Breeding is Library Networks and Microcomputer Analyst, Library Systems Office, Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Libraries that use NOTIS and catalog with OCLC may be interested in using a single microcomputer to access both of these systems as well as for transferring records from OCLC to NOTIS. This configuration allows library technical services staff to do their work from a single point, preferably their own microcomputer, instead of either having multiple terminals on their desk or having to leave their desk to use shared OCLC terminals located elsewhere.
This article describes microcomputer and network configurations that I have designed to implement multipurpose technical services workstations at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. The Heard Library system has three units that perform technical services functions. General Technical Services (GTS) catalogs materials for the Central and Science Libraries, Management Library, Divinity Library, Special Collections, Education Library and the Music Library. GTS currently resides in an off-campus facility. The Medical Center and Law Libraries each catalog materials for their respective library divisions. Of these three cataloging units, only the Medical Center Library has access to Caravan, our campus-wide Ethernet network.
In what follows below, I will give enough specific information that other NOTIS libraries using OCLC could follow in implementing this type of workstation. But, although the equipment and procedures described below are specific to NOTIS libraries that catalog with OCLC, the general approach can serve as a model that can be applied to other library management systems and bibliographic utilities.>[?
Several diagrams follow the text of this article, each illustrating aspects of network and workstation configurations. The diagrams aim to illustrate the general principles used in our networks, and do not necessarily reflect the exact configuration of our network regarding the numbers and placement of terminals and communications equipment.
Evolution of Systems
The original configuration of workstations in technical services involved separate terminal equipment for NOTIS and OCLC. We had a number of Telex 476L display terminals accessing NOTIS and Model 100 and 105 terminals accessing OCLC.
The method that NOTIS used for transferring bibliographic records from OCLC for terminals in this configuration was through a cable connecting the serial printer port on the OCLC terminal to a serial port on the Telex terminal. Transferring records involved invoking a transaction on the Telex terminal to begin accepting an OCLC record, displaying the selected record on the OCLC terminal, and pressing the print key on the OCLC terminal to send the record out the serial port. This method of transferring records has been replaced with a different method, called GTO, which will be described later in this article.
A number of considerations prompted caused us to develop a different approach to terminal equipment. The paired Telex 476L and OCLC Model 1XX terminals consumed a great deal of desk space. More importantly, both of these terminals are obsolete. Telex no longer manufactures these terminals, and charges high maintenance fees on them. OCLC mandated the removal of all Model 1XX terminals by the end of 1990. In order to facilitate a more efficient work flow, we attempt to provide NOTIS terminals at the desk of each technical services staff member. This avoids bottlenecks in production imposed by the scheduling of terminal use. Scheduling of OCLC terminals also imposes production bottlenecks for technical services staff. We are working toward providing the same type of individualized access to OCLC as we do for NOTIS. All staff who use OCLC should be able to do so from the workstation on their desk rather than scheduling time on shared OCLC terminals.
The demise of the OCLC Model 1XX and Telex 476L terminals provided us the opportunity to acquire more modern equipment. Rather than invest in single-purpose terminals, we elected to purchase microcomputers that can be used as multipurpose cataloging workstations. Through the methods described in this article, the microcomputer replaces both the Telex and the OCLC terminal. This saves a great deal of desk space and provides much more functional versatility.
This method exemplifies a more general trend in library automation away from single function computer terminals toward more versatile microcomputer workstations. The workstations described in this article function to access the NOTIS library management system, the OCLC bibliographic utility, and can transfer bibliographic records between these systems. In addition to these specific cataloging functions, the workstation can be used for any other task that can be done on a microcomputer, such as word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications.
GTO
Since the transfer of data between OCLC and NOTIS is an important element of this discussion, I will briefly describe the process that NOTIS Systems, Inc. developed as an optional, added-cost product. This discussion describes version 3.0 of the GTO product with version 5.0 of the NOTIS Library Management System.
NOTIS uses a procedure called GTO (Generic Transfer and Overlay) for transferring records from bibliographic utilities to the NOTIS database. The GTO product uses a combination of microcomputer and mainframe software. GTO is generic in the sense that it works with a variety of bibliographic utilities, including OCLC, RLIN, UTLAS and certain CD-ROM products.
