Campus Technology Services

 TechNews - December 2011

This is a summary of the activities supporting faculty, staff and student technology services at SUNY Oswego that occurred during November 2011.

Reminders

1. Routine Service Outage
   As part of Campus Technology Services' efforts to keep servers running at optimum levels, a regular maintenance period has been designated. From 6AM to 10AM on the second Sunday of each month, several services such as E-mail, editing of both departmental and personal web pageswill not be available. The next scheduled outage is Sunday, January 8th, 2012.
2. NYALERT
   For information on NYAlert: http://www.oswego.edu/administration/public_affairs/emergency/nyalert.html or 
   visit http://www.suny.edu/SUNYALERTsec to sign up.
3. RAVE Guardian
   For information on Rave Guardian http://oswego.edu/student/blogs/?cat=11 or to sign up: https://www.getrave.com/login/oswego
4. CTS Newsletter
   Please see the CTS December Newsletter at http://www.oswego.edu/blogs/ctsnewsletter for important information about a new look coming very soon to the LakerApps Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites apps, a Firefox campus upgrade, sending email using LakerApps Gmail when clicking an email address in a web page, a Gartner research subscription available to the campus, sign-up for our spring lecture capture pilot project and more.

Patch Wednesdays

CTS now has the capability of updating your campus owned computers for security fixes as well as functionality on a regularly scheduled basis. This may include software updates to programs such as Adobe Reader or Microsoft Word or to change Windows settings to better support your computers. In order to streamline this process we will only perform these updates on Wednesdays.  These changes will be implemented only after thorough internal CTS testing. You may possibly notice a slight slowdown in computer performance at that time. Updates are added to a CTS calendar so you may see what changes have occurred to your computer on any given day or that are scheduled to be done.

Technology Support Center

 You can reach us by phone at 312.3456 or at 26 Lanigan Hall or our website.

 Are you on Facebook? Want to receive updates from CTS on new services, updates, system outages, and more? We recently created a "SUNY Oswego - Campus Technology Services" Facebook group. Become a fan and start receiving updates!

Learning Management System

The ANGEL Team continues to learn about Blackboard (BB) Learn to help prepare the campus for a migration to take place tentatively in the 2013 timeframe.  There are certain ANGEL features that are currently not available in BB Learn, but will be incorporated into the product in the future.  We also are staying abreast of Blackboard's progress towards Student Information System integration so we can prepare for Banner integration of student registration.  The ANGEL course migration tool continues to be tested at SLN and locally on campus to provide feedback to BB on what works and doesn't work. 

The Elluminate software used for synchronous online teaching and meetings is being piloted on campus this fall semester.  As the semester ends, we are gathering input from our pilot participants to help us prepare for a spring semester rollout for the whole campus.  The Elluminate product is currently hosted by SUNY ITEC with additional user support of the product through SLN. 

Please check the ANGEL website for dates and times for upcoming workshops.

If you are interested in setting up a community group, please visit the ANGEL web site at www.oswego.edu/academics/angel. Community groups are limited to academic and/or university related activities only.

Professional Development

CTS will be participating in the CELT sponsored Winter Breakout sessions.  Please check CELT''s website for offerings and registration.

Self-paced, on-demand tutorials are also available from our iTunes U site.  Tutorials covering Microsoft Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010 and LakerApps Sites are currently available.  ANGEL workshops are available from the main ANGEL website.

Updating your department web site with Ingeniux workshops are available at the Ingeniux Training site.

The Skillport e-learning software is available to all faculty, staff and students.  Skillport includes business and technology-related courses (including Office 2010) as well as courses and test preps needed to prepare you for many business and technical certifications.   Get started at the Skillport home page.

Software News

We are advising people to refrain from upgrading to Windows 7 as, currently, not all campus applications are compatible with it.

SUNY Oswego faculty and staff may purchase a copy of either MS Office Professional Plus 2010 (PC version) or Office 2011 (Mac version) for use on their personal computers for $9.95 plus tax.  This "Home Use Program" is made available to faculty and staff through the campus purchase of the Microsoft Campus Agreement.  Details of how to go about purchasing can be found from the CTS MS Office Home Use Program (HUP) page.

Microsoft is offering students a significantly reduced price on its products. To determine if students qualify for the special pricing and to buy online visit www.theultimatesteal.com.

UBMicro has a great new site for purchasing various software products for your home machine. Visit their site at http://www.ubmicrosuny.com/

Web Update

Prepare for the new looks Google is releasing to the LakerApps Gmail, Calendar, Sites and Docs apps.  Please review our "There's a New Look Coming to a Google App Near You" featured article in the CTS Newsletter for more information.   Google is also no longer supporting older versions of Firefox and IE.  Please review the "Google No Longer Supporting Older Firefox and IE Browsers" article also in the CTS Newsletter to determine your current version and how you should upgrade. 

