This Fall the Landers Lab will be hiring two student workers to extend our open lab hours. Tentatively the Lab hours will change from M-F 2pm - 6pm to the new hours M-F 2pm 10pm and Sunday 5pm to 10pm.
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UPGRADE Scheduled for 6am. Was told this would be a 4 hr upgrade, but to schedule the entire day for testing and fixing issues. CBORD will remotly install the new version and move us from an ASA database to Oracle.
Every device connected to the campus network should meet these security standards to avoid getting their computer compromised by hackers and viruses.
Your computer should meet all the requirements below, regardless of the operating system on your computer. If you do not meet all the standards, your computer may not be as secure on the network as it could be.
1. Install anti-virus software that updates with regular virus definitions
The first security requirement is to have antivirus software. Antivirus software detects and eliminates malicious code on your computer. It protects your documents and media by keeping viruses from spreading between your computer and others.
2. Install anti-spyware software and keep the definition up-to-date.
Antivirus software detects and eliminates malicious code on your computer but it does not stop or remove spyware/adware/malware. Anti-spyware protects your computer from key loggers to unwanted BHO's, and much more.
3. Set a strong administrator password for your computer
Many computers have blank passwords by default, giving hackers an easy way to compromise machines. Setting a strong administrator account password closes this common security hole. Be secure will assist you in setting up a password upon installation. Also changing the name off the Administrator account will help as well.
4. Have a personal firewall installed and running at all times
A personal firewall protects your computer from potentially harmful network traffic. It prevents spammers and hackers from exploiting security holes on your computer. Some users may be timid about installing a firewall or maintain one because they usually prompt you regarding intrusion attempts and knot knowing what is legitimate and what is not can cause problems. This usually happens when you accidently block a valid application and it no longer works..
5. Enable automatic updates to get latest software patches for your computer
Enabling automatic updates protects your computer from the newest security vulnerabilities as they are discovered. Windows XP Service Pack 3 is the latest service pack for XP users, but remember to run updates after it is installed. There are over 50 updates since the release of SP3.
The Computer Repair Utility Kit allows you to run all of the repair tools from your portable drive (eg. USB Flash Drive, External Hard Drive, IPod etc.) and comes with an easy to use, right-click menu.
The Computer Repair Utility Kit runs off a menu system called PStart and contains the following applications:
File Management:
• CCleaner - Cleans up Windows systems. Clears temporary internet files, cookies, history etc..
• JkDefragGUI - An advanced defragging tool far superior to the built in Windows one
• DriveimageXML - Hard drive imaging tool. Allows you to get a single file out of a whole image too
• Explore2fs - Allows you to explore hard drives with Linux file systems
• Double Killer - Finds duplicate files and deletes them
• Deep Burner - CD/DVD Burning software
• 7-Zip Portable - Archive creating and extraction tool. Can handle most compression formats
• PC-Decrapifier - Cleans out the crap that comes installed on new brand name computers (Norton trials, toolbars etc.)
Information
• Process Explorer - Allows you to view system processes
• System Information - View lots of information about a system (specs, passwords, temperatures etc.)
• ProduKey - View software cdkeys and serials
• Autoruns - Autostart program viewer
• HWMonitor - View hardware information
• GPU-Z - Show video card information (chipset, bios version, shaders, memory size etc.)
