Updates in response to issues raise at YNiC Science Committee

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.