The Web Team is continuing to evaluate portal products.  A campus portal will allow users to sign-in to a web page and initially have access to their email, ANGEL and myOswego without having to authenticate into each system again.  There are certain system requirements products must meet and we are crossing off products that do not meet those requirements and having demos of those that do.  Eventually, as the products are narrowed down to 2-3, we will involve our user community to help decide which product the campus should choose.

The SUNY Oswego mobile site was officially released.  You can view it on a mobile phone at http://m.oswego.edu.  The first release of the app has access to a campus directory, campus maps, the library, campus news and events, emergency phone numbers and more.  Work continues to add even more functionality for the future.

Campus Technology Services (CTS) would like to inform users that new releases of browsers aren't always fully compatible with some web-based campus services that you need to access.  The use of an unsupported browser can result in inconsistent or unpredictable behavior when working in applications.  Please check with the TSC before updating.

Ingeniux trainings continue to be held.  Please check the Ingeniux training site for dates and times and online registration.

Lecture Capture
We will be piloting the echo360 and Tegrity lecture capture systems during the Spring 2012 semester. We are in current communication with both companies to have pilot systems set up and configured for us.  We are actively recruiting faculty interested in participating in the Spring 2012 semester.  If you think you might be interested, please fill out our Lecture Capture Pilot Participation Form.

Desktop Support

Campus Technology Services technicians have continued to aid faculty, staff and students in resolving hardware, software, and account related issues. Since the beginning of November Campus Technology Services technicians have assisted in the resolution of 52 hardware, 84 software, and 27 account related support requests.

Equipment Deployments

Our desktop support technicians continue to prepare and deploy new equipment as it arrives. During the month of November, new equipment has been configured and installed within: Admissions Office, Athletics Department, Curriculum & Instruction Department, Custodial Services, and Development/Alumni Office.

NEW STAFF MEMBER

Campus Technology Services is pleased to welcome a new member to our technical staff. Aaron Pratt has accepted a position as a Desktop Support Technician. Aaron's will be working out of Lanigan Hall. His responsibilities will include installation, configuration, diagnostic, and repair support for faculty and staff desktop/laptop computer workstations, and departmental printing resources.

Banner/myOswego

• Began development of a myOswego financial aid link for students; the link will outline anticipated aid that will not be included in the balance due of their CashNet statement/balance due
• Completed the development of the Admissions Application Status link for myOswego, which may replace the request for information cards being sent by Admissions; made adjustments to the Common Application and SUNY ASC load process
• Reviewed and planned for the Fall to Winter to Spring Millennium updates as reflected by changes to room assignments in Adirondack and Banner
• Development of a process for Extended Learning to load high school language data directly into Banner from a spreadsheet is near completion
• Upgraded Banner production database forms server to use Fusion Middleware

Other Administrative Support

• Continued working toward loading Graduate Student Applications to Banner from Intelliworks file
• Continued working on the requested ARGOS reporting solutions for Registrars
• Assisted Student Accounts and Financial Aid with the procession of the SUNY Tuition Credit award
• Continued to prepare for the Conduct Coordinator migration meetings with Judicial Affairs and Res Life & Housing; tentative go live date is late December.
• Completed modifications to approximately 45 local reporting/processing applications
• Moved Handheld ticket writers from the Parking office to Pathfinder UP office and configured desktop to upload/download ticket information.
• Troubleshoot Parking website with vendor.
• Upgraded Theatre Manager to version 9.12.03
• Setup VM for Parking test ebusiness site.
• Modified installation scripts for Housing Director and Argos to work with Windows 7

Future Administrative System projects

• retire Meeting Maker server 
• retire Touchnet server
• Upgrade T2 Flex(Parking system)
• Conversion to Conduct Coordinator(Coco)
• Conversion to Medicat(electronic Medical records)
•  Change production database to use the Fusion Middleware (FMW) middle tier for INB Banner
• Beta test the functional user job submission interface
• Replacement of Banner database servers
• Revise math placement exam scores process as outlined by First Year Programs and Orientation
• Assist with HR BDMS implementation

Provided AV support for the following events

• Admissions Veteran's Day Open House
• Middle States web streaming
• Foundation Board meeting
• Global Awareness Conference
• SIFE Economic Debate
• Arel Moddie presentation to SUNY Oswego and Oswego High School students

Campus Projects

• Completed design and installation of A/V equipment in Culkin 211
• Completed Hewitt Union ballroom A/V system training for Auxiliary Services staff
• Installed new cabling to projector in Campus Center auditorium
• Participated in Mahar classroom design planning, Rice Creek facilities planning, SoE Park Hall renovation planning, and Intersession Project planning

Department Support

• Completed A/V equipment installation in Wilber 165 conference room
• Completed equipment maintenance and reprogrammed audio settings on WNYO studio console
• Skype Support - English
• Reset Laker Hall video transmission pathway for basketball tournament
• Installed SPSS on lab computers in Lanigan
• Participated in Clean Air Steering Committee, Public Ceremonies Committee, and new faculty orientation follow-up
• Consulted with Cinema Studies and IPAC regarding specialty classroom needs and conference room needs.

