Opened

Site

Computer

1979 Dec

RAL

780

1980 Jan

ROE, RGO

780, 780 (RGO transferred to CAM 90/4)

Feb

Cambridge, UCL

780, 780

Jul

Manchester

780

1982 Mar

Durham

750

Oct

Birmingham

750

1984 Nov

Leicester

750

1985 Mar

Jodrell Bank

780 at MAN moved to JOD, new 750 at MAN

1986 Apr

St Andrews

microVAX

May

Preston

microVAX

Sep

Southampton

microVAX

1987 Feb

Cardiff

microVAX

Jun

QMC

microVAX

Aug

Keele

microVAX

Nov

Oxford

microVAX

Dec

Armagh, Belfast

microVAX

1988 Feb

Database (RAL)

microVAX

1989 Oct

ICSTM

microVAX (first DECstation at RAL)

1990 Mar

RAL

split into 2 clusters: Project (PRO) and Astrophysics (RAL)

Apr

RGO

closed (moved to CAM)

May

Sussex

microVAX

Sep

Kent

microVAX

Oct

Hatfield

microVAX

1993 Aug

Liverpool

Dec

Glasgow

1994 May

MRAO

now regarded as a separate User centre from CAM

Oct

Sheffield

1995 Oct

Bristol

1997 Oct

Leeds ?

Site

Planned

Slipped to

Achieved

ARM

94 Jan

94 Dec

94 Dec

BEL

94 Jan

94 Dec

94 Dec

BIR

94 Dec

94 Dec

CAM

94 Apr

94 Apr

CAR

93 Oct

93 Oct

DUR

94 Dec

94 Dec

EDI

94 Dec

95 Jan

?

GLA

93 Nov

93 Dec

HAT

94 Dec

94 Dec

IMP

94 Dec

94 Dec

JOD

93 Jun

93 Jun

KEE

92 Dec

93 Jun

94 Mar

KEN

94 Dec

95 Jan

95 Feb

LEI

94 Dec

94 Dec

LJM

93 Sep

93 Aug

MAN

94 Jan

94 Dec

94 Dec

OXF

94 Oct

94 Dec

94 Dec

PRE

94 Dec

94 Dec

QMW

94 Dec

95 Jan

?

PRO

?

94 Dec

RAL

93 Oct

94 Mar

94 Mar

SHE

94 Oct

94 Oct

STA

94 Dec

94 Dec

SOU

94 Apr

94 Jul

94 Jul

SUS

95 Apr

?

UCL

94 Dec

94 Dec

1978

Panel on Astronomical Image and Data Processing (Disney) set up by Astronomy II committee of SRC. Its report (Jul 79) led to Starlink.

1979

SRC approved setting up of Starlink.

First meeting of SAG (Scientific Advisory Group) (Sep 12).

1980

User service began (Apr 1).

Official opening (Oct 24).

1982

Tiger Team (Culhane) set up to seek more manpower from ASR Board. Unsuccessful.

1983

Computing Review Working Party (Culhane) set up to decide how to implement cuts in Starlink staff & finance.

1984

Central management moved from Computing Division to Space & Astrophysics Division at RAL.

SUC (Starlink Users' Committee) replaced SAG.

1986

Starlink Project recommended to community that IRAF be adopted as Starlink's environment.

Software Environment Review meetings. Decided to develop ADAM.

Starlink Questionnaire No 1 (Wallace) (SGP/35).

1989

Tiger Team interviewed Starlink staff at RAL to set priorities for Project's activities. This was part of SUC's "Making Ends Meet" study.

1990

ADAM support Group set up at RAL (Allan).

1992

Starlink Review Panel (Willmore). Reported Sep 92.

1993

National Audit Office Review of Starlink (part of RAL review). Reported Jan 94.

SP (Starlink Panel) replaced SUC.

1994

Starlink Software Survey (Warren-Smith) (SGP/43).

ADAM Review Panel (Hills). Reported Mar 95 (SGP/45).

Unsuccessful bid from RGO to relocate Starlink (part of OIM review). Reported Jan 95.

1995

Move to Unix completed (Apr).

Starlink Review 1995 (Dufton) - ROSO (Review of Starlink Operations). Reported Oct 95.

1996

Starlink Software Review (Starlink Panel) - efficiency.

Starlink Software Survey 2 (Anne Charles).

Support for PCs began (Linux).

First issue of Starlink software on CD (for PC/Linux).

Starlink Software Review (Starlink Panel) - wide ranging.

1997

Starlink Prior Options Review (Robinson). Reported Jan 97.

All Starlink software now released bi-annually on CD.

ACP (Astronomical Computing Panel) replaced SP.

HAC (Head of Astronomical Computing) appointed.

