Recently in Projects by Kernan Category

The first step in rule-based file storage will be implemented this weekend. The Veritas Storage Foundation suite will allow us to automatically control the device destination of files, all transparent to the end user.

This tool will provide the system administrator the ability to build a rule that says, move your file to cheaper storage if you have not touched it for a year. If that file is touched again, then it will be moved back to faster more reliable storage. When you look at the file from the h: or i: drive, this mechanism will all be working behind the scenes and you will not be aware of any file location changes.

Another option available will be snapshots. A snapshot can be taken of yesterdays h: drive and placed out on tape. If you loose or accidentally delete or modify a file, rather than call us and wait for a file restoration, you will be able to copy the file from the z: drive (the backup copy on tape) to your h: drive. The z: drive will be read only.

SIR Data modification
Faculty now have the ability to make their SIR data public. To make the data public, login to your SIR data at http://www.wou.edu/sir Click the toggle button at the bottom of the page allowing data to be viewed by the public, click again to make the data private. By default all data is private. You can view the public data here.

Creating Documents with New Versions of Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office 2003 is currently loaded in the labs and smart classrooms. If you save a document using the default file type, the document will not be compatible with the 2007 version. Use "save as" and change the save as file type to xxxx-2003.

...Update...
The 2007 Powerpoint viewer has been installed in HSS235. We are currently developing a plan for rolling out the Office compatibility suite. This will allow you to open/save Office 2007 documents in Office 2003.

Smart Classrooms
The College of Education per a February 27 e-mail has requested that ED240 be placed on a higher priority that ED116 to become a smart classroom.

Desktop Support
Current desktop support response time is 5 days. We are currently receiving 50 calls per day. A new desktop/classroom support technician is expected to start work the third week of March.

Smart Classrooms
The College of Education per a February 27 e-mail has requested that ED240 be placed on a higher priority that ED116 to become a smart classroom.

Another Automatic Update
Microsoft pushed out another automatic update that will effect how you use the terminal services client on your PC. The terminal services client application was modified by Microsoft to be more compatible with the new Vista O/S. The application no longer allows you to enter a domain name in a seperate field. You now must enter username@mash (ex. kernanb@mash) in the userid field. By default the application will try to authenticate against the local machine rather than the mash domain if you only enter the username.

Language Lab
There is current consideration under way for placing equipment in the APSC computer lab that would give language students the ability to utilize current language learning applications.

Smart LabsCALEA
I met with several faculty and the division chair in Natural Science for a tour of several science labs. The goal of this group is to have 12 computer workstations and a modified smart-classroom setup available in each of 10 science labs.

CALEA is intended to provide law enforcement agencies the ability to conduct electronic surveillance in a networked environment. The State of Oregon Department of Justice has provided me with advice on how to maintain complience. All wireless and wired stations connected to our network must be accessed only by members of the WOU community. One exception will include public access to the eight workstations behind the Hamersly Library reference desk.

It is now possible to access the web from the thin-client stations without a userid and password. I am working on securing them.

Security
John Rushing has written an overview of the Bradford security project.

File Management Project
An update to the file management project has been provided by Travis here.

Website Conversion
We have converted much of the site to the new template and are continuing the project in cooperation with web editors from several departments. If your department's pages have not yet been converted, don't be left out! Please contact Ron at webmaster@wou.edu to get started. This is also the time to update all the information on your department's web pages; we can provide you with tools, free of charge, to make this much easier than it has been in the past.

Soon the new template will also begin appearing in web-database applications such as the online directory and the account lookup system.

Computer Labs
Joan Guralnick has recently taken over management of the computer labs. You can read about some of her ideas for changes here.

Banner SIS/FIS/HRIS
Connie Atchley from OSU is leading the Banner consolidation project. Currently SIS and FIS/HRIS reside on separate database instances in Corvallis. The project goal is to bring all Banner products into a single instance of the database. The go-live date is set for Thanksgiving break 2007.

