Hello All, For the start of the new academic year we're making changes that will require some downtime on the systems here at YNiC. The reason for this downtime is that we will be implementing some major changes to the software that helps us run and administer the Centre. Hopefully many of these changes will go unnoticed, but there will be one or two things that we hope will make your lives easier. The most significant change will be the introduction of a new booking system that can be accessed off site and will allow users to make their own bookings for MRI, TMS and MEG. This will be part of a new and improved database that will also allow investigators to track their projects' progress and help us ensure that the right projects get the appropriate support at the appropriate time. The upgrades will also include a uniform login and security system across all the computers (this will be invisible to most users but does have some major advantages) and a better, more equitable use of quotas on the filesystems. We will also add more disc space to help with the current overloading of the existing systems. To do all this we need to change the servers that run the whole system. As a result, YNiC will be closed from 5:00 p.m. on Friday the 3rd of October and will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Monday the 13th of October. This version of the database will be released as v0.9, and we already have some ideas about what will be going into v0.95 and v1.0, but early next term, when people have had a chance to play with it, we'll be asking for your input on additional functionality that you'd find useful. Look out for the Annual Users' Meeting that will provide an opportunity for users to contribute to planning the next stages of development. We will need some additional information for some projects to allow investigators to take advantage of the new booking procedure, and in the next couple of days principal investigators will be getting an email requesting those details. It is very important that we get this information by the end of the month or some projects will no longer be able to book time on the scanners. One unfortunate side effect of some of the changes is that all passwords will have to be reset. First thing on Monday the 13th when we reopen, new passwords will be provided which will enable you to login and reset you password to something more memorable. Hopefully though, that will be the only disruption and from the 13th normal (and improved) service will resume. So, to reiterate, YNiC will be closed between: 17:00 Friday 3rd October and 09:00 Monday 13th October. If you have any questions about these changes, please contact Sam Johnson <sam.johnson(a)ynic.york.ac.uk> or Mark Hymers <mark.hymers(a)ynic.york.ac.uk>uk>. Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience, Sam