INSIDE

I would like to make you aware of a number of discussions involving information technology on campus.  First, you might recall receiving an E-mail from Mark Bannister about a task force on Digital Signatures at FHSU.  I was surprised at the high level of interest and participation in the first meeting of this task force.

Second, the Instructional Technology Policy Advisory Committee (ITPAC) seeks input on the most used and desired technology for checkout.  We are looking at new models for the checkout process; so it is time to review the state of and the use of current equipment.

Third, we at the CTC are looking for input on the projected demand on the ethernet network in the near future.  We need to structure the network for future data traffic on it, so we need to know the types of applications and uses of the network in the near term.
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Digital Signatures
Contracts require signatures to be legally binding.  In the electronic realm, the industry has developed an equivalent to the handwritten signature and the State of Kansas has enacted supporting legislation enabling the use of these digital signatures.

There are a number of uses for digital signatures.  For example, if a faculty member wants to submit an article electronically to a journal and the journal editor wants to be sure that it was submitted only by that person - the editor might require a digital signature.  If proper procedures are followed, the digital signature assures the editor that the author and only the author submitted the article.

The use of digital signatures requires using keys for encrypting the signature or the text being sent - a key to "close" the document  and a key to "open" the document.
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Same Key
Typically the author would also consider encrypting the article to be sent over the (insecure) Internet to prevent others from intercepting it or copying it.  There are a variety of ways of doing this.

Some people encrypt it, send the article with one transmission, and then send the key to decrypt it with another transmission (or through the mail or in some other way).  In this scenario, the author and the reader use the same key to encrypt and decrypt.  If the article and the key are sent electronically, there is some risk of interception.
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Public, Private Keys
Most people now use different keys, not the same key, to encrypt and decrypt.  There is a public key, available to anyone who wants access to it, and there is a private key, available only to an individual.

If I were to send a document to a publisher requiring a digital signature, I would encrypt the document with my private key.  I would tell the publisher where to get my public key (this would be at some trusted site that I have authorized to publish that key).  The publisher would get that public key and decrypt the message.  The publisher would know that it came from me, because the public key only decrypts my (encrypted) documents.

If the publisher wanted to share private information with me, such as a big contract for future publication, the publisher could use my public key to encrypt the document.  Then, I would decrypt it with my private key.  Only I could read it because only I have the private key.

The task force will attempt to determine where it makes sense to use digital signatures and encryption.  We will look at practices of other institutions, costs involved, and a variety of policy issues.  If you wish to participate, please contact Mark Bannister.
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Checkout Equipment
Currently, the Library has audio visual equipment for checkout.  It includes several IBM-compatible laptops, Mac laptops, one LCD projector, one digital camera, TVs, VCRs, several camcorders, screens, and some other miscellaneous equipment.  Some money has been designated to purchase new equipment.   ITPAC indicated an interest in laptops, an LCD projector, and perhaps a digital camera.  Several members noted that they use this equipment when they go off-campus to distant sites, so they are interested in "carry on" equipment to make transporting it easier.

If you have any opinions that you wish to share with ITPAC about items to purchase (or other advice on this issue), please contact your ITPAC representative or me.  We want to purchase equipment that faculty find the most useful.
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Network Planning
As you probably know, the ISN network has been replaced by the ethernet network.  Virtually everyone on campus has access to the Internet, E-mail, and other resources via the ethernet.  Currently, there is considerable Lotus Notes traffic, Lotus LearningSpace traffic, and we expect a lot of activity when the new Library Server comes on-line.

The Strategic Planning Committee also funded a number of initiatives that will have an impact on our network:  a digital video server, LearningSpace Live (real-time audio and video over the Internet),  increased development of on-line courses, additional modems for our modem pool, Cisco training lab, and other labs.

We need to scale our network to take care of more traffic and the changing nature of the traffic.  Text and small images do not put much load on the network, but streaming video and audio (or non-streaming video) does have a big impact.  Also, as the number of students using our web server increase, there is a bigger load on our KANREN (Internet) pipeline.

We would like to get some sense of the number of instructors who will use audio and video in their courses, and also a sense of the number of students who will eventually be accessing our on-line courses.

The CTC will be asking for input from Colleges and Departments on their planned uses of the network and the Internet.  We are very pleased that the Internet is popular, and we want to be sure that it remains quite responsive.

We are adding a new central switch/router to our network early in Spring break.  This new "smart switch" will handle routing at hardware speeds, and it will increase the backbone speed to central servers and hubs.
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Y2K and Your PC
I read an article from Brian Livingston (Infoworld, February 8, 1999) about the impact of Y2K on PCs.  As noted in the last issue of the CTC Newsletter, the most common problem is with the BIOS chips.  They do not roll over from 1999 to 2000.  The computers "think" it is 1980 after December 31,1999. For PCs, time began in 1980.  I am told that PCs shipped before 1996 often had this problem.

