Inside eRA, January 28, 2003 (Volume 4, Issue 2)

OER Offers NIH eRA Commons Training for NIH Staff

The Office of Extramural Research invites all NIH staff to learn about the NIH eRA Commons 2 on February 13. This Commons orientation session, covering current status and future plans, will be held in the Natcher Building (#45) Main Auditorium from 8:30–11:30 a.m.

More than 100 institutions and 950 individuals already have registered for NIH eRA Commons 2, which provides grantees with online grant status information. NIH eRA Commons 2 supports several new Web-based applications, including Internet Assisted Review (IAR). This module enables reviewers to submit scientific critiques and initial priority scores electronically. Both NIH eRA Commons 2 and IAR are likely to generate questions from the internal and external NIH communities. The training on February 13 will prepare Program and Review Administrators to answer these questions.

All employees are welcome; no advance registration is necessary. Sign language interpreters will be provided. If you need more information or require additional accommodation, contact Patty Austin, 301-435-0690 x617.

The Center for Information Technology (CIT) will make the NIH eRA Commons training session available to viewers on the NIH network and the Internet from the NIH VideoCasting Web site. Go to http://videocast.nih.gov/FutureEvents.asp for details.

Highlights of January Deployment

End-User Workstation Software Upgrades

eRA upgraded the workstation software by which users access IMPAC II applications. These upgrades, which should be transparent to end users, are a prerequisite to the March 2003 migration of eRA database and middle-tier software to Oracle9i Database and Oracle9i Application Server.

• Web Access -- NIH personnel that access IMPAC II applications through the Web, use Java Initiator  workstation software. The new version is 1.1.8.16.             
• Client-Server Access -- NIH staff, who access IMPAC II client-server applications directly, use Oracle Forms Tools software. Oracle Forms Tools moved up to a later patch set of Version 6.

The Information Technology staff in each IC will be responsible for installing the new versions on each IC workstation. If you have questions about these upgrades, contact the IMPAC II Technical Coordinator for your IC or the eRA Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov.

IMPAC II Application Deployments

NIH eRA Commons Applications

See article on the NIH eRA Commons and Web-based application pilots in the January 17 newsletter.

Preparations Continue for Conversion to Oracle 9i

eRA technical staff have brought server operating systems and application software to the most current levels in preparation for the upgrade to Oracle9i Database (Oracle9i/DB) and Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle 9i/AS) this coming March. Oracle 9iAS offers a complete Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform for building and deploying enterprise Java applications accessible from any Web browser or wireless device.

After the March Oracle9i deployment, Operations will be able to add the extra servers and storage capacity needed to accommodate the increase in electronic grants administration data and the growing number of users of eRA systems. In addition, the J2EE software development platform will ensure that eRA applications take advantage of the most current Internet technologies. eRA is using J2EE for all new development; existing client-server applications are being redesigned in Java. See the article on Committee Management (CM) FastTrack in this issue.

Oracle 9i enables the integration of more data and offers better tools for data analysis. Applications built with J2EE will be faster, more reliable and more accessible from remote locations.

If you have questions about these upgrades, contact the eRA Helpdesk at helpdesk@od.nih.gov.

Users Get Ready for J2EE Committee Management Pilot

eRA is in the midst of extensive user orientation as technical staff completes acceptance testing for the Committee Management (CM) J2EE pilot, which began on January 24. Meeting/roster functionality, one of the most heavily used components of the CM module, was selected to be “fast tracked” for conversion from client-server to Web-based J2EE technology. See the December Inside eRA for more information about migration plans.

Training sessions for pilot users on January 6 and 8 included an overview of the J2EE environment, tips and techniques for using Web applications, and instruction on which operations to perform in CM J2EE and which to perform in the client-server version. There was another class on January 24 to provide in-depth instruction on how to use the new system. The User Services Branch (USB) also is coordinating hands-on training.

The eRA CM team would like to thank all users who participated in the requirements-gathering sessions, the Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions, and the Committee Management User Group (CMUG) meetings for their involvement in the CM upgrade. According to Krishna Collie, CM analyst, “this has been an application created by the user community to effectively and efficiently serve their work needs.”

Preparations are underway for Phase II of the CM pilot, which is scheduled for July. The technical team will keep the user community informed at CMUG meetings and in this newsletter.

Network and Firewall Upgrades Improve eRA Security and Performance

A series of network and firewall upgrades, installed on the eRA system in December, are expected to improve performance, security and configuration flexibility and maintainability. The Center for Information Technology (CIT), which owns the network infrastructure for most eRA servers, and eRA Operations implemented the upgrades.

