Implementation strategy

General

• The resources available for information technology development are limited to less than 10% of the yearly ANBG budget.

• Of necessity, the implementation will be phased.

• Several projects will advance in parallel, incrementally.

• Under each heading below, the activities and implementation are listed more or less in priority order.

• The anticipated time frame covers the 1994/95 and 1995/96 financial years.

Hardware

• Users, individuals or groups depending on requirements, will be provided with terminals or workstations appropriate to their area.

• There will be a staged replacement/upgrade of potentially failing, obsolete and incompatible equipment, involving trade-in where possible.

• ASCII terminals. ASCII terminals will be phased out in favour of graphical workstations; areas where dumb terminals may be of use include:
  • Library
  • VIC (another one for display)
  • Public Access Herbarium
  • Nursery seed store (from Nursery Office)
  • Top Depot
  • Bottom Depot

• Workstations. SUN workstations (Unix Xwindows) will be introduced at least at the rate of one per year. This is to enable compatibility with ERIN and the use of appropriate windows applications and CAD/GIS packages. Unix Workstations are needed for:
  • Research
  • Herbarium
  • Stocktake
  • Nursery, Depots, etc., when communications upgraded

• MSDOS AT workstations will be provided for the following areas:
  • Botanical research (extra to Jervis Bay, laptop for general use)
  • Living Collection/Development
  • Nursery office (terminal to seed store)

• Workstation upgrade program. The following workstations will be upgraded to enable them to run Word for Windows etc. and other software, or replaced if this is uneconomical:
  • NEC 386 gateway to SUN - memory upgrade for Interactive UNIX
  • AT clone (this may have to be replaced)
  • Research IBM PCs and XTs (5 - some or all may need replacement)
  • Extra memory for Unisys ATs to allow Windows (10)
  • 3.5" disk drives for Unisys ATs for compatibility (6).
  • Colour upgrade for SUN workstation (see CAD/GIS below)

• Printers. Appropriate printers will be provided for each area:
  • Purchase LED printer for Jervis Bay
  • Sparc printer for Research

• Networking. Terminals and workstations will be networked and/or linked to the SUN:
  • Server for connection between ANBG server and CSIRO herbarium
  • Terminal communication between nursery/seed store
  • Terminal communication to Top Cottage, Top Depot
  • Terminal communication to Bottom Depot

• CAD/GIS. Will require SUN colour workstation and colour plotter. For compatibility and development, the DBA workstation and several others will have to be colour.

Connections and wiring

• The following private dedicated telephone data lines exist in the ANBG using the Telecom wiring harness but are not part of the PABX system:
  • SUN to Research Cottage
  • SUN to nursery (external data line)
  • SUN to top cottage
  • SUN to top depot
  • SUN to bottom depot

• The following are additional data lines are required for effective communication to remote areas of the ANBG:
  • SUN to Jervis Bay

• There is one outside line completely separate from the PABX for external modem connections. Another will be required to enable simultaneous external communication. Several other lines through the PABX also service modem connections.

• The serial communications will be replaced by ethernet communications when and where possible.

Software/applications

• SUN. The following applications are supported on, or being considered for, the SUN system:
  • Unix operating system and utilities
  • Oracle:
    • RDMS & utilities, multiuser user licence
    • SQL Plus
    • SQL Forms
    • SQL Menus
    • SQL Report Writer
    • SQL Case Dictionary and Generator
  • Island Graphics word-processing
  • Word Perfect word-processing
  • Gopher server and clients
  • XMosaic Server and clients
  • Lynx WWW client
  • Elm mail tool
  • C Compiler
  • 2020 spreadsheet
  • Kermit communications

  • ? Framemaker desktop publishing
  • ? DELTA - not available yet
  • ? PATN

• MSDOS. The following applications are available on MSDOS workstations:
  • MSDOS, Interactive Unix
  • Microsoft Word
  • Word for Windows
  • Pagemaker desktop publishing
  • Windows, Xwindows
  • Oracle, single user licence
  • XTree Gold
  • Fast Back
  • Norton Utilities
  • Kermit communications
  • PAUP, PATN, HENNIG86, CLADOS, COMPONENT
  • Excel spreadsheet

• MacIntosh. The following applications are available on the Apple MacIntosh:
  • Windows environment
  • Microsoft Word, MacWrite
  • Microsoft File
  • Hypercard
  • Pagemaker desktop publishing
  • Apple Scan, Super Paint II, Mac Draw
  • Apple talk communications
  • TOPS network
  • Eudora mail tool
  • Turbo Gopher
  • MacMosaic WWW client
  • Virus protection software
  • ? MacTerm / Microphone
  • ? Lotus 123

Maintenance

• On-site maintenance contracts are held for the central SUN system and some of the workstations only; this includes Unix operating system upgrades.

