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Dawgbytes, Fall 2006
Volume 5, Number 2

About This Issue...
Information Technology's newsletter, Dawgbytes, is now available online. Dawgbytes is available via a subscription to a list server, DAWGBYTES-L. To subscribe to this mailing list, e-mail a message to listserv@listserv.siu.edu. Use any subject you like, but the body or text area of the message should contain only SUBSCRIBE DAWGBYTES-L.
The Fall 2006 issue of Dawgbytes includes articles on the RezNet move-in project; the Student Information System (SIS); the new electronic forms services; some security tips; and campus-wide printing services.

The RezNet Move-in Project
Thousands of students move in to the SIUC residence halls every fall, bringing with them their computers, gaming devices, and a need to connect to the internet while they reside at the SIUC residence halls. The connection capability/service that allows them to connect to the SIUC Campus Area Network is known as “RezNet.”
Since the initial implementation of “RezNet” on our campus a couple of years ago, it has become increasingly difficult each fall for the IT Computer Support Center to assist students in getting connected in a timely manner. Each year there are more students coming to campus with their own computers. In addition, there are always new “rules” regarding virus software, malware, patches, etc., that have to be dealt with on each individual computer, which makes the connection process more complicated.

This year, an enterprising Network Engineer in IT, Michael Shelton, initiated a volunteer RezNet program to help students get connected as early as possible and to literally “meet them at the door” while they were moving in. This initiative involved recruiting our own IT staff and IT staff across campus as volunteers, and then training, arranging for incentives, and setting up a service desk for move-in, as well as establishing a satellite Computer Support Center in Trueblood for approximately three weeks.

We are happy to report that the RezNet Move-In Project was extremely successful and was instrumental in moving the biggest part of getting students connected to the residence halls where they live. This, in large part, eliminated the need to wait for appointments, the wait to be connected, and the unwieldiness of having to cart their computers physically to the Northwest Annex. Students who needed help were helped in a very timely manner and had a temporary Computer Support Center close to their residence hall where they could drop in for service.

We would sincerely like to thank Michael Shelton, the IT staff, IT staff from other departments, Tina Collins and her staff, and all the volunteers from campus who helped students out during Move-In and the satellite time period. We really appreciate the support and your commitment to students.

Campus Wide Printing Services
Attention Students, Faculty, and Staff: You can now print to Xerox printers on campus from your wireless laptop or even from your computer in your residence hall room or office. The Xerox printers are located in libraries and many computer labs on campus as well as at two locations in the Student Center (by the Information Desk and the Study Lounge on the second floor). To send a print job, you will first need to install the Pharos (printing) client on your computer. Once the file is sent, it will stay in the print queue for two hours. To release it, you just need to go to a Xerox printer on campus and use your Network ID and Debit Dawg (student or staff ID) to print your document. (You will need to add funds to your Debit Dawg first.)

The printers are Xerox 8550 Phaser printers and can print in both color and traditional black/white at 30 pages per minute at a cost of 10 cents per page for blk/white and 70 cents per page for color. The printers are available in 18 locations around campus.

For specific locations of printers, please review the Campus Wide Printing Services pages available from our IT home page.

The printing client can be downloaded to your computer from: wireless.it.siu.edu/use-pharos.htm.

For any questions, you may contact Karl Strappini, Campus Wide Printing Services Manager, at 536-PRNT (7768), or itprint@siu.edu.

Software Site Licenses at SIUC
Software site licenses at SIUC are renewed on a fiscal-year basis or throughout the year as they become due for renewal. Some licenses are for unlimited distribution, and some are for a limited number of seats on a cost-recovery basis. Users are asked to check for detailed information on available site licenses by accessing the following web page URL, which lists the software, manufacturer, version, platform, number of copies, renewal date, annual fee if applicable, and the contact person for inquiries, preferably by email, about obtaining a seat: www.infotech.siu.edu/csc/licenses.html.
Distribution of seats for every agreement entered into is authorized for academic and research purposes per the guidelines of each specific site license agreement. To secure a seat for site licensed software, a request for site licensed software should be emailed by the faculty or staff member to the designated contact person. A copyrights release form is signed by the requestor, who assumes responsibility for proper use of the software according to the requirements of each site license agreement. Upon execution of the copyrights release form, the faculty or staff member receives the link to the FTP server to download the software along with the authorization code and installation instructions. Technical support for site licensed software is provided by the IT Computer Support Center (453-5155). The software will cease to function after its expiration date, in accordance with the specific software license, at which time a new authorization string needs to be requested by the faculty member or staff member, which extends the life of the software for another year.

SIU has renewed with Microsoft the existing Campus Agreement Subscription until June 30, 2009. Faculty and staff have the right to run the most current versions of any of the licensed products on University-owned machines, for University-related activities, and also on a laptop or desktop that they own or lease. The software, all part of the “Desktop bundle,” may be loaded from the SIU IT Faculty and Staff Software Download website (and subsequently the IT Software Distribution Site) accessible under Campus Agreements on IT's home page (http://www.infotech.siu.edu/) or from media that faculty and staff, departments and colleges wish to purchase from Zones, Inc., the Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller who was awarded this new three-year contract. We have also renewed a Microsoft Academic Select Agreement, which enables the purchase through Zones of any software not included in the Campus Agreement (applications, systems, or servers) at special educational prices, including Software Assurance at the time of purchase. Under the Academic Select Agreement, faculty and staff can also purchase such products for personal use. Product keys for all Microsoft software covered by the Campus Agreement and Select Agreement are also accessible via the IT home page.

