Mainframe Retirement Project
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the questions that have been asked about the
retiring the Forsythe mainframe -- and a few things we thought you
might have questions about. If you don't find the answer to your
question here, please submit a HelpSU
request.
Timetable
Transition Support
Mail Issues
Data Issues
Administrative Application
Issues
Audit Issues
Other Forsythe Services
Other Miscellaneous Questions
Timetable Answers
- What are the plans for shutting down
the mainframe?
The Forsythe mainframe computer is scheduled to be shut down on December 15, 2003.
See our home page for details.
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Transition Support Answers
- How do I know if this applies to me?
If you have never used the Forsythe mainframe, you can ignore the
news and announcement.
If you use the Forsythe mainframe, but only to use Prism with the
general access logon for Prism, you will need to use the new Oracle
Financials system or other systems that are being migrated when
they are available for that function, but you do not have any personal
files to migrate.
If you use the Forsythe mainframe with a Forsythe account, please
proceed as explained in the next question.
- I am not sure what I have or use on
the mainframe - can you help answer this?
If you use the mainframe, log on to the Forsythe mainframe using
your account. To see what data you have on the mainframe system,
logon to your Forsythe account. Then issue the command UTIL SUMMARY,
which will give you an idea of how much and what data you have on
Forsythe. Once you have that information, continue with our step-by-step
procedure for examining, moving and discarding different types
of data.
- Our Forsythe account is a departmental
account. Is there a way to move this account to another server
so the account can be maintained after Forsythe shuts down?
If you (or your department) currently have a Forsythe account, it
was created to perform certain functions on the Forsythe mainframe.
The first step is to identify the functions you currently perform
on Forysthe, and then decide where these functions will be performed
in future. You will then need to create an account on
the machine you where plan to continue performing the functions
and move your data to that machine.
- Where can I get help to transition
my work off of Forsythe?
As of June 1, 2003, there are still over 6,000 active accounts
on the Forsythe mainframe. There is no way to provide individual
help for all of these accounts. Thus, we need you to do everything
you can to migrate your data and email and close your account.
Please follow our procedure
for evaluating and closing your account.
We are also offering labs where we can provide individual help,
and presentations through the Tech
Express and
Friday Tech Briefings programs sponsored by ITSS.
If you feel you have unique needs or that a new question and
answer in these FAQs might help you and others, please make your
concerns known via HelpSU.
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Mail Answers
- I currently get my email directed to
my.account@forsythe.stanford.edu. Will this address be invalid
with the retirement of the forsythe mainframe?
All mail directed to your Forsythe email address will be returned
to the sender after December 2003. Please inform your contacts.
Most Forsythe users use mail service provided with their SUNet ID.
That service provides an @stanford address.
- How do I get email at my @stanford
address?
The ITSS web site
Email at Stanford will walk you through Stanford email services,
including setting up your client software to read Leland mail.
- How do I forward my new Forsythe email
to another account?
Use the SET MAIL FORWARD command. Type HELP SET MAIL
FORWARD for additional help.
Before issuing the SET MAIL FORWARD command make sure that you
are not forwarding mail received at the forwarding address to
your Forsythe account - otherwise, you will create a mail loop,
and you won't receive your mail at either location. For an @stanford
email address, visit the
stanford.you page and click on the SUNet settings to see if
email is being forwarded. Turn off mail forwarding if the forward
address is a Forsythe account.
Normally, as soon as you close your Forsythe account, any SET MAIL FORWARD
command in effect is cancelled. However, as part of the account closing procedure,
you can request that this service be continued until December 15, 2003 (when mainframe
service ends) even though your Forsythe account is closed. See here
for more information.
- EMS is the only way I know to have
a shared (departmental) email account accessible by many users.
How will I do this when Forsythe goes away?
The IMAP email service
now offers this function, called group IMAP accounts. You can request
the shared email service via a
HelpSU ticket.
- I have old mail on Forsythe, but I've
forgotten how to look at it. Can you help?
The basic commands are SHOW MAIL (type HELP SHOW MAIL for help)
for WYLBUR mail and EMS RM (EMS HELP for help) for EMS mail.
We have converted the printed document
Using Electronic Mail on the Forsythe Computer for reading
on the Web. Be forewarned that this is an older document which
references functions such as Meeting Scheduler that are no longer
supported. The basic instructions for using Wylbur MAIL and EMS
are still accurate.
- Is there a way to transfer mail I've
already received at Forsythe to Eudora or Leland mail?
You can move all or part of your EMS historical mail to another
mailbox of your choice. Your EMS mailbox will not be affected.
To move your mail to Leland or another mail server, read these
instructions. Another method uses mail itself to mail messages
from your EMS mailbox to your new non-Forsythe mailbox. For information,
see these instructions,
and then execute the program by typing the command XC XPROCS#MOVEMAIL
PUBLIC at the Wylbur prompt.
When you've moved your mail from Forsythe, remember to
forward your mail to your new mail server and to use the command
EMS ADMIN to remove your old mail from Forsythe.
- But what if I just want to preserve
my old Forsythe email without resending it all to Leland mail?
