INSIDE
Computing and Telecommunication
Center
Fort Hays State University
If you have questions or comments about this newsletter,
contact
Dr. David Schmidt at 4487.
Viv Zimmerman and Jane Rajewski, co-editors.
From
Dave's Desk
by Dr. David Schmidt, Director
For those of you who have been away from campus
over the summer, welcome back. For those of you who are new to FHSU, welcome.
If any of you have questions about computing or telecommunications issues,
please drop by or give us a call. I want to comment on a few issues. Some
of these issues will have a direct bearing on your work here; some will
affect you more indirectly. By labeling the issues, you should quickly
find what interests you.
New or Newly Upgraded Labs
The Telecommunications and the Microcomputer staff
have gotten several labs up and running. An Action Plan funded a new composition
teaching lab in RH348. English instructors will use this lab/classroom
to teach English composition classes while students are at their PCs. The
furniture did not arrive in time to complete the student workstation part
of the lab for the first day of class, but by the third day of class the
staff brought the entire lab on line.
The GIS Lab was moved and new workstations installed
in TH125. The new, larger monitors should help students who work with fine-grained
maps. The Geosciences Lab in TH225 was expanded with the workstations formerly
in TH121.
Since we received a grant of 16 PCs and a server
from Sykes, the staff worked during the month of September on upgrading
the lab that serves Nursing students. Fortunately, the PCs are quite similar
to others we are using, so our software image should work well on them
too. These PCs use a new login to access resources across campus (see below).
Student E-mail Accounts and Computer Lab Logins
If you are a faculty member, a lab monitor, a library staff member, or a Student Affairs staff member, we hope that you will encourage all students to activate their student E-mail accounts on Scatcat. The Scatcat account has become a building block for more and more services; it is becoming more and more strategic to our plans for services. Further, we believe that VisualMail is an excellent, web-based E-mail system that students will like using. If, for some reason, students choose to use another E-mail account, they can forward their mail to that other account. If they choose to forward their mail, they should change it on their Scatcat account; changing it on Blackboard does not change it on Scatcat. Some students do not know that changing the address on Blackboard has no effect on E-mail sent directly to their Scatcat account; that E-mail is not forwarded until they tell Scatcat to forward it. Students need to activate the Scatcat account before they can receive E-mail from their professors. The Scatcat E-mail account is the default account on the student system; however, students can keep an alternate E-mail account up-to-date on the central student database.
This Scatcat account is important to students
in a number of ways:
Why have a computer lab login?
Some of you may wonder why there should be a login at all in the computer labs. To some this may seem to be an unnecessary bother. By authenticating student access using a login to our Samba server, students gain access to disk space on this campus server. Students can choose to save their work on that server (as well as on a floppy). Since that drive is regularly backed up, that provides some measure of safety for the students. Further, for those labs that are using such authentication, students have access to their files on that server anywhere on campus. By logging in they can see what files they have saved on the server, and they can open their files.
Further, they can download or upload files to the server from home or from a dorm room over the Internet because they have FTP access to their work. The login assists the CTC staff with security issues too. In case of complaints, staff members can track logins to a specific account. (See related Login article on page 7).
Student E-MAIL Addresses
If you are a faculty member teaching a course, you should have received a list of student E-mail addresses in Lotus Notes. You might consider making an address group for each class in Notes. These groups are stored in your LN Client personal Address Book.
Suppose you send a group mailing and you get an undeliverable mail message. At that point you should look up the student on the web and check the E-mail account there. Go to Search FHSU on the www.fhsu.edu web page and then select Search for Student?s E-MAIL Addresses and Web Pages. You can also use inquiry screens 11 and 12 in the Student System on CICS for your advisees. In the future we may find a way to do this within Lotus Notes.
Upcoming Student Portal
In the near future, Student Affairs will roll out a new web-based student portal called Mascot. We are testing it now, and it looks almost ready to release. By the time you receive this newsletter, it may be in production. There is also a directory service on Mascot for student E-mail addresses. The directory service will have pictures for those students unless they choose to not allow their pictures to be visible on the web. There is an option to set up student E-mail lists on Mascot which should work quite well too.