Over the past few years, the NIH eRA project (IMPAC II and the NIH eRA Commons) has been expanding at a rapid pace, both in infrastructure and in the number of online sessions. To support increased usage, eRA improved the network architecture in two areas—firewalls and network switches—as detailed below.

Firewalls

What is the purpose of a firewall?

A firewall is the first line of defense in protecting private information. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps flames from spreading from one area to another. In an information technology (IT) environment, a firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. It implements security rules, determines who can connect to Web sites, controls which files can be transmitted over the network, and restricts access from the Internet/Intranet to private or confidential data.

Why did we need to upgrade eRA firewalls?

• The existing Lucent brick operating system was no longer supported and difficult to maintain. If our firewall had a failure, a manual recovery procedure would have been necessary, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to hours.    
• The existing Lucent hardware also was no longer supported.    
• The firewall brick rule set required streamlining and reconfiguration. Rapid project growth accounted for a large number of rules, which needed to be consolidated into more general ones. A review of security policies and access privileges also was due.

The firewall upgrade accomplished the following:

• Implemented a newer Lucent firewall model with a faster processor and hardware more suited to the enterprise    
• Established a vendor-supported configuration    
• Implemented new operating system support for Layer 3 capability, which enhances configuration versatility    
• Installed redundant configuration, which provides uninterrupted service in case of failover or during maintenance    
• Wrote a smaller, more efficient rule set and better security documentation

Switches

What is the purpose of a switch?

Very small networks use a simple device called a hub to connect all the ports in the network together for moving data. Hubs, however, cannot establish a direct connection from one computer to another nor prevent data packets (units of transmission) from colliding with one another. Over time, hubs evolved into intelligent network switches, capable of sending data directly to the desired site within the network. Switches also detect packets with errors and hold packets that would result in a collision until lines are clear. Most are capable of full duplex transmission, i.e., data can travel simultaneously to and from a system on the network.

Why did we need to upgrade switches in the eRA network?

• Often, eRA Operations could not determine the location of bottlenecks because the network architecture was not optimal.    
• The small, Cisco 2900 switches were no longer sufficient for eRA network traffic.    
• Cabling configuration was outdated and hard to maintain.

What did eRA gain from the upgrade of its switches?

• The new Cisco 6500 switches are larger, better suited to the enterprise, and able to support  traffic without bottlenecks.    
• The new cabling is easier to maintain, eliminating possible bad physical configuration and undetected failures.    
• The reconfiguration of the NIH eRA Commons 2 Web server now is compliant with CIT’s standards.

Population Tracking Software Now Supports Contract Records

The Population Tracking application now supports viewing and population-tracking data entry for FY 2002 contract records in accordance with NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research. Users can query on FY 2002 contract records that require tracking from the Grant Search screen (POP1000) to assign protocols and enter subject counts.

When selected contract records display in the Project Hitlist block, users can access the old form (POP1300) or the new form (POP1400) as appropriate. The new form provides a reporting format that is in compliance with 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards. According to NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-01-053, beginning on January 10, 2002, investigators for new and competing continuation grants, cooperative agreements and contracts are required to use the new form when reporting race and ethnicity information to the NIH.

Five IMPAC II Population Tracking reports have been modified to compute aggregate counts, which include contract records. The POP6064 report remains the same because it contains intramural data.

John McGowan Commends eRA Advocates

As 2003 begins, I would like to formally express my appreciation to eRA Advocates for your dedication and important contributions to the eRA Project during 2002. With your help, eRA continues to move toward its goal of full electronic grant processing at the NIH. In addition, this year has seen many accomplishments, including the successful retirement of IMPAC I, the full processing of Summary Statements in IMPAC II, NIH eRA Commons Version 2.0, and the start of an ambitious migration to J2EE technology. Thank you for all your hard work!

As we look forward to 2003, I would like each of you to consider your desire and ability to support the eRA Project during the upcoming year. At the same time, we are looking at suggestions from the community as to the current structure of the Advocates and the Project Team. Based on the input received, we will be modifying the structure and composition of the eRA Project Team. Part of the restructuring will include bringing in some new Advocates so that we continue to have appropriate representation from the ICs and some rotations off the group. 

Thank you again for your past contributions to the eRA Project, and in advance, for your cooperation as the eRA Project Team evolves to better focus on the challenges that lie ahead in 2003.

Warmest Regards,

J.J. McGowan, eRA Project Manager