T11/99-596v2
Roger Cummings
December 18,1999
Annex A - T11 Document Submission Scheme
Annex B - Uploading Files
Annex C - Equipment Details of present T11 web and FTP Sites
T11 has used mail reflectors, and a File Transfer Protocol (ftp) site, since the late 1980s. However, as late as 1997, T11 was still distributing documents in bimonthly paper mailings, some of which were over 2000 pages, and conducting letter ballots via "snail" mail. I therefore started work in the Fall of 1997 with a goal of providing an automated internet-based means of accepting and distributing documents, and conducting letter ballots. It sounded simple, but.....
The result was 6 months full-time frantic work to create six separate databases (Document Register, Projects, Meetings, People, Memberships, Votes), and to link them to the web. However the Document Register went live more or less on time in February 1998, and from then until October 1, 1999 at total of 1619 files totaling 264 Megabytes have been processed by the site. The register uploads an HTML index daily to the ftp site for people who mirror the site on their own systems, and maintains a separate list to the latest revision of all draft standards and TRs for easy access. The first online letter ballot closed in September 1998, on FC-AL-2, and as of October 1, 1999 seven subsequent ballots have been conducted completely automatically, including the distribution of results. In addition, the site now allows people to update their organizational memberships, and personal details, directly under password control, and with automatic notification of changes to the TC & TG officers. All of this is to say that web site has been successful far beyond what I expected.
I've learned some interesting lessons during this development process. First, that designing a form which is easily and intuitively understood by a wide range of users of varying Net experience is much more difficult than any database processing. The forms on the T11 site are getting better, I hope, but it has been a slow process. Second, that input validation is very key because different people use different formats for information like dates, and even the same person will not consistently title and describe similar documents. And thirdly, that in order to feel comfortable with something, users need to understand what is going on "under the covers", at some level at least. This last item is probably the most significant remaining concern of T11 members, so hopefully this document will help in that aspect.
I'd like to close this foreword by acknowledging the help, patience and support of the many T11 members who endured significant frustrations as I struggled to get all of this working. Specific thanks go to Ed Grivna, for his help in creating the meeting information, to Jeff Stai, who always seemed to be the first to find problems with my password routines, to John Scheible, who tested the document form and its validation formulas far more thoroughly than anyone else, and to Dave Instone who by logging in on UK time often found problems before anyone else did. And finally I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of John Lohmeyer, who with his T10 site pioneered online balloting and several other important advances, without which none of this would have been possible.
This is a User's Guide to the Technical Committee (TC) T11 web site found at http://www.t11.org. It is intended to help attenders of the TC and its Task Groups (TGs) to make the best use of the information available on that site, and to be enable them to submit information to the site to expedite the development of projects within T11.
The T11 web site is NOT a marketing site. It uses a simple, stark, largely text-based presentation scheme, with plain backgrounds and limited use of color, to minimize page display times. Partly this is intentional, given the site's mission, and partly it is a result of development work having concentrated until now on the operation of the databases, and the information they contain, rather than on ergonomics.
Associated with the t11 web site is an file transfer protocol (ftp) site at ftp://ftp.t11.org. The ftp site is the storage location for files associated with the web site. While it can be accessed directly via an ftp URL, it is expected that most users will read the files it contains indirectly via links on the web site.
At the beginning, the web site was mostly composed of static HTML pages which were updated manually and infrequently. Now there is very little static HTML beyond the main page and the information on T11 membership. This is an important point, because it means that most of the HTML which is displayed by a user browser is generated "on the fly" at the time of the access from information contained in databases associated with the web site. Thus the web page changes frequently and automatically, mostly in response to new documents becoming available, but also in response to other inputs. When a new revision of a draft standard for the FC-PI project is made available, for example, not only does the document register display the document, but the list of draft standards is updated, and a link in the FC-PI project listing is also updated. Similarly, creating a description of a future meeting on the web site causes that meeting to be listed in a pulldown field when future documents are submitted, so that they may be designated as being for presentation at that meeting.
The web site uses a simple two-frame layout, where the left-hand frame is static and acts as a navigation bar. Links in this frame provide direct access to the various database listings, and to information on the various project families and specific information on the TC and TGs. All other information is therefore displayed in the right hand frame.
The T11 web site is still evolving, based upon both changes within T11 and feedback from its users. Most of the pages display a footer with <mailto> links to comment on the web pages, or to ask questions about the operation of T11. You are encouraged to use these links, and to assist in making the web site even more useful.
The remainder of this User Guide is divided into four clauses. The first is a glossary, and this is followed by a description of the overall architecture of the web site and a list of general principles. Next is a clause containing details of the databases (DBs), which contains a subclauses in a common format for each of the six major databases. Each subclause describes in detail the function of each DB and how the database is accessed, introduces the information contained in the DB, and describes in detail the forms which can be used to enter information into the DB. A clause then describes how the DBs may be searched, and another clause describes the structure of the ftp site and its access. Three Annexes the conclude the guide, describing the document submission scheme in detail, the use of various tools for uploading documents to the ftp site, and the servers and software which implement both the web site and ftp site.
The T11 web site consists of a small number of static HTML pages, which are mostly concerned with establishing the frame format and providing the top level access, and six databases, various views of which are access are accessed by links from those pages. Many of the links which lead to the databases appear complicated, in formats like:
but they are normally quite static and safe to bookmark. The hex value uniquely identifies a document within a database.
