The Development of a USGS, WRD
Computer Hardware and Software
Inventory System (CHASIS)

As the USGS, WRD, moves into a new era of computing wherein non-DG Unix servers and NTs will begin to take over many of the Division’s important computing roles and responsibilities, there is a great need for a set of enterprise-wide inventorying and management tools. The rapid changes taking place in the WRD computing environment have made tasks such as hardware and software support and management a difficult set of tasks. Previously, when such efforts could be defined and managed for a nearly uniform computing environment (as was the case under the Distribute Information System-II (DIS-II) contract) defining management and support was a more straightforward task. The determination and allocation of support, maintenance, and management resources needed for a heterogeneous computing environment is a daunting task made more difficult by the fact that there are insufficient data available about the mix of hardware and software throughout the Division. Furthermore, as the year 2000 approaches, there is an increasing realization that the Division must have in place an inventory database of both hardware and software so that informed estimations may be made about the possible adverse consequences of the year 2000 (Y2K) bug. The development of a computer inventory tool for systems, applications, and licensing will provide WRD with a starting component for a much needed set of enterprise-wide management tools.

During fiscal year 1998, the Distributed Information System (DIS) Program Office and the Mississippi District began discussions about the development of a computer inventory database for the USGS, WRD. The need for such an inventory was brought before the USGS, WRD, Computer Policy Advisory Committee (CPAC) by Gloria Stiltner, Chief DIS Program Office. CPAC recommended the effort for funding during their meeting of November 17-19, 1998, that was held at the Miami Subdistrict office. Subsequently, funding was allocated and preliminary arrangements have been made to begin development of the Computer Hardware and Software Inventory System (CHASIS). The minutes of the CPAC meeting may be found at the following URL:

http://wwwqvarsa.er.usgs.gov/cpac/mins/981117.miami.html

The purpose of the funded effort is the development of a CHASIS. The development of CHASIS will have several major components. There will be a server side which will comprise the data from all individual sites, and there will be client application which will be used to accumulate the relevant data for each WRD site. The client database application will be developed using Microsoft Access, the database included in WRD’s supported desktop productivity suite, Microsoft Office, Professional Edition. The application will include a series of database tables for tabulating information about WRD office sites and hardware and software in use at each site. The client application will provide customized data entry forms for all data tables and will provide system administrators (SAs) with the ability to easily add, modify, and delete data for their site. The client application will be distributed to SAs. Each District will maintain a local database which will be replicated to a central site where aggregation will occur, analysis will be conducted, and data and reporting services will be provided. Types of data that will be tabulated in the table will include specifics about hardware configurations, operating systems, licensed software (such as GIS software), specialized network hardware, and Y2K compliance status.

Prior to the release/distribution of the database application to all District and Sub-District offices, the database will be preloaded on the server with the information generated during the "Baseline Data Compilation" phase of the workplan. The Baseline Data Compilation will include compiling data from DIS contract purchases that can be retrieved from the DIS database, acquiring all names of machines that have registered IPs (through Jim Fisher of the Office of Program Support - OPS), and pulling together the data from Graig McHendrie's original data set (and new database for Lotus). Additional data to be preloaded includes license information for ESRI, SAS, S-Plus, and Frame, as well as other new data such as LAN and WAN equipment where deemed necessary. Further data will be tabulated as to the use of MSOffice, Ingres, and other licensed or corporate (NWIS, AIS, Travel Manager, etc.) software on specific equipment. Each equipment item or tabular record will be referenced to a site by the use of a "site code" database item. The site code will likewise be an item in a spatial database as a point attribute item that will allow all tables to be linked to a spatial database, accessed, and served to the USGS Intranet in a map-based form through a web-enabled GIS application.

The database application will be distributed to all Districts and Sub-Districts with preloaded information included. The local database will be maintained by the local computer section staff and will be populated by using customized forms. Each WRD district will have a "site" file that will be used to provide information about the spatial location of the office and will provide primary keys for other tables to use for links. There will be separate tables for hardware items, software items, maintenance items, and license tracking if needed (or desired). The site code will serve as the primary key - foreign key link item between tables. All sites will maintain their local database. Provision will be made so that individual program offices (such as the Geographic Information Programs Office - GIPO) may maintain the data for which they are responsible.

CHASIS will be designed, developed, tested, implemented, populated, and put on the WRD Intranet prior to October 1, 1999. The delivered application will primarily consist of a designed database, preloaded data, electronic database input forms, and methods for data aggregation, analysis, and web serving. Specific functional items that the database will provide include:

• Detailed information about hardware, OS type and version, maintenance status, and Y2K compliance status for each computer in WRD
• Preloaded data for each site about DIS-II hardware that will require modifications and updates
• Preloaded data for each site about licensed software application including GIS, statistical software, and collaborative communications software
• Status or use of NWIS and AIS on each platform. (an NWIS server, an NWIS client, never used with NWIS, etc.)
• Report generating tools for the site

• Report generating tools including map-and form-based interfaces for pulling information about equipment by individual sites, by the entire division, by groups of sites, or by region
• Report generating tools including map-and form-based interfaces for pulling information about hardware, OS, and software by individual sites, by the entire division, by groups of sites, or by region
• Report generating tools including map-and form-based interfaces for pulling information about license or maintenance status by individual sites, by the entire division, by groups of sites, or by region
• Report generating tools including map-and form-based interfaces for pulling information about Y2K status for specific equipment categories by individual sites, by the entire division, by groups of sites, or by region

• Report generating tools including map-and form-based interfaces for pulling inventory information by individual sites, by the entire division, by groups of sites, or by region