GTO works through the use of a dedicated microcomputer workstation that connects to each of the bibliographic utility terminals and has a single connection to the NOTIS mainframe. The GTO computer acts as a gateway or clearinghouse for records from all the bibliographic utility terminals used for each technical services unit. The GTO microcomputer hardware consists of an IBM-PC compatible microcomputer into which a multi-port serial adapter (the HOSTESS Multiuser Serial Board from Comtrol Corporation) and the GTO software are installed. The GTO PC can connect to the NOTIS mainframe through either a Novell PCOX 3278 emulation board and an IBM 3270 cluster controller or it can connect to an IBM 7171 protocol converter through one of the ports on the Hostess board.
Figure 1 illustrates Vanderbilt's implementation of GTO similar to that at its General Technical Services division. This library division, located off campus, must access the NOTIS mainframe through leased line data circuits. It currently has no access to Caravan, the campus-wide Ethernet local area network. As the figure illustrates, the GTO PC itself accesses NOTIS through a Novell PCOX board while most staff workstations access NOTIS through Micom protocol converters.
Figure 2 shows another possible configuraton of GTO, similar to the one used by Vanderbilt's Medical Center Library's Technical Services department. Here both the GTO PC and individual staff workstations access NOTIS through an IBM 7171 ASCII Controller indirectly via Caravan, our campus-wide Ethernet network. Use of the Caravan network to distribute NOTIS and OCLC sessions will be described later in the article.
One sends a record from OCLC to the GTO PC by displaying the record on the screen and issuing the command from the Passport software to print or export the record.. OCLC's Prism service allows a MARC record to be exported out the serial port rather than a screen image. GTO accommodates both the screen images of the OCLC First system and the MARC record of the Prism service.
The GTO gateway machine receives records from the serial port of the OCLC terminal, does some very basic testing to check for its validity, and uploads the record to the NOTIS mainframe. The mainframe GTO programs search the NOTIS index of standard numbers, which includes the OCLC record number and LC card number, to determine if the transferred record already exists. When the record that GTO transferrs does not already exist in the NOTIS database, GTO creates full NOTIS bibliographic and holdings records. If the GTO programs find a matching record, the new record overlays on top of the existing bibliographic record and a new holdings statement is merged into the holdings record. GTO updates the relevant indexes as it transferrs or overlays records, including the, Standard Number and Merged Headings indexes. Thus, records created by GTO are immediately accessible by staff and patrons.
Up to 16 utility terminals can attach to the GTO PC. If more utility terminals than this are used or if multiple technical service units exist, then multiple GTO PC's can be implemented.
Installation and Configuration
Described below are the technical details on how to set up a multipurpose workstation to simultaneously access NOTIS, OCLC and GTO, based on equipment and methods currently being used in the General Technical Services and Medical Technical Services units of the Heard Library at Vanderbilt University.
Microcomputer Hardware
The microcomputer platform should be at least an AT-compatible system. Although we have successfully used 8088-based PC's for these workstations, I would not recommend the purchase of them for this purpose. The systems we have implemented for this purpose include include the Zenith 248/12Mhz, the 386SX/16Mhz and the 386/20Mhz systems. A hard disk and VGA monitor are highly recommended.
The microcomputer should have three serial ports as well as a parallel printer port. Most microcomputers, including the Zenith systems we use, come with two serial ports installed, COM1 and COM2. The technical specifications for these two serial ports are well defined and standardized as far as the physical input/ouput address and interrupts. COM1 uses IRQ4 and COM2 uses IRQ3. Technical specifications for serial ports beyond COM2 are not as clearly defined, but some serial adapter boards and the communications software that use them allow the user to select appropriate values.
One board that I have used as a third serial port is the DIO-500. This board includes one serial and one parallel port. It allows the serial port to be configured as COM1 or COM3 and allows one to select the interrupt level of the serial port. When using this particular board I disable the parallel port, set the interrupt of the serial port to be IRQ5, which receives the physical IO address of 0x3e8 (hex).