A number of general principles have been established which have been consistently used throughout the databases are as follows:
1) To enter new information into the web site, it is necessary to use a button to either display a blank form to compose a new record, or to enter edit mode when a form displays an existing record. When entries into the form are completed, pressing {Submit} in the bottom left hand corner of the form once (and once only) causes the information in the form to be sent to the web site. The information in the form is then checked, and if errors are found a simple page with no buttons is displayed with a message in normal text informing the user of the field in error. The user should then use the Browser's back button to correct that field, and press {Submit} again. This process should be repeated until a bold message is displayed with a heading of "Thanks" and a link to be clicked to move onwards. Only when the thanks message is displayed has the form been successfully completed, and only then is a record created in one of the databases.
2) All of the records in all of the databases on the T11 web site can be viewed by any user of the site. However to create or edit records as in 1) above, it is necessary to enter a password. Two types of password are supported by the databases - personal passwords and functional passwords. A Personal password is created when a Person record is created in the People database, and is unchanging. Displaying a Person record makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record. Personal passwords can be used to create or edit all records on the T11 site, but they do require that a person's Name (First name followed by one space followed by Surname) and/or e-mail address be entered into the record exactly as they are found in the people database. Functional passwords on the other hand are associated with a specific task on the T11 site (e.g. there is a specific password to submit Ad Hoc meeting notices) and are subject to change. Functional passwords are normally obtained by attending T11 meetings (in the case of the functional password for creating document records) or by asking one of the T11 officers.
3) It is only necessary to enter each item of information in one place in the web site. Where any information is required in another database, the information is transferred between databases automatically as new information is entered or information is updated. As an example, e-mail address is a field in a Person record in the People database, and that is where it is entered or updated. If that Person is a representative of a member organization, then an e-mail address change causes the e-mail address held for that representative in the relevant Member Organization record in the membership database to be automatically updated. The databases were specifically designed to minimize these sorts of updates, but sometimes they are inevitable.
A common format is used for the detailed descriptions of each database which follows. The description section introduces the database and defines the meaning of a record in that database. The access section describes the links which may be used to access views in the database (note that in addition all views in each database may be accessed directly from the <Center> link on the Navigation Bar). The process section describes when records are created in the database as part of T11 committee processes, and the views and forms provided by the database are then described in detail.
The Document Register database contains details of documents which have been, or are to be, uploaded to the ftp site. Each record in the Document Register represents a single, numbered document. However multiple files, representing different formats, may be uploaded in association with a single document. More details on this aspect are given in the description of the Document form below. Note that the database does NOT contain the files themselves - only pointers to their location on the ftp site. The files may be accessed directly from an HTML link indicating the primary format (e.g. PDF) in the right-hand column a view, or via Links to Files in the document form when it is opened from an HTML link indicating the document number (e.g. T11/99-100v0) in the left-hand column of a view.
The Document Register database is accessed via the <Drafts> and <Documents> links on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar. It is also accessed indirectly to create the links for minutes, agendas, meeting maps etc. on the T11 and T11.x link pages and the Meetings pages.
Records in the Document Database are created as part of the process of submitting documents for dissemination to the T11 community via the web site, and for inclusion in T11 mailings (in cd or paper form). This process begins with the successful completion of one of the forms described below. The Thanks screen displayed upon that successful completion informs the submitter that a document number of the form:
T11/yy-nnnvm
where:
yy is the last two digits of the year (99 for 1999, 00 for 2000 etc.)
nnn is a three digit number (000 thru 999)
m is a version code (0 thru 9, A thru Z)
has been assigned to the document. The screen also instructs the submitter to upload one or more files named:
yy-nnnvm.xxx
where:
xxx is a file extension identified during the completion of one of the forms described below (the filename is case-sensitive)
to a specific directory on ftp://ftp.t11.org, using a specific UserID and password, not an anonymous login. (The directory is currently "/t11/member/incoming", and the UserID is currently "t11member".)
Within 30 minutes of a file being uploaded, a link to the file will appear in the view accessed via the <Documents> link on the main page, and elsewhere in the database. These links will have labels corresponding to the format of one of the uploaded files. If these links do not appear, the file submitter should check that a file with the correct name has been uploaded, and specifically that the case of the filename is correct (a common mistake is to upload a file with an upper-case extension (e.g. PDF)). If the file is incorrectly named, or is otherwise found to be incorrect, it can be renamed, deleted, or overwritten by using the same UserID and Password as above.
The file will remain in the directory in which it was submitted until approximately 3am Eastern Standard Time on the day after which it was uploaded. Until that time the record in the database can also be edited. At that time, the file will automatically moved to a directory determined by the database, after which the file will no longer be able to be overwritten or deleted, and the database record will no longer be able to be edited. Therefore if errors are subsequently discovered, a new record will need to be generated for a revision to the document (see the form descriptions below).
Note that while this move process is taking place, between approximately 3am and 4am Eastern Standard Time, the links on the T11 web site which access the file may not work.
Documents which are identified as to be presented at a Plenary or Ad Hoc meeting during a T11 Plenary Week will also be included in an e-mail listing of meeting documents which is distributed via the mail reflectors of the TC & TGs on the Friday of the week before the meetings.
