UCC Hardware

University of Connecticut Computer Center
	UCC Hardware

The mix of UCC hardware and software changes somewhat every year. And there is quite a lot of it. Only the highlights of the currently installed hardware are listed on this page. If you have specific questions, contact us.

The Operator Consoles

The heart of the machine room is, of course, the console area. From here, computer operators monitor and manage the entire complex, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Terminals, microcomputers, and UNIX workstations provide the operators with the tools they need to look after the more than two dozen servers (large and small) located in the machine room, and to keep a watchful eye on the University network.

The Enterprise Servers (Mainframes)

The UCC owns and operates two IBM S/390 Enterprise Servers (sometimes still referred to as "mainframes"). We designate these devices as the "A" and "B" systems. These modern, high-end computers are designed to fully integrate into the networked community and to provide "server" functions such as e-mail and Web page hosting. In addition, they provide continuity to the past by continuing to run interactive CICS and FOCUS applications as well as JCL-based batch jobs.

The air-cooled mainframes connect directly to the network through integrated, Ethernet network adaptor cards. Physically about the size of large refrigerators, they no longer require a raised floor. Certainly not your father's mainframes!

The "A" system, an IBM Multiprise 2003-246 processor (the one with the yellow vertical bar), was installed in Summer 1998. Running under the VM/CMS operating system, the "A" system provides interactive logon, e-mail (POP3 service as well as 3270 terminal e-mail through Mailbook and OfficeVision), electronic lists, Web pages, and a host of other services. Architecturally, the 2003 processor contains four CPUs, 1 gigabyte of RAM, 36 gigabytes of internal disk storage, and numerous features which contribute to very high reliability and availability. (And that yellow stripe is really just a decoration.)

The "B" system, an IBM 9672-R63 processor (the black box on the left in the picture), was installed in 1995. This workhorse runs both the VM/CMS and OS/390 operating systems (technically, OS/390 runs as a virtual guest under VM). The "B" system provides interactive logon through CICS for administrative applications and support for the DB2 databases, batch jobs, and other services. Architecturally, the 9672 processor contains six CPUs, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and reliability characteristics similar to the 2003.

RS/6000 Servers

In addition to the two S/390 Enterprise Servers, the UCC Computer Room houses more than two dozen other servers running UNIX, Novell, Macintosh, OS/2, and NT operating systems. A few of these are departmental servers which are housed in the Computer Room to take advantage of the climate controlled and secure environment. Upon request and as space permits, we will take in more of these smaller servers.

In the foreground is a newer RS/6000 H50 rack-mounted server installed in 1999. The H50 currently supports the data warehouse initiative. Behind Pat, the short black box is the RS/6000 SP, which was installed in 1995. The "SP" supports academic class work, the virtual classroom, and research computing. Both of these servers run AIX which is IBM's current high-end version of UNIX.

Disk Storage

Currently, UCC supports several storage subsystems, two for the mainframes and additional systems for the RS/6000 servers. We prefer RAID technology or other mirroring strategies which provide the highest availability for your data.

Shown here is our EMC Symmetrix 5500 storage subsystem. The 5500, purchased in Summer 1995 and upgraded several times since then, was our first RAID storage subsystem. At present, the subsystem houses approximately 550 gigabytes worth of data.
RAID storage is architected to provide continued access to data, even if one or more disk drives fail. At UCC, we have experienced several hard disk drive failures, but in each case, the 5500 "called home" to EMC Corporation to alert our service provider of the failure; a technician was dispatched to install replacement parts; and the system continued functioning without interruption or data loss. Except for a few extended electrical outages, the 5500 has been in continual service, 24 hours a day, for over four years.