Sungard Administrative System
Some of you who are new to campus or who are returning from sabbaticals may not know that the University has entered into a relationship with Sungard to provide a new administrative system. We have purchased the student system (admissions, registrar functions, student affairs module, etc.) and a financial/HR system from them. Robin Carter and Jennifer Vangolen, project managers from Sungard Chico and Sungard Vashon have visited campus and set a time line for the project.
Currently we have had extensive orientation sessions on the Common Data Storage and Admissions (SAM) modules. We have identified several issues that need addressed (course title size limitations, functionality and number of holds, among others). Daryl Carswell and his staff are progressing on data conversion issues on the student system. Andrew Fleming and Cheryl Helget are working to prepare the servers for the data. The Oracle database, the student system, and the financial/HR applications are already loaded on our Sun server. We look forward to testing the system with some of our own data, so that we can see what functionality is built into the system and how accessible that functionality is to the end user. Many of the CTC staff and staff from other offices have been meeting with the Sungard personnel during their campus visits. In addition, some of the staff here are learning to deal with Oracle, Solaris, Sun hardware, and the technical support staffs from those vendors.
From what we have seen so far, the software looks quite functional and well-designed. For example, the CDS database (the names, contacts, and letter database) is used by most of the other modules in interesting ways. It provides sophisticated methods of targeting mailings (including E-mail contacts) to specific groups based on their interests at a point in time. This module and the admissions module should help our marketing efforts to prospective students over the web, through E-mail, and through ordinary postal mail. As we get accustomed to the new functionality, departments should be able to tailor their content to the specified list of contacts they wish to reach.
Mediated Classrooms
Jack Jackson and Odus Trober (and Physical Plant staff) have brought seven new mediated classrooms on-line for this semester. Jack and Odus have also installed touch screen control systems in three classrooms. We look forward to comments by faculty who are using these screens. We hope the learning curve is not too great on the new touch screens because a lot of functionality is built into them.
Microsoft Licensing
Microsoft has chosen to pursue a new pricing structure
to drive new licensing model. Microsoft would like institutions to lease
the software yearly instead of purchasing a perpetual license. What is
unknown at this time is the projected future pricing for perpetual licenses.
If that pricing is high, it may be advantageous (much as I dislike doing
it) to lease the software yearly. We are evaluating the pricing now, and
at some point we will share whatever we propose with ITPAC (Instructional
Technology Policy Advisory Committee).
We trust that you will have a good year. If you
have questions about computing or telecommunications, I trust that you
will contact us.
Statistical Consulting
The CTC employs a part-time statistical consultant
(Phillip Fox) to help faculty and staff with programming support. The CTC
does not enter data, but the statistical consultant can give advice to
departmental workers who do enter the data.
The University has purchased a limited number
of licenses for PC versions of SAS and SPSS. If you wish to use one of
the PC versions, please submit a CTC Request for Services on LNapps. Click
on the Microcomputer Services section button and then an electronic form
will appear on the screen. Fill in the blanks; be as specific as possible.
Click on Submit to submit the request to the CTC for approval at least
three working days or more before the desired completion date.
Reminder to All LN Users . . .
"Junk" E-mail & Group Mailings
"Unwanted" E-mail is, of course, a matter of one's perspective. If you are looking for a house and you receive E-mail advertising a house, for you that is quite valuable information; however, for the other 99.9% of users it is unwanted.
On the other hand, the State has policies against using state-funded resources for personal use. I can attest that when questionable E-mail is sent across Lotus Notes, the CTC staff hears about it from the faculty and staff who have received that questionable E-mail. I hear State folks talking about policies concerning the use of E-mail at Information Technology Advisory Board meetings.
We attempt to keep spam off E-mail by providing a public space for "advertising." There is a Bulletin Board on Lotus Notes that users should consider using for advertising items for sale, rent, want to rent/buy, or give away; however, it is for FHSU use only -- not commercial or personal business ads. In addition, LN users are asked to please not use their LN work accounts for non-work related E-mail, which includes but is not limited to advertising, spamming, virus and hoax prank notes, get-rich-quick schemes, chain letters, etc.
