The University has had a long involvement with electronic mail, especially within the technically-oriented research community. However, previous efforts have been on a department-by-department basis, with ad hoc, volunteer co-ordination, and support. As network connectivity has expanded into less technically-focused academic, administrative and library departments, the demand for a co-ordinated, easy to acquire, easy to use, reliable ``black telephone''-like service has increased. New clients gaining network connectivity are less technically sophisticated, less interested in the technology, and more interested in the functions and value that this application provides. Other potential clients, who do not have high speed network access are now also becoming interested. Increasingly, the potential clients do not have experienced network professionals to draw upon. It is difficult for these potential electronic mail users to acquire the necessary expertise to get themselves up and running within the current loose, ad-hoc framework provided for electronic mail.
UTCC itself has also had a long history in facilitating electronic mail by providing various pieces of the current framework, in both an ad hoc and supported manner. These include BITNET/NETNORTH, UUCP and CDNNET external gateways, Mail User Agents (MUA) via timesharing systems under CMS and Unix, and some co-ordination of the Domain Name Service. An electronic mail service for the Macintosh personal computer was also made available to a small number of departments. Finally, the General Purpose Backbone (GPB) has provided key interdepartmental and external communications infrastructure for the current research-oriented electronic mail facilities, and the previous electronic mail efforts of UTCS.
Computing and Communications has recognized that electronic mail, while valuable in itself, will also lead to an important evolution in layering other day-to-day needs in the administrative, research, instructional and library domains over a production electronic mail service. As such, the ability to deliver a supported, robust, reliable, potentially ubiquitous service will be key to these new service offerings. It is recognized that electronic mail, far from being an electronic toy, will likely evolve into a core networked application, that can form a key part of daily life within the University. The result of these client pressures, internal efforts & application forecasts has lead to a recognition that a more comprehensive, disciplined effort, with an institutional focus, is required as part of the process of deploying an electronic mail service.
To facilitate this goal, a process was undertaken that would utilize UTCS internal expertise to assist in the production of several reports: client-oriented, systems-oriented and implementation-oriented. In the client-oriented requirements report [DS92], UTCS consolidated into a single place the many user-oriented pieces of information necessary for designing an institutional electronic mail service, such as the potential client composition, client base size, client needs, technologies in use, and the day-to-day work activities that electronic mail could enhance. This report considers the client requirements from a systems-oriented perspective to present the service design objectives, service deliverables, vendor requirements, and the required technical and administrative infrastructure necessary for an institutional electronic mail service.