Shown here is an IBM RAMAC Virtual Array. UCC acquired this device in Spring 1999, a refurbished T42 model with 240 gigabytes of usable capacity. In Summer 1999, this device is being upgrade to an X82 model, with 400 gigabytes of usable capacity.
Storage is typically in short supply, and we made this acquisition, after a competitive bid, because the EMC Symmetrix 5500 was completely full. We need the extra capacity for our Year 2000 testing, for the (storage ravenous) data warehouse, and for the upcoming PeopleSoft Student Administration project.
These devices are really pretty slick. All data is compressed in the box and no space is allocated until it is actually needed for real data. "Virtual volumes" can be defined on the fly and taken away if not needed. And when data is needed, it moves to the mainframes at high speeds over optical channels (ESCON).

Tape Storage

Disk files are backed up to tape cartridges, which provide massive offline storage. Cartridges contain up to several gigabytes worth of data. Academic users as well as administrative systems use tape storage as a cheaper alternative to online disk storage.

Approximately 10,000 active cartridges are stored in the two STK Automated Cartridge Libraries, while another 9,000 less active tapes are stored externally. Twenty high-speed tape transports provide access to this massive amount of data, round the clock, to OS/390 and VM/CMS jobs.
Our first "tape robot" and library was installed in 1991 and immediately provided significant benefits. No longer was the tape librarian required to "pull" tapes from the open tape racks for nightly production. No longer were the operators required to manually mount tapes. The silo's robot can locate and mount a tape in less than half a minute, and return that tape to a storage location automatically when the job is through with it. As an added benefit, tapes can now be mounted even if no operator is present in the room.

Printers

UCC has been printing lots of paper for a very long time, currently 700,000 to 800,000 pages per month on our high-end laser printers.

The IBM 3900 laser printer is a continous forms printer which prints text and graphics images on one side of the paper.
At top speed (simple text reports), the 3900 printer can put down 235 images (pages) per minute. During the day, the 3900 is lightly loaded, so "turnaround time" for output is very good. Some nights, though, this printer runs full out 'til dawn.

The IBM 3725 laser printer is a cut sheet printer which can print text and graphics one one side (simplex printing) or both sides (duplex printing). The copier-style paper which feeds this beast can be letter sized or legal sized.
At top speed (simple text reports), the 3725 printer puts down about 90 images per minute. More complex output (like student fee bills!) slow the printer down a little, since an electronic form must be merged with text data to complete the output.

The STK 5000 impact printers are continous forms printers which output only text, through an older style mechanism which is more akin to a typewriter banging the paper with keys (technically, these are band printers). Really noisy when they get going, the 5000s are generally used for only special jobs, like student grade mailers which require grade reports to be printed on the inside of the form. Laser printers cannot do jobs like this, so the impact printers remain essential components of the central complex.

Data Communications

And what would a computer center be without lots of wires! Shown below, a couple of our technicians look over some of the miles and miles of cable in the Center. To the left are some of the modem racks which support PPP and remote dial-up.

--rick ellis

Page last updated on
08/16/1999.

Mail comments to:
rge@uconnvm.uconn.edu

The IBM 3900 laser printer is a continous forms printer which prints text and graphics images on one side of the paper. At top speed (simple text reports), the 3900 printer can put down 235 images (pages) per minute. During the day, the 3900 is lightly loaded, so "turnaround time" for output is very good. Some nights, though, this printer runs full out 'til dawn.
	The IBM 3725 laser printer is a cut sheet printer which can print text and graphics one one side (simplex printing) or both sides (duplex printing). The copier-style paper which feeds this beast can be letter sized or legal sized. At top speed (simple text reports), the 3725 printer puts down about 90 images per minute. More complex output (like student fee bills!) slow the printer down a little, since an electronic form must be merged with text data to complete the output.
The STK 5000 impact printers are continous forms printers which output only text, through an older style mechanism which is more akin to a typewriter banging the paper with keys (technically, these are band printers). Really noisy when they get going, the 5000s are generally used for only special jobs, like student grade mailers which require grade reports to be printed on the inside of the form. Laser printers cannot do jobs like this, so the impact printers remain essential components of the central complex.