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Line 1: − The First Generation Computing Loggers, more formally known back in their prime as logger1.ury.york.ac.uk and logger2.ury.york.ac.uk, are two servers known as achieving amazing feats during their time in production, the most notable of which being that they were first put into use in the 1998-1999 (?) academic year by a team including [[Jon Dye]], [[Simon Hildrew]], [[Mat Fortune]], [[Alan Raison]] and [[Gavin Atkinson]].+ + + + + + + + + + + + + − == Pre-Computing Loggers ==+ − Before we implemented a digital log recording system using hard disks, all our output was logged using VHS tapes that were changed every 12 hours by a dedicated committee position. The name of this position is currently difficult to retrieve due to it being before the days of digital committee management, but it is well known that [[James Brookes]] held the position for some time. − Multiple boxes of these tapes still exist in URY's [[stores]], although playback of any of these has not been attempted in living history. With the increasing proliferation of "Computers" in everyday life, it was decided that maybe there was a way of automating this historic task.+ − == Introducing logger[12] ==+ − When specifying the hardware specification of the loggers, with advice from [[Tom Whitehouse]] (serious, try and find a wiki page *without* his name on it), two systems were build with similar overall power, but with hardware sources as different as possible to reduce the possibility of a design flaw in one causing a failure in another. Word has it that these were built was cheaply as possible, hence the use of AT-style motherboards and cases (complete with DIN keyboard port) in the late 90's. − === Specifications of logger1 ===+ − * Operating System: FreeBSD 5.2-RC (Installed 2003) − * Processor: AMD-K6 3D (350.80MHz) − * Cores: 1 − * Architecture: i386 − * Memory: 27MB available (32MB installed) − * PSU: xxW AT power supply − * HDD: 40GB (8379 Power-On Hours) − + − + − * Operating System: Debian 2.4.18-1-k6 (Installed 2004) − * Processor: AMD-K6 3D (350.80MHz) − * Cores: 1 − * Architecture: i386 − * Memory: 29.8MB available (32MB installed) − * PSU: xxW AT power supply − * HDD: 40GB − ''Last known updating advice for this server: "Don't update this server. It works just fine."''+ − == The Second Coming of Digital Logging ==+ − In Summer 2012, a plan was devised to start decommissioning these then 12-year-old devices. Due to the need for something that was provably highly stable (at least 42 days continuous service runtime), it took the next two academic years to reach a point where the replacement devices, uryred and uryblue (see [[Second Generation Computing Loggers]]), were considered stable enough to prepare turning off loggers 1 and 2. − A date was set for Friday, Week 10 of the Summer Term 2013/4, as it was the end of an academic year and also team veteran [[Lloyd Wallis]]'s last day in York (and birthday). It would be a ceremonial event where the loggers would be considered no longer mission-critical to our operations. However, as this was a short time before many components reached 10 years uptime, it was decided that they would likely be kept running (albeit not necessarily doing much) until that milestone was reached.+ − On Wednesday, Week 10 (25/06/2014), it was discovered that logger1 was not as healthy as was hoped - his PSU fan had failed and he was running hot. As a result, the decommissioning was brought forward to that evening.+ − Amusingly, logger2 then outlived one of the replacements when uryblue's motherboard packed up without warning in Spring 2015. After some arguing with ebuyer about the length of warranty, some partial refund was acquired, and in true logger style, the cheapest possible motherboard was acquired to repair uryblue. − Finally, on Friday 15 July 2016, logger2 was halted for the last time by [[Anthony Williams]] and [[Andy Durant]], in full academic gownery for it was their graduation. It had been suffering from a failing network card for some weeks prior to this and it was finally decided to lay it to rest rather than repair. logger2 was then delivered to [[Gavin Atkinson]] in his office.+ − == Trivia ==+ − * In Summer 2011/12, an eighth birthday cake was made for logger2's disk installation date. It was enjoyed at a station meeting, and a poem was written in a birthday card for him. Someone should transcribe this. − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Updated to 2016/17 HoC
{{Team
|tstyle={{Teamstyle Computing}}
|name=Computing Team
|logo=[[File:Ctlogo.png]]
|brief=Maintains URY's computer systems, both hardware and software. Keeps the URY streams and website running.
|csec=[[Constitution#Computing_Team|Here]]
|roles=[[Head of Computing]]<br />[[Assistant Head of Computing]]<br />[[Webmaster]]<br />[[Computing Officer]] (multiple)
|teammail=computing@ury.org.uk
|freshermail=computing@ury.org.uk
|hotmail=head.of.computing@ury.org.uk
}}
'''Computing Team''' is the URY [[team]] responsible for maintaining URY's computer ordinance, both hardware and software.