• All other computer terminals, workstations, printers and peripherals are repaired as necessary on a time and materials basis. The maintenance contracts for these items is considered too expensive.

• Floppy disk drives are to be cleaned from time to time by individual users.

• Software maintenance is held only for the Oracle products on the SUN and the MSDOS licence to enable supplier support and periodic upgrade.

• Other software products are upgraded as needed, where compatibility with existing applications can be guaranteed.

Back-up

• The entire SUN database and application is exported and backed up daily onto tape; this is performed automatically each night.

• The Back-up includes a full data base export, the byte image of the database, and all other user programs and data on the disk.

• The Back-up cycle is archived each month or after a major change or after a recovery event.

• The archive tapes are stored in a location remote from the SUN computer.

• The last Back-up tape is stored off site.

• It is proposed coordinate and reciprocate the ANBG Back-up strategy with that of ERIN and ANCA.

• For greatest functional efficiency, the ANBG SUN should have high speed network connection with ANCA and/or ERIN to enable automatic back-up to a remote locality.

• MSDOS and MacIntosh workstations are responsible for their own back-up actions and strategy for the data stored on their local disk.

• With the implementation of networking of MSDOS workstations, it may be possible to use batch processing back-up to the SUN and use its automatic archive strategy.

Liaison

• ANCA (Australian Nature Conservation Agency). Links must be maintained with ANCA for the exchange of management and financial data. Scientific data must also be exchanged and corroborated, especially plant taxonomic and distributional information and endangered species data.

• ERIN (Environmental Resources Information Network). ANBG is the ERIN functional node for Australian plant taxonomic information. The ANBG is custodian of this information and will maintain the data set and make it available to the network.

  The ANBG is an evaluation site for certain ERIN projects and products.

• Australian Herbaria. ANBG is the coordinator of Australian plant taxonomic information (CAVP and APNI). It provides this information to the state herbaria and updates this data set from information provided by the state herbaria and other users.

• Australian Botanic Gardens. The ANBG is the Australian coordinator for the ex situ cultivation list of Australian Native Plants.

• ANPC (Australian Network for Plant Conservation). The ANBG maintains the secretariat for the ANPC and provides computing and network facilities for this project.
• ACRA (Australian Cultivar Registration Authority). The ANBG is the custodian or Australian plant cultivar registration and maintains files on all Australian cultivars.

• ROTAP (Rare or Threatened Australian Plants). ANBG will continue to exchange information with CSIRO and ESU on rare and endangered Australian plants.

• AARNet. ANBG will gain access to Australian and international university research information and library catalogues through AARNet and the Internet. It will provide plant taxonomic information to this network.

Security

• Security is not or only partially implemented on the MSDOS and MacIntosh workstations.

• Some applications (Oracle) have their own password security systems independent of the operating system.

• Security on the SUN is implemented in UNIX through a system of registered user identifications and passwords. There is no login access as 'root'.

• Passwords are arbitrary, non-trivial combinations of letters, numbers and special characters and are changed regularly.

• File systems are made read-only as appropriate.

• Oracle imposes a system of password security on the IBIS database.

• IBIS users are granted access to the database through controlled data entry screens and reports that limit access to certain types of data and limit alteration to appropriate values.

• Write access to the database is only granted to those users who have need to alter the data, and only to that data relevant to their area.

• Computer keyboards and screens are locked when unattended with password protected screen locks.

• Outside office hours, all computers are locked in their respective rooms.

Virus control

• Virus control on stand-alone or networked microcomputer workstations (both MSDOS and MacIntosh) will be by means of several concurrent virus checking programs.

• Virus checking procedures will be compatible with those of ERIN and ANCA.

• Executable programs from sources other than bona fide vendors should not be loaded onto microcomputer workstations (MSDOS and MacIntosh). Games especially are the most notorious source of viruses.

• The transfer of data, especially executable files, from external organizations to the ANBG via microcomputer workstations should be kept to an absolute minimum.

Training

• Users will be provided with suitable training to enable them use the computing equipment necessary to perform their duties to an appropriate level.

• Training will be by one or more of several means as appropriate:
  • On the job instruction and experience
  • Computer aided instruction packages
  • Formal training
    • Within the Public Service
    • Tertiary educational institutions
    • Private companies or consultants

• In the interests of economy, self instruction will be encouraged.