Congrats John et al. I couldn't agree more with your comments.
I hope everyone understands that QA is not like a driver's license exam - where you'll be banned from AG'ing if you fail (although that is an interesting idea ;-)) QA testing is all about increasing quality of nodes and making sure everyone is aware of the tips/tricks and best practices that ensure high quality and ease of administration. As you mentioned John, even for a veteran, it is amazing how useful just going through the process is. Congrats again. Todd -- Collaboration & Visualization Specialist UBC Okanagan - http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan WestGrid - www.westgrid.ca Ph. 250-807-9979 Todd Zimmerman - [email protected] On Tue, 2008-11-04 at 13:49 -0600, John I. Quebedeaux, Jr wrote: > Thanks Jason. > > I'll comment that despite our LSU node being in use since it's installation > in 2002 (has it been that long?) and i'm probably above average in knowing > how to set things up, the process actually helped me improve the node even > more, I thank Jason for his time (16 hours ahead of mine!). > > I'll be working to get all the Louisiana nodes up to this status now, then > will see if I can help anyone else. The process generates fantastic feedback > (pardon the puns!), which I can’t imagine any site not wanting some objective > comments and insight – often improving something on the spot if it isn’t > already good. Sites can use this to probably get improvements made they've > been needing, how often is the tool not a priority for improvement and yet > it’s a critical system for communication.... In most cases it will reassure > the site that they'll be meeting with a node that is... Good, if not Great. > and the least of your worries will be the technology. > > I heartily recommend everyone to do this, I regret not doing it sooner. > > Like many, I’ve been intending to do this and hadn’t gotten it done. Despite > that, I really do recommend sites take the time to get this done – I > challenge anyone to do this before the next AG Retreat timeframe. I think it > really means something to confirm this status on your nodes that meet the > requirements easily already. For those who are “afraid” they’ll “fail” - it’s > an excellent opportunity to improve your node. The “tester” has a great deal > of experience and will be able to help you. I was nervous, but that just > served for me to review all my procedures, functions, capabilities, and I > think honestly that just makes it better. All nodes have “weak spots” - mine > certainly does. So does Jason’s. It’s recognizing them and fixing them where > they can be fixed and compensating for them where needed or dealing with it. > Identifying these officially may help you get what you need to fix them, > otherwise – why do you have an Access Grid node if y! ou’re not going to have a good communication/collaboration tool? Too many of us have suffered by joining nodes who weren’t “up to par” and the frustration involved. > > In our state, it’s probably one of the most productive, long distance, > collaborative, tool used over the span of time we’ve been using this > technology and we will be continuing to use it – if our NIH grant can be > renewed for 5 more years after 2010, we’ll be looking at ways of enhancing > the quality and ease of use, of course, but quality assurance means a great > deal to know our nodes are “good” ones. Louisiana now boasts over 20 room > installations and we’re starting to bridge the gap with IOCOM nodes (although > something needs to be done about compatibility on the h.264 video issue > between AG and IOCOM.... As they don’t seem to be compatible – separate > thread!) I’m not sure exactly where the desktop nodes will fit in in the > future meetings, as I have many admins (not computer admins!) who want to > simply join from their office now that they’re getting better network > connections there. > > I’m rambling now, so I’ll leave it at that for now! > > Cheers, > > -John Q. > -- > John I. Quebedeaux, Jr.; Louisiana State University > Computer Manager LBRN; 131 Life Sciences Bldg. > e-mail: [email protected]; web: http://lbrn.lsu.edu > phone: 225-578-0062 / fax: 225-578-2597 > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > From: Jason Bell <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2008 20:57:37 +1000 > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: [AG-TECH] LSU (U.S.) AG node achieves QA Status > > Dear Colleagues > > I am delighted to inform you that today the "Louisiana State University, > Biological Sciences Access Grid Node" achieveed Quality Assurance Status. It > should be node that this is the first Access Grid node in the United States > to achieve the Global Quality Assurance status. > > More importantly, John I Quebedeaux Jr has accepted the position for QA > tester for the region of Louisiana State within the United States. > > A current list of Regional testers can be found at > http://www.accessgrid.org/qatesters <http://www.accessgrid.org/qatesters> . I > would invite anyone else considering becoming a Regional QA Tester for the > Access Grid to consider the following prerequisites: > > • Your node must be “Quality Assured” (this is generally done by me); > > • You would need to undergo some basic training (about an hour’s > worth); and > > • It would be preferable if you have been using Access Grids on a > regular basis for some time. > > If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact me!!! > > For those who wish to obtain Quality Assured Status, it is recommended that > you: > > • Read http://www.accessgrid.org/node/493 > <http://www.accessgrid.org/node/493> to find out the test requirements for > the quality assurance process. > > • Read http://www.accessgrid.org/node/352 > <http://www.accessgrid.org/node/352> to obtain hints and tips on getting > your Access Grid Node up to the required high standard. > > • The website http://www.accessgrid.org/node/705 > <http://www.accessgrid.org/node/705> highlights the marking sheets. These > are the same marking sheets that "we" as QA testers will use. > > • Contact your local regional QA AG tester, as a list of QA testers can > be found at http://www.accessgrid.org/qatesters > <http://www.accessgrid.org/qatesters> . > > Once again, congratulations to the work of " Louisiana State University, > Biological Sciences Access Grid Node” in its effort for achieving such a high > quality standard. > > Thanks for your time, > > Jason > > -------------------------------------------- > > Jason Bell, B.I.T. (Honours) > > Research Systems Support Officer > > Information Technology Division > > CQ University Australia > > Australian Research Collaboration Service > > http://www.arcs.org.au/ <http://www.arcs.org.au/> > > E-mail : [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > Work : +61 7 4930 9229 > > Mobile : 0409 630897 > > Postal : Building 19 > > Central Queensland University > > Bruce Highway > > Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 4702 > > -------------------------------------------- > > Patience is a virtue. > > But if I wanted Patience, > > I would have become a Doctor. > > -------------------------------------------- >
