not uncommon, and I'd like to know how people cope with incoming calls that disrupt connection with the mainframe. Can we buy a gizmo to protect our connection and override the call waiting signal? >>>For an extra charge you can get a cancel call waiting feature from GTE. If you have the feature, you can cancel call waiting for the duration of a call by dialing 70# before the number. Another way to bypass call waiting is to forward your calls to another number. Be sure to cancel call forwarding after your call. 6. Here is what I sent and the response: LWPRINT STSAILP1 P-SCRIPT A0 TO CCUSER DMSLWP675E No destination was specified. Public destinations are: DMSLWP675E CCUSER What am I doing wrong? >>>You left out a parenthesis. Try this: LWPRINT STSAILP1 P-SCRIPT A0 ( TO CCUSER If you're printing from FLIST, enter it this way LWPRINT / ( CCUSER 7. Here's a lovely bug which caused me to lose a file which I was editing on my B disk ( a temporary disk). In XEDIT, I used the point command to name a line .AA. According to the HELP FILE I could turn this point off with either of the following: SET .AA OFF or .AA OFF. Unfortunately, the second command logged me off and, naturally, released my temporary disk. Any command or combination of key strokes which can end a CMS Session from within XEDIT should be fixed or disabled. The correct syntax is SET POINT .xxx OFF (the word SET is optional). When you entered .AA OFF XEDIT went to the line marked .AA and issued the OFF command, which is a synonym for LOGOFF. You raise a good point, though. There are several commands that can disrupt an XEDIT session, drop a t-disk, or log off your userid. 8. I have some files that have recfm of V and lrecl something besides 80. When I try to submit these as SAS programs in a batch file it returns errors that say that the files have to be of recfm F and lrecl 80. I have tried to no avail with the help file for filedef. Is there some way that I can redefine these files? >>>Yes, XEDIT the files (both SAS and data) and issue this command while inside XEDIT RECFM F Then issue FILE ************************************************************************* UKCC CLASSIFIEDS Classified ads are free to UK students, faculty, and staff. Ads run for one issue and must be resubmitted for publication in subsequent issues. If you'd like to place a computing-related ad (such as buying or selling used computer equipment), send it via e-mail to EDITOR@UKCC or mail it to Editor, UK Computing Center, 72 McVey Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0045. The deadline for ads is the first week of the month for the following month's issue. We do not accept advertising from commercial vendors and all ads are subject to revision by the Editor. FOR SALE: Suntek I/O extension with serial, parallel, game, date, and time ports. One BTC professional keyboard. Best offer. Contact Kiran Chaudhary at 258-6174. ************************************************************************* UKCC SERVICE DIRECTORY McVey Service E-Mail Address Phone Hall Vice President, Information Services Eugene R. Williams DPS128@UKCC 257-3609 Director, University Computing Services Dr. Douglas Hurley HURLEY@UKCC 257-2900 128 Director, Communications & Distributed Systems Doyle Friskney DOYLE@UKCC 257-6225 Director, Computational Sciences Dr. John Connolly CONNOLLY@UKCC 257-8737 324 Academic Consulting Services Lavine Thrailkill UKC105@UKCC 257-2257 121 CMS Consulting Bob Crovo CROVO@UKCC 257-2258 109 Complaints Carol Lotz LOTZ@UKCC 257-2213 129 Consultant for Remote Sites Wanda Dixon Spisak WANDA@UKCC 257-2206 115 Consulting Consultant on Duty SUGGEST@UKCC 257-2249 110 Contingency Planning & Security Jack L. Coffman UKA051@UKCC 257-2273 218 Database - IDMS Rick Chlopan DBA003@UKCC 257-2211 230E Data Center 257-2222 61 Data Entry Frank McCormick OPFRANK@UKCC 257-2216 72 Disk Rental Janet Hyatt HYATT@UKCC 257-2212 130 Larry Johnson JOHNSON@UKCC 257-2217 130 Facilities Operations Joe Williams UKA048@UKCC 257-2231 122 Graphics Consultation Bob Williamson ROBERTT@UKCC 257-2227 207 Information Center Judy Kisil UKA041@UKCC 257-2241 222 Information Resources Dr. Jon Hesseldenz UKA045@UKCC 257-3904 230D Instructional Software Wayne Beech WAYNE@UKCC 257-2238 100 Machine Room 257-2222 59 Management Information Systems Forrest Hahn UKA006@UKCC 257-2260 123 Memos and Manuals Consulting Room 257-2249 110 Micro Lab 257-2207 107 Network/Telecommunications UKT101@UKCC 257-2229 New Accounts Janet Hyatt HYATT@UKCC 257-2212 130 Larry Johnson JOHNSON@UKCC 257-2217 130 Numerical Analysis Consulting Anne Leigh ANNE@UKCC 257-2205 109B Optical Scanner - NCS Chris Corman CHRIS@UKCC 257-2243 109 Bob Crovo CROVO@UKCC 257-2258 109 Passwords Janet Hyatt HYATT@UKCC 257-2212 130 Larry Johnson JOHNSON@UKCC 257-2217 130 PRIME Information Peggy Akridge PEGGY@UKCC 257-2237 100 Program Documentation/Libraries Consulting Room 257-2249 110 Publications Office Marguerite Floyd EDITOR@UKCC 257-2219 200 Refunds Consulting Room 257-2249 110 SAS and SPSS Consulting Steve Thomson STEVE@UKCC 257-2259 120 Lorinda Wang UKC333@UKCC 257-2204 109B Statistical Consulting Steve Thomson STEVE@UKCC 257-2259 120 Tapes to Borrow, Tape Storage Data Center 257-2222 61 Tours of UKCC Lavine Thrailkill UKC105@UKCC 257-2257 121 User Account Services Janet Hyatt HYATT@UKCC 257-2212 130 Larry Johnson JOHNSON@UKCC 257-2217 130 Vectorization Consulting Tom Faller TOMFAL@UKCC 257-2236 314 ************************************************************************* UNIVERSITY COMPUTING ADVISORY COMMITTEE Douglas E. Hurley, Central Administration H. Clay Owen, Central Administration A.J. Hauselman, Community Colleges James W. Phillips, Community Colleges Raphael Finkel, Lexington Campus Leonard K. Peters, Lexington Campus N. Clare Detraz, Medical Center David A. Nash, Medical Center T. Earle Bowen, Ex Officio Ben W. Carr, Ex Officio Wimberly C. Royster, Ex Officio Donald E. Sands, Ex Officio Eugene R. Williams, Ex Officio *************************************************************************