• Introduction
• Base module
• Data formatting
• PostScript pagination
• Mailbox
• Syndication
• Internet Delivery Module

FingerPost Information Processor overview

The FingerPost Information Processor is a family of communication packages specifically created for publishing. It is designed for the varied needs of newspapers, magazines and news agencies, from small weekly newspapers to national magazines and international wire services. Communications are the lifeblood of the publishing industry. More and more information is becoming available from many diverse sources. As traffic volumes increase, so do the number of different message formats and protocols that a news organisation has to cope with. All of the text needs to be easily processed into the particular house style of the publication. In a conventional environment this results in the editorial process becoming overloaded as it attempts to deal with all the varied types of information. This leads to loss of overall control of the news process and slower editorial systems.

Basic demands

Often even basic demands are not met:

• Can you determine at a glance whether all your wire service lines are running correctly ?
• Do you lose incoming copy when your machines are down for daily maintenance ?
• Can you check when if a specific message has arrived such as the Dow Jones 4pm ?
• Most editorial systems can handle a large part of the communications tasks required of a publication, but few can offer the complete range of controls and management facilities that are built into the FingerPost Information Processor - FIP.

Communications integration

• FIP integrates the whole communications spectrum, re-establishing control and management over all services. To be :
• able to confirm that everything is working.
• able to say what the last item received from Reuter was and where it went.
• able to check drops of service and service-within-services. For example if you lose the PA sports service but all the national, international and finance still continue to work.
• able to see when a certain correspondent sent his copy two weeks ago and what was sent.

Let the editorial system publish!

Just as importantly FIP reduces the system load on the editorial system. It allows the editorial machine do what it has been designed to do - publish! FIP is not only a file-server and classical message-switch but it is also able to present messages to the final user in a form best suited to that application so that post-processing is unnecessary. It processes the files to the correct character set and does any string replacement deemed necessary for the editorial computer, printer or for any other destination.

Easy to use

FIP is easy to use and easy to modify - nearly all setup parameters are in held in text files which can be modified quickly and easily. Once the parameter files have been modified, the change is recognised immediately. Management can be either via a simple teminal based interface, or using a straightforward but comprehensive web based management interface.

Standard platforms

FIP runs on low-cost standard computer hardware which is readily available and supported world-wide. The main engine is one or more Unix (Solaris, AIX, Linux, OSX) or Windows NT boxes which can be used with a variety of communications devices attached for the specific needs of each publication. The size and speed of the computer depends on the volume of traffic and the features installed. As each manufacturer makes a complete range of machines, so the needs of different publications are met by selecting a computer best suited to that environment.

Economical

FIP can exist with other applications on the same machine. The server can be used for other purposes at the same time - e.g. file servers, PostScript rips. Many communication services are not high volume. It is the occasional, but important, use that is required. Being able to use spare resources for other purposes means more efficent use and lower overall costs.

Modular

As FIP is modular, adding services is simple. As volumes grow and more power is required, new ports and computers can be added to the existing installation thereby preserving the initial capital costs.

• Introduction
• Base module
• Data formatting
• PostScript pagination
• Mailbox
• Syndication
• Internet Delivery Module

Notes and Comments