We have created the faculty, staff, and allusers groups in the LN FHSU Address Book on NotesHub for your convenience. All LN users should be considerate when using any of these large groups for mass mailings. If this privilege is abused, the offending IDs may be revoked.
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 LN Bulletin Board that advertise items for businesses or any other kind of commercial enterprise. The State has policies against using state-funded resources for personal use; so you will be unable to advertise personal businesses on Buy/Sell/Trade. Visit http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/labs/ethic.html for the FHSU Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy document.
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.
Unauthorized Use of LN E-mail
We have a number of student employees from various offices across campus who are on Lotus Notes. Their LN accounts have been set up for business or office purposes ONLY and NOT student purposes. Each student also has a student account on Scatcat that can be used for non-office-related business.
Student employees are asked to please not use
their LN work accounts for non-work related mail. This practice only clutters
the server and uses up valuable resources. If you have student workers
on LN in your area, please advise them about this policy. If this privilege
is abused, the offending IDs may be revoked.
Systems Programming
by Michael Lacy, Manager
Miscellaneous Computer Info
The FHSU Mainframe is an ES9000 IBM 9121 Model 260 with 512 Meg Main Storage and speed of 16 MIPS. The operating system is VM/ESA 2.3 running VSE/ESA 2.3 as a guest operating system. One 9394 controller controls I/O to the ten 9395 disk drives containing 110 gigabytes of storage.
Three 3490 cartridge tape drives at IDRC capacity allow us to retrieve data stored on tape or can be used to create backup tapes or archives.
One 3174 controller control console access to the mainframe along with one Bus-Tech 3172 controller for Ethernet connected PCs.
The campus has approximately 1500 PCs attached via Ethernet access.
An IBM 6262 printer at 1400 lines per minute prints many reports, labels, grade mailers, and a variety of other jobs. In addition, an IBM 3812 LED page printer with graphics capabilities prints reports, letters, and other tasks submitted from across campus. Other printers attached to the system via RSCS and TCP/IP print other jobs as submitted.
RS6000-F50 Memory 85GB disk space runs the Lotus
Notes System and Domino. The Lotus Notes system is our campus-wide E-mail
system.
Information
Center
by Jane Rajewski, Manager
The Information Center consists of Computer Operations, User Services, and the CTC HelpDesk. In addition to the scheduled services provided to the University departments, the following user services are available through the Information Center. Following each item is the procedure to follow to ensure the best service.
How to Load CTC Application Icons on Your LN Desktop
You can load these application icons onto your LN desktop by following the steps listed. Some applications/databases are: Buy, Sell, and Trade, Change of Grade, CTELT Request for Services, CTC Request for Services, Department Lookup, FHSU Vacant Positions, ILL (Inter-Library Loan), Physical Plant Work Request, Vendor Lookup, Telephone Service Requests, Warehouse, and Workflow.
If your computer doesn?t have enough disk space to run LN 5.0 and you must use 4.6:
1. Sign onto LN, click File, choose Database, choose Open, change the Server to LNapps/FHSU, and then scroll down in the Database window and double-click apps (the apps folder is 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. If necessary, you may add other icons/databases at this time. There are other applications listed that are department, group, or office specific; please ignore them. Click on Done when finished.
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.
If you are using LN 5.0:
Repeat step one from above, but use steps two and three from below:
2. Click on the database name and click on the Bookmark button. In the Add Bookmark dialog box, click the Bookmark folder that you?d like to place the database bookmark in (usually Favorite Bookmarks) and click OK. If necessary, continue adding more databases to your Favorite Bookmarks folder.
3. When finished adding all the desired database names, close the Open Database dialog box by clicking the X in the upper-right corner of the dialog box.
From your desktop, you may now click on any of these database icons or folders to submit requests for the desired services or view/post entries on the Bulletin Board. Please review the LN Bulletin Board Policy on page 3 of this manual before using the Bulletin Board. To use any application, click on the appropriate buttons and fill in the necessary fields. Then click the appropriate button(s) to submit a request or post an item.
