The biggest Web site designed to help HP e3000 IT managers got some help of its own, as Program Manager John Amsler became part of the 3kworld.com staff last month. Amsler brings 28 years of IT employment to the Web community devoted to the HP e3000, including recent consulting experience on e-commerce with Cap Gemini America and client-server applications development management at American Airlines. He said his primary goal is repair of the site, followed by rollout of promised features such as electronic store capabilities.

“We’re taking a new tack and being more disciplined, trying to be a more mature organization,” Amsler said. His first task is to prioritize enhancements needed to stabilize the site, “providing functionality that in many cases is just not there.”

One addition to the site will be capturing the knowledge base of the Client Systems technical experts, especially Chris Gauthier. “In every community people have some place to go for answers, and we’d like it to be 3kworld,” Amsler said. “Putting the Client Systems knowledge base out there is going to be a real drawing card for the site.”

Repairs to the colleague registration system and contribution tools are at the top of Amsler’s list, along with enhancements for subsite management and mail workflow between editors and authors. New management pages will improve the subsite management. Upgrades to the chat facility will let the site list all members attending a chat. “Chat’s going to be a lot more robust very quickly,” Amsler said.

He said he’s building up the 3kworld development staff through consultants, “so we can get the site up to the state it really ought to be. We’re on a program to get it real shiny by June 1.” Amsler holds a management role in the 3kworld.com operations, with plans to direct several teams of consultants to enhance and repair the site.

A new clustered set of servers will be in place in the coming months, replacing a single HP NetServer. A pair of servers will be installed with four processors each, with enough capacity to double the number of processors across the systems. Windows NT communication servers feed the NetServers.
Amsler is also looking toward involving the HP 3000 platform more directly in the technology infrastructure of 3kworld.com. E-commerce shows some potential for involving the e3000, he said. “It’s a shame that we’re so tied to the HP 3000 community and not basing some of this on the HP 3000,” he said. “I’m looking at getting the transaction base for the e-commerce piece.”