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Black Belt Program ended apparently

DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,410 Views

Have any of the other Black Belts been advised of the end of the Black Belt program?

I assume that this means that we will no longer have access to a Fortran license or future upgrades to the Intel Compiler.

Since I am currently unemployed and looking for further opportunities, this is yet another nail in the coffin, if I cannot retain a current version of Fortran.

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21 Replies
jimdempseyatthecove
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

I have neither received nor found any such information.

Jim Dempsey

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Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

I have not seen anything official, but the "belt" program has been effectively eliminated since they are not counting points anymore. I'd guess that existing BBs would still be able to get licenses - I just got mine renewed - but you'd have to ask. The BB program has been largely ignored for the last several years, with a transition to iOT and OneAPI (more recently).

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TimP
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

Steve has intervened on my behalf to request a license renewal, but nothing has happened. 

Today again the Intel forum login server is blocking me from reaching the login prompt on Windows. This appears to be a regional thing.  I can take my laptop to the library where there is Uverse and see the same problem.  In the past it has never blocked access from hotels in other states. 

I am able to access Intel software download site to obtain a verdict on which old ifort versions would be available.  I haven't tried to see whether a fresh installation is possible.

Internet access has improved to the extent that I was able to update cygwin this month without any of the hassles of Windows update which used to cost $50 or more in data metering fees and still requires several attempts to complete. So it appears that cygwin may return as a useful platform before Intel does.Being in the social media era of requiring a cell phone to reach Intel sites doesn't suffice.

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mecej4
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

On my profile "dashboard", I am still told "You are a black belt". However, since many weeks, if not months ago, following other extensive changes to the forum software, when I post a response in this or another Intel forum, the leading line no longer contains (Blackbelt), unlike for other Black Belts. I am no longer able to send private mails to other forum members.

I tried to contact Wendy Boswell, who used to be in charge of the Intel Black Belt program, but she does not work for Intel anymore. Perhaps, I have been demoted from Black Belt to a common black belt. It was a nice privilege to be able to send and receive private messages. Sigh!

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TimP
Honored Contributor III
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Clicking on the sign in prompt today redirected me to the top level software.intel.com, rather than the usual message from Intel about the login server being incorrectly configured  (my paraphrase).  Returning to software forum and repeating log in was successful after 3 minutes.

I didn't try to log in on Windows via AT&T which has never been accepted in the last 2 years.  I do get this message from AT&T on Android when I try to access a different data server:  "You may be behind a web PROXY HTTP/1.1 alp2nz01msp2ts02.wnsnet.attws.com! "

The forum coughed up 3 unread messages, some the result of laboriously answering questions on the cell phone.

ISM is connecting and showing psxe 19 updates 5 and 6 but saying my license information doesn't qualify. Maybe on account of the health situation no renewal requests are fulfilled.  It seems to think I would be eligible for Amplifier 2019 update 6, but the site doesn't respond when I select that.  Does the server perform a check similar to flash player to see how far or rapidly it can buffer before initiating a download?  Another site gives me

"Your browser failed to contact any of the candidate test servers that are known to be online..."

I have never seen that one before.There are repeated 2 second delays in internet response.  I know it's April Fools' day and I probably have earned this.

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Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
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I have never seen any kind of "check" when downloading. I wonder if you have some sort of malware redirecting your web activity. I have not seen reports of others with the sort of issues you are having.

Normally it would be a useful experiment to try using a friend's computer, but that's not advisable now. 

How about this. Set your Internet connection's DNS server to be 1.1.1.1 (a Cloudflare service) instead of the ISP default. You can do this on a phone too. See what happens.

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jimdempseyatthecove
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

Occasionally, on my system DNS resolution gets lost. To resolve without reboot:

Launch CMD window (Windows)
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
(wait a little bit)
ping yahoo.com
(verify response)
(exit CMD window)

You may want to close and reopen all browser windows as they may too cache IP addresses.