If a mouse is needed for one of these systems, then one can use a bus mouse rather than a serial mouse. A serial mouse would require yet another serial port, further complicating the configuration of the system. Most bus mice may be set to use IRQ2, thus avoiding other interrupts already in use.
When designing the configuration of the microcomputer systems, one must be careful to ensure that each device has a unique IO address and interrupt level. The following table illustrates the assignments of interupts and IO address for the multipurpose workstations:
| Device | Interrupt | IO Address | |
|---|---|---|---|
| COM1 | IRQ4 | 0x3f8 | |
| COM2 | IRQ3 | 0x2f8 | |
| COM3 | IRQ5 | 0x3e8 | |
| LPT1 | IRQ7 | 0x378 | |
| Mouse | IRQ2 | N/A | |
| Hard Disk | IRQ14 | N/A | |
| Clock | IRQ8 | N/A |
Microcomputer Software
The main software component that both maintains communications with NOTIS and manages the process of toggling between NOTIS and OCLC is Softklone's Mirror. Mirror is a commercially available general purpose communications program. Softklone originally developed Mirror as a lower-cost alternative to the then dominant Crosstalk communications program. Mirror has more features and versatility than many other competing products and sells for a very modest price. The version that we currently use Mirror III Version 1.01.
The significant feature of Mirror that makes it appropriate for this application is its ability to toggle between the communications session that it maintains and any other DOS application. Once Mirror is running, the user can press both shift keys to put Mirror in the background and return to the MS-DOS prompt. At the DOS prompt, one can then start another program. Pressing both shift keys from the second program will return Mirror to the screen and place the application in the background. Both programs execute simultaneously and the user can continue to toggle between them by pressing the Shift-Shift key combination. With the multipurpose workstations, the second program is usually the OCLC Passport software.
Mirror needs to be configured to communicate with NOTIS. The NOTIS session will communicate through COM3 using the I/O board described above. The port setting in Mirror for the DIO-500 board PO 3 3E8 34. Mirror should be set to emulate a VT100 terminal and the proper values for parity, data bits, stop bits and baud rate must be set. The Mirror command key should also be remapped to the PgUp key through the AT command.
OCLC's Passport software, version 1.1 provides access to the OCLC terminal session. The Passport software must be configured so that COM1 is attached to the OCLC Communications Controller and COM2 is the serial printer. While still using the First network, the printer must be configured to use the M105 translation codes.
Communications Equipment
Each multipurpose technical services workstation must connect to three different pieces of communication equipment in order to access NOTIS, OCLC and GTO.
A protocol converter manages communications between each workstation and the NOTIS mainframe. We use both the IBM 7171 and Micom M74xx protocol converters. General Technical Services, located off-campus, uses the Micom protocol converters which connect to the IBM mainframe via a 3720 Front End Processor and leased data lines using binary synchronous protocol. Medical Library's Technical Services department accesses NOTIS through the 7171 via the Caravan Ethernet network. As illustrated in Figure 4, DECServer 200 (DSRVB-AA) terminal servers provide access to the 7171 over the Caravan network.
An asynchronous port of an OCLC Communications Controller provides the connection to OCLC. Each workstation can be cabled directly to the Communications Controller, as shown in Figure 1, or it connect indirectly through terminal servers, as Figure 2 illustrates.
The GTO PC uses a Hostess Multi-Port serial board to connect to each workstation that will be used to transfer records. NOTIS will supply a four, eight, or sixteen port board, depending on the number of utility terminals that need to access each GTO machine. We have had no need to devise remote access or port sharing strategies for this aspect of the GTO configuration. We have located each GTO PC in relatively close proximity to the multipurpose workstations and have not exceeded the maximum number of ports available on a Hostess multi-port serial board. Even if we did, the simplest and cheapest solution would be to install a second GTO PC at that location rather than implementing expensive port-sharing equipment.