As additional applications are developed in Lotus Notes, we will notify you. New applications may be added using the same procedure listed above.
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.
How to Submit a CTC Request for Services Through LN
A CTC Request for Services must be submitted for any kind of services from the Computing and Telecommunication Center.
To submit a request to the CTC, do the following:
* Click on the CTC Request for Services on LNapps icon (if you are using LN 4.6) or select the Favorite Bookmarks folder and choose CTC Request for Services (if you are using LN 5.0).
* Click on the appropriate CTC section button (Information Center, Network Services, Microcomputer Services, Applications Development, Systems Services, or Intermedia Classroom Support) and then an electronic form will appear on the screen. Requests for Telephone Service may be submitted by following the instructions in the Requesting Telephone Services article on page 12.
* Fill in the blanks on the electronic form; be as specific as possible.
* When finished entering all of the information on the electronic form, click on the Submit button to send the request to the CTC for approval. Please submit your request at least three working days or more before the desired completion date (completion date may vary depending on workload). Indicate the program number, any desired options or special instructions, the number of copies needed, and paper type. You will be notified through LN mail when the job is completed.
Call Viv at 4031 or Jane at 5819 if you need assistance submitting your request.
Standard Report Programs, Mailing Labels, Ad Hoc Reports, or Data to be Downloaded
Please submit a CTC Request for Services and click on the Information Center button. If you have any questions or concerns about what data is available or the type of reports the CTC can produce, please contact Alvin Hearne at 5687 or Jane Rajewski at 5819.
Test Scoring Using the OMR Full-Page Scanner
150 question answer sheets are available for pick-up at the Dispatch Window (TH111). Please make sure the students use No. 2 pencils and erase cleanly. No. 2 pencils are available at the Dispatch Window. Return the score sheets and complete the test scanning request form at the Dispatch Window. Your test will be scored and the desired reports printed within eight working hours.
You will be notified when the job is completed. Please refer any questions or concerns to Jane Rajewski at 5819 or Alvin Hearne at 5687.
Training for Faculty and Staff
Send an LN note to vzimmerm@fhsu.edu or jrajewsk@fhsu.edu indicating the administrative systems for which you would like training offered. Training will be offered if enough users indicate an interest for a particular item; users will be notified of classes offered through LN notes. We try to offer several sessions of each system at different times each semester to allow you to choose the session that best fits your schedule.
As new administrative systems are developed, we will be offering courses in that area for the appropriate personnel. Please notify Viv at 4031 or Jane at 5819 about new employees who need to be trained or other training needs. Also, please let us know when someone resigns or leaves your area so that his or her security to the system can be removed.
HelpDesk for Users
Feel free to call the CTC HelpDesk at 5276 with any problems or questions. If we don't have the answer, we will route your concern to the appropriate person.
IDs, Passwords and Security
To request CICS IDs and passwords, please submit a CTC Request for Services and click on the Information Center button and include your name, SSN, department, phone number and office number. If you are having any problems with security violations, please call Jane Rajewski at 5819.
If you need a CMS ID to use the mainframe software, please submit a CTC Request for Services and click on the System Services button; however, most users will not need a CMS ID.
Passwords and Security
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 also encourage you to periodically change your Lotus Notes passwords. You can easily change your password (both Client and Internet) by following the instructions in the on-line Beginning LN 5.0 Client Handbook (see article on page 9 FHSU CTC Handbooks Database).
CICS passwords cannot be changed by the user at this time. If at anytime you feel that your CICS password may have been jeopardized, please call Jane at 5819 to get your password changed.
CICS Security for New Faculty
CICS security for the basic inquiry functions
in the course, student, and transcript systems is automatically set up
for the advisor level for all new faculty after we receive the list of
new full-time faculty from the Provost?s office.
Security for all other CICS administrative systems
will still require the user to request the appropriate security; contact
Jane Rajewski to start the approval process. This additional security will
require the chair person?s approval. The user will be notified when the
security is set up.