• Wireless Key View - Shows saved wireless network keys
• TreeSize Free - Show how much space each folder on a system uses
• Game Key Revealer - View CDKeys and Serials for popular games
• USBDView - Allows you to list and manage USB devices (including devices that arent currently plugged in)
• TrID - Identifies file types for extension-less files
• Codec Installer - Finds and analyzes video codecs
• Unknown Devices - Tells you what a "Unknown Device" in system properties actually is
• GSpot - Video analyizer
Repair Tools
• Norton Removal Tool - Removes Symantec products
• McAfee Removal Tool - Removes McAfee products
• LSPFix - Fixes broken Winsock entries
• Dial-a-Fix - Repair Windows files and registries
Recovery
• Recuva - Recovers deleted files
• Restoration - Recovers deleted files
• Photorec - Recover deleted/damaged files from Flash memory (like digital cameras)
• DBXTract - Recover emails from damaged DBX files (like Outlook Express)
Network Tools
• Wireshark - View network packets
• Network Scanner - Scans the network for devices
• Putty - SSH/Telnet/RLogin client
• Network Stumbler - Wireless Network Scanner
Virus and Malware Removal Tools
• Clamwin Antivirus - Virus scanner/remover
• Rootkit Revealer - Detects rootkits on a system
• Combofix - Malware finder and remover
• SmitFraudFix - Malware finder and remover
• RogueFix - Malware finder and remover
• Hijack This! - Malware remover
• SUPERAntiSpyware - Malware scanner and remover
• Malwarebytes - Malware scanner and remover
Misc
• Mozilla Firefox - Web browser
• JavaRa - Find and remove old Java versions
• Monitor Tester - Test monitors from problems
• Dead Pixel Tester - Finds and fixes dead pixels on LCDs
• ChkFlsh - Check flash drives for errors or test their real size (as fake ones appear on eBay)
• Double Driver - Driver backup tool
• SumatraPDF - Lightweight PDF viewer
• Revo Uninstaller - Advanced application uninstaller
Tweaks
• TweakUI - Windows XP tweaking tool
• VistaTweaker - Vista tweaking tool
Scripts
• Quickly Make a System Restore Point - Makes restore point
• Reset Network - Releases/Renews IP and flushes DNS
• Clear Printer Spooler - Clears stuck print jobs from spooler
• Stop Automatic Updates - Stops "Windows has installed updates, restart now" dialog temporarily
• Start Automatic Updates - Switches it back on
MD5: bb1dd33daf2a721fb0688d6022dd0600
Bandwidth is the communication capacity of an electronic pathway, such as a communication pipeline. Data flows quickly and smoothly when the amount of traffic traveling in the pipe is small relative to the size of the pipe. When the amount of traffic exceeds the capacity of the pipe, the speed at which data travels begins to drop.
Imagine the network wires as pipes - the larger the pipes, the more data can pass through.
While using the Internet, you are using bandwidth to transfer data. Bandwidth is counted for both uploads and downloads. Abusing bandwidth refers to an individual taking up a larger share of the pipe than they should.
When students on the residence hall network are sharing lots of music and movie files, the speed of the network decreases for everyone. Many people exceed bandwidth quotas because they are sharing copyrighted material without permission. Copyright violation is against the law and you may be prosecuted.
WOU is drastically changing its stance on P2P software. Use of this software is going to stop on this campus in part to a new packet identifying appliance that can tell what protocol each packet is using and if the traffic is inbound or outbound. This will significantly help reduce the bandwidth load on our campus. I am sure students are going to fuss over the loss of these applications, but we believe that this is a step in the right direction for our campus.
Microsoft is releasing/has released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to Windows Update today.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 x86 [Microsoft]
for detailed changed go to "Notable changes in Vista SP1"
I had a student who cam into the Lab and asked about passwords. She said her MySpace account was logged into and altered with out her permission. I told her she should immediately change her password, either someone figured it our or it was given to them, either way it was compromised. I then told her how to create a strong password and referred her to Microsoft Password Checker.
According to Microsoft “A strong password should appear to be a random string of characters to an attacker. It should be 14 characters or longer, (eight characters or longer at a minimum). It should include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.”
You can use this simple web application to test how good your password is.
Landers Computer lab has been operating under some limited staffing. Our hours have been affected by the staffing situation and some students have had to wait a little longer for computer access and computer help. However I am please to inform you that the Landers Computer Lab has found a new lab attendant.
Andy is our new Lab Attendant. With his background I believe he will bring us great customer support and give the students a skill technician to help with computer issues.
Routers are becoming a more common device used by the students on campus. Regardless of the reason, Residential Computing does not support or condone the use of routers in the residence halls. A misconfigured router can cause the entire hall to lose Internet connectivity and may result in your data port being turned off due to a violation of the Network Usage Policy. This includes Wired as well as Wireless routers. Having a router with DHCP turned on will cause all computers near the router to connect to it rather than the schools DHCP server. This will make your computer think it has network access but it will not see the internet.
Securing your computer can become as habitual as almost everything you do in your life. Working it in to a routine will help keep your computer healthy and prevent problems from creeping up at inopportune times. Here are some habits you can develop to maintain your computer’s health.
TIP / HOW OFTEN
Update virus definitions - Daily
Run a virus scan - Weekly
Update spyware definitions - Daily
Run a spyware scan - Weekly
Windows Updates is a procedure where you check with Microsoft for updates/patches to Windows which will protect the computer from vulnerabilities. Sometimes the patches are simply feature updates and are not vulnerabilities. Either way, it is a good idea to update Windows.
Windows critical updates are required to be installed on all student computers in order to gain
As a computer is used to access information on the internet and additional programs are added, the computer's performance may begin to degrade.