With respect to Microsoft products, under the Academic Student Select agreement, SIUC registered students are eligible to purchase certain licenses and software products at a significant price discount, as outlined on the E-Academy web site (accessible via the IT home page, http://siu.e-academy.com/) in the screen accessible to students.

SIU has also entered into an Open Options Contract License Program (CLP) Volume Licensing program, which enables faculty and staff to purchase Adobe products at a 65% to 75% educational discount from TRC, Inc., the Adobe Authorized Education Reseller for SIU. For SIU faculty and staff, quotes and orders can be generated on-line by accessing http://www.shoptrc.com/esite/siu.

A Student Licensing agreement with Adobe makes it possible for registered SIU students to purchase selected Adobe products for personal use directly from TRC, Inc. at substantial savings by accessing http://www.shoptrc.com/esite/adobe/savings. Ordering can be made by credit card or check.

TRC, Inc., has been purchased by CDW-G and is in a brief transition phase as they integrate their systems, which they expect to be 100% merged by February 2007. For questions and price information when placing orders for Adobe products, the new Account Executive to contact at TRC, Inc. is Eddie Voiculescu. Contact Eddie at (800) 517-2320 x209, or by email, eddie@gotrc.com.

Student Information System (SIS) Progress
The train has left the station. The SIS Implementation Project, soon to be referred to as the UDC (Unified Digital Campus) project, has now officially begun.
A detailed Project Kickoff was conducted during the first week of August. Subsequently, two prerequisite training classes were conducted between August 28 and September 8. During the remainder of the Fall Semester, numerous training sessions will be offered. In addition, SIUC database administrators will be traveling off campus to attend technical training.
Other developments include the hiring of new staff for the project. They are:

Treina Basham, Project Coordinator (Financial Aid)
Amy Eaton, Database Administrator
Michelle Richerson, Project Coordinator (Student)
Tom Whittington, Database Administrator
Many planning activities will occur throughout the remainder of the Fall Semester as the project kicks into high gear. For a complete and detailed list of activities, we invite you to visit the project web site at http://salukinet.siu.edu/SISnews.

New Electronic Forms Services
New electronic forms repository services and Adobe PDF form publication processes are now available. The forms repository provides a central location for electronic form storage. It provides faculty and staff access to Adobe Acrobat PDF forms that can be filled out online with a web browser and the standard Adobe Acrobat Reader desktop application. The ability to apply digital signatures to electronic forms will also be available in the future. For more detailed information, see the e-Forms web site at http://eforms.siu.edu/.

The new electronic form publication processes uses specialized Adobe Reader Extension software to enable additional functionality within a PDF form. Once an e-Form has been 'enabled', it may be printed, saved as a file on a desktop computer, and routed to others as an email attachment. The functions to be enabled within a PDF form are determined by the document author and the e-Forms administrator during the e-Form development and the publication process. Again, those wishing to fill out these forms are only required to have the current version of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader desktop application.

Campus academic and administrative departments and units are encouraged to upgrade their current Adobe PDF and MSWord based forms to this new e-Form format. Authors of e-Forms will need current versions of Adobe Acrobat Professional or Adobe Lifecycle Designer to build their PDF forms. Authors should also become familiar with the e-Forms publication process and e-Form document standards before beginning the development of an electronic form. This information is available at the e-Forms web site ‘eforms.siu.edu’.

Security Tips
IT staff have compiled a list of recommendations to improve the security of a computer using Microsoft Windows. Following these steps will greatly reduce your risk of being infected with malware, spyware, exploitation, and system cracking programs.
The Short List

Keep the patches for the operating system and applications updated
Install an antivirus program and update it often
Use Windows firewall or other firewall
Create strong passwords
Use encryption
Protect the computer's physical security
Education

In Detail

Keep all patches up to date for the OS and the applications in use on the system. Anything that processes input from the Internet is potentially at risk (this includes multimedia applications, mail clients, browsers, Java, etc). The biggest risks here are probably the web browser and e-mail clients.
Keep antivirus installed and updated frequently. McAfee 8 has some extra features, such as buffer overflow protection, that stop certain types of attacks.
Use a firewall on the system. Only allow what's absolutely necessary. Don't open up services any further than what's required. Consider not running any services on any workstation-grade PC unless you really know what you are doing.
Use strong passwords/passphrases with all four character classes (uppercase, lowercase, number, special character), and change them at least every 120 days. Do not reuse them. If you must write them down, do it in a manner that won't give away the keys to the kingdom if someone obtains your paper/document. IT suggests that you don't write passwords down at all: use a passphrase, and memorize it. For very high security accounts, make the password greater than 15 characters long. Rename the Administrator accounts. Disable or remove accounts that are no longer needed, both local accounts and any domain-based accounts.
Use encryption to store any sensitive data on the system. The newer versions of WinZip even have AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption support. Other tools are are available, such as PGP, TrueCrypt, and many others.
Protect the physical security of the computer. If someone can steal it, and you have not encrypted the data, then it's all over.
Commit to continuous education.

The SMART Boards Web Site
SMART Board interactive white boards are an integral part of the University's classroom and auditoria technology. SMART Technologies has a web site at http://www.smarttech.com. You may be surprised at some of the device's capabilities; we invite you to visit this site.

Archived Issues of Dawgbytes

The Summer 2006 issue of Dawgbytes, which included articles on unlocking passwords; Campus Wide Printing Services; the new Student Information System; a new vendor for Microsoft software; disaster recovery; data encryption software; and campus wireless access maps is available at this link.

Comments: IT Webmaster