Refer to the
MSGFILE Migration Web page for more information and a tool to
help move an archive of that mail to another system. If you've started
the process to move your message file but did not complete it, you
can resume the process at the
MSGFILE Resume Web page. For MSGFILEs on SYSB, go to
the
SYSB Web page.
- I use EMS distribution lists on Forsythe.
What is the replacement service?
You can
move your EMS distribution list to the @lists majordomo service.
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Data Answers
- Over the years I've saved a lot of files
on Forsythe. What will happen with them now?
Data for accounts still open that you do not move to another computer by December
15, 2003, will be erased. We will not have a way to recover that data once the
mainframe is shut down. One option for storing your text files is to save the
files in AFS space on the Leland systems. For more information about this option,
see the AFS web site. Another
option is to download the files to your desktop computer's hard disk.
- I've issued the command SHOW DSN ALL
that you told me about
elsewhere and it says my files are (Migrated). Does this mean
they've already been moved off of the mainframe?
No, this can be very confusing. If you see that your files are listed
as (Migrated), it means that they have not been accessed in a very
long time and have been moved to archival storage on the mainframe.
They are easy to get back. For a flat file, all you have to do is
issue the USE command and it will be be retrieved for you. The SHOW
DIRECTORY command will do the same for a library. The tool we have
built to help you transfer text files to your desktop system will
do this for you automatically. See the next question for more information
about this tool.
- How can I transfer my Forsythe text files
to my hard disk?
The answer to this question has many parts.
Many files on the mainframe are in compressed format and can't simply
be transferred as is. But if you can USE them to your active file, then
they can be saved to your hard disk one at a time using the command
SAVE C: A popup window will allow you to navigate to the folder you
want and to give it a new name.
But suppose you have lots of such files and they are saved in a Wylbur
library. In this case you can run an EXEC program to move the entire
library. For more details about how to do this,
see this Web page. The program will prompt you for what it needs.
But suppose the data you have is too big to fit in the active file.
Such files can be moved to your hard disk using FTP.
- How can I use FTP to transfer my larger text
files to my hard disk?
For details about how to use FTP to transfer files from Forsythe, see
the document
Using FTP to/from Forsythe.
- I use a departmental SPIRES application.
Where will you be moving this data?
Data for accounts still open that you do not move to another computer by December
15, 2003, will be erased. We will not have a way to recover that data once the
mainframe is shut down. You will need to migrate this data to another platform
before September 2003 in order to be certain that ITSS still has a backup of the
data when you move it.
- What tools do you have to help me move my
SPIRES data?
We have built a tool to help you move the SPIRES data to a Unix platform.
You will, however, need to examine the application you use with the data
and may need to convert it to work on the new platform. SPIRES must already
be available on the receiving Unix system. Contact Tilak Dhar, tilak@stanford.edu,
for assistance in determining whether this may be an option for you.
- I understand that I have to move my data
off of the mainframe. Where can I move it?
There are no ITSS resources to house data. Each user or department will
have to provide the system to receive their data. Small local applications
can be moved to desktop systems using tools such as Excel, Access, FileMaker,
or Lotus Notes. Larger applications may require the acquisition of a departmental
server and a more complicated migration.
- What about binary data? (That's data that
isn't text and isn't in SPIRES.)
There is no automatic way to move binary data to another platform. If the data
was created using a vendor product, investigate whether that product is available
on another platform and what kind of tools are available for migrating the data.
If the data was created using a custom program, you will have to find
a way to move both the data and the program to the new platform.
- What about programs I use other than SPIRES
or Prism?
As with the binary data question above, if the program is a vendor product,
you will have to choose a new platform for it and obtain a version of
that program which works on the new platform, or convert your application
to use another tool.
If the program you use is a custom program, you will have to convert
the program to run on a new platform.
- I have tapes of data that I expect to be
able to read in the future. What do I do about those?
This data must be transferred to another platform and may require conversion
in order to be useful on the new platform. Limited resources are available
from ITSS to help you move this data. Contact Tilak Dhar, tilak@stanford.edu,
immediately for assistance in evaluating how this data may be migrated.
- I found that I have data on Forsythe, but
I don't want to keep any of it. How do I get rid of it?
- For each data set you want to get rid of, issue the command: SCRATCH
datasetname
- For EMS Spires files, (you'll see the string 'MSGFILE' in the file
name), see the section on EMS.
- For other Spires files, type the command SPIRES, then issue the
command: ZAP FILE filename
- For non-Spires Orvyl files, issue the command: ERASE filename
- For tapes, issue the command: SET TAPE tapeno RELEASE
WARNING: These commands completely destroy the contents of the file,
and there is no simple procedure for recovering it, if recovery is possible
at all. Once the command starts executing, your file is gone. Do not use
these commands unless you really mean to destroy the file!
Once you have moved or erased all of your data from Forsythe, please
contact Account.Services@forsythe.stanford.edu to close your account.
For departments who may be requesting multiple account closures at one
time, please include either the last name of the Account User or last
name of the Account Sponsor alongside each account that is being closed.