The GTO PC, an IBM PS/2 Model 30/286, @connects to the NOTIS mainframe through either a IBM 7171 port or through a PCOX 3270 emulation board attached to a cluster controller. Each of our three technical services processing units uses a different method for connecting GTO to NOTIS. General Technical Services uses a PCOX 3278 emulation board which attaches to a Telex 076 controller, which connects to the IBM 3720 front end processor through a leased digital data line. The Law Library's Cataloging department's GTO system connects to the IBM 7171 through a full duplex data circuit of our campus telecommunications system using a line driver. Medical Library's Technical Services department uses the Caravan network to connect the GTO PC with the IBM 7171.
Cabling Configuration
Each of the multipurpose workstation requires three data cables. One cable connects the COM1 serial port with one of the asynchronous ports on the OCLC communications controller. Another connects COM2 with one of the ports on the Hostess board of the GTO PC. The third cable connects COM3 on the DIO-500 board with a port on the NOTIS protocol converter. For each of these cables we use 8 conductor 24 AWG unshielded data cables.
The figures at the end of the article illustrate examples of the cabling schemes we have implemented for our cataloging workstations.
OCLC Port Sharing
An additional feature of the multipurpose workstation configuration is the option of sharing a few number of ports on the OCLC communications controller among a larger number of users. We have experimented with various ways to accomplish OCLC port-sharing.
The savings gained by not having to pay for a dedicated OCLC port for each staff member who uses OCLC easily offsets the cost of the additional equipment necessary to accomplish port sharing. The sharing of OCLC ports is especially beneficial in cases where a group of staff need only occasional access to OCLC.
The method we initially used for sharing OCLC ports in our Medical Library's Technical Services department involved physically moving a jumper on a patch panel in the data communications cabinet. This procedure was much like an antique telephone switchboard. Whoever wanted to use OCLC would have to go to the panel and move the jack that connects to one of the ports of the OCLC Communications Controller to their own port. While the effort taken to go to the panel and move the jumper was inconvenient, it was much less expensive than providing a dedicated OCLC port for each of the technical services staff members that uses OCLC.
The method we implemented in our Law Library's Cataloging Department is similar, but uses a data switch instead of jumper panel. This library shares a single OCLC Communications Controller asynchronous port among the three cataloging staff. One of the staff members simply turns the switch to the position that matches the name of the person that needs to use OCLC.
We now accomplish OCLC port sharing in the Medical Library Technical Services department more automatically. The method we implemented involves our Caravan campus-wide Ethernet network using DECServer200 terminal servers.
A terminal server is a device that facilitates access to computers through a network. Terminal servers can both broadcast computer services onto the network and allow users to access those services. The host computer can either be defined on the same terminal server as the users, or it can originate on another terminal server located elsewhere on the network. When a terminal server broadcasts a service onto a network, it is often called a reverse terminal server. At Vanderbilt, we use terminal servers for accessing both NOTIS and OCLC. For NOTIS access, each of the 64 ports of our IBM 7171 connect to a reverse terminal server, as illustrated by Figures 2 and 4. These terminal servers each connect to a DELNI (Digital Ethernet Local Area Network Interconnect). The DELNI in turn connects to an Applitek bridge that distributes this service throughout Caravan, our campus-wide broadband Ethernet network. Any authorized user throughout campus whose microcomputer is connected to a Caravan terminal server can then connect to NOTIS. The COM3 serial port on the user's microcomputer would be cabled to a port on a terminal server in their building, which then connects to a DELNI and a bridge onto Caravan. When the user enters the proper command, a logical connecton is established over the network between his or her microcomputer and one of the ports on the IBM 7171. Up to 64 of these logical connections can exist simultaneously throughout the network.
A similar process allows port sharing and remote access of OCLC sessions. One or more asynchronous ports of the OCLC Communications Controller connect to ports on the DECServer and a network service is defined corresponding to these ports. The COM1 serial port of the multipurpose workstation then connects to one of the other ports on the DECServer, and can use terminal server commands to connect and disconnect sessions with OCLC. Again, the number of simultaneous users of OCLC corresponds to the number of OCLC Communications Controller ports connected to the reverse terminal server(s).