== What do we do? ==
We like to think of ourselves as the ''everything'' team, because while we're limited to poking anything that involves computers, we actually do an incredible amount of stuff:
=== Website ===
We look after the URY website, revamp or replace it when it gets old (about twice a year), and make sure that other teams are able to keep it full of content.
The website is written in Pyramid, which is a '''Python''' web framework. Coincidentally, computer science students at time of writing now learn Python as an introductory programming language. We also have some Web systems written in '''PHP''' and '''Ruby'''.
''Last known updating advice for this server: "Don't update this server. It works just fine."''
Our website runs on the '''Nginx''' web server, with some of our backend systems using bits of '''Apache'''.
=== Specifications of logger2 ===
=== Servers ===
We run our own physical servers, which involves a lot of nipping into our server shed to turn things off and on, swap cables around and shout at power supplies. If you like pulling things out of racks, staring at them, sticking RAM in them and putting them back in racks, then we offer one of the finest physical server admin experiences available to York students.
Of course, it isn't all about the hardware. We also do a lot of system administration on the software side, making sure that all the processes that keep URY running stay up and don't tie themselves in knots. We run '''FreeBSD''' and '''Debian GNU/Linux''', with a '''Windows Server''' domain controller for the desktop systems.
=== Desktops ===
Each studio has a few computers, typically running '''Windows''', that are used by presenters for playing out sound, connecting to the Internet, and using our Studio Information Service. These have to be maintained, of course, and it's us that rise to the challenge.
=== Software ===
Compteam develop and maintain most of our software in-house, a fact that we are very proud of - know of any other society at the university that can say that? Know of any other student radio station that can say that? We don't. We've listed some of our things below, and linked to our ''Ceedox'' wiki which keeps all our technical documentation and secrets. You have to have a URY account to see those pages, I'm afraid, but York students can get one instantly by going to [https://ury.org.uk/getinvolved].
[[Category:Computing]]
==== LoggerNG ====
[https://ury.org.uk/ceedox/computing:software:in-house:loggerng Ceedox Documentation]
LoggerNG is our new-for-2013 output logging system. Our Ofcom licence means we have to have a log of 42 days of output at all times - if we aren't recording, we aren't broadcasting. The old logger system runs on some vintage desktop hardware from around 2001, so we needed something new.
LoggerNG includes two dedicated servers, a ''sox''-based recording program, 65 days of FLAC files and a HTML5 download interface on a third server. It's a big thing, and needs to work 100% of the time, all the time (well, term time).
==== Broadcasting and Presenting Suite (BAPS) ====
This is another one of our older systems. Written around 2003 in Managed C++, at the time it was seen as everything a presenter would need to do a show - on a computer. Of course, the original designers did not plan for a decade in the future, where social media, HTML5 and APIs are the way of the future, so it is now starting to seem somewhat dated.
The server side of the system manages the ability to play out different audio to different sound cards. It lacks lots of functionality, but is in fact very very good at what it does.
Our 2013/15 roadmap is all about keeping this stable background service (the BAPS server), but refresh the way users can interact with it, using the Radio API Daemon (RAPID) and extending the existing capabilities of our Show Planner (HTML5/JS).
==== If No Show, I Do an Instantly Organised, Unending Show - Totally Outrageous Non-stop Entertainment System (insidious Tones (iTones)) ====
[https://ury.org.uk/ceedox/computing:software:in-house:insidioustones Ceedox Documentation]
Publically known as URY's Campus Jukebox, this is the system that plays songs when there's not a presenter on air. It's another of our mission critical things as we can't broadcast silence, but it also has lots of neat tricks in the form of a web interface to define a range of pre-defined playlist schedules and some automated playlist generation. Its scheduler is part of the MyRadio framework and integrates with the telnet interface of a little-known thing called Liquidsoap (a Savonet project). Trust us when we say it is very powerful and a lot of fun to play with.
==== MyRadio ====
This magical little thing is designed to be the glue for URY's services. Written in PHP, Twig and HTML5, this is essentially our intranet. Here's some of the things it pulls together:
* Presenter Training
* Show Scheduling
* URYPlayer Podcasts
* Show Resources (beds, jingles etc.)
* Show Planning
* In-Studio Information (live messages, news & stats)
* Chart & Playlists
* Central Music Library
* iTones
* Mailing Lists
* Webcams (and archives)
* Show Monitoring
* Statistics
All of this is also exposed using an API [https://ury.org.uk/api/] which provides us with easy control and remote access to all of the above as well as Users, Committees, Images, Tracklists and our Studio Selector.
