The case of the recycled server

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The case of the recycled server

• Mark Dahl
• Portland State University
• Millar Library
• 23 November 2004

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Opportunity knocks

• Office of Information technology is repurposing
  some two year old servers
• They are Intel based X86 servers, meaning that
  theyll run Windows 2000, Linux, BSD Unix, etc.
• They are about two years old, meaning they are
  powerful enough to run the latest versions of
  above operating systems
• They are offering one to the library!!!

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Why the library should reject the server

• Servers are commodity IT equipment thanks to
  Dell
• Servers are a relatively inexpensive component
  for a typical IT project
• A server is very unlikely to make or break an IT
  project
• Its not that you have a server or dont that
  makes you successful, its what you do with it

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Why we should accept it

• BUT, servers do cost money, an even an older
  model server can provide value
• One of the great things about modern network
  operating systems (Linux, Novell, Win2K) is that
  most of them run on fairly old X86 Wintel
  hardware
• That makes repurposing old servers pretty easy

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Needs

• IT in a library should not be driven by
  technology, gadgets, etc.
• It should be driven by the needs of the librarys
  patrons and staff
• So in order to accept the server, wed need to
  have needs to fulfill

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So well have to imagine some needs

• Suppose Im on three task forces
• 1. Public computers task force--illustrates an
  infrastructure need
• 2. Single sign-on task force-illustrates an
  integration need
• 3. Institutional repository task
  force--illustrates a digital collections need
• (these are major issue in Academic Library IT)

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Public computers task force

• The library has many off-campus patrons and not
  enough computers for them
• The Public Computers task force wants to make a
  network of public PCs that ONLY have access to
  certain library-sponsored resources like the
  catalog, certain govt. and university sponsored
  web sites
• We want to segment those PCs onto their own
  network, put them behind a firewall, and proxy
  connections to Internet

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A network device

• The task force includes representatives from
• Reference
• Systems
• Circulation/Reserves
• We want to leverage older PCs that dont need the
  fastest hardware for this purpose
• Linux servers can be configured to act as network
  appliances that perform DHCP, firewall, proxy
  server, and routing functions
• An old server could be used as a router, DHCP
  server, a firewall, and a proxy server (to only
  permit access to certain web sites)

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A network device

• The server in this role would help to address a
  major issue facing library IT professionals
  infrastructure
• Keeping IT equipment and software up and running
  is a major challenge
• You need to keep your systems up-to-date and
  SECURE to do this
• In this role, the server would help us leverage
  our IT infrastructure (those old PCs) and keep
  things secure.

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Single-sign-on task force

• The single sign on task force is charged with
  making a more seamless authentication experience
  for our patrons
• The goal a single sign on for all web-based
  library resources as well as public computers in
  the library
• The task force has representatives from
• OIT
• Interlibrary Loan
• Circulation/Reserves
• Reference
• Systems

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LDAP

• The server could be deployed as an LDAP server
• LDAP, which allows multiple applications to
  access username/password info as well as other
  personal info, is fast becoming a necessity for
  implementing off-the-shelf web applications
• Digital collections software
• Wiki software
• ILL systems
• Integrated Library Systems software
• Locally developed web applications
• TILT tutorial
• It also helps with locally written web
  applications

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LDAP

• We could install Linux and OpenLDAP on the server
• Download the data from the campus management
  information system, enriched with library data
• Provide a single username/password for
• Public computers
• E-reserves
• ILL services
• III catalog
• Proxy server for off-campus database access

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LDAP

• A key challenge facing IT in libraries today is
  tying things together Integration
• Integrating with single-sign-on
• OpenURLs, federated searching systems, citation
  management systems, etc. all work toward this
  goal
• Integration makes it easier to take advantage of
  the resources and capabilities we already have

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Institutional Repository task force

• Task force charged with setting up an
  institutional repository at PSU
• The goal a place where unpublished teaching and
  research of the University can be stored and
  accessed
• Composed of representatives from
• Technical Services
• Reference
• Administration
• Systems
• Faculty

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D-Space

• D-Space is an open source institutional
  repository system written in Java
• Runs on Linux
• Requires Java, Tomcat, PostgreSQL, etc.
• Its nice to have a test server to implement a
  heavy-weight application like this

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D-Space

• Academic libraries, increasingly, are building
  their own digital collections
• Numerous systems are out there that support these
  collections D-Space, Fedora, Greenstone, etc.
• In some ways, these systems are like integrated
  library systems in their early days

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How to decide which purpose?

• Ask the boss?
• Carrots?
• Sticks?
• Negotiation?
• What is the best fit?
• Are there synergies that we can take advantage of?

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Solution

• It might be that the server could server as the
  router/DHCP server for the network of research
  computers and the LDAP server
• Someones personal PC could be used to test the
  D-Space software
• Sometimes a Systems Librarian needs to make these
  kind of cost/benefit analyses

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To review

• Infrastructure (keeping things running and
  keeping up with the Joneses)
• Integration (tying things together to
  simplify/leveraging what we already have better)
• Digital collections (doing what libraries do
  bestcollecting, preserving, cataloging, ensuring
  access--in the digital environment)

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• Thank You!
• Mark Dahl
• dahl_at_lclark.edu