CTS Projects or Support

• Installed Digital signage on third floor of Rich Hall
• Installed second codec in Telepresence units on Campus and at Metro Center
• Completed A/V installation in Culkin 211 conference room
• Installed media carts in Lanigan 102A and 107A
• Updated equipment carts in Snygg Hall

Telecommunications Projects 

 • Culkin Hall wiring closet relocation
• Winter Projects Planning
• Tyler Hall Wireless Wiring
• Culkin 5th Floor UPS turn up

Telecommunications Administration

 • 2 Adds
• 0 Swaps
• 0 Changes
• 3 Disconnects
• 4 Moves
• Generate Monthly Bills.
• LDAP and Pinnacle email comparison audit

Networking Update

 • Updated Oswego-Secure to disable band-steering and load balancing for troubleshooting a few reported issues
• Updated SecureW2 to re-enable the prompt for users to enter their credentials for network access on a Mac
• Removed network and UPS equipment from Park, installed temporary equipment in basement for any potential contractors
• Provided guest access for a speaker, Open House
• Created a guest SSID, username, password, AP Group, and Lightweight template for Open House wireless access
• Unboxed, inventoried, prepped, installed switches for Culkin 510 closet upgrade
• Worked with Tim to test and verify the new wired installer for updated license and Windows 7 settings
• Began testing XPC on Lion machine after latest release
• Worked with Eric to get CCA screenshots when a user is in certain roles
• Worked on test wireless controller configuration for advanced seamless Windows authentication for campus owned fac/staff wireless clients
• Updated radius-01 wireless config with a new handler for test wireless controller for seamless Windows authentication testing
• Opened TAC case for WCS not logging the correct IP address for a client
• Attended the Riggs information session on Copyright compliance. Answered DMCA related questions
• Installed additional NIC into lanigan UPS for management
• Tested wireless ticket scanning again in the arena area
• Replaced all access points in Rich and Wilber to the latest devices.
• Installed new access points in Tyler 205 and 206
• Started replacing existing access points in Snygg
• Rice Creek network outage - had Time Warner come on site to replace the power supply for their equipment
• Troubleshot connectivity issues for Theatre Manager software in the Arena
• Created FW to allow SSH between zones for 2 new devices
• Created FW rule for Rick Buck to allow science camera access
• Configured and installed new switch for iSCSI network devices only in Culkin
• Helped desktop group with a NAS device at Rice Creek not connecting to the network
• Inventoried switches equipment from PO 47M in Culkin and sent to Lin
• Installed surge strips in 510 Culkin, connected stack cables and power cables
• Worked with Harry to make sure there wasn't an issue with Cisco side of the Nortel phone problems
• Worked up temporary solution for a conference phone in a IP phone enabled building
• Registered the 3 new domains for the college
• Renewed global routing address with ARIN
• Walked Pathfinder & Littlepage with Ty to verify new 19" rack installations for IP phone upgrades
• Worked on Music on Hold for CUCM cluster and got it working properly
• Upgraded CUCM cluster to latest device pack and reverted firmware default loads for our devices
• Setup phones for TelePresence units
• Helped McQuin and Taylor with Mahar 210 SPSS license issue
• XBOX/PS3/Wii/other registrations: 4
• DMCA take down notifications: 2
• Abuse Notifications: 19

Staff Updates

• Presentation - SUNY Wizards Conference - Privilege Management at SUNY Oswego with Avecto - Tim Yager
• SMP workshop - Rochester - Andy Goldzweig
• SUNY Wizards Conference - Tim Yager, Paul Taylor
• Webinar - New usage and Updates for Apple GSX 2 - David Kahn
• Webinar - Landesk Configuration Management - Tim Yager
• Webinar - Kaltura Video Management - Tim Yager
• Eric Goodnough, Andy Michaelis - Groovy and Grails at CPD
• Developing Business Discipline - A Manager's Guide to Coaching Technical Staff - Hageny, McQuin
• Elluminate Training - Canning, Hageny, McQuin, Norman, Perkins,
• Kaltura's presentation on digital asset management - Hageny, McQuin
• EdTOA regional meeting on classroom design - Hageny, McQuin
• SUNY Fredonia campus classroom visit - Hageny, McQuin
• Workforce Development seminar - Schleinitz
• Use of iPad and Tablets in Classroom -- McQuin
• Implementing and Deploying IPv6, Syracuse NY - Greg
• SMP Tech Center opening, Rochetser NY - Matt, Greg
• Deploying Cisco ASA Firewall Solutions New York, NY- Greg
• NYSERNet VMWare webinar - Greg

Phone Calls to the Technology Support Center (11/1/11-11/30/11)

700

Call Logging Statistics - 11/1- 11/30/2011