Csuite Workshop Notes 1996 May 8

Next meeting: May 15, 1996
Previous meeting: May 1, 1996
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Agenda:

Public Access Terminals (PATS)

The first of the new Linux based Public Access Terminal Systems has been configured and installed. The system had been up for more than 24 hours as of the meeting, without problems. Performance: The system supported data transfer at about 35 kBytes per second while browsing, which is good, but was slow in changing modes. The amount of memory (8 MB, 12 to 16 would be better) in the unit is believed to be the limiting factor.

Doug Rigby, of the Dartmouth library, has been appointed to the Chebucto Board, as PAT Coordinator.

Outstanding items


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Routers

David Murdoch reported on the development of the new Linux-based routers. Chris Maxwell has been working on setting them up, and had the PAT machines connected through them. There were some stability problems, so further testing is needed.

It is hoped that the machines can be configured to support a 5-bit (32 address) subnet, so that a Class C network could be split to cover 8 schools.


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Yarmouth Installation

CSuite Workshop member David Pothier of Yarmouth joined a team from Halifax who drove to Yarmouth on the weekend to set up Chebucto Suite on their new server. The system had been set up with 5 terminals, so everyone sat down and worked away at making things go.

The experience was an eye-opener for those involved, but by the end of the day, much of the system was working.

lqtext remained a major problem, as it failed to work correctly. Chris Maxwell agreed to look at the problem, as he had compiled it previously. A decision to continue with lqtext or change to another search engine will be made next week.

[Late news indicates a new version of lqtext is about to become available, which is said to work under Linux. See the ccn-tech mailing list archive.]


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new csinstall

The Yarmouth experience imbued the effort to create a workable installation method with new vigour.

The existing csinstall script is being altered and renamed to csbuild, to reflect its function to collect data and compile the various tools needed to build Chebucto Suite. Generally, the script will build a working, but customized, version of lynx, and invoke it with a HTML forms based system to collect installation parameters, substitute local parameters, build the applications, install applications, basic document, and administration file hierarchy.

To support the installation development, a new file extension '-csuite' is established that contains special variables which will then be substituted in the installation process. Editing of files under control of the distribution system will use the /ccn/bin/update editor script, which invokes the edit upon the -csuite version, and then at conclusion of the edit, saves the file for making the distribution, and at the same time, using the script 'mksub', installs a substituted version on CCN. Permissions are set using the new script "modeof".

The CSuite Source Browser has been modified to support the new editing method.


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Red Hat Linux

An installation session for Red Hat Linux is planned for Friday and Saturday. Major goals are:
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Offline Mail

Carlos Freitas was not present at the meeting but submitted a report by mail.

Carlos is working through the scripts that David Jackson (away for the summer) wrote, and preparing to get them working.

In the meantime he is contacting Hamilton Community Net, who apparently have offline mail working on their snapshot of CSuite.


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Return to CSuite Workshop Index
Next meeting: May 15, 1996
Previous meeting: May 1, 1996

Submitted by Ed Dyer aa146
Workshop Coordinator David J Murdoch djm