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- ZU — 
Commands and error messages will be provided in arabic. The concept 
can be extended to any pair of alphabets upon request. 
The Computer Hardware. 
Currently the computer is a SIEMENS 7865 (IBM compatible) with 
4Mbytes core storage operating under BS3000 operating system The 
speed is 1.9 Mips (Million instructions per second). 
The mass Btorage consists of 30 Gbytes IBM compatible fixed head 
disks. Part of the units operate in double density with 1.2 Gbytes 
storage per unit. 
Tefécommuhicätion front ends are two MEMOREX 1270 with a total 
cäpäcity of some 200 ports. 
fhé.usu&l petiphertál&, high speed line printers. tape units 
(6280/1600 bpi) áre provided. 
Privaté files. 
Whétead Mbét of the commercial dat&basés imply a massive 
inffástrütture, there appedbs to be 8 genuine need fof many 
eustomers to get easy access to a service whereby,, withôut the need 
to heavily invest in hardware, software and relevant manpower, a 
dita base can be created and interrogated using the full power of a 
sophisticated retrieval software. 
It is with this need in mind that the Private File Service was 
created: 
Depending on the type of work needed, the amount of data fo De 
inputted, the frequency at which data have to go online two basic 
alternatives are proposed. 
The first if the Online Data Entry Service which operates on high 
speed tetminals (2400 bps). The principle is that for each database 
being cteated the customer establishes first the electronic 
equivalent of the usual (paper) input forms. On such forms (called 
"masks" - and there are 10 of them which can be made available) the 
customer indicates the various locations and names of fields to be 
subsequently filled with data. 
A special operation allows these areas on the screen to be 
"protected" so that during the input operations only the actual data 
need to be keyed in. All data are stored in a special mass storage 
where they are permanently available for correction, editing, 
amendment etc. At predetermined intervals the data are collected, 
. validated by a specific program and processed to become interrogable 
under ESA-QUEST commands like any of the other public databases. 
This service is well adapted to high yield databases such as is 
found in the case of library automation with a high rate of document 
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