This API is then in turn used by a range of our resources, including our RadioPlayer page, E-mail service, MixCloud uploader, Presenter website pages, IRC bot and more. Put simply, this bundle of PHP holds our station together.
Oh, did I mention we're trying to generalise it so other stations can learn what we do under the hood? It's open sourced at [https://github.com/UniversityRadioYork/MyRadio]!
==== Show Planner ====
[https://ury.org.uk/ceedox/computing:software:in-house:myury:nipsweb Ceedox Documentation]
Built upon the MyRadio framework, Show Planner is a HTML5 version of the in-studio BAPS client, but in a web browser. It allows anyone to plan shows, upload files and do lots of other neat stuff. If you like lots of pretty client side stuff, with a multi-user editable backend, then you'll love this.
During initial development, it went through several names - BAPSWeb 2, BAPS Planner and NIPSWeb, before eventually being named the more simple Show Planner. It replaced BAPSWeb, a single several-thousand line PHP file and a Comic-Sans interface which were developed around the same time as BAPS itself.
Version 1 was featured as part of our Less Black and More Graphics entry in the Student Radio Awards 2012, but was replaced by the MyRadio integrated version over the next year.
Version 2 of this little gizmo won us a Silver Best Technical Achievement at the Student Radio Awards 2013.
Version 3 is current near-completion, the client-side complete rewritten as part of MyRadio's move to Bootstrap.
=== Fun ===
Though Compteam have the burden of a lot of responsibility for critical systems most of the time, really most of us are here to '''have fun'''.
Being in and around a student radio station gives people who want to play around with new ideas in an existing context a real jumpstart, and as a consequence whenever we're not fixing stuff we're often in URY working on making new things. Here are a few examples:
* BAPS, URY's very own custom playout system (Matt Fortune, 20??/??)
* The studio clock system (Lloyd Wallis, 2011/12)
== Prospective members ==
Computing Team is always looking for new members, so if you're interested by what we do, send us an email (see the infobox on the right hand side)!
URY membership is £7 if you make a regular habit of poking our systems, but anyone is free to come and have a go. The team often has meetings at on Wednesdays in VBar around 7pm.
=== What we use ===
As Computing Team's goals involve education and development just as much as professionalism and dependability, there is no requirement for prior knowledge. That being said, some knowledge of any of the following would be a great start:
* Administration of Unix-style systems, especially Debian GNU/Linux and FreeBSD
* Administration of Windows client systems, Active Directory and Windows Server
* Python 2, especially Django
* SQL, especially PostgreSQL
* PHP
* Network administration (hardware and software)
* Continuous integration - Jenkins/Hudson, Travis
* Shell scripting
* Systems programming - C, Go, etc.
== History ==
* Computing Team was formed by separation from the [[Technical]] Team as URY's dependency on computer systems increased during the late 90s and early 2000s.
* URY's longest ever serving servers (heh) were the [[First Generation Computing Loggers]], in production for 14 years and with 10 years of HDD runtime hours each.
== Members (past and present) ==
=== Heads of Teams ===
* "2017-present": [[Charles Pigott]]
* ''2016-2017'': [[Chris Taylor]]
* ''2014-2016'': [[Anthony Williams]]
* ''2011-2014'': [[Matt Windsor]]
* ''2010-2011'': [[Gareth Andrew Lloyd]]
* ''2009-2010'': [[Alex Williams]]
* ''2008-2009'': [[Gareth Andrew Lloyd]]
* (More to be inserted here)
=== Other Members ===
In a rough reverse chronological order.
* [[Brooke Hatton]]
* [[Sophie Kinley]]
* [[Qumarth Jash]]
* [[Charles Pigott]]
* [[Sam Willcocks]]
* [[Adam Taylor]]
* [[Andrei-Costin Zisu]]
* [[Vivan Jayant]] (Webmaster, 2012)
* [[Sam Gamble]] (2011-12)
* [[Anthony Williams]]
* [[Danny Bell]]
* [[Donal Cahill]]
* [[Lloyd Wallis]] (2011-2014, still an active alumnus)
* [[Andy Durant]] (as a "computerneer")
* (Expand this list!)
== Big Updates ==
During breaks between terms, CompTeam will often update or upgrade a large number of services. We like to post a list of changes toward the end of the break.
* [[Computing Updates: Christmas 2013]]
* [[Computing Updates: Summer 2013]]
* [[Computing Updates: Easter 2013]]