The configuration that we are now using at the Medical Library's Technical Services department involves sharing two ports of the OCLC Communications Controller among twelve users. Two ports of a DECServer200 are defined as the OCLC service named MEDOCLC. The staff members that share this port use the command "connect medoclc" from the OCLC session on their workstation. They are then prompted for a password to verify that they are authorized to use this service. If someone else is using the port, the terminal server responds with the message "Service in Use." If it is available, they will see the message "Session to service MEDOCLC established" and they can proceed to logon and use OCLC as usual. When finished with OCLC, they logoff of OCLC and press CTRL-, which is the key that has been defined to break out of a session on the terminal server. They then issue the command "disconnect" to terminate the session and make the port available for other users.
In our Central Library we use the Caravan network to share one OCLC communications port among all the collection development librarian's offices. Although only one of them can use OCLC at a time, they can use OCLC from the convenience of their own microcomputer in their own office instead of a single shared terminal at the reference desk.
The Central Library also uses Caravan for OCLC access at the Science Library, which is located in another building. This saves the expense of an additional OCLC modem and communications controller to support a single OCLC terminal.
Only authorized users may access the OCLC service on the Caravan network. The security features of the terminal server allow several means of control. Digital's terminal servers use a protocol called Local Area Transport or LAT. This protocol allows network services to be arranged into groups, with each group being assigned a number. The network administrator assigns a group number to each service that a terminal server broadcasts onto the network. The network administrator must also specify which group numbers each user's terminal server port can access. Unless a group number for a service is specifically authorized for a given port, the user cannot even tell that the service exists. In our network configuration, general purpose services such as the central academic computing system have been assigned to group 0, and all terminal servers throughout the network have been configured to access this group. NOTIS and OCLC have each been assigned other group numbers and only specific terminal server ports in the libraries have been authorized for these groups in addition to the standard group 0. Individual network users cannot change the authorized group numbers for their ports--only network administrators have this ability.
Further, each network service can be protected with a password. Even if a user's port is authorized for the group number of the service, access cannot be gained until he or she enters the correct password. This password supplements whatever password protection or login authorization the service itself requires.
Using the Workstation
The multipurpose workstation allows technical services staff members to have simultaneous access to NOTIS, OCLC and GTO. With the touch of a single key combination (usually the two Shift keys) the user switches instantly between the NOTIS and OCLC terminal sessions. The instantaneous switching of screens allows for the comparison of the same record on OCLC and NOTIS. Since both OCLC and NOTIS records are not visible on the screen at the same time, the instant toggling between them is an important feature. Before we began using these combined workstations, technical services staff members were used to being able to look at OCLC and NOTIS at the same time on two adjacent terminals.
While in the OCLC session, pressing the CTRL-F8 combination sends the record that the staff member is viewing to NOTIS via GTO. GTO receives the record, uploads it to the NOTIS mainframe, converts it, adds it to the database and updates the standard number and author/title indexes. The record is generally available in NOTIS within 20 seconds of the time it was transferred. While in either OCLC or NOTIS, pressing the PrtScr key by itself will print the current screen on the parallel printer attached to LPT1.
Most of the multipurpose workstations that we have set up go directly into NOTIS when they are turned on or reset through commands placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Another batch file called OCLC.BAT starts the OCLC Communications Software when the user types OCLC at the MS-DOS prompt. With these files in place, setting set up involves:
- Switching on the machine and waiting for the communications software to load
- Signing onto NOTIS
- Pressing both Shift keys to return to MS-DOS
- Typing "OCLC" and waiting for OCLC Communications Software to load
- Logging into OCLC
- Pressing both Shift keys to return to NOTIS
Assuming that the workstation is already set up and that the cataloger has already signed onto both OCLC and NOTIS, the steps of transferring a record from OCLC to NOTIS would be as follows:
- Search the NOTIS database by author/title and standard number to verify that the record does not already exist
- Press Shift-Shift to toggle into OCLC
- Find the record on OCLC
- Press CTRL-F8 to transfer each screen of the record
- Press Shift-Shift to toggle back into NOTIS
- After sufficient time has elapsed, search for the record to verify its transfer and to make any required modifications to holdings information.