Use one or more of the methods below to resolve issues and improve system performance, and perform routine maintenance tasks to ensure that your notebook PC continues to work optimally.
Use a spyware blocker to remove spyware and adware
These programs, just like viruses and worms, can degrade the system resources. Set up a schedule to search for and remove these types of programs.
Delete temporary files and directories
Windows uses several directories, such as the C:\WINDOWS\TEMP directory, to store files (*.tmp, *.spc) intended only for temporary use. Over time, the number of files can build up and slow the operation of programs, such as print spooling.
Windows Vista provides the Disk Cleanup utility to help reduce the number of unnecessary files on your computer and let your computer run more smoothly. Start and use Disk Cleanup by following the steps below:
Scan the hard drive for errors
Error-checking examines the hard drive for file structure and physical errors. Run error-checking before running the disk defragmenter program by following the steps below:
Defragment the hard drive
The Disk Defragmenter program examines all the fragmented data and program files and reorganizes them into continuous storage places on the hard drive. The defragmentation process reduces the time needed to access files on the hard drive.
Depending on the size of the hard drive, it could take over an hour to complete the defragmentation process.
The Residence halls have been noticing a tremendous slowdown in their internet. We are using MRTG to graph the inbound and outbound traffic so we can monitor it. Currently we are trying to mitigate the problem by placing caps or disconnecting high end users pushing sever MB over long periods of time. We however are still maxed out at our current 17MB cap from 11am till 1am. Once we reach our cap the speed at witch we are accustomed to on the WOU network reduces to the equivalent of say a Dial-up connection. Wireless is not effected by this problem and neither is the rest of campus.
Data:
I have been using internet speed tests to see how fast we are currently going. I also made a matrix of these speeds to help determine the time at witch we start to see a decrease in speed. From what I can tell 1am to about 10:30 am internet speed is not being affected in the residence halls. We are getting anywhere from 5000, to 14000 MB connection during these hours. However from 10:30 am to 1 pm there is a steady decrease in speed, then from 1 pm to midnight we are capped at our 17Mb and internet speeds are really low. And we are getting anywhere from 300 kb to 550kb during this time period.
Effects:
From the student side we have received numerous calls, emails, and students stopping by asking what the problem is. Most students are displeased but content, except for those who have paid for a device like a gaming device and are not able to use it due to either Latency, or disconnections from services like Xbox Live.
From the Staff side, I have not heard to many complaints other than my own. There are only a few offices that are affected by this. The reason it effects me and my work is that I use the internet to help service students. We use it to update antivirus software, operating systems, monitor video systems. All of witch is externally time consuming after we open at 2 pm. The average AV update, using a 5 min task is now taking 45 minutes or more to complete.
Solutions:
We have capped all resident halls with 3com switches to 1MB. We are actively looking for bandwidth abusers daily, shutting them off until we can determine the cause. We have entered a stalemate however, we have not seen any bandwidth abusers yet we are maxed out at our 17MB connection. Also when a person using say 5MB of that total bandwidth was shut off, there was such a demand for the bandwidth that other users simply fill in that 5 MB and the speed of the internet remained slow.
There are a few possible solutions. One is getting more Bandwidth, how much is unknown since we can not tell how much over 17MB is needed to cover the demand. Another possible solution is a Packet shaper appliance. This is used to identify and block applications like P2P that use up a tremendous amount of bandwidth. Packet shapers have been used at many universities to not only reduce their bandwidth but dramatically reduce the amount of RIAA complaints they receive by blocking application like LimeWire and KaZaA for example.
The new version of WhatsUp Gold, is well GOLD!
The new updated program has a lot more bells and whistles. Cameras in WhatsUp Gold are easy to manage and include some advanced features over the previous version. I was able to create a device group with all the cameras listed in it. We are using both Ping and HTTP to check the status of the cameras. This helps in may ways over just using one method. The cameras have a small web server running in them so just using ping to see if the camera is up does not necessarily mean it is streaming its video.
By clicking on a camera you get into more detail. You can see the camera’s IP address, host name, statistics on up time, you can link to its web interface, Ping it with a give number or requests. And the big part I like is that if a camera is down for more than 2 minutes the software sends out an alarm including an email. This will let me track the cameras up/down times better and give a faster response time to any problems.
