🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3v3g1o$52q@newshost.lanl.gov>,
David D Kaas <ddk@beta.lanl.gov> wrote:
>We have been asked to review how we charge our users
>for computer services.  I would appreciate any information
>on how other sites charge for computer related services.  These
>are the services we currently charge for:
>printing, microfiche, cpu, disk and tapes.

  Well, a while back we looked at how we did billing and concluded it would
be a whole lot easier to just bill on connect time and job elapsed time for
batch.  People understand it and within reason it's accurate.  Some outlier
maybe sucks a lot of proc time but...  Just figure out how much connect
and elapsed time was used last year, get what you want to charge total and
divide.....

  We also don't do printing locally, it's done at each office/campus so we
don't have a consumables problem there and we don't do microfiche.  Tapes
are only used for backups....
-- 
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|Bob Rahe, Delaware Tech&Comm Coll.| "It is a very great poverty to decide |
|Computer Center, Dover, Delaware  |that a child must die that you may live|
|Internet: bob@hobbes.dtcc.edu     |as you wish."   Mother Theresa         |
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Bob Rahe (bob@hobbes.dtcc.edu) wrote:
: In article <3v3g1o$52q@newshost.lanl.gov>,
: David D Kaas <ddk@beta.lanl.gov> wrote:
: >We have been asked to review how we charge our users
: >for computer services.  I would appreciate any information
: >on how other sites charge for computer related services.  These
: >are the services we currently charge for:
: >printing, microfiche, cpu, disk and tapes.

:   Well, a while back we looked at how we did billing and concluded it would
: be a whole lot easier to just bill on connect time and job elapsed time for
: batch.  People understand it and within reason it's accurate.  Some outlier
: maybe sucks a lot of proc time but...  Just figure out how much connect
: and elapsed time was used last year, get what you want to charge total and
: divide.....

We essentially charge for CPU used (+ a little for IO) and nothing else. 
But we only `bill' in funny-money, no real cash changes hands.  Connect time
is unreliable for us as we use Solaris and it's not always very reliable in
closing down connections...

I'd always advise anyone to simplify charging as much as possible.

--
Geoff. Lane.   |   mailto:zzassgl@cs6400.mcc.ac.uk   |  http://gl.mcc.ac.uk/
CS6400 Admin, MCC, Manchester University, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

Programs which do not require them, have the best manuals.     -- Geoff. Lane.

ddk@beta.lanl.gov (David D Kaas) wrote:

>We have been asked to review how we charge our users
>for computer services.  I would appreciate any information
>on how other sites charge for computer related services.  These
>are the services we currently charge for:
>printing, microfiche, cpu, disk and tapes.

>Thank you
>dave kaas

> Dave Kaas                         | Internet: ddk@lanl.gov       
> Box 300 M/S H0-41                 |                                 
> Boeing Computer Services Richland |           dave_kaas@.rl.gov    
> (Department of Energy contractor) |                                
> Richland, Wa 99352                | Phone:    (509) 376-6386             
>-

IF the systems involved are DofE equipment, there are specific
government requirements for any chargeback system.  

Some years back, I was involved with chargeback on a DEC-10 for the
Dept. Of Trans. and a Sperry 1100/63 for the Navy.  At that time, at
least, there was an OMB directive in force (I believe it was OMB-121)
which had some very specific constraints on chargeback systems.

The outline in another post, just to charge for connect/elapsed time,
while it has great merit, would not qualify under the OMB-121
guidelines.
---------------
Larry McKnight
(this space unintentionally left blank.....