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Unix-SPIRES Collaboration

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Library, M.S. 82
2575 Sand Hill Road
Menlo Park, California
U.S.A. 94025-7090
pkreitz@slac.stanford.edu
650.926.4385

SPIRES, the Stanford University-developed database management system, is used for a variety of academic, administrative and scientific applications by universities, colleges, and research institutions throughout the world. The current version of the SPIRES database management system contains many new, useful, features which are included in the Unix-SPIRES version of the DBMS.

Dick Guertin, one of the original SPIRES developers, has been supported by the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Library to develop a substantially-enhanced version of his original emulator that allows SPIRES to run under the Unix and Macintosh operating systems.

The current version of Unix-SPIRES runs on a Sun machine at the SLAC Library and other mirror and collaboration sites.

All VM SPIRES databases can be binary FTP'd to UNIX and can be in production and available for searching after just a few simple changes to the Filedefs and Formats accounts. Currently, Report Definer, File Definer, and Full screen (device services) are all available. The Web interface is in production at SLAC where it handles 100K searches per day and is part of the Unix-SPIRES package. PRISM has been converted and is in production use also at SLAC.

With Stanford University permission, the SLAC Library has developed a collaborative agreement that permits us to share Unix-SPIRES with sites wishing to migrate off of mainframe SPIRES and to update the SPIRES DBMS to the latest version. This non-profit arrangement is intended to continue some of the most valuable features of the former Stanford-based (mainframe) SPIRES Consortium such as continued access to the latest versions of the underlying SPIRES database management system, support for further development, and mutual assistance.

Further Information

  1. Unix-SPIRES Technical Information
  2. Unix-SPIRES Participation
  3. SPIRES-HEP Mirror Site Hosting Requirements
  4. Unix-SPIRES discussion list
  5. Future needs and plans

For more information on Unix-SPIRES, please contact Pat Kreitz at pkreitz@slac.stanford.edu

Last update: 9 March 2005

Unix-SPIRES Team: Travis Brooks and Michael Sullivan