Adrian Midgley wrote:
"IE there is an absolute disconnect between control of (access to) source code
and control of operational servers"

Agree.  The original clarification was that AO's remit re GPASS is only running
the Managed Servers, and the executables also run on hundreds of practice
servers.  All GPASS code remains the copyright of the Crown, and supply is
administered by National Services Scotland.  However the source code has not
been released despite as good a case as possible (I suggest) being made by many
to the technical people in the Deloitte Review, who were unable to convince NSS
to release the code.  But Deloitte did convince them that the code was not good
enough to support development for foreseeable near-future functions.

2. Servers - nearly - the AO server farm is part of the NSS Infrastructure for
all NHS Scotland, and will support dozens of applications, including their own
hosting of Vision, the first instance of which is going live real soon now.

The difficulty we have as end-users is that the relations between all these
organisations are governed either by Civil Service procedures, or by contracts
that are a tad difficult to access, or understand.  Accountability vanishes in
the murk.


Colin


-----Original Message-----
From: GP-UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dr Adrian Midgley (In the
office)
Sent: 16 April 2007 09:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: imaging and ultrasound provided by Atos

Michael Hendry wrote:
> Adrian Midgley wrote:
>> Colin Brown wrote:
>>> Atos Origin do have the renewed "Infrastructure" support contract 
>>> for NHS Scotland, which includes running the Managed Servers that 
>>> have been trying to host GPASS and GPASS Clinical, so on that 
>>> platform they inevitably have control over access for 3rd party suppliers.
>>>
>>>
>> Not to the source code.  Not inevitably.
(I should have said SNHS rather than SGPC, given where the decision is actually
made.)

> Because Atos Origin controls the Managed Servers, it also controls the 
> executables that are run on them.
> 
> With a local server you can install and run what you want, on a 
> managed server you've got to take what Atos is gracious enough to allow you to
use.

1.  Which doesn't in any way necessarily limit access to source code, and
therefore has no relevance at all to who might inspect such source code for
faults; write (or pay someone else to write) corrections; test such corrected
executables on a test system (even in a single practice system with a local
server, you test stuff...preferably not on the production server with the
working copies of programs and data) debug them and present them (via CVS or in
less easy ways) for merging into the production system.  IE there is an absolute
disconnect between control of (access to) source code and control of operational
servers conflation of them is misleading, and much if it is carefully crafted
disinformation from companies.

2.  Servers.  It is highly likely that Atos has a (farm of servers constituting
a cluster) server which runs only GPASS - in fact it is likely split ito three
layers, a back end database, a layer running GPASS against them, and at the
front either load-balancing or just possibly some caching to speed response.  To
add another application one adds a separate set of servers, likely enough to be
in a completely different data centre.  This is a description of the Internet if
we take it to its logical end.  The implication that everything has to reside on
one server, and thus one authority must control everything in case they upset
that one server is carefully crafted disinformation which regrettably continues
to circulate.  _On_ the Internet - see above.

--
A


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