Archives of Information Technology Division, IT

Identity Statement [Top]

Reference code(s)

CERN-ARCH-IT

Title

Archives of Information Technology division, IT (Scientific and Technical division, STS, Data handling, DD, Computing and Networks, CN)

Date(s)

~ 1959 - 1991

Level of description

Sub-fonds

Extent of the unit of description

136 boxes, 15 linear meters

Context [Top]

Name of creator

Scientific and Technical division (STS), Data Handling division (DD), Computing and Network division (CN) and Information Technology division (IT)

Administrative history

During the period covered by the documents held in this collection the IT division went through many changes.

1955, start of the Scientific and Technical division (ST) First named the Scientific and Technical Services division (STS), it is the direct successor to the Laboratory group of the interim Organization. This group originally also had the responsibility for starting construction and for administration. These responsabilities were transferred on October 1954 to two other new divisions: the Site and Buildings Division and the Administration Division.

The first leader of the Scientific and Technical division was L. Kowarski (from 1955 to 1963).

1957, the Main Technical Workshop leaves STS and rejoins the Site and Buildings Division. The Electronics Workshop leaves STS for the Synchrocyclotron Division.

1959, end of the Scientific and Technical Services Division.

1960, continuation of the mandate as the Data Handling Division (DD); L. Kowarski is still the leader.

1964, G.R. MacLeod becomes the new leader of the division (from 1964 to 1975).

1963, the Operational Control and Operation staff is transferred to the TC division.

1966, the DD Division becomes part of the new Applied Physics Department. This department is under the direction of Mervyn G. N. Hine.

1975, P. Zanella becomes the new leader of the division (from 1976 to 1988).

1982, the Scientific Information Services and the Publications group are detached from DD to the newly created Documentation department.

1987, two new groups are attached: the Telephone, Telex and Telefax Services (from PE Division) and the Management Information System unit (MIS). This unit contains the new Office Computing Systems group (OCS) and together with the existing the Administrative Processing group (ADP) from Office and Services of the Director of Administration (DA).

1988, the Advanced Computing group (AC) is attached to the DD Division.

1989, D. O. Williams becomes leader of the division..

1990, End of the DD Division and continuation of the same functions as the Computing & Networks Division (CN). The leader of this new division is still D. O. Williams until 1996. The User Service section is transferred to the CO group. The name of the Operations group changes to "Consultancy and Operations" and keeps the CO acronym. The group ED changes its name to CE (Computing and Engineering). The division has approximately 150 full-time equivalent staff, plus associates, fellows, VSNAs and students, divided into 6 groups.

At this time, CN's divisional objectives consist of:

  • "Provision of computing infrastructure for the laboratory. This includes batch, timesharing, workstation server and mass storage (magnetic media) services; distributed computing support, including onsite and offsite networking, central and remote printing, and workstation services; CERN Program Library and related software."
  • "Provision of applications-related hardware and software services, in collaboration with the divisions concerned. This includes applications oriented towards experiments, the accelerator and technical sectors, engineering, and management information."

1993, a restructuring of the CN Division.

1997, end of the CN Division. The mandate continues with the Information Technology Division (IT) with the addition of the Mac/PCShop (from AS Division) and the Web Office (from EC Division).

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

There are three distinct parts in this collection.

The first part was organised and donated by the Divisional Records Officer (DRO) Jacques Spalter from the DD division. He gathered a series of CN files. He was the person in charge of the 12-10-1993 transfer and he established the classification plan for this part of the collection.

Brian Carpenter, from the CN division, succeeded J. Spalter as DRO. He donated the second part of the collection. He was responsible for the transfer of 2.12.1996. He collected these archives just before the end of 1996 and of the Computing and Networking (CN) division.

The third part was been donated by Verkek, C in June 1996.

In 2022 and 2023, the Archives Service received the files of Maria Dimou, Ben Segal and Sverre Jarp.

Content & Structure [Top]

Scope and content

The documents were created successively by the Scientific and Technical division (STS), Data Handling division (DD), Computing and Network division (CN) and Information Technology division (IT). They include memoranda, letters, reports, minutes of meetings etc.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

All items have been kept in the order in which they were received. Nothing was destroyed.

Accruals

Further accruals are expected from the current IT division.

System of arrangement

* Archives provided by J Spalter:

CERN-ARCH-IT-01, STS Computer reports + memo, 1956 - 1958, CERN-ARCH-DD, T1001
CERN-ARCH-IT-02, Administration and general:

  • Management Committee Meetings (CN-MCM), 1970 - 1990
  • Research Sector Management Informal Committee (CN-TGIF), 1987 - 1988
  • CN-CCCR (Consulting and Coordination Committee for Research), 1989 - 1991
  • Comité de Concertation Permanent), 1989 - 1991
  • File copies (CN-FILECOPY), 1976 - 1990
    • Memos 
    • Letters 
    • Miscellaneous 

CERN-ARCH-IT-03, DD Internal reports, 1969 - 1978
CERN-ARCH-IT-03, DD reports and publications reports, CN-RAP, 1957 - 1991

  • CN-RAP, DD - CN Divisional Reports, 1971 - 1991
  • DD - CN Internal Reports:
    • DD-CN Internal Reports: DD-CO, 1963 - 1970
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - DA, 1963 - 1969
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - DEV, 1962 - 1963
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - DH, 1969 - 1970
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - DP, 1963 - 1968
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - EXP, 1962 - 1963
    • DD - CN Internal Reports : DD - IEP, 1957 - 1962
  • CAMAC News (CN-CAM), 1973 - 1979
  • Online Computing Newsletter (CN-ONL), 1979 - 1983
  • Computers Newsletter (CN - CNL), 1966 - 1991
  • Mini and micro computer Newsletter
  • Online (the newsletter of data acquisition and computing for experiments)
  • Bibliography (Various papers), 1967 - 1974