The Document Register database provides eleven views of its records, three of which are available directly from the Navigation bar. All record displays in view have essentially the same format. The left-hand column contains an HTML link indicating either the Index sort item or the document number (e.g. T11/99-100v0) which accesses record via the Document form. The Title is then displayed. The right-hand column contains an HTML link indicating the primary format (e.g. PDF) which open the file on the ftp site which is related to the record. The views are defined as follows:
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in reverse numeric order i.e. the highest number documents for the current year are displayed at the top of the view. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the two-digit year from the document number (e.g. 99), the next level is the "hundred base" of the document number (i.e. documents from 100 to 199 are displayed under the "100" link), and the third level displays the records directly. It is recommended that this view be used for searches of the entire database as the initial view is displayed very quickly, but it still accesses all of the records in the database.
This is a multi-level view with only two levels in which records are displayed in date order of the meetings at which they will be presented. Records displayed in this view are limited to the documents which will be presented at meetings during the next T11 Plenary week. The view hierarchy has only two levels: The highest level indicates the meeting in the format:
MM-DD T11.x Meeting Name
and the second level displays the records directly.
This is a single level view which displays records which represent draft proposed Standards or draft proposed Technical Reports for all T11 projects that have not reached publication phase. The records are displayed in alphabetical order of the project acronym, and then in decreasing order of document and version number. Records displayed in this view are limited to those that have been created using the "Drafts" form (see below).
This is a single level view which displays records which represent the latest revisions of draft proposed Standards or draft proposed Technical Reports for all T11 projects that have not reached publication phase. The records are displayed in alphabetical order of the project acronym, and then in decreasing order of document and version number. Records displayed in this view are limited to those that have been created using the "Drafts" form (see below), and which are the latest revision for each project. Detection of the latest revision relies on the project editor accurately completing Replaced Document each time they upload a new draft standard or TR. This view can be directly accessed via the <Drafts> link in the Navigation Bar.
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by Author Last Name. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the first letter of the Last Name, the next level is the first two letter of the Last Name, and the third level displays the records directly. The view displays all records in the database. Note that "Last Name" is strictly defined as the text to the right of the right-most space in Author, and thus surnames which incorporate spaces will not be indexed strictly correctly (e.g. "Van Doorn" will be indexed as "Doorn").
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in reverse order of the date the record was last changed (or created) i.e. the most recently-changed records are at the top of the View. The view displays only records that have been changed or created in the last month. This view can be directly accessed via the <Docs> link in the Navigation Bar. Text at the top of the view includes an <Other views> link which gives access to all of the view in the Document Register database, and a <this view> link which gives access to the Complete T11 Document Register view for searches.
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in reverse date order of the T11 Mailing in which they were included i.e. the most recent mailing is displayed at the top of the view. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the four-digit year in which the mailing took place (e.g. 1999), the next level is the two digit month of the T11 meeting following the mailing (i.e. the September T11 mailing is identified as "10"), and the third level displays the records directly. The view displays all of the records in the database associated with documents which have been included in a T11 (or X3T9.3) mailing. Prior to 1999, the TC officers produced a paper master of the mailing for the NCITS Secretariat, and thus page numbers were entered into the database. However since the beginning of 1999 the Secretariat has produced the paper master from the provided CD, and thus page numbers are not available. Therefore the page number column is used for mailings from 1998 and before, but is blank for mailings from 1999 and beyond.
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in reverse date order of the meeting at which they were presented i.e. documents for the most recent meetings are displayed at the top of the view, , and then in reverse document number order. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the two-digit year in which the mailing took place (e.g. 99), the next level is the two digit month of the meeting, and the third level displays the records directly. The view displays the records in the database associated with documents which have been presented at T11 meetings since the beginning of 1998.
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order of the contents of the Std field of the record, and then in reverse document number order. The Std field contains the acronym of the project or administrative category associated with the document. The view hierarchy has two levels: The highest level is the contents of the Std field, and second level displays the records directly. The view displays all of the records in the database. Note that prior to the inception of the Lotus Notes database in 1998, the contents of Std were freeform, and not checked, thus some of the acronyms found in this list will not correspond to any T11 project or standard.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in reverse numeric order i.e. the highest number documents for the current year are displayed at the top of the view. The view displays only records that have been changed or created in the last two months.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in reverse numeric order i.e. the highest number documents for the current year are displayed at the top of the view. The view displays all records in the database.
The Document Register database was originally designed to use a single form called the Document form. However this form allowed free-form text entry into Title, and complaints were received that the lack of a standardized format made finding items such as agendas and minutes difficult in the compact disc versions of the mailings. Therefore in mid 1999 specialized forms were introduced for Agendas, Ad Hoc Meeting Notices, Draft standards and TRs, TC & TG Memberships, Plenary & Ad Hoc Minutes and Signup Sheets. Because these forms are essentially subsets of the general Document form, it will be described completely, and only fields unique to the other forms will be described in each case.
The document form is used to display all records in the Document Register database, to edit those records and to compose new records other than the specialized types described above. Editing is performed by displaying a record and pressing {Edit Record} at the top of the Form. The process of composition is started by pressing {Number a Document} at the top on most views in the database, and this causes a blank Document Form to be displayed with the title "New Document Entry" in yellow text in a dark gray box at the top of the form.
