The w3-server database (w3-db) is derived from the main database (Compindas system on FIZ Karlsruhe) through the PFS system (trademark by the company Kramer & Hofmann, Saarbrücken ; it is a proprietary system). The w3-db is made of subsets (PFS-db), whose sizes permit download of their PFS version on a cdrom (600 MB is the upper content on such a media). Now there are five PFS-db's : the first four are stable, containing definitive entries, while the last one is changing regularly, by addition of recent entries (incomplete with bibliographical data only or definitive with the review or author's summary) and deletion of superceded entries.

After the production of these PFS-db's produced in the Berlin office, the installation is made on each server by a simple copy of their data part and a mapping of the PFS indexes to EDBM indexes. The necessary software tool for this mapping operation (which is quasi-immediate and doesn't require special memory resources) has been created by C. Goutorbe (MathDoc Cell) in 1997 and is used by Zentralblatt-MATH according to a contract between MathDoc Cell and FIZ.

The transfer of the last PFS-db is done by post mail of the cdrom : transformation to the EDBM-index format is done on each server.

In 1998, C. Goutorbe (MathDoc Cell) realized a software piece to achieve incremental updates. Given three PFS-databases

The EDBM-db consists of the existing definitive entries of pfs-db₁. The new complete entries and preliminary entries of pfs-db₂ and pfs-db₃ are added, while a preliminary entry of pfs-db₁ is replaced by its corresponding complete entry in pfs-db₃ if it exists. The creation of indexes is not resource consuming and this upgrading system necessitates only the transfer of the (small) databases pfs-db1 and psf-db₂.

This incremental procedure has been successfully tested, but never entered in production.

The production of the EDBM database w3-db is under current changes (operating period will begin in april 2001). Ultimately, ascii tagged files will be produced from the core database of Zentralblatt-MATH, from which EDBM-db's (data and index files) will be directly derived. This process is based on a new component of the EDBM suite, an indexer which is elaborated by the MathDoc Cell and will be available very soon. Intellectual property and usage rights attached to this software will be set according to the Limes consortium agreements and the rules of ''free software'': free usage for academic institutions and individuals (not allowed for bundle with non-free or with commercial product), but with due mention of MathDoc Cell copyright.

The EDBM/w3 component (search and retrieval) will stay unaffected by this new production system of the EDBM-db's (change of the database structure, as splitting of some fields, introduction of author or serial better recognition tools,... will modify the EDBM/w3 ZM applications, but these modifications are unrelated to the new updating process).

The initialization will consist by producing N files (F₁,...,F_N) and corresponding EDBM-db's : the first N-1 EDBM-db's will be stable and correspond to the years 1931-2000 of Zentralblatt-MATH; the last one (F_N) will include the last definitive entries and uncomplete (bibliographical) entries. These EDBM-db's will be derived from ascii files trough the EDBM indexer and delivered on DVD (2 DVD should be necessary) for initialization.

The regular monthly upgrade mechanism will be consist by transferring through the net three ascii tagged files

At some appropriate time, the file F_N will be declared stable and a file F_N+1 introduced. A new DVD (with updated F₁,...,F_N-1 eventually) will be produced.

As ftp is no more considered as a secure protocol, a new one (as rcp) must be chosen.

This system will apply to the servers of the Zentralblatt-MATH international access net (ZM-IAN).

For regional/national servers, a similar system could be used, but the distribution system of the files (updated EDBM-files or updating ascii file) must be carefully studied : in particular, man resources must be estimated so that the proposed delivery times (1, 2 or 6 months) should be strictly honored (otherwise users would be frustrated).

For local servers, updates every 6 months could be maintained. The core problem is here again that of the distribution.

1. Zentralblatt-MATH international access net (ZM-IAN)
   1. Bibliographical and review data : monthly updates
   2. Subscribers IP list : monthly update (or less)
   3. Scanned images for reviews not available in full text
   4. Multilinguality for user interface
   5. Usage statistics report delivered to Berlin
   6. Links to document delivery services
2. Regional and national mirrors
   1. Bibliographical and review data : should be monthly
   2. Distribution procedures must be installed.
   3. Subscribers IP list management locally done
   4. Multilinguality (local languages) Special needs for display of specific languages can be expected in well defined user community (example : greek). Interest for local languages (euskadi, catalan....)
   5. No scanned images for old reviews
   6. Additional features of limited scope + Link to national merged journals catalogue (localisation and collection states), see France.
3. Local servers
   1. Bibliographical and review data : twice a year
   2. Subscribers IP list management locally done
   3. Multilinguality (local languages)
   4. No scanned images for old reviews
   5. Additional features of limited scope (links to local catalogues, local interfaces)

1. Zentralblatt-MATH international access net

   The objective is to have synchronized servers, with the same interface, so that registered users can use any of them with the same service. Hence, ZM-IAN would be a complete graph, with the hightest symetry of the permutation group of its nodes set (it is not the case nowadays).

   The actual list (taken from the Berlin server) is : Athens, Berkeley, Berlin, Lecce, Mexico, New-York, Rio, Santiago, Strasbourg.

   Any EMIS server is offering now to any ZM user a link to the Berlin server alone: this organisation on EMIS should be changed, so that the user had the choice of his server among the international servers (useful in case of no service on some node of the ZM-IAN)

   1. Bibliographical and review data updates
      The monthly schedule is more or less hold (see appendix 3). On 2000/10/15, last volume available on the different servers is
      • 943 : Berlin ;
      • 941 : Strasbourg, New-York, Lecce, Mexico, Santiago, Berkeley, Rio ;
      • 937 : Cornell ;
      • unavailable : Athens (mythos.hms.gr doesn't appear in the DNS).
      A 2-unit delay (which represents one month production) is unavoidable (because of time of transmission) ; more indicates probably some problem.

      An international server is missing in the Asian and Oceanic areas.

   2. Subscribers IP list
      Monthly update. See appendix 3 for the report on lastly updates
   3. Scanned images for reviews
      As the text database contains the full text of the review only since the vol. 531, 1985, it was proposed to offer the reviews as scanned images. These images are only accessible on (and through) the Berlin server : the vol. 1-217 (1931-1971) are only available for the time being (on 2000/10/15, only the years 1946-1956 were accessible). There is for the moment no indication on the disk storage necessary for installation on a generic server.
   4. Multilinguality for user interface
      It concerns english, french, german (all available), italian, spanish (to be integrated), portugese (planned). Other languages create difficulties on the user level (special fonts and navigator customisation needed, eg greek, russian) or of limited scope (catalan, galician, danish). Set of languages on ZM-IAN servers must kept to the main languages.
      On 2000/10/15, all servers have english entry page, except Santiago (spanish). All servers must have the same language one their entry page (accessed from other ZM-IAN server)
   5. Usage statistics report
      Only available for the Berlin server
   6. Links to document delivery services
      Services present : Göttingen, Bielefeld, Hannover Link to Catalogo Nazionale Periodici Scienze Matematiche (Lecce)
2. Regional mirrors
   Examples : France (3 servers net), Poland
   1. Bibliographical and review data : should be monthly
   2. Subscribers IP list management locally done
   3. Multilinguality (local languages)
   4. No scanned images for old reviews
   5. Additional features of limited scope (links to specific catalogues, localized document delivery services)
3. Local servers
   1. Bibliographical and review data : twice a year
   2. Subscribers IP list management locally done
   3. Multilinguality (local languages)
   4. No scanned images for old reviews
   5. Additional features of limited scope (links to local catalogues, local interfaces)