Migration of administrative computers to Microsoft NT proceeds smoothly; completion is due by Thanksgiving

Thursday, October 18, 2001 • Vol 7, Issue 20

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By CLAY EALS

One of the biggest selling points of personal computers - that users can install any software they want - has come back to haunt the Center's Administrative Information Technology Department.

This fall, IT is moving the hookups of about 400 administrative computers from Novell NetWare 3.12 servers to Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 servers.

Sounds easy enough, but given the nearly infinite permutations of 45 different applications being installed uniquely on the computers, the task is complex.

"Every machine is a handcrafted masterpiece," said Jim Ryan, consultant from Seitel Leeds and Associates who is managing the migration. "The biggest issue for us is what we don't know."

Two phases

The migration is taking place in two phases, each involving a visit to each computer desktop.

First, IT staff moved the home directories and print services of the affected computers, a task that was completed last month.

The second step, standardizing departmental application directories, will be finished before Thanksgiving, about a month prior to when many of the computers will be moved to the new Administration building at the northwest corner of Yale Avenue North and Valley Street.

The migration is a project to continue the simplification and standardization of the Administration's server architecture, Ryan said. Operating two network operating systems, he said, has become increasingly costly and inefficient. He said Windows NT servers will provide expanded disk space, virtually eliminating the prospect of users experiencing further "disk full" warnings.

The Clinical Research Division and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance servers already have been similarly standardized, Ryan said.

Administrative computers affected by this fall's migration include those used by staff in the Director's Office, Hutch Kids, Technology Transfer, Facilities, the Library, Accounting and Finance, Material Management, External Relations, Institutional Review, Development, Human Resources and, yes, IT.

The migration is directed by Sonja Outlaw, the Center's manager of server operations. IT staff working on the project have included Daniel Budiansky, Robert McDermott, Adrian Tyvand and Bettina Pool. Consulting engineer Roger Walcott also has provided assistance.

Ryan said he's been pleased by the help he and IT staff have received from the approximately 400 users affected by the migration.

"This has been the smoothest migration project of the seven that I've been a part of," he said.

"I attribute this clean, non-disruptive migration to the invaluable assistance of the departmental liaisons and a terrific level of cooperation from every staff member we came into contact with. The upbeat, cooperative attitude of all concerned has made what is usually a difficult technical and logistical project a real pleasure."

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