Fields in the document form are as follows:
The agenda form is used to compose new records related to documents that are agendas for plenary or ad hoc meetings. Std is set to "Agendas" automatically by the database. The Meeting at which Document will be (or was) presented field is automatically set by the database to the meeting referenced in the agenda. Fields new to this form are:
The draft form is used to compose new records related to documents that are drafts standards or Technical Reports. Using this form is now the only way to create a record that will be displayed in the view accessed by the <Drafts> link in the Navigation Bar. In addition, during form validation, the revision and document date included in this record are checked to the greater than the same fields in the replaced document. Std is set to the project acronym automatically by the database. Fields new to this form are:
The membership form is used to compose new records related to documents that are membership lists for TC T11 or its TGs. Std is set to "Members" automatically by the database. The Meeting at which Document will be (or was) presented field is automatically set by the database to "(none)". Fields new to this form are:
The minutes form is used to compose new records related to documents that are minutes of Plenary or Ad Hoc meetings. Std is set to "Minutes" automatically by the database. The Meeting at which Document will be (or was) presented field is automatically set by the database to the next meeting of the same group in the case of draft minutes, and the most recent meeting of the same group in the case of Approved minutes. Fields new to this form are:
The minutes form is used to compose new records related to documents that are meeting notices of Ad Hoc meetings. Std is set to "Meetings" automatically by the database. The Meeting at which Document will be (or was) presented field is automatically set by the database to the next meeting of the same group in the case of draft minutes, and the most recent meeting of the same group in the case of Approved minutes. Fields new to this form are:
The minutes form is used to compose new records related to documents that are scans of signup sheets for Plenary or Ad Hoc meetings. Std is set to "Signup" automatically by the database. The Meeting at which Document will be (or was) presented field is automatically set by the database to "(none)". Fields new to this form are:
The People database contains details of attenders of :
a) all Plenary meetings of TC T11 and TGs T11.2, T11.3 & T11.4 since the inception of the TC in 1994;
b) all X3T9.3 Plenary meetings from October 1990 thru 1993;
c) all T11 and T9.3 Ad Hoc meetings (excepting HIPPI Ad Hocs) from 1990 through 1998.
The People database contains name, address, phone, fax and e-mail information that each person can change by using their personal password (see Architecture and General Information above). Displaying a Person record makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record. The database also contains a meeting attendance history for each person that is only available to TC & TG Officers.
The records in this database are associated with a Person and not an Organization. Therefore, as people change organizations, the record should be updated to reflect the new company name, address, e-mail address etc.
The People database is accessed via the <People> and <TC & TG Officers> links on the Main Page, and the <People> link in the Navigation Bar. It is also accessed indirectly to provide lists of TC & TG Officers, and Project Editors and Facilitators.
Records in the Person Database are created by the TC & TG Officers after a person attends their first T11 meeting. Records cannot be created by attenders themselves via the T11 web page.
The People database provides four views of its records, two one of which is available directly from the Navigation bar. All record displays in view have essentially the same format. The left-hand column contains an HTML link indicating either the Index sort item or the Person's Name (Surname, First) (e.g. Bloggs, Fred) which accesses the record via People form. The views are defined as follows:
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the contents of Company. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the first letter of Company, the next level is the first two letters of Company, and the third level displays the records directly. The view displays all records in the database.
This is a multi-level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the contents of Surname. The view hierarchy has three levels: The highest level is the first letter of Surname, the next level is the first two letters of Surname, and the third level displays the records directly. The view displays all records in the database.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the contents of Surname. The view displays only records of people that have attended a meeting in the previous 6 months. This view can be directly accessed via the <People> link in the Navigation Bar or on the main web page. Text at the top of the view includes an <Other views> link which gives access to all of the views in the People database.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the name of the officer position. The view displays only records of people who are TC or TG Officers.
The People database uses a single form called the Person form.
The person form is used both to display all records in the People database, and to edit those records. Editing is performed by displaying a record and pressing {Edit Person} at the top of the Form.
Fields in the person form are as follows:
The Membership database contains details of all memberships in TC T11 and its TGs. There are no memberships maintained in Ad Hocs and Study Groups.
The Membership database contains the name of the member organization and names of its Representatives (Principal, Alternate, & Additional Alternate) that can be edited by the Principal or Alternate Representatives using their personal password (see Architecture and General Information above). Displaying a Person record in the People database makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record.
The Membership database is accessed via the <Members> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar. It is also accessed via the pages accessed via <T11> and the <T11.x> links on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
Records in the Membership Database are created by the TC & TG Officers after an organization becomes a member of TC T11 or one of its TGs. Records cannot be created via the T11 web page.
The Membership database provides five views of its records, one for the TC and one for each TG. A list of these views is accessed via the <Members> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar. Each view contains records relating to all current member organizations in its respective TC or TG. All record displays in view have essentially the same format. The left-hand column contains an HTML link indicating the name of the member organization which accesses the record via the Member Organization form. The next column lists a one or two character indication of the representative type (P, A, A#), and the final column gives the full name of the representative.
The Membership database uses a single form called the Member Organization form.
The Member Organization form is used both to display all records in the Membership database, and to edit those records. Editing is performed by displaying a record and pressing {Edit Representatives} at the top of the Form.