Some symptoms of the problem are these:  documents that automatically insert dates (such as Word documents with dates) will insert dates 20 years behind what they should be, and scheduler programs (such as alerts/alarms in Lotus Notes) will not work (because they are 20 years off).

As Brian Livingston says, the fix for this is easy.  If your PC says January 1, 1980, on January 1, 2000, set the clock to the correct date, and it should work correctly.

If you want to check out your PC ahead of time, you can do some free test by downloading some diagnostic programs.  Visit the web page at http://y2000fix.com/ and go to the Hardware page and select the Free Diagnostic program.

Other common problems occur in spreadsheet programs.  If you have entered the full four-digit year into the spreadsheet, that should work correctly.  If you have entered a two-digit year (such as 1/1/29 to use an example given by Livingston), you might be surprised.

Excel 95 treats the year "29" as if it were 1929, and Excel 97 treats it as 2029.  The reason is that they have a limited "window" for handling the two digit years.  Excel 95's century window is 1920-2019, so that numbers higher than "19" are treated as though they occurred in the 1900's.

The vendors have Y2K sites to assist users.  Visit Microsoft’s site at www.microsoft.com/technet/year2k.  For Lotus 1-2-3, go to www.lotus.com, then click Search and search for 1-2-3 2000.  There is also a site for Quattro Pro at http://livewire.corel.com/cfscripts/y2k/productList.cfm and click on Quattro Pro.
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Y2K for Administrative Systems
Daryl Carswell, Applications Programming Manager and Mike Lacy, Configuration Control Manager, are preparing test environments for key administrative systems.

We will begin testing those systems in stages.  Currently, we are planning to do Financial Aid testing first, then systems involving the Registrar's Office, and then Student Fiscal Services.

After the testing is complete, we will ask key users to certify that it is Y2K-compliant and notify the state that we have tested these systems.  We are currently testing a rewrite of the Payroll system.
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More Modems
I know that many of you wonder when we will install additional modems. We regret that it is not easy to get into our modem pool at peak times (and even non-peak times).  Hopefully, by the time you read this we believe that the new modems will have been installed and there should be some relief.

The new Cisco product is built for growth, and I suspect that we will need to add more modems next year too.
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Action Plans
Since there was more money available for technology this year from the legislature, more labs and PCs were funded than usual.

Involve us in the planning if you can so that we can have the ethernet connections installed for the labs.  We can also help configure any Mac or NT servers, if you’d need assistance.

If you have any input on any of these issues, please call me at 4487 or send me E-mail at dschmidt@tiger.fhsu.edu.
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Congratulations
Gary Hoffman, Microcomputer System Support Technician, has passed the Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Certification test. By passing this test, he is now a Microsoft Certified Professional.

We are proud of Gary on his accomplishment and are pleased to have him as a member of our Microcomputer staff.
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FHSU Ethical Use of Computing Resources Policy Reminder
We’d like to remind all FHSU computer users to read the FHSU Ethical Use of Computing Resources Policy so they are aware of their responsibilities as computer users and the consequences of misuse.

If you have any questions regarding your responsibilities or the consequences of misuse, please contact Lisa Heath, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs.
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Introduction
Fort Hays State University (FHSU) provides computing resources and worldwide network access to its faculty, staff, and students for legitimate administrative, educational, and research efforts. As a member of the FHSU electronic community it is your responsibility to use computing resources ethically and responsibly. Access to the FHSU computing resources is a privilege and should be treated as such. There are limitations on the amount of privacy that can be expected for individuals. Complaints or exceptional circumstances may result in investigation; therefore, do not assume complete privacy of E-mail or other computing resources.
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Responsibilities
In making appropriate use of the FHSU computing resources, each user must accept the responsibility for his/her behavior and:

*  protect his/her user IDs from unauthorized use, recognizing that each individual is responsible for all activities of his/her user IDs.

*  access only files and data that he/she owns, he/she has been given authorization for, or that are publicly available.

*  use only legal versions of copyrighted software in compliance with vendor license requirements.

*  be considerate in his/her use of shared resources. Refrain from monopolizing systems, overloading networks with excessive data (spamming), wasting computer time, connect time, disk space, printer paper and toner, manuals, and other computing resources.
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Individuals Will Not...
In making appropriate use of computing resources, individuals will NOT:

*  use another person's files or data without permission.

*  use computer programs to decode passwords or access control information.

*  engage in any activity that might be harmful to systems or to any information stored thereon, such as creating or propagating viruses, disrupting services, spamming, or damaging files.

*  make or use illegal copies of copyrighted software, store such copies on FHSU systems, or transmit them over FHSU networks.

