Introduction

Two requests for requirements were sent to the collaboration on 2013/03/04. They are meant to address separate issues as briefly introduced below. This blog will maintain the requirements and Q&A related to the two items.

The standard color correspond to the initial requirement list, blue items added by STAR members, red items not requirements but feedbacks, ...

BNL/RCF mail server

The RCF need to upgrade their BNL/RCF mail server or outsource to another service. The functional requirements we have are below:

• Email access from anywhere, any device
  • Access using standard imap/imapd (remote, never had  a problem with the RCF so far even in remote corners of the world) and receive/send via imap ports (SSL/TLS required for receive / STARTTLS for send) - this would provide flexibility to chose the Email-client
  • In general, ability to read and send email from any client: iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, etc without any additional layer of certification or proxy (especially, no VPN requirement or other loops&oops)
  • Ability to access EMail from a Web interface (as backup solution)
    
    • Note: the RCF one does not work well if one has large folders but in emergency, it can be used
• Near infinite amount of Email quota / storage
• Integrated to BNL/RCF account management
• Good bandwidth (for example, I got > 15k Emails since the 1st of February so an average of at least 500 EMails a day easy with 5% max being large ones - just counted)
• High availability / uptime (Exchange upgrade are week-ends long for example, this would not be good)
• .forward mechanism should remain functional with no distruptions
  
• Password change very frequent on Exchange is a bother
  • Flexible password and Email access policy - typically, STAR users requires access to Email and lists from 6 months to a year past their leave from the collaboration (not tightly coupled to their appointment)
• ...

Hypernews replacement/mailing lists requirements

STAR communication and personalized "style" for debating science has become orthogonal to either the rule of the law or DOE policies, incurring additional handling burden for the S&C team (those social issues have been unattended by STAR management for at least 10 years). Furthermore, Hypernews is growing old as a software stack and need a refresh (the former precipitating the issue and bumping it on the priority list). The following requirements have been identified for a new system:

• The ability for the mailing-list system to have groups (STAR) or one instance able to support as many lists as possible
• A centralized user management: user subscribe to the system or group and chose which mailing list they do want to belong to - correlative is that a user may be globally removed (leaving STAR or other reasons).
  If "a" system would be integrated to The Kerberos cell, this section would be taken care off.
• A global moderator can be set for the group
• Individual moderators can be set for each list
• Mailing lists may be public, private otherwise
• Content are all accessible from a Web interface as a threaded discussion (whether you are subscribed to the list or not)
• Recent posting can be easily identified
• List has a global spam filter
• Posting are saved ad vitam aeternam (unless administrator, not me in a replacement product, removes offending posts) and storage provided
• Lists are searchable (all lists together, individual lists) using fuzzy match or exact match
• Personally, I am NOT for attachments sent to Emails in all of our mailbox (downloading them from remote is causing slow downs, access from smart Phone a potential issue) but would be fine with the Web interface and system storing the attachments [with safe links to access them]
• Also, we MUST focus on knowledge and information preservation at RHIC so, whatever solution it has to be still at a place with long term lifetime as well as safe keeping of its content  (National lab seem the only possibility here)
• Previous content in Hypernews needs to be preserved or archived
• ...