I.T. Times
Volume 5, No 5 Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis April 1997


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A11 Mainframe to Retire

The A11 mainframe will go into semi-retirement in July, to be permanently decommissioned in early 1998. For many years the A11 has hosted a number of administrative functions, including accounting, payroll, budget, equipment inventory, grounds and buildings, accounts payable, and the student information system. Now these systems are being replaced by newer ones, making them more flexible, efficient, and convenient for campus users.

Running a mainframe like the A11 becomes less cost effective as applications migrate elsewhere. This migration began at UC Davis in the late 1980s when the payroll system moved to the Office of the President. The student information system moved from the A11 to a UNIX-based platform in the early 1990s. DaFIS (the new Davis Financial Information System) is scheduled to start up in July 1997, and will serve as the primary system for financial applications.

For an interim period between the planned DaFIS implementation date and actual retirement, the A11 will operate in a limited capacity to accommodate fiscal year 96/97 closing and calendar year 1997 tax reporting.

Data that resides on the A11 will not be updated beyond the 96/97 fiscal year. After that time, users should turn to the newer systems, such as DaFIS and the Payroll Personnel Data Warehouse.