Jim Dempsey

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mecej4
Honored Contributor III
3,282 Views

Steve Lionel gave me the name of an Intel contact for help with my forum issues. I wrote to that person, who started a chain of messages to other Intel personnel. My issues have been resolved, but it appears that the task of handling "legacy programs" such as Blackbelt is not consciously owned by anyone.

Thanks, Steve.

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,282 Views

My request to Intel Support for the Black Belt license renewal was passed onto an employee three weeks ago.  After providing the requested details of my Black Belt registration and license no., I have received no further follow-up. Not sure how much the Covid-19 disruption is impacting Intel's operations, but three weeks without a reply is a long time.

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,281 Views

Support even closed the ticket without it being resolved, since the BlackBelt program is ended, that's about the end of the story for them.

it's really interesting that none of the BlackBelts were told that the program had ended.

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Bob_Duffy
Moderator
3,281 Views

You're all Black Belts, no change there. The Black Belt Program is a legacy Intel Software Network status for the most technically proficient and active members of our developer community from 2006 to 2016. All Intel Black Belts remain Intel Black Belts. Program benefits such as hardware seeding, annual summit to IDF ended in 2016.

Black Belts continue to be value members and experts in our community and Intel continues to offer software licenses to Black Belts on an as needed basis. However as formal program operations and centralized support are no longer resourced at Intel, requests and reponses for licenses unfortunately vary in time and response. 

As Intel shifts to newer forum and web hosting platforms we may no longer have the traditional point and belt system. But we will carry members with the Black Belt forward in these new system and continue to recognize their status as Black Belts.

Hope this answers questions.

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mecej4
Honored Contributor III
3,281 Views

Thanks to Bob Duffy for responding here. I think that one obstacle to some of us is not knowing whom to contact regarding the issues mentioned in this thread.

For example, searching for "Intel Blackbelt" takes me to https://devmesh.intel.com/member-programs . I had never heard of "devmesh", but let that pass for now. There is only one instance of "black" on the page, as part of the link "Intel Software Black Belt". Clicking on that link takes one to a two-page collection of pictures of Intel Black Belts, but many of the Black Belts that I know, including Tim Prince, Jim Dempsey and others, are not included. I suspect that the number of Black Belts is at least twice the number represented in that collection. Also missing is a link to someone/someplace for seeking help with problems regarding membership status, requests for licenses, etc. 

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,281 Views

The Black Belt page was still up a month ago when I first made enquires about my licence and pointed out that the link on that page to Wendy's email address was useless since she had left Intel. While we knew that the Black Belt program had changed back in 2016, noone actually said that it no longer existed at all until recently.

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,281 Views

Bob,

Are you able to follow up about the renewal of my license?  Support just respond that the program is closed, but I believe they hand-balled the ticket to you.

Thanks,

David

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
3,276 Views

Regarding the Black Belt program - my understanding is that it became part of the Affinity Program in 2016, which Bob says is when the program ended.  Since then my license has been renewed at least three times without problems, including last year which was after Wendy Boswell finished up.

Seems that even as a legacy program, we have been lost somewhere along the line.

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Bob_Duffy
Moderator
3,276 Views

All here is an update
***Dave and Tim you should have communication on your software licenses. Check your email from Rodgers, Jeff <jeff.rodgers@intel.com>**