Jun

Meeting at AAO (Wallace, Bothwell, Peterson, Fosbury, Dickens) to discuss how analysis of astronomical data should be organised. This led to Disney proposing a "Centre for Optical Data Analysis" at RGO. The hardware recommended was based on an Interdata 70 or 7/16 computer with a 64K byte memory and 2x2.5 Mbyte discs. The software would be based on the AAO SDRSYS spectral analysis package. A "low grade programmer" would be required to demonstrate and advise users. Recommended funding was 40K pounds capital and 10K pounds running costs per annum. Ten years later, these initial estimates of the resources required had been exceeded in practice by the following factors: Memory - 2500, Disc - 4000, Capital expediture - 100, Running costs - 200.

Feb 7

Astronomy II Committee considered proposals for image and data processing facilities at ROE, RGO (Hartley), Cambridge (Kibblewhite), and Oxford (A.C. Edwards, Astrophysics). ROE proposed that the Computer Application Services of Heriot-Watt University create a European Image Processing Centre.

Apr 25

Panel on Astronomical Image and Data Processing set up by the Astronomy II Committee of the Science Research Council under the chairmanship of Professor M J Disney.

May 16

Panel endorsed by the Astronomy Space & Radio Board. Observers added from the Astronomy I and Solar System Committees, and the Department of Industry. Terms of reference: "to ascertain the needs of UK astronomers for data reduction and analysis facilities over the next 5-7 years in relation to existing and anticipated facilities, and to report to the Astronomy II Committee".

Feb 27

Meeting at Appleton Lab set up a working group to specify the operational requirements for the Starlink Image Processing System (Lawden, Kibblewhite, Ellis, Shortridge, Davey, Pavelin). Lawden wrote the OR for the computer and Hartley wrote the OR for the image-display system.

Mar

Tenders for computers invited from DEC, GEC, IBM, ICL, Prime.

Apr

Dave Horn (Cambridge) supplied benchmark programs to assess computers. Panel issued its report.

May 15

DEC presentation.

18

IBM presentation.

22

PRIME presentation.

23

ICL presentation.

Tenders received for computers

Jun 18

8th meeting of Panel accepted the DEC tender rather than the Prime (Disney, Aleksander, Alty, Miller, Francis, Terrett, Kibblewhite, Mackay, Davey, Hartley, Lawden, Pavelin, R Martin, Casey, Dean, Ward).

Jul 18

Council approved recommendations for Starlink at a cost not exceeding 1.8M pounds, on condition that the necessary SRC manpower could be made available within the normal complement. Four major centres (ROE, RGO, UCL, Cambridge); two minor centres (RAL, Manchester). All were based on DEC VAX 11/780 with FPA. Major centres had 2 Mbyte memory and 704 Mbyte disk; Minor centres had 1.5 Mbyte memory and 352 Mbyte disk (based on 176 Mbyte RP06). Capital Cost: 1.686M pounds.

19

Abridged Panel report issued by its secretary P J Casey.

Sep 12

SAG/1: 1st Meeting of Starlink Scientific Advisory Group at RL (Disney, Boksenberg, Brand, Burge, Ellis, Kibblewhite, Murdin, Skinner, Hunt, Kemp, Houghton). Project to be run from Computing Division, Rutherford Laboratory. Pavelin to act as Project Manager until a Head of Starlink is chosen.

Oct 8

SAG/2: Delays in SIGMA demonstrating their ARGS caused dismay: "No further time could be given to SIGMA and it was agreed that the order (for image-display hardware) should go to Grinnell."

25

SMM/1: 1st Site Managers Meeting - RAL

31 - Nov 1

Starlink Software Workshop at Appleton Laboratory (Allen, Crane, Fosbury, Golton, Hartley, Hewer, Kibblewhite, Lawden, Murdin, Norris, Pavelin, Skinner, Snijders, Wallace, Warne, Wells). The recommendations of this workshop laid the basis for Starlink's software development plans and the initial design of the Starlink Software Environment.

20

1st Starlink Progress Meeting (Pavelin, Walter, Lawden, Claringbold). Draft outline low-level interface specs produced: timetable - Feb 80: draft software specs, Apr 80: final software specs, Aug 80: installed.

VAX 11/780 delivered to RAL. Grinnell image display configuration agreed but authorisation is required from Dept of Industry. DOI wanted Starlink to buy SIGMA in spite of delays. Two "Image Processing Workstations" were envisaged per site, to consist of command terminal, graphics terminal and image display.

Lorna Claringbold joined Starlink at RL as operator/manager.

Anton Walter joined Starlink at RL as systems programmer.

Grant money approved by Solar System Committee for IPIPS should be added to the Starlink budget and administered within Starlink.

Dec 10

SAG/3: Outline programme for a "software environment" accepted.

RAL VAX working.