CERN-ARCH-IT-04, Computer Seminars and Conferences

  • Computer seminar (CN-Comp), 1969 - 1980

CERN-ARCH-IT-05, Data Handling Policy Group: CN - DHPG: Joint Planning Committee (CN - JPC), High Energy Physics Co-ordinating Committee (CN - HEPCCC), Archive, 1955 - 1990 

  • Data Handling Policy Group ( N-DHPG )
    • Memos, Minutes, ... 
    • DHPG Reports ( 1 - 224 ) 
  • Papers on CERN Computing Policy ( CN-CERNCOMP)
    • A. Sipros, B. Scope, (working party)... 
  • CERN Computer Policy ( CN-COMPO )
  • Advisory Committee On Computing And Data Handling Policy ( CN-ACCDHP )
  • Joint Planning Committee ( CN-JPC )
    • JPC Reports
    • JPC Memos, minutes, ...
  • High Energy Physics Co-ordinating Committee ( CN-HEPCCC)
    • Archive

CERN-ARCH-IT-06, DD Committees : (1974 - 1990)

  • Committee on the development of the Computer Centre (CN-OCTET) 
  • Management Review Board (CN-CDC-MRB)
    • CN-CDC-MRB
    • CN-IBM-MRB
    • CN-DEC-MRB
  • Data Handling Committee (CN-DHC)
  • CN-CS (Computer centre and Communications Committee)
  • Meeting with EP, EL, DD and different LEP experiments (CN-MEDDLE)

CERN-ARCH-IT-07, Computers: 1959 - 1975

  • CDC 3800 computer (CN-3800)
  • 3800 contract No 3991 DD
  • CDC 6500 computer (CN-6500)
  • CDC 6600 computer (1/3)(CN-6600)
  • 6600 developments
  • CDC 6600 computer (2/3) (CN-6600)
  • 6600 users
  • Memorandum
  • CDC 6600 computer (3/3)(CN-6600)
  • Computer reference
  • CDC 7600 computer (CN-7600)
    • Summaries 1970, Tender
    • Tender CDC
    • CDC attachments I - IV
  • IBM 7090 computer (CN-7090)
  • Selection of the ADP computer (CN-ADP)
    • Data processing
  • Manufacturers offer (CN-MO)
    • Digital Computer system
    • Elliot
    • A guide to the Chippewa operating system
    • Control Data Switzerland
    • UNIVAC volume 2 + 3
    • TELEFUNKEN
    • ICL
    • IBM system 360
    • Computer technology limited

CERN-ARCH-IT-08, DD groups

  • Sendall's notes on DAQ support for (CC - SEN), 1965 - 1991
    • LEP Collaboration
    • ALEPH Collaboration
    • DELPHI Collaboration
    • L3 Collaboration
    • OPAL Collaboration
  • OC group information notes (CN-OC), 1979 - 1982

CERN-ARCH-IT-09, DD projects

  • CN - PROJECTS, 1971 - 1983

  

* Archives provided by Brian Carpenter:

CERN-ARCH-IT-10, DD-CS:

  • Various papers, notes and reports, 1975 - 1996
  • CS - TS section
  • CS - CH section
  • CS - IN section
  • CS - EN section, 1985 - 1989
  • Networking history : LEP experiments, UA1 And UA2
  • Various papers, notes and reports, 1981 - 1995

CERN-ARCH-IT-11, CN-CS:

  • HPCAC (High Performance Computing Advisory Committee), 1991 - 1992
  • ECFRN (European Consultative Forum on Research Networking), 1991 - 1993

 

* Archives provided by Verkerk, C:

CERN-ARCH-IT-12

  • CERN-ARCH-IT-12-001 : data acquisition and special processors, 1975-1977
  • CERN-ARCH-IT-12-002 : DD-NP (Nuclear Physics) working group in data acquisition and processing, 1972
  • CERN-ARCH-IT-12-003 : documents on Track Finder, 1974
  • CERN-ARCH-IT-12-004 : micro processor working group, 1977-1982

 

* Archives provided by the IT Secretariat:
CERN-ARCH-IT-13 : Management files 1970-2001

 

* Archives provided by G. Erskine:
CERN-ARCH-IT-14 : CERN's Ferranti Mercury computer

 

* Archives provided by Dimou Maria:
CERN-ARCH-IT-15 : Files of Maria Dimou

 

* Archives provided by Ben Segal and Maria Dimou:
CERN-ARCH-IT-16 : Files of Ben Segal

 

* Archives provided by Maria Dimou:
CERN-ARCH-IT-17 : Files of Sverre Jarp

Conditions of access and use [Top]

Conditions governing access

See file level description and the CERN operational circular No 3: rules applicable to archival material and archiving at CERN. In general, records on any subject that are over 30 years old, and all records of a purely scientific nature, may be consulted.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright is retained by CERN, no reproduction without permission.

Language / scripts of material

Most of the material is written in English.

Finding aids

The Information Technology division records, IT, are listed to item level in the CERN Archives database.

Allied materials [Top]

Publication note

CERN Archives. - The Evolution of the Information Technology division (IT) / Kieran Pavel. - CERN, Geneva, 2000. - 3p. - Portable Document Format - [71'680 bytes]

Description control [Top]

Archivist's note

Description prepared by Kieran Pavel. Revised Sandrine Reyes

Date(s) of description

Geneva, September 2001, Revised 2007, Revised 2022/2023