*  use mail or message services to harass, intimidate, threaten, or otherwise annoy another person.

*  disclose his/her passwords or use another person's user IDs or passwords.

*  use the FHSU systems for commercial use or personal gain, for example, performing work for profit or advertising in a manner not authorized by FHSU.

* install or operate computer games on university-owned machines for purposes other than academic instruction.

*  post web pages that contain material that is illegal or promotes illegal activity (i.e. gambling, obscenity, sexual harassment).

*  mask the identity of an account or machine. This includes sending mail that appears to come from someone else.
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Consequences of Misuse
Misuse of FHSU computing resources is unacceptable, and users will be held accountable for their conduct. Examples of infractions of this policy range from poorly chosen passwords, overloading systems, and excessive disk consumption to abusive behavior, account invasion, and malicious security breaches. Infractions are handled by the staff of the FHSU Computing and Telecommunication Center in an informal manner. Those that cannot be resolved in an informal manner will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs for disciplinary processing. In addition, infractions which are considered serious in nature may be reported directly to the Office of Student Affairs. Students found to have committed infractions of this policy may lose FHSU computing privileges, and additional sanctions may be imposed.

Under Kansas law, computer crime which causes a loss of less than $150 is a class A misdemeanor and is subject to a fine up to $2,500 and up to one year imprisonment. Computer crime which causes a loss of $150 or more is a class E felony and carries a minimum sentence of one year imprisonment, with a maximum of two to five years, and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Under Kansas law, unlawful computer access is considered a class A misdemeanor and is subject to a maximum of one year imprisonment and a fine up to $2,500.
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Password Awareness
Don’t forget to change your LN Client and LN Internet passwords several times a year to prevent unauthorized access.  Follow the instructions on page 5 of the Beginning Lotus Notes Handbook.  Remember, that when your LN account was initially set up, the last four numbers of your SSN were used for the password.  Please change your password to something unique as soon as you begin using LN.  If you don’t change your password, anyone with access to your SSN could possibly access your mail or other LN files.

Having a protected password is essential to the security of the information you have on your account and the protection and privacy of the information you may have access to on CICS.  We encourage you to periodically change your CMS password also.  You can easily change your CMS password by first logging onto CMS, pressing F1 Change CMS Password and then following the prompts.

At this time, CICS passwords cannot be changed by the user.  If at anytime you feel that your CICS password may have been jeopardized, please call Jane Rajewski at 5819 to get your password changed.

A form will be sent out periodically to the CICS users asking them to select a new password and return the form for processing.

According to an article in the 2/4/99 Kansas State Collegian written by Jennifer O’Neill, last semester K-State had problems with hackers breaking into E-mail accounts, data files, and web pages after they used programs to determine passwords.  Easily guessed passwords tend to be the most risky.  Some of the damage was significant and files had to be restored from backups.

K-State has taken additional measures to make their computing systems safer but stresses the importance of changing passwords frequently and alerting users that the possibility of break-ins do exist.
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Administrative Applications
by Daryl Carswell, Applications Programming Mgr.

Most of the software that we have developed in the last 15 years has been Y2K compliant.  However, there still have been a number of issues we have had to address.

In the past two years, the systems we have replaced with Y2K compliant systems include an Endowment accounting system with a client/server based system, a student loan management system with a PC based system, and a career development and placement system with a client/server based system.

FHSU systems that have been modified include an Admissions system, a scholarship awarding and tracking system, and a vendor supplied financial aid awarding and tracking system that is now running a Y2K compliant version.

We are currently modifying portions of our student system that are not Y2K compliant, payroll/personnel systems, accounting interfaces to the state accounting system,  and we are also currently in the process of migrating our alumni/endowment system to a client/server based system.

Although we still have a significant amount of work to do in these areas, we feel confident that we will have the modifications completed and tested by this summer.  There should be a minimal impact to our administrative users when year 2000 arrives.
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Information Center

CTC HelpDesk News
by Nancy Geier, CTC HelpDesk Supervisor

Dial-Up Modem Pool Expansion
Progress continues on our plans to expand the capacity of the Internet Dial-Up modem pool.  At this time, the new modems have been received, but we are waiting for additional T1 lines that are required to complete the upgrade.

We are tentatively planning to install the additional modems during Spring Break, while the system will be at lower usage.  There is a possibility of a temporary interruption of service while the upgrade is done - probably an hour or two.  A note will be sent out in advance to inform our users of the planned interruption in service.

After the upgrade is complete, there will be 140 modems available for dial-up use, an increase of 46 from the 94 currently available.  All modems will be upgraded to 56K V.90.  (We currently have 48 33.6K and 46 56K Flex modems available for dial-up use.)  The maximum session time (4 hours) and idle time limits that are currently in place will remain the same.