  • Dave I'm trying a new tactic to get your software renewed. I was successful with Steve going to a product marketing manager, but that does not seem to be getting a response for you and Tim. So I've now escalated through to Vadim Sherman our oneAPI program manager, who has goals around HPC. His program is largely the same team that managed Modern Code, and they are big Black Belt fans. Vadim originally introduced me to those who eventually supported Steve. He seems to have the cache needed to make the request happen ***this seems to have work, check your email**
  • I'm am in communication with Mary Taylor who is interested in formally taking over support for Intel Black Belts. Mary owns our forums platform and support programs. She has modeled her program off the IDZ Belt Program with point status updates that can be redeemed for swag and gifts as well as software licensing to top forum leaders.  She is in the processing of launching a new forum platform for all of Intel, including software forums. She has the list of all Black Belts (approximately 50) and their enterprise IDs, so she can set your status as Black Belts in the new system. She is interested in supporting you going forward
  • Per the representation and communication.  I cannot change the past. And I am sorry for the confusion.  I can share with you what I understand has transpired from my mountain top, which I thought was more transparent than it was. 
    Unfortunately, in 2016 many programs, resources (heads) were reduced, including a Black Belt Program manager Kathy Farrel. Wendy Boswell as the Innovator program manager was directed to provide central operations and communication to both Black Belts and Innovators in support of the technical programs and KPIs needed in those programs - AI, IoT, GameDev, NFV.  Also at this time, forums had mostly moved off of software.intel.com, to communities.intel.com. IDZ's role was set as the software voice from Intel, not a community voice. Thus user points and belts were no longer key to the IDZ experience as it had been for ISN.
    With IDZ not driving user points and forum contributions, the technical programs focused on sample work, skilled speakers, and proof of concept demos from the community.  The offering and operational model working with our developer leaders looked more like the Innovator program not Black Belt. But there was no intent or interest in closing the Black Belt program. We wanted to maintain any Black Belt as a Black Belt in perpetuity and allow you to continue to as you saw fit.
    Without status points, focus on forums, an annual IDF dinner, key parts of Black Belt became a legacy. To the best of my understanding, communication was sent out to Black Belts at this time specifically asking who wanted to proceed under a new model; presenting at workshops, and sharing sample work or proof of concepts. I recall Wendy discussing this many times. Those who opted to be active in the new model would continue to receive communication from us on program activities and opportunities. Weekly notifications went out on NDA calls.  Each month notifications went out on tracking community leader activities with us providing quarter certificates. DevMesh was launched in 2015, and became a place where the community could directly post their work, link to code samples, and report activity into the program. Innovator and Black Belt statuses showed on DevMesh for those who were participating in this program model.  This became a place that updated more frequently and accurately because the member was in control of the content and their profile. This is how things operated for 3-4 years. If this is news to you, my best guess is, you either missed the comms from Wendy or didn't want to operate in the new model.  Either way, you continued to engage with each other and in our forums without any formal program support or engagement.
    I do not recall over this time requests for software licenses, but I do remember it as a Black Belt benefit. Perhaps Wendy managed them and I never heard of it.  But the support process appears undocumented. I will continue to seek and request software licenses for you. And my hope is since Mary has adopted the belt program model and giving reputation around forum contributions with special benefits to leaders, this will be a better fit for all of you.

This is my understanding. My hope is I can land all of you with Mary, and with Mary's focus on forums, and forum leaders she'll be able to better support your needs. 

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Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
3,276 Views

Thanks for the details, Bob. Black Belts help Intel in many ways, lowering the load on support staff and "evangelizing" Intel products to users.

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JohnNichols
Valued Contributor III
3,276 Views

Dear Bob:

I am not a Black belt, nor will I ever be, but those Black Belts provide the normal user in Academe etc with advice when we cannot get it anywhere else. 

I assure you Intel cannot afford to lose these people -- fortran is just to important long term -- as we move to more and more data only Fortran grows with us. 

They are absolutely necessary 

 

John Nichols

 

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Bob_Duffy
Moderator
817 Views

All, not sure if you are still active etc. I am told a Channel has been created on the Intel DevHub Discord server for Fortran. 

I wanted to alert our Black Belts of this if there is interest in engaging on that platform. 
Here is a link to that channel https://discord.gg/FKkAxdF9fm

Note I am no longer involved on the Developer Programs side for Intel, but follow some of the activities and saw this and immediate thought of Black Belts.  

If you are interested in being part of that platform, I can discuss with the team on being sure your Black Belt designation is added to your role on that server.  Let me know robert.p.duffy@intel.com 


Bob Duffy

 

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Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
796 Views

I'm still here. I know @jimdempseyatthecove is as well. Intel pretty much discarded Black Belts even before I retired in 2017.  I'll check out the Discord server, though I am not a regular user of Discord.

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