Fields in the Member Organization form are as follows:
The database contains details of all projects in TC T11 and its TGs.
The Project Status database contains details of all projects that can be edited by the Project Facilitator, Secretary or Editor using their personal password (see Architecture and General Information above). Displaying a Person record in the People database makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record.
The Project Status database is accessed via the <Projects>, <FC>, <HIPPI> & <IPI> links on the Main Page, and via the <Projects>, <FC> and <HIPPI> in the Navigation Bar. It is also accessed via the <Projects> links on the pages accessed via <T11> and the <T11.x> links on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
Records in the Project Status Database are created by the TC & TG Officers when a project proposal is forwarded to NCITS, or when an internal study project is created. Records cannot be created via the T11 web page.
The Project Status database provides eleven views of its records, in a number of different formats. However all of the record displays include a link based on the project acronym which accesses details of the record via the Projects form. The views are defined as follows:
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by development stage order, and then in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects in the study, proposal and development stages. The view format mimics the format of part of the Project Status Summary documents that T11 has used for a number of years. The contents of Status, Action, and Target Date are displayed along with the names of the project Editor, Facilitator, and Secretary. This view is accessed by the <Projects> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects in the Fibre Channel family. The view format consists of three columns, containing the acronym, the project title, and either the published document reference or the project number. This view is accessed by the <FC> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects in the High Performance Parallel Interface family (both HIPPI-800 & HIPPI-6400). The view format consists of three columns, containing the acronym, the project title, and either the published document reference or the project number. This view is accessed by the <HIPPI> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects in the Intelligent Peripheral Interface family . The view format consists of three columns, containing the acronym, the project title, and the published document reference. This view is accessed by the <IPI> link on the Main Page.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only the record of the SBCON project . The view format consists of three columns, containing the acronym, the project title, and the published document reference. This view is accessed by the <SBCON> link on the Main Page.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects that are assigned to Task Group T11.1. The view format The view format mimics the format of part of the Project Status Summary documents that T11 has used for a number of years. The short acronym and the contents of Status, Action, and Target Date are displayed along with the revision of the latest draft and the names of the project Editor, Facilitator, and Secretary. This view is accessed by the <Status> link on the T11.1 page, which is itself accessed via the <T11.1> link on Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects that are assigned to Task Group T11.2. The view format The view format mimics the format of part of the Project Status Summary documents that T11 has used for a number of years. The short acronym and the contents of Status, Action, and Target Date are displayed along with the revision of the latest draft and the names of the project Editor, Facilitator, and Secretary. This view is accessed by the <Status> link on the T11.2 page, which is itself accessed via the <T11.2> link on Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects that are assigned to Task Group T11.3. The view format The view format mimics the format of part of the Project Status Summary documents that T11 has used for a number of years. The short acronym and the contents of Status, Action, and Target Date are displayed along with the revision of the latest draft and the names of the project Editor, Facilitator, and Secretary. This view is accessed by the <Status> link on the T11.3 page, which is itself accessed via the <T11.3> link on Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by the project acronym. The view displays only records of projects that are assigned to Task Group T11.4. The view format The view format mimics the format of part of the Project Status Summary documents that T11 has used for a number of years. The short acronym and the contents of Status, Action, and Target Date are displayed along with the revision of the latest draft and the names of the project Editor, Facilitator, and Secretary. This view is accessed by the <Status> link on the T11.4 page, which is itself accessed via the <T11.4> link on Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
The Project database uses a single form called the Project form.
The Project form is used both to display all records in the Project Status database, and to edit those records. Editing is performed by displaying a record and pressing {Edit Project Listing} at the top of the Form.
Fields in the Project form are as follows:
The Ballots database contains details of all "Letter" Ballots which TC T11 and its TGs have conducted since online balloting commenced in September 1998. The results of previous ballots are available along with a method of voting on current ballots.
The Ballots database is accessed via links on the page which is itself accessed via the <Ballots> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
Records in the Ballots Database are created by the TC Chair when a ballot is required. Once the definition of a ballot is complete, the rest of the ballot process completes without further officer intervention.
At approximately 3am Eastern Time on the day after the ballot definition was completed, an e-mail announcement message is sent to all of the Principal, Alternate and Additional Alternate representatives of organizations which are members of the group conducting the ballot. The announcement gives details of the ballot including URLs for both the ballot itself and for the document being considered, the date and time at which the ballot will end and the password which will be necessary to use in voting on the ballot.
Then at intervals of 21, 14, 7,4, 2, and 1 days before the ballot closes, an e-mail reminder message will be sent to the representatives of all organizations for whom a vote has not been submitted. The reminder contains all of the information distributed in the announcement.
Votes on the ballot are then submitted by accessing the ballot on the web page (see below), and pressing {Submit a Vote} at the top of the form. This displays a form on which a vote can be registered. Comments may either be entered (or cut and pasted) into a multi-line text field in this form or can be submitted in a file attached to the vote. It is requested that only files in plain text format are used. When a vote is submitted, an e-mail message is sent to the e-mail address contained in the vote confirming the vote received, and stating if comments were submitted. A separate message is also sent to all e-mail addresses of representatives for the voting organization that do not match the address given in the vote, stating that a vote has been received but not giving the vote itself.
