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⟶ CCD ⟶ Literature ⟶ Newsletters ⟶ FLAGSHIP
⟶ CCD ⟶ Literature ⟶ Newsletters ⟶ FLAGSHIP
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Further reading ⇓

□ Overview
1989
□ 1 □ 2 □ 3 □ 4 □ 5 □ 6
1990
□ 7 □ 8 □ 9 □ 10 □ 11
1991
□ 12 □ 13 □ 14 □ 15 □ 16 □ 17
1992
□ 18 □ 19 □ 20 □ 21 □ 22 □ 23
1993
□ 24 □ 25 □ 26 □ 27 □ 28 □ 29
1994
□ 30 □ 31 □ 32 □ 33 □ 34 □ 35
1995
□ 36 □ 37 □ 38 □ 39
Index
□ Index

Issue 19: March 1992

Flagship Issue 19

Flagship Issue 19
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© UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council

RAL PC Support

RAL's population of Personal Computers has risen ever more rapidly and needs support. The PC Support Section, set up in 1983, meets this need. It provides the entire range of activities, from purchasing the best equipment for the applications, to help and assistance in its subsequent use. PC Support presently looks after 600 PCs and this is increasing at a high rate of about 150 a year. Spending through PC Support on computers, related equipment and software amounts to a substantial half a million pounds a year spread over nearly 500 orders.

The service

In PC Support, we test hardware and software to assess its present and future suitability for RAL use. We have built a sophisticated test suite which critically tests all important aspects of a PC. These tests have shown up faults with loaned test machines and we have been spared making expensive purchasing mistakes. We keep a careful watch on the PC literature to pick out products that could be of use and are worthy of testing. Thus we track the developments in processors, such as the Intel 80486, and the many software products including X-Windows, OS/2, UNIX, Windows 3 and Desqview/X. Armed with the results of these tests, we maintain a list of recommended equipment which can save the purchaser a lot of effort. This list, together with reviews and technical information, is published in the RAL PC newsletter, distributed throughout this site and other SERC establishments.

We encourage anyone at RAL who is thinking of purchasing equipment to contact PC Support for advice; but note that it is an advisory service, and the user has the last word on what equipment is bought. Advice is given on the best equipment for a particular application, taking into account the finance and possible future uses for the machine. Where a machine is primarily for use with the SERC Office System we have a close liaison with the Office Systems Group at RAL. We provide pricing details and can oversee the ordering process. Our detailed knowledge of suppliers ensures that the best deals are obtained. Our services continue after delivery when we configure and install the equipment and give some training on making the best use of the kit.

We provide a problem solving service. Problems are usually analysed over the phone with the hope that a swift and effective solution can get the user going. In more serious cases we pay a visit. We can recover data from corrupted floppy and hard discs with a good rate of success. This is a skilled process needing a detailed knowledge of disc layout - including any new ones, as technology is ever changing.

PC support carries out technical work to maintain and expand the technical knowledge of the section and to produce utilities and tools of specific interest to RAL users. An example is writing programs to test new functions available on newer machines and with new versions of operating systems. Communication between PCs and other services is a specific area where we provide products and advice.

Viruses are an ever-present threat and we have anti computer virus programs to detect infections which use several techniques to deal with the large variety of viruses. Although viruses have received a lot of publicity, they are not as widespread as may be thought. Nevertheless, we have had some twelve "infections" at RAL, plus the well publicised AIDS trojan. All of these attacks have been successfully cured with our armoury of cures.

Uses of PCs at RAL

The 600 PCs installed at RAL represent a total installed CPU power and disc capacity rivalling a mainframe computer. With this large investment we provide the expert effort to maintain their efficient use and exploitation. PCs are used in a wide range of activities:

Paul Bryant, Head of Communications & Small Systems Group

Computational Fluid Dynamics using Phoenics

Version 1.6 of the Phoenics CFD code is now available on the Atlas Centre Cray, allowing the simulation of fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reaction phenomena in a wide variety of environments ranging from the heat exchanger in a nuclear reactor to the human heart.

The program consists of three separate modules, plus an auxiliary self instruction program; these are the pre-processor (SATELLITE), the main solver (EARTH), and a graphics post-processor (PHOTON). The help program (GUIDE) provides information about Phoenics and its uses for both beginners and advanced users.

The use of SATELLITE and EARTH is free to Cray grant holders; however, the PHOTON post-processor is subject to a charge which may be paid in one of two ways.

Users requiring more information on the use of Phoenics on the Cray can contact me.

Chris Plant, Applications & User Support Group
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