Updates!

SAN, backups, batching, catalog, documentation, fda, process

We’ve got a lot going on in addition to normal work-overload. New stuff includes:

• Logan is testing a new backup with Open Systems, and this will be up and running soon and in test for up to two weeks. This is a campus tivoli-server solution which would charge for the amount of data transferred in and the amount stored on a daily basis. The cost is now reasonable, especially given the time and expense of burning DVDs for immediate-access backups. Hopefully we can move to this and drop the final burning step of the process for an automated backup to the CNS server. This solution requires a non-VM machine on our end to run the transfer/backup software, which may be the AV machine (we may run the AV box as a VM since that would free up the current-AV box for backups and mean we don’t have to worry with an integrated service with a different config).
• Mark and Logan are working on setting up some processing steps on the SAN, including running the following as automated tasks (scheduled times and delays and checks…) PreQC; OCR; GoUFDC/loading; FDA prep; and FDA load (same, but more difficult if queueing needed).
  
  These won’t happen anytime soon, but each automated step will mean less work on our end and iwill help keep things moving to make sure things don’t get delayed. We’re almost done loading all of the files to the SAN from the portable drives (aside from newspapers, extra-always-in-use desk drives, and microfilm scans that can’t fit) and we do have slow, steady movement on some of the migration projects (maps, aerials, Baldwin, Bryant, Treister). The files already in-process on the SAN have to finish being processed for us to have more room to finish with the other files, and then we also need to deal with the retro-Baldwin files (100+ CDs left, which is far better than 1000+) and with the “error” folder. After that we have the other backlog on the CDs that have never been loaded.
  
  By automating more, we’ll hopefully steal enough time to deal with all of these. Even if not, we should at least be able to reclaim enough time to not fall further behind.
  
  Of course, there seems to be more AV coming in and that’s more time consuming and less automate-able, so we’ll see. Any other hidden backlogs?
• Cataloging has a list of all items loaded with any item (BIBID, OCLC, Aleph, LTQF) numbers. Jason should, hopefully, be able to create a macro that grabs items with OCLC and Aleph numbers, and then batch process adding links to the UFDC items from the catalog. This isn’t the best solution and will only handle some of the items, but CatMet is examining our item list to find ways to deal with them but it’s complicated.
• (Complete) Departmental SAN and user space is up and running and mapped to as the Z (Departmental) and U (User/Personal) space.

laurien @ August 5, 2008