It is that time of the year to start thinking about summer conferences. There are some big changes in the way they will by serviced as far as from the computing side of things. We are using Bradford this year to regulate and enforce our policies on computer hooked up to our network. This involves users having administrative rights to their computer; witch may pose a problem to some computer users who do not have admin rights on their own laptops. They also need up-to-date Antivirus software. We can provide AV software but again they will need admin rights to install it. Also as far as the computer lab goes we will be able to provide them with internet access but they will not have the ability to print without having a student account. This limits the use to Firefox web browsing only for non-students.
The Landers Computer Lab now has wireless. This is a great help for us since I will me helping users with wireless problems. It also will give students who have wireless service a place to come and use their laptops.
As far as I can tell there is no current way to move it to the top from within IE. From what I have seen and been told Microsoft is starting to get away from its old way of the menu structure. I have read some articles that describe how to do this but it involves editing your computer's registry. Here is a link to one of the articles: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/10/27/unhide-display-and-show-classic-menus-or-menu-bar-in-internet-explorer-7/
"...If you want to display and show the menu bar on top of the IE 7 window, on top of the navigation toolbar (or address bar), there is another tweak and trick that needs to be done. Users will need to create a new registry key or modify the value of the registry key ITBar7Position in the following Windows registry branch:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser]
“ITBar7Position?=dword:00000001
...."
This is what needs to be changed in the registry. Also on that page is a set of files that will automatically change it for you that you can download.
Account lookup us where students need to go in order to get their network username and set their password. (http://www.wou.edu/accountlookup).
After following the directions and obtaining your password and login name wait five to ten minutes and then try logging into the computers.
Where are we:
The Landers Computer Lab is located on the second floor of the Landers lobby. We are directly across from the Backstage entrance into Valsetz.
Who are we:
The Landers Lab has 1 full time staff position, myself and 2 part time student workers. I graduated from WOU in 1997 with a CS degree in CS.
What do we do:
• Phone support
• Install Network cards
• Remove viruses and spyware
• Network Connection Setup
• Provide computer internet access to student rooms
• Provide computer use at the Landers Lab
• We provide students in the Residence halls virus protection via Sophos
• We provide students with Ethernet cables and hubs if needed
I also help support computer issues regarding Housing, Dinning, RHA, RSC, NRHH, Peer Mentors, and RA’s. Help develop Web pages for Housing and Dining and its various departments.
Our hours:
Monday - Thursday 2:00PM to 11:00PM
Friday 2:00PM to 6:00PM
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday 6:00PM to 11:00PM
It looks like the cable project is over. We ended up with 944 good working cables. This number does not count any cables that we were unable to use due to damage. I think this is a good number of cables. We had around 1150 connections so we got just over 88% of the cables back, and that would be higher if we counted the damaged cables. 944 cables, over 24,000 feet of networking noodles; most of witch needed to be re-wrapped, tested for length and usability. All I can say is I am glad this task has reached the end, oh wait, we still need to get them distributed, and ... Well think goodness for the great insurance, my therapist will be happy. Hehehe
This week was devoted to wrapping network cables. At the end of the Spring term we ased the students to turn in their network cables. At first I was able to keep up with the wrapping of the cables but as Thursday and Friday came on the last week of school I was getting hundreds and hundreds of cables an hour. And I may mention most of the cables were not wrapped or if they were they were done so poorly. So now that there are all here it was my job to wrap/re-wrap them. What looked to me as a day or two project turned out to be much more. The cables were all knotted up, and hard to separate. I also went through the cables looking for bad ends and split cables, basically any defects that would keep us from giving out the cable again next year. Now that all the cables are wrapped I will use the fluke on them, to test functionality and separate them by length next week.
The Landers Computer Lab Hours for Summer:
Monday ~ Friday 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday & Sunday Closed
With summer comes a whole new set of tasks and projects. Yesterday was non-stop, going, going, going. Michael and I setup a mini network of laptops for conference programming. I got the lab setup for use for the conference users. Started the process of hiring a replacement student worker. Started to add conference attendees to Redwolf. The list goes on and on… and on. Before you know it it will be FALL TERM!!!
On Friday Michael and I worked on hashing out ideas and approaches to a new help desk project we are hoping to get build for next year. We are laying out a flow chart which steps through the setting up and troubleshooting of student network configurations. We decided that there is at least 101 ways to approach this and each has pro’s and con’s for doing it. We think we have a sold foundation for how we want this program to work and be integrated into they way we currently perform help desk duties.
