ECAT Online Catalog Moves from Pilot to Full Release

Lee Ridgway

On March 3, ECAT, MIT's Web-based electronic catalog and ordering 
system, moved out of pilot testing and was released to the MIT 
community. Over 100 users are now signed up, with new people being 
added weekly. The place to start for information about ECAT is the home 
page at

http://web.mit.edu/ecat/

Select the link "Introducing ECAT" for a summary of how ECAT operates 
and what you need to do before you can place orders.

From the ECAT Web page you can connect directly to the online catalogs 
and order-entry systems of the initial ECAT partner suppliers: Office 
Depot, for routine office supplies, and VWR Scientific, for laboratory 
supplies and chemicals. Other MIT partner suppliers will be added to 
ECAT in the future.

Before you can place orders through ECAT, you must be authorized for an 
MIT Procard, the corporate purchasing charge account issued to MIT by 
American Express. Anyone at MIT who holds purchasing authorization for 
at least $500 may apply for a Procard. To print a copy of the 
Procard/ECAT application form from the Web, go to the ECAT home page and 
select the link "MIT Procard/ECAT Application" (the form cannot be 
completed and sent electronically). You may also request a paper copy by 
sending email to <mcnamara@mit.edu>.

Ksign Prerequisite
Another prerequisite is to install Ksign on your computer. Ksign is a 
Netscape helper application that authenticates you as an authorized ECAT 
purchaser when you "sign" an order. It is based on Kerberos V5, the MIT-
developed authentication package that is also used by the SAP financial 
system. Currently, Ksign is available only for Macintosh, Windows 3.11 
for Workgroups, and Athena Sun systems. To install Ksign on a Macintosh 
or Windows system, select the "Ksign Information" link from the ECAT 
home page (no Ksign installation is needed to place ECAT orders on an 
Athena Sun workstation). Ksign is under development for Windows 95 and 
NT.
 
News Updates
Check the ECAT home page for announcements about enhancements and 
changes to the system. For example, Office Depot recently introduced a 
change to its Place Order page. The maximum number of accounts that can 
be displayed has increased to 30, and the user must select which 
accounts are to be charged from a scrolling list. Windows 95 and NT 
users may also want to check the ECAT home page periodically for an 
announcement about Ksign availability.