Both Brian and Michael regularly blog about their current Banner projects.

In March, after ETS upgrades the Banner INB, the workstation client will no longer function until the Java client has been upgraded to version 1.6. INB will cease to support the jinitiator. Stay tuned for upgrade plans.

Software development
Michael Ellis is developing a web-portal application. The goal is to provide single sign-on to multiple applications and access to your most common information through a single portal. Look for a release announcement over the next month.

Summer Runyan has developed a web-based data reporting and archiving system. It has been named theVault. It can be found here.

Dale Goodell is currently developing a scheduling and data collection application for the Writing Center, Academic Advising and Learning Center and Disability Services. He reports progress here.

Reassigned Duties
-- Shaun Gatherum resigned and took a security position with the Department of Administrative Services
-- Summer Runyan has taken over security systems.
-- Joan Guralnick manages the student computer labs
-- Joe Crowe maintains student computer lab software and hardware
-- Bill Kernan manages Nathan Sauer
-- Shaun's position will be replaced by a Desktop/Classroom support position that is currently in the recruitment process

Software updates
-- Centralized scheduling application
---- Tom Neal and I are leading a committee of schedulers from across campus to evaluate scheduling software.
---- The application must provide both classroom and event scheduling, interface with Banner, provide customizable reporting features, provide automated event notification to service providers via e-mail, have a web-client, provide end-users with the ability to schedule their own rooms, ....
---- College Net and Astra are the two main competitors in the academic market. Portland State University currently runs College Net but is re-evaluating and considering Astra. Montana State went through an RFP process and Astra won. I have been in contact with five other Universities with Astra experience and they have all given me positive feedback. We had a 1 1/2 hour remote demonstration of Astra and also a half-day on-site demonstration by Astra. No decision has been made at this point.

A copy of Windows Vista has been purchased and UCS is evaluating it. No deployment plans exist at this point. Comments on Vista by Nathan.

Systems
There are still a few alumni and emeritus faculty that are being move from the old e-mail system to our current production system.

We are currently looking at alternatives for storing files that either have not been touched for a year or are of questionable academic nature. We are looking at several different products that would move these files off to cheaper storage until they either were touched or became higher priority files. All of this would happen behind the scenes and the end user would not know that their h: drive was stored in two different locations.

Alex has installed both Sakai and Moodle, alternatives to WebCT. WebCT currently has a $9,000 per year fee, while Moodle and Sakai are free. Scott Carter is currently evaluating both systems.

Smart Classrooms / Labs
ITC001 is currently under construction and will be a full smart-classroom by the start of spring term. The design will simulate Albany middle school classrooms. Mary Bucy is the primary consultant on this project.

Education 204 (Maria Dantas-Whitney -- design consultant) and Smith 123 (Joeeph Harchanko -- design consultant)are scheduled for spring term.

The nursing lab will be housed where we currently have two computer labs, ITC 002 and 003. John Marsaglia and I met with the Physical Plant February 1, 2007 to discuss moving ITC 002 to MOD 104 this summer. ITC 003 locations are still under consideration, but it will be moved this summer also.

We are behind on getting the smart-classrooms into the rotation cycle. Tricia has information on the upgrades here.

Security
The Bradford security system has been implemented in the residence halls and for wireless. The open network ports in the Hamersly Library will be next, followed by lab network ports.
The current rule set in Bradford does not allow a device to be connected to the public network until virus definitions and the operating system is current. A non-secure device is placed on a private network and a fix-it resource web page is displayed with links to solutions. In addition, when connecting via wireless, the system checks for a paid flag that is set when you purchase wireless from Telecommunications.

The Hackers -- bad guys
The bad guys found ezproxy and exploited it. We upgraded it to the current release, turned on auditing and implemented all security features. Now we have slowed down the bad guys, but they will be back. We are currently taking further steps to secure our systems.