An organization an submit multiple votes, with the last vote received before the closing of the ballot being the one counted, with the following two exceptions:
When the ballot closes, a e-mail results message is sent to the mail reflector of the group which conducted the ballot. The message lists the name each member organization of the group, their vote or an indication that they did not vote, and provides a total of votes in each category for the ballot. Comments that were submitted with the vote are not included in this message due to the message size limitations enforced by most mail reflectors, but they can be viewed by accessing the results on the web page.
The Ballots database provides two views of its records. The views are defined as follows:
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by date order. Each record represents a Letter Ballot that has been completed. The view format consists of a single column containing the name of the group which conducted the ballot, the acronym of the project on which the ballot was conducted and the ballot type. Accessing the link formed by the column name accesses a Results form for the ballot (see below).
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by date order. Each record represents a Letter Ballot that has is currently open for voting. The view format consists of three columns. The first contains the name of the group which conducted the ballot, the acronym of the project on which the ballot was conducted and the ballot type. Accessing the link formed by this column name accesses the Ballot form containing {Submit a Vote}.The second column list the date on which the ballot will close (at midnight California time), and the third column identifies and provides a link to the document on which the ballot is being conducted.
The Ballot database uses three forms. They are the Ballot form, the Vote form, and the Results form.
The Ballot form is used to display the question being asked in the ballot, and details of the related document. The form is designed to resemble the form (NCITS Form 003, 4/92) used for paper Letter Ballots before the advent of online balloting. There are no editable fields on the ballot form. A vote on a ballot is submitted by displaying a record and pressing {Submit a Vote} at the top of the Form. The header information of the Ballot form identifies the document number of the ballot itself, and the group conducting the ballot.
Fields in the Ballot form are as follows:
The Vote form is used to submit a vote on a Letter Ballot. The form is designed to resemble the form (NCITS Form 003, 4/92) used for paper Letter Ballots before the advent of online balloting.
Fields which are present on the Vote form, but not on the Ballot Form, are as follows:
The Results form is used to display the results of a Closed Ballot. There are no editable fields on the Results form.
Fields on the Results form are as follows:
The Meetings database contains details of all Plenary and Ad Hoc meetings related to TC T11 and its TGs that are planned for the future. A history of all T11 meetings dating back to the beginning of 1998 is also available to the TC & TG Officers.
Records in the Meetings database relating to T11 meeting weeks, and Ad Hoc meetings, can be edited by the Meeting Host and Ad Hoc facilitator respectively using their personal password (see Architecture and General Information above) or a functional password. Displaying a Person record in the People database makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record.
The Meetings database is accessed via links on the page which is itself accessed via the <Meetings> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
Records in the Meetings Database are created by the TC & TG Officers after each T11 Plenary Week. Records related to Ad Hoc meetings or teleconferences are the only types that can also be created via the T11 web page. {Create Ad Hoc Meeting or Telecon} appears on the majority of the meeting views.
The Meeting database provides four views of its records. The format of the meeting-related views, and the Plenary Week schedule view, are slightly different. Generally, however all of the record displays include a link based on the meeting which accesses details of the record, and a "mailto" link for the host or meeting leader based on the mail addresses of that person in the People database. The views are defined as follows:
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by date order. The view displays only records of meetings or teleconferences which are not held during T11 Plenary Meeting Weeks. The view consists of four columns, namely Date, Meeting Name, Location, and Facilitator/Chair. The location column contains "teleconference" or a physical location. Accessing the link in the Date column causes the record to be displayed using the Ad Hoc form. Accessing the link in the Facilitator/Chair column causes a message composition screen to be displayed with the Host's e-mail address in the To field. This view is accessed by the <schedule of interim meetings (and/or teleconferences)> link on the page which is accessed via the <Meetings> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by date order. Where a meeting spans two or more time periods, there is a separate line in the view for each period. The view displays only records of Plenary and Ad Hoc meetings which are held during T11 Plenary Meeting Weeks. The view consists of three columns, namely Date (MM-DD), Meeting Name, and Facilitator/Chair. Accessing the link in the Date column causes the record to be displayed using either the Plenary or Ad Hoc form as appropriate. Accessing the link in the Facilitator/Chair column causes a message composition screen to be displayed with the Host's e-mail address in the To field. This view is accessed by the first <list of all meetings> link on the page which is accessed via the <Meetings> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed in alphabetical order by meeting name. Where a meeting has two or more time periods, the record is displayed on multiple contiguous lines with one line per period. The view displays only records of Plenary and Ad Hoc meetings which are held during T11 Plenary Meeting Weeks. The view consists of three columns, namely Meeting Name, Date, and Facilitator/Chair. Accessing the link in the Meeting Name column causes the record to be displayed using either the Plenary or Ad Hoc form as appropriate. Accessing the link in the Facilitator/Chair column causes a message composition screen to be displayed with the Host's e-mail address in the To field. This view is accessed by the second <list of all meetings> link on the page which is accessed via the <Meetings> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar.
This is a single level view in which records are displayed by date order. The view displays only records of T11 Plenary Week meeting notices. This view is accessed by the <schedule> link on the page which is accessed via the <Meetings> link on the Main Page, and in the Navigation Bar. The view consists of three columns, namely Date Range, Location, and Host. Accessing the link in the Date Range column causes the record to be displayed using the Plenary Week form. Accessing the link in the Host column causes a message composition screen to be displayed with the Host's e-mail address in the To field.