Please remember that having a 56K modem does not guarantee a 56K connection; many factors are involved, most notably the quality of telephone lines.  If you are considering the purchase of a new modem, we recommend getting a 56K Flex or V.90 modem.  56K X2 modems may not be fully compatible with V.90 modems.  If you have a 56K X2 modem, you should be able to connect, but the speed will probably be slower than if you had a Flex or V.90 modem.

If you currently have an X2 modem and experience difficulty after the upgrade, you should check with the manufacturer to see if a V.90 upgrade or software patch is available.  Many modem manufacturers have patches available for download from their web sites.

If you have questions regarding these changes, please contact the CTC HelpDesk, Tomanek Hall, Room 113 at ext. 5276.
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More Lotus Notes Hints
by Viv Zimmerman, User Services

Lotus Notes Bulletin Board Policy
The Buy/Sell/Trade database on Lotus Notes is frequently used by many at Fort Hays State University.  We want to encourage use of this electronic bulletin board; however, it is NOT intended for commercial use.  Please do not post entries to the Lotus Notes Bulletin Board that advertise items for businesses or any other kind of commercial enterprise.

If you need help using the Buy/Sell/Trade database or have questions about an item that you’d like to post, contact us at 4031 or 5819.
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Additional Applications Ready
Two more additional applications are now ready for use in the Lotus Notes system.  They include: Requests for Telecomm Services and ILL (Inter-Library Loan).  If you would like to add these database icons to your LN workspace, follow these steps:

1.  Sign onto LN, click File, choose Database, choose Open, change the server to NotesHub/FHSU, and then scroll down in the Database window and double-click apps (folder towards the bottom of the list).

2.  Then select the database you’d like to create an icon for and click Add Icon.  Wait a short time while LN puts this database icon on your LN desktop.

To add additional databases, repeat step one from the above procedure and in step two, select another database from the Database window to put another database icon on your LN desktop.

Repeat this procedure until you have added all the database icons that you need.  Click on Done when finished.

From your desktop, you may now click on any of these database icons to submit requests for the desired services.  To use any application, click on the appropriate buttons and fill in the necessary fields.

As additional applications are developed in Lotus Notes, we will notify you.  New applications may be added using the same procedure listed above.

Meanwhile, the other applications that have not been converted from OfficeVision to Lotus Notes can still be accessed from the menu on CMS.

If you need assistance with adding these database icons or any other database icons to your LN desktop or using them, contact the CTC HelpDesk at 5276.
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Where Do I Get LN Help??
If you encounter a problem when using Lotus Notes and you still need assistance after you have checked your training manual, the Lotus Notes 4.5 for Dummies book, and/or the LN on-line Help, call the CTC HelpDesk at 5276.

One of the staff will help you and if they cannot take care of the problem, your call will be routed to the appropriate CTC staff member.
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Reserving CTC Labs
Faculty or staff must submit a Request for Computing Services thru Lotus Notes (CTC Request for Services on NotesHub) to reserve a lab.  Be sure to fill in your department name and number or the request will not be sent.  We are unable to schedule the labs without this request.

Anyone who reserves the Tomanek Hall Computer Labs for workshops, classes, or seminars is asked to please keep in mind that the TH125 lab has a seating capacity of 32 workstations and the TH123 Mac Lab has only 24 workstations.  There is one workstation at the front desk in both of these labs for the instructor and that no food, drinks, or tobacco of any kind is allowed in any of the labs.  Also, users may not bring and use their own zip drives in any of the CTC labs.

Anyone caught bringing food or beverages into the lab will be asked to remove it immediately.  Repeat offenders will not be able to use the labs in the future.  Please abide by this policy.

TH125 has an overhead projector connected to the computer directly below it.  See the lab monitor for assistance using the overhead.

If instructors encounter any problems when using the labs or need assistance with any of the equipment, please notify the lab monitor on duty in TH127.
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In the Spotlight...
In this issue of the CTC Newsletter, we’d like to feature Daryl Carswell, Applications Programming Manager at the CTC.

Daryl has worked at the CTC for the past 17 years.  Prior to joining the CTC staff, Daryl worked as a programmer/analyst at CENTEL Corporation in Dodge City, Kansas.

He earned a B.S. in Business (Data Processing) in Fall, 1975 from Fort Hays State University.

Daryl is from Rexford, Kansas.  He and his wife Rita, who is also an FHSU graduate, live in Hays.  They have two children,  a daughter Kelli, a senior at Hays High School and a son, Darron, a 7th grader at Felten Middle School.

Some of his hobbies and interests include hunting, water skiing, snow skiing, and golf.

Some of Daryl’s favorite web sites are:
www.intellicast.com
www.nascar.com
www.travelweb.com
www.mapquest.com

© 1999
Computing and Telecommunication Center
Fort Hays State University