Our Beloved Streamcam had some problems, luckily it had nothing to do with Streamcam itself. The problem was the port in witch it is connected to the network. The port went out sometime between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Streamcam is checked each morning and is monitored by different departments on campus. Tuesday morning I showed up to work and a tech from UCS (University Computing Services) was waiting for me. So he could help find out why Streamcam was not responding to the people who monitor it. After we gained access to the room, we tried to remote into the computer with no luck; we then rebooted the server, still not able to remote into the server. We then hooked up a local Monitor Keyboard/mouse and found that the server was not getting an IP address from the DHCP server. I tested the line and tried my laptop and still got no IP from the DHCP server. I rerouted a different patch cable to the computer and that did not work either. This led me to believe it was the port that was actually out, I switched to a different port and Streamcam came alive in seconds. All is well…except for the port. We need to get it replaced/fixed.
The Landers Lab now has 3 laptops. They are 1.2 GHz Dells and will be used as loaner computer to Housing staff. They can be used for off site conferences, onsite presentations, or loaners to RA’s or AC’s who are having computers worked so they can continue to be productive. These laptops are older models that were designated for the PDR but new ideas have found them to be potential valuable assets a so they are being placed back into service.
The Landers Lab will be closed over spring break. We will be closing Friday March 24th at 5pm and will reopen Sunday April 2nd at noon. The lab will be open for new students to register computer and for current students who need to register new computers.
Michael has created an exciting new way for us to communicate to one another. He has created a Communications Log that the Landers Lab staff plans to fully incorporate. We will be using this ComLog for much of our communication needs since there is little contact from students and staff during the week. It is also a new lab duty, and will be required to be checked regularly.
Here are some of the Key Features of this tool:
Keeps track of Lab Communication
Creates a Time/Date Stamp of when the message was posted
Creates a Time/Date Stamp of when the message was read and by whom.
It gives you a percentage of how many have read the message.
How can we use this tool to help us?
We will use this tool for time off requests.
Post Virus/Outbreaks and general trends.
Verify that all attendants are reading messages Michael or I find to be important.
There are more ways this will help us, so keep yourself open to new ways we can use this tool.
Way to go Michael.
The computer lab has now gone to a complete black look. We have no more lingering beige monitors hooked to block computer, keyboards, and mice. The addition of the new monitors makes the lab look much more professional and updated. I would like to say thanks to Joe for finding these monitors for us. In addition to the monitors for the lab Joe also showed us some Dell 4500’s that we can use to replace several older Dell 4100’s and a few DFI machines still around in the RHA/RSC, AC, and RA offices.
No more days of slow network/internet/camera viewing. The hub in the lab has been removed and we are now directly wired into the switch down below. Students have notice a faster connection and response from web pages and transferring documents to and from their network account. This project has been going on for over a week now, but it was worth the wait. I would like to say thanks again to Ken and Bill form Telecom for their hard work.
Landers Lab is taking off!
The Landers Computer Lab has been running on a 10Mb HUB located within the lab. Recent events has given new hope to the users of the lab in the form of a 100Mb switch. This switch to a switch will switch the way users typically use and view the lab. We now have newer computers and with the increased bandwidth the students who use these computers will now have a much better computing experience. The Telecommunication department has been working hard on this project for the past few days, and it is almost ready to go live.
With the recent gift of 6 new(er) Dell 4500’s from Rick, The Landers Lab is shaping up. Still on the search for 5 black 17? Dell CRT monitors to complete the new look for the lab. With the new computer comes the need for a new ghost image. Rick was nice enough to give us a new ghost image for the 4500’s. I took this image and made a few tweaks to the image like removing all printers except the Landers printer, Cleaned up the profile some, removed about 25 MB of it. This is important since with Deep Freeze all users will create a new profile every time the computer reboots. The smaller the profile the faster the computer will boot. I then made a few more adjustments and made a new ghost image. Now I can simply ghost a computer, change its name, reboot, add computer to domain and I am done. The computers have been working flawlessly for the passed week. I am also hoping to see StarOffice take hold and get a student following.
This was a first for me. We had a computer virus blasting the bageebies out of the network causing it to go down. As soon as the computer was isolated that caused the outage, our networking team was able to stop it and get the network back up and running. The infected computer/s were cleaned and put back on the network. Everything looks good so far and we are continuing to monitor the situation. We did receive about 100 phone calls from students in the residence halls. Most of the computers were knocked offline and even after the network came back up and a reboot of their personal computers they were still unable to get online. The solution was to have the student disable/enable their local area connection.
Open Lab Hours:
Monday - Thursday 2:00PM to 11:00PM
Friday 2:00PM to 6:00PM
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday 6:00PM to 11:00PM
Landers Computer Lab phone number is 8-9201