The Meetings database uses three forms. They are the Week form, the Ad Hoc form, and the Plenary form.
This form was derived from the meeting notices that have been used in T11 for many years.
Fields on the Week form are as follows:
This form is used for all meetings that are NOT Plenaries, and for teleconferences.
Fields on the Ad Hoc form are as follows:
This form is used for all Plenary meetings. Fields on the Plenary form are as follows:
The T11 ftp site is contained within a single directory called "/t11". This has to be included in URLs and ftp addresses accessing the ftp site because the server on which the site is mounted is not dedicated to this task, and the ftp daemon does not support multi-hosting.
Within the "/t11" subdirectory all subdirectories are readable with anonymous access and are not writable, unless otherwise noted.
Underneath the "/t11" directory are eight subdirectories as follows:
There is a file called "index.html" in the "/t11" subdirectory which is designed to act as an index to a local copy of the subdirectory which is mirrored from the T11 ftp site. This index is updated on a daily basis.
Since early 1998 T11 has used a web-based submission scheme for all of its documents. This submission scheme is the only way in which documents are accepted for the cd or paper mailings which are conducted by T11. In addition, T11 procedures call for all documents to be presented at Ad Hoc or Plenary meetings of the TC or its TGs to be submitted on or before the Thursday of the week before the meeting. This is to allow a review of the material in advance of the meeting, and also to allow the meeting attenders to bring their own copies. Documents which do not meet these criteria can only be presented at the discretion of the group Chairman or Facilitator, and then the document author is required to provide copies for all meeting attenders.
The document submission scheme is designed to be user-friendly and to only require use of tools which are commonly available on most platforms, namely a web browser and an FTP client (text-only versions of both are sufficient). The scheme provides a detailed audit trail, but the information collected is held in a secure manner on the web site server and is not shared with any other organization.
Documents may be uploaded where necessary in multiple formats, on the basis of a separate file per format, but one of those formats MUST be from a list of formats selected by T11 to ensure that the document can be read by the majority of its members. At the time of writing, the selected formats were:
Of these four formats PDF is by far the most widely used. If the HTM format is used, then all hypertext links should either be references within the document or fully qualified Internet URLs including the domain name (e.g. ftp://ftp.xyz.com/somedir/somefile.htm). Other link formats will NOT operate correctly after the file is submitted.
The procedure for using the T11 document submission scheme is as follows:
1) Create the document using a program which can create an output file in at least one of the formats selected above. Note that multiple formats are supported by submission scheme, and that binary files with arbitrary file extensions can be submitted providing a version one of the selected formats is included in the same submission.
2) When you are close to completing the document, obtain a T11 document number. You do NOT need to have completed the document before obtaining the number. Specifically, up to a month can elapse between a document number being requested and a file being uploaded, although this is not recommended. A document number is obtained by accessing the web site at http://www.t11.org, following one of the <Docs> links and pressing the {Number a Document} button at the top of one of the views. This will display a form into which you will enter the title of the document, the project with which the document is associated (where possible) and the meeting at which the document will be or was presented, where possible. A checkbox field is provided to indicate the format of the document that will be provided, and the name and e-mail address of the author and submitter will also need to be entered. The right-hand column of the form describes the information that needs to be entered in each field.
3) In order to complete the submission, a password will need to be entered into the last field on the form. This can either be a Personal password, or a Functional password. A Personal password is created when a Person record is created in the People database, and is unchanging. Displaying a Person record makes available a button called <Mail me my personal password> which sends an e-mail message containing that password to the e-mail address in that person record. Personal passwords can be used to create or edit all records on the T11 site, but they do require that a Person's Name (First name followed by one space followed by Surname) and/or e-mail address be entered into the record exactly as they are found in the People database. The Functional password used to submit documents can be obtained by attending T11 meetings or by asking one of the T11 officers.
4) When entries into the form are completed, pressing {Submit} in the bottom left hand corner of the form once (and once only) causes the information in the form to be sent to the web site. The information in the form is then checked, and if errors are found a simple page with no buttons is displayed with a message in normal text informing the user of the field in error and giving some information about the error detected. The user should then use the Browser's back button to correct that field, and press {Submit} again. This process should be repeated until a bold message is displayed with a heading of "Thanks" and a link to be clicked to move onwards. Only when the thanks message is displayed has the form been successfully completed, and only then is a record created in one of the databases. Once the Thanks message has been displayed the browsers Back button should NEVER be used to access the previous information. It is strongly recommended that first-time users of the submission scheme print out the "Thanks" message for future reference.
5) The Thanks message will inform the submitter that a document number of the form:
T11/yy-nnnvm
where:
yy is the last two digits of the year (99 for 1999, 00 for 2000 etc.)
nnn is a three digit number (000 thru 999)
m is a version code (0 thru 9, A thru Z)
has been assigned to the document. The screen also instructs the submitter to upload one or more files named:
yy-nnnvm.xxx
where:
xxx is a file extension that was identified during the completion of the form described in 2) above. Note that the filename is case-sensitive, and is normally all lowercase (unless a version code of A thru Z is used).