Also, if you want to retain mail forwarding for your account(s) until 12/15/03,
please be sure to indicated that as part of your closure request. Account Services
will take care of it from there. Thank you!
- Is there any special tool or command that allows me to cleanup
my libraries and individual files without having to do a 'scratch' for
each one?
There is no one command that will do all this at the present but to
make it easier, we have some commands you can use to set up a simple
exec that will speed up the process. At the wylbur command line enter:
> DUMP CAT CLR (view and delete any line(s) you want to keep)
>ch 1 to 'SCR ' nolist (make sure there is a space after the quoted
'SCR '
>exec active clear
If any of the files are libraries, you will be prompted as to whether
you want to remove the whole library. Respond as you see fit. Note:
this does not get rid of Orvyl files. Also, when you delete your library
called LIB, it will also delete your #logon configuration file which
contains special settings you once gave it. Removing it will not affect
your ability to logon to your account but it will use a standard system
logon instead. You decide whether this is important or not.
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Administrative Application Answers
- How will I perform SNAP purchasing & checks?
This function will be provided by the new Oracle Financials system which will
replace SNAP. You can get further information at the
Delphi website. Historical data (pre Oracle Financials) will be maintained
for view access.
- I currently telnet to Forsythe.stanford.edu to process
reimbursements. Which system will I be using to do this once the mainframe is
gone?
Access to the software for reimbursements will be via the web, using the new Oracle
Financials system.
- I continue to use NSI for historical information.
How will I get the information in future?
In the fall, some of the NSI data will be made available via reports in ReportMart.
This includes Graduate Financial Aid history by student and department, and faculty
centric course enrollment reports. The NSI application will be moved to Unix/SPIRES
in the fall with view access for central offices. Distributed users will be able
to request historical NSI data from ITSS by submitting a HelpSU ticket.
.
- What will replace Prism? What happens with the Prism
users?
All Prism applications will be migrated off the mainframe. A chart of the old
and replacement applications is available as a PDF file here.The
most commonly used ones, SNAP and SUFIN, are being replaced by the new Oracle
Financials system. Prism on Forsythe will not fully disappear till all critical
applications are replaced or moved.
- It was my understanding that the endowment history
and SUFIN journal history would continue to be viewable through SPIRES after the
new Oracle Financials system goes live. What is the plan to give us continued
access?
Yes. Historical financial data (pre Oracle Financials) will be maintained for
view access.
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Audit Answers
- How long should I keep University data?
Unless the documents in your account are primary source documents that are required
to be kept then you are probably safe in scratching these documents. Central departments
are required to keep historical records but individuals generally aren't. Please
read Administrative Guide 34.4.
- I've got University data I'm required to
keep and it's on Forsythe. What do I do about this data?
Please contact Tilak Dhar, tilak@stanford.edu.
about options that might be appropriate for storing this data.
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Other Forsythe Services Answers
- I produce labels on a Forsythe printer.
What can I replace that with?
Small volumes of labels can be migrated to print on local departmental
printers using tools such as Word. Larger volumes of labels can
be sent to outside vendors such as Kinko's for printing.
Impact printer labels such as AVR3 will not be available at
all when the mainframe is gone, but the high speed Xerox printer
will remain available as a network printer. ITSS staff are working
to determine whether the XL33 labels on this printer might be
made available as a general service. Check back here or watch
for Forysthe system NEWS for further information.
- How can I print special forms?
As with labels, small volumes of special forms print can be migrated
to print on local departmental printers using tools such as Word.
Larger volumes of labels can be sent to outside vendors such as
Kinko's for printing.
Special forms currently designed for print on an impact printer
labels will have to be redesigned for print using other facilities.
There are no current plans to make special forms printing available
as an ITSS service.
- I print very large jobs on the high
speed Xerox printer from the mainframe. What will I be able to
do?
The high speed Xerox laser printer will remain available as a network
printer. ITSS staff are working to determine whether high volume
print using this printer might be made available as a general service.
Check back here or watch for Forsythe system NEWS for further information.
- I use the mainframe to send FAXes.
This service is used fairly extensively by SNAP. Mainframe FAX will
be discontinued once SNAP is replaced by the new Oracle Financials
system. We thus expect to remove the service sometime in September
or October.
- My department uses a program on the
Forsythe mainframe. It was created using SAS (or Fortran or COBOL
or something else). What can we do about this program?
Your department will need to find an alternative platform on
which to do this work, and you will need to migrate the application
to this platform. If you have questions about options that might
be appropriate for moving your departmental work, contact Tilak
Dhar, tilak@stanford.edu.
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Other Miscellaneous Answers
- My Samson session does the autologon using Kerberos. Will I be
able to login using General Access PRISM the same way?
Unfortunately, No. The klogin file which provided this autologon
feature goes away with the account. To facilitate the logon process
into General Access Prism though, you can configure a new Samson session
with:
Host Name = forsythe.stanford.edu
User Name = prism
Session Name = (anything you want to call it)
This will get you to the General Access Prism logon prompt where
you will then enter your University ID and PIN.
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Last modified Tuesday, 26-Aug-2003 18:14:42 PDT
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