Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!bionet!LANL.GOV!pgil%histone
From: pgil%histone@LANL.GOV (Paul Gilna)
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.genbank
Subject: Re:  How do I confirm e-mail submissions?
Message-ID: <9008141445.AA00661@histone.lanl.gov.LANL.GOV>
Date: 14 Aug 90 14:45:36 GMT
Sender: daemon@genbank.BIO.NET
Lines: 57

From GenBank's point of view, if you know that you submitted a sequence
by e-mail, and you have not received an acknowledgment and an accession
number within 48 hours, then you can be sure there is a problem
somewhere in the chain.

All submissions to gb-sub%life@lanl.gov are distributed to at least
three people, and the submissions area is manned (personned) from
7.30am to 5.00pm weekdays MST. There is a restricted service over the
weekends and holidays. All e-mail submissions are usually acknowledged
within 12-24 hours, and we guarantee a 48hour maximum turnaround for
the issuance of accession number.

We are currently in a transition period with data submissions. The
standard submissions form, available in hardcopy, on disk and via email
is being replaced with Authorin, a PC-based program (Mac avail sept 90)
which simplifies the data assembly and collection process at both ends
of the submission chain. This program is available free of charge from
IntelliGenetics (415-962-7364, authorin@genbank.bio.net). Once fully
operational (Sept-Oct 90), the program and the support system that has
been installed at LANL should satisfy the desires expressed in your
message:

All Authorin submission files are ascii text files which can (and
should) be sent via e-mail. The submission file contains an
automatically parseable transaction syntax which will update the new
relational database at LANL directly and immediately. An
acknowledgement, the accession number(s) and a copy of the data as they
will appear on the on-line service will be returned. The total
transaction time will be in the order of minutes, limited only by the
network traversal times. In addition the submitted data will appear on
the online services at GenBank and EMBL within 24 hours of receipt of
submission.

In the interim, we are still faced with dealing with the standard
form.  We have, as you suggested, looked into the use of an automatic
response system for the submissions. We receive such a variety of types
of e-mail message (here is my submission, where is my submission?,
where is my accession number?, how do I submit? please send the form?),
that the reply would have to be so generic as to be useless, and we
would rather not add to the junk mail load! Instead we are
concentrating our efforts on the automated system. However if the
community felt that this was an accecptable price to pay for immediate
acknowledgement we would be happy to look into this once again. We have
a good record of tracking down errant email and the submissions crew
are well-versed in the foibles of electronic mail.

We are happy and ready to handle telephone calls which query the
progress of a sequence in this interim period, and would encourage
the community to make the change to Authorin as quickly as possible.

Regards,

Paul Gilna
GenBank Biology Domain Leader
GenBanl/LANL