Known Problems
In our early experiences with the configurations described in this article, we experienced two related problems that only somewhat diminished the success of the multipurpose technical services workstations. One problem was that the microcomputer occasionally locked up. We were not able to isolate a particular cause of this problem, but it probably related to some event happening during the task switching between OCLC and NOTIS. The fact that the microcomputer occasionally locks up would not be a significant problem - it is easy enough to reset the machine - if it were not for the side affects it has on the GTO process.
The GTO PC currently does not tolerate any of the OCLC terminals being turned off and back on while running the GTO software. Doing so can result in the transmission of superfluous records into NOTIS by the GTO machine without any actually being sent by a user. We worked around this problem by momentarily shutting down the GTO PC each time that one of the cataloging workstations attached to it locks up and needs to be reset. The GTO PC was restarted once the offending micro had been reset. All the cataloging staff members that use GTO had to be warned not to send records while the GTO PC was being reset.
We approached these problems from a couple directions. One was to try to isolate the cause of the microcomputers locking up. We experimented with a newer version of the Mirror communications software and found that Mirror III, version 1.0 does not allow the microcomputer to lock up. The other approach resides in the correction of the GTO process so that to eliminate the side effects of turning off an OCLC terminal. This problem was reported to NOTIS. Version 3.0 of GTO, however, which was released in March 1991, still fails to incorporate a fix to this problem.
Advantages
Summarizing some of the points made above, the multipurpose technical services workstations have shown several positive advantages:
- We have saved money on equipment costs in that we can buy a single microcomputer instead of two terminals.
- We have saved desktop space by having a single microcomputer instead of two terminals.
- The cataloging work flow is more efficient because technical services staff members can use both NOTIS and OCLC from their desks without the scheduling of terminal time.
- Savings in OCLC costs can be gained by implementing port sharing. Staff members can be given access to OCLC at their desks, which would otherwise be prohibited by the cost of the terminal equipment and OCLC charges.
- Terminal work for both OCLC and NOTIS is done on the same keyboard, thus avoiding inconveniences incurred in switching keyboards.
- Accessing NOTIS with a microcomputer instead of a dumb terminal allows staff members to take advantages of features in the communications software to automate frequently repeated tasks through programmable function keys and scripts.
- Staff members with the microcomputers set up as multipurpose cataloging workstations can use them for many other purposes such as word processing, database management and spreadsheet applications.
Figures
Figure 1 shows a network configuration representative of our General Technical Services (GTS) division. It shows how some terminals connect only to Acorn (the name of our NOTIS implementation), some connect only to OCLC, and some connect to Acorn, OCLC, and to GTO. Since GTS is located off-campus, leased data lines support communications with the NOTIS mainframe.
Figure 2 illustrates a networking configuration similar to that in our Medical Center's Technical Services department. It shows how we use our Caravan network to access and share ports with both NOTIS and OCLC. This diagram shows how each workstation connects to GTO in addition to OCLC and NOTIS. Each of the dashed-line boxes represents the equipment in a given building.
The box in the upper left represents the equipment in our computer center. Here reside the IBM 4381 mainframe with its IBM 7171 ASCII controller. Each port of the 7171 connects to a port of a terminal server, which in turn connect to a DELNI and an Applitek bridge. A broadband Ethernet backbone connects most of the buildings on campus.
The box in the bottom half of the page illustrates the configuration of the Medical Library. Just as in the computer center, an Applitek bridge provides access to the broadband. A DELNI interconnects the bridge and a bank of terminal servers. Two of the terminal server ports connect to asynchronous ports of the OCLC communications controller, and are configured to broadcast OCLC sessons onto the network. The remainder of the terminal server ports connect to the serial ports of the microcomputers in the library for access to NOTIS sessions which originate across the network at the computer center and to access the OCLC sessions originated locally.
The upper-left box illustrates the possiblity of using terminal servers to access OCLC from a building other than the one where the communications controller resides. If a microcomputer running the OCLC communications softw
