Hello All,
Apologies for the length of this email, but issues were raised at the last
Science Committee meeting that I thought would be good to share with you
along with our responses to them. Thanks to those who raised the issues -
they help us improve our service.
Best wishes
Tony
YNiC issues list:
1.
After the update the remote server is considerably slower, sometimes it
does not connect at all. Running even simple scripts takes an inordinate
amount of time. In addition, some of the software (e.g., LibreOffice)
crashes often.
We have deployed a new Remote Desktop system that is based on x2go broker.
It has more memory and allows users to reconnect to a quieter server if
they find other users are using up resources. We will be looking to add
more capacity to this service this year. However, our general advice is to
come to the centre and use the facilities here, which are more resilient
and better specified, if you require a more efficient throughput on
analysis. To be clear, we cannot offer a remote access system that works
to the same performance as the systems on site. One fact that may focus the
mind is a desktop at YNiC has much more memory than allocated to a remote
connection. Also note that if analysis is undertaken on the remote desktop
server rather than submitting jobs to the cluster, as recommended, the
server(s) will allocate much of the limited resources to the analysis and
that will interfere with all other users of (and connections to) the remote
desktop.
1.
It is also unclear why Microsoft packages have been removed, some of
them (e.g., Excel) have functions superior to the Linux version.
The Microsoft packages have not been removed from the machines at YNiC. We
are however experiencing issues with opening files. We will work on this
and update users when we have debugged the package. Libre office is working
fine and can be used to open Microsoft office files and save changes in
Microsoft formats. The updates to LibreOffice during the summer 2018
upgrade also fixed many compatibility issues with Microsoft Office
documents. The remote desktop has been updated to have Microsoft Office
package available. However, related to the point above, we had largely
specified the remote access to allow investigators to run analysis jobs on
the cluster when they were unable to be at YNiC. This remains our priority.
So, although we have installed Office on the remote server, it should be
noted that not all analysis and office software can be guaranteed to work
remotely because of the configurations of these releases.
1.
Scanning at 9am results in difficulties as there is not always a
receptionist (to print the relevant forms) or level 3 (to sign off any
issues on the information sheet).
We are sorry about there sometimes being staff shortages. We were facing a
challenging period as we were waiting new staff arrivals. We have only one
level 3 operator. We suggest that all participants are talked through the
screening form 24 hours in advance of the scan session, so the need for a
countersignature from a level 3 can be identified. It should also be noted
that this would be essential for any scanning that occurs outside normal
hours, when a level 3 would not be available to countersign forms. We are
also working on the safety form so level 3 signatures are not required for
the most commonly arise advisory conditionals. This is an ongoing project
and we will update operators once it is complete. This approach may require
additional training for operators.
1.
The air con is far too cold, making working in open plan unpleasant.
We monitor the temperature in open plan (and the rest of the centre)
because of historic issues of temperature fluctuations arising from failure
of the York Science Park’s Building Management System. The temperature in
Open Plan currently varies between 21.5 and 23 degrees. The Building
Management System, which sets the temperatures, is controlled by York
Science Park, not YNiC. The temperature is currently set to 22 degrees. We
are happy to contact York Science Park if users alert us to an
unsatisfactory temperature.
1.
Making sure that operators are available for slots that are booked as
operator covered (even if they come from a lab with trained operators
because sometimes these people are not on hand).
I think there may be a misunderstanding. If there is an YNiC operator
covered slot and you need an operator, or just want them on hand, please
ensure that the booking requests a YNiC operator. You are fully entitled
to make that selection when you book and it helps us. If you are a
qualified operator and indicate that you will operate, the default
behaviour of the booking system is to mark up the time as not needing a
YNiC operator.
1.
Training needs to be more regular to afford more projects to begin in a
timely fashion.
We struggle to meet demand for training, particularly as it has grown over
the last three years. The training also has multiple levels. We attempt to
run level 0 training frequently and it can be done in small groups. Level
1 training is more challenging insofar as it cannot always be done in
groups and we need a large number of scan hours to ‘offer’ the trainee to
become safe and effective at operating the scanner before we sign them
off. We set up training for the Autumn term and when possible we try to
meet requests for training at other times too, but this can be a challenge.
We also try to use both the MSci and MSc reserved slots as training
opportunities, which means that in addition to the Autumn term, we also
have the potential to run efficient training in the Summer term. That
said, I think we found last year that there was little demand at that time
of year. We hope that our new appointees will help alleviate the pressure
on our other staff to provide training. We also anticipate that more
operator covered slots will be made available in 2019 as we train up our
new appointees.
1.
YNiC wiki contains outdated information and is difficult to navigate.
It would be very useful if specific issues can be submitted to RT so we can
make appropriate updates.
1.
Poor communication i.e. informing users of status of the scanner, or
the status of unresolved RT tickets.
We endeavour to keep people informed about the status of the scanners. This
is done via messages to ynic-users(a)ynic.york.ac.uk. The loss of service is
unpredictable and re-establishing service can sometimes depend on many
factors outside our control. I have checked the messages sent to the email
list and found that we have, in general, kept users of the centre
up-to-date with the scanner outages. We will continue to send messages
concerning scanner status to ynic-users(a)ynic.york.ac.uk and will strive to
improve comms in general.
RT remains the best way to communicate with us. Yes, it does seem
impersonal and there can be delays, but it is the only way that we can
manage and prioritise requests. It is also a system similar to those used
the Department of Psychology and some University services. When we were
short staffed, so some things took longer than usual to resolve. Please be
patient and please don’t ask staff to do things in person to try to
accelerate resolution of your issue – I know it is human nature to try, but
it simply delays the resolution of everyone else’s issues. We now review
tickets at our weekly staff meeting to ensure outstanding tickets are
resolved.
1.
Variation in the times of operator covered activity would help
recruitment because it would allow participants with a broader range of
availability to be tested.
We have considered this before and when we have a full staff complement we
will re-engage with the issue. At present however we need to arrange staff
meetings and undertake other tasks (e.g. Training, Helium fills, Quality
Assurance, Scanner Cleaning) to ensure the centre runs safely and
effectively. The best way to manage these tasks is to do them at fixed
times during the week. Indeed diary conflicts often mean that only a
limited number of slots are available to arrange meetings and activities
even when we have a fixed pattern of operator slots. At the moment varying
the operator cover pattern will make arranging our activities impossible.
We can frequently accommodate special requests, however, and have done so
particularly when participants come from special populations that are a
challenge to recruit and their availability may therefore limit recruitment
opportunities. Moreover, if your requirement is known well in advance we
can be more flexible. I suggest those who have specific needs get in touch
with us.
1.
Cleanliness around the coffee machine and in the open plan more
generally.
The coffee area is cleaned by a member of YNiC staff at least once a day.
We usually wipe the area down in the period that we are waiting for the
kettle to boil or the coffee machine to fill our cups. There are wet wipes
(in a white, blue-lidded tub) that can be used if you would also like to
wipe the area down if it appears unclean. The contract cleaners do not
clean this area, so it is up to us (those who use the area) to clean it.
During the closure periods (in the summer 2018 and over Christmas) we
cleaned the open plan area carefully, including the computer screens and
all desks. The open plan area is cleaned by contract cleaning staff daily.
We will encourage those who use the Open Plan Areas to keep it clean. We
have now cleaned keyboards and hope that enhances the user experience of
the centre. We are in the process of arranging a carpet clean this term.
--
Antony Morland, PhD.
Director, York Neuroimaging Centre
Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