6) Create the final document, and produce the file in the format, and with the name, as directed in the Thanks message. It is recommended that the document number be included in the document itself for reference - the page header is the place that this is often located.
7) Upload the file to the specific directory on ftp://ftp.t11.org identified in the Thanks message, using the specific UserID and password also from that message. Note that this is NOT an anonymous login. See Annex B below for information on how to use various web browsers and ftp clients to perform a file upload with such a login.
8) Within 30 minutes of a file being uploaded, a link to the file will appear in the view accessed via a <Docs> link on http://www.t11.org. The link will have a label corresponding to the file extension of the upload file (or one of the extensions in the case where multiple files were uploaded), and will appear in the right-hand column of the line on which the document number and title are listed. It is important that the file submitter checks that the link does actually appear. If the link does NOT appear, a check should be made that a file with the correct name has been uploaded, and specifically that the case of the filename is correct (a common mistake is to upload a file with an upper-case extension (e.g. PDF)). If the file is incorrectly named, or is otherwise found to be incorrect, it can be renamed, deleted, or overwritten by using the same UserID and Password as above.
9) The file will remain in the directory to which it was uploaded until approximately 3am Eastern Time on the day after which it was uploaded. Until that time the record in the database can also be edited. At that time, the file will automatically moved to a directory determined by the database, after which the file will no longer be able to be overwritten or deleted, and the database record will no longer be able to be edited. Therefore if errors are subsequently discovered, a new record will need to be generated for a revision to the document. Note that while this move process is taking place, between approximately 3am and 4am Eastern US Time, the links on the T11 web site which access the file may not work.
The T11 document submission scheme requires that files be uploaded to an ftp site using a specific User Identifier and password. This is in contrast to the majority of web and ftp sites, which do not allow information to be uploaded.
The reason for requiring the User Id and password on the T11 ftp site is to provide some defense against people outside of the T11 community using the writable directories on the ftp site for the distribution of unapproved materials. Because of this, T11 members and users of the Document Submission scheme are asked to keep the User Identifier and Password confidential.
The following sections give guidance on uploading files using web browsers, graphical ftp clients, and the standard command-line ftp client found on most Unix systems and in Windows 9x and NT.
It is possible to upload files from some, but all, web browsers. Those that do provide support normally have a specific "Upload File" item on their File menus. Accessing ftp sites with a browser also normally sends a User Identifier of "anonymous", and the user's e-mail address as the password, although this may not be obvious to the user.
At the time of writing, all versions of Netscape Navigator since 2.0 supported the uploading of files, but current versions of Internet Explorer did not. To upload, use the following URL:
ftp://t11member@ftp.t11.org/t11/member/incoming
If non-anonymous Logins are supported, then a prompt for the password should be generated. Then selecting "Upload File" from the file menu will generate a prompt for the name of the file to be uploaded.
Graphical FTP clients are available from a number of sources. Shareware examples are ws-ftp and cuteftp. All allow the creation of multiple site definitions. Please ensure that both a user ID and password are entered in each site definition, as some clients fill in "guest@" if no password is entered, and that will NOT enable write privileges. Some clients also require anonymous Login to be specifically disabled. Many of the clients also allow an Initial Remote Directory to be identified as part of the site definition, and at the time of writing the directory for uploading files should be identified as "/t11/member/incoming".
Standard command line FTP clients are available on most Unix systems and many other systems. They are also available at an MS-DOS prompt on Microsoft Windows 95 & 98 systems, and on most Microsoft NT systems. In most cases, the client is started by executing the program:
ftp
and in many cases:
ftp -h
will display a help screen.
The following is a sample dialog of a command-line ftp client on a Windows 95 system being
used to upload a file to the T11 ftp site. Note that the password entered is not echoed, and that it
is necessary to select binary transfer mode explicitly before the upload. In fact, binary mode
should always be selected, unless an plain text (ascii) format file is being uploaded from a PC to
the Linux-based T11 ftp site.
C:\WINDOWS>ftp ftp.t11.org
Connected to ns1.t11.org.
220 ns1.dpt.com FTP server (Version wu-2.4.2-academ[BETA-9](1) Thu Feb 29 15:50:44 EST 1996) ready.
User (ns1.t11.org:(none)): t11member
331 Password required for t11member.
Password:
230 User t11member logged in. Access restrictions apply.
ftp> bin
200 Type set to I.
ftp> pwd
257 "/t11/member/incoming" is current directory
ftp> put 99-999v0.pdf
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for 99-999v0.pdf.
226 Transfer complete.
76600 bytes sent in 10.00 seconds (7.660 Kbytes/sec)
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye.
Note that the response to the command "pwd" in the above dialog may not indicate that "/t11/member/incoming" is the current directory, depending on the exact ftp client used. If a different directory is indicated, using the following command BEFORE putting the file:
ftp> cd t11/member/incoming
250 CWD command successful.
If the cd command with the entire path does not work, you should able to locate the directory by locating the t11 directory and issuing multiple successive "cd" commands for each stage in the path.
The T11 web and ftp sites are presently hosted on two servers as described below. Both servers are located in a secured area at DPT, and are accessed via a firewall and a T1 connection to a major Internet Service Provider.
The static HTML pages, and the ftp site, are hosted on a serve