If you have questions/concerns about your CICS security, contact Jane Rajewski at 5819 or jrajewsk@fhsu.edu.
Helpful Information
For your convenience, the CTC Staff Directory, Media Equipment Checkout information, FHSU Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy, and FHSU Computer Labs information are included as the last pages of this issue of the newsletter.
So that we can serve you more efficiently, please keep these pages near your phone or in your 2001-2002 FHSU Campus Directory and Student Handbook for future reference.
CTC Newsletters on the Web
For your convenience, we have past CTC newsletters posted on the web at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/newsletters/news.html. There are a number of previous newsletters out there if you are interested in viewing them.
CMS Availability Policy
CMS is available after 7am until midnight Monday through Friday. The systems are up and running unattended on holidays and from 2:30am Saturday until Monday morning.
CICS Administrative Database Availability Policy
The administrative databases, which are in CICS, are up from 6am to 10pm Monday through Thursday and 6am to 5pm on Friday. They run unattended from 6am to 7am each of those days and also unattended from 2:30am Saturday through 7:00am Monday and on holidays.
Dispatch Window Hours
Fall semester hours for the CTC Dispatch Window
TH111 are:
Mon-Thurs 8am to 7pm
Friday 8am to 5pm
Weekends CLOSED
For Your Information
by Viv Zimmerman, User Services
Tomanek Hall Lab News
A lab monitor is present during open lab hours; however, labs may be unavailable to users at times so that we can perform routine maintenance. The CTC labs resumed regular hours after the Labor Day weekend.
NO food, drinks or tobacco of any kind are allowed in any of the labs. Also, users may not bring and use their own zip drives or any other peripherals in any of the CTC labs.
Many of the lab users want to bring food and beverages
into the labs but the possibility of spilling a beverage onto the equipment
or a power source exists and could severely damage equipment or shutdown
the lab indefinitely for repairs.
Anyone caught bringing food or beverages into
the lab will be asked to remove it immediately. Repeat offenders will not
be able to reserve the labs in the future. Please abide by this policy.
An FHSU Student ID Card is required to use these labs. In addition, students are required to sign in at the front lab monitor desk in TH127. For security purposes and your protection, all three of the CTC computer labs are equipped with video surveillance cameras and recording 24 hours per day.
Hours for the Tomanek Hall computer labs (TH121, 123, and 127) are:
Sept 8 through Dec 14:
Mon-Thurs 8am to 10pm
Friday 8am to 5pm
Saturday 1pm to 5pm
Sunday 3pm to 10pm
Oktoberfest/Homecoming Weekend Hours:
Friday, Oct 5 8am to 12pm ONLY
Saturday, Oct 6 CLOSED
Sunday, Oct 7 3pm to 10pm
Fall semester open hours for the CTC computer labs are subject to change for holidays and may be altered the last few weeks of the semester to accommodate students completing semesterly projects. Any change in hours is posted outside the CTC labs and may also be viewed from our web site.
For more information about our CTC computer labs, visit our web site at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/labs/. You may also contact the lab monitor on duty at the front desk in TH127 or send comments to vzimmerm@fhsu.edu.
Recycle Laser Paper
If you have any extra scrap paper that is printed
on one side only, we would be interested in re-using it in our labs. Many
of the printouts in our labs are rough drafts and recycled paper helps
us cut down on expenses.
The paper must be laser quality, free of staples
or rips and have one clean side. It can be white or any color. If you have
a sizable amount of paper that we can recycle, call Viv at 4031 or Jane
at 5819 and we would be happy to make arrangements for pick up.
Reserving CTC Labs
The CTC TH123 Mac Computer Lab and CTC TH121 Pentium Computer Lab are available for reservation by current faculty and staff. If any FHSU club or organization wishes to reserve the lab, the club or organization sponsor must submit the request. Faculty or staff must submit a CTC Request for Services and click on the Information Center button to reserve a lab. List the following information for each reservation: department, course number, section and course name, dates and times needed, instructor name, and how many students are in the class. We are unable to schedule the labs without this request and you may not bring a group over to use any CTC lab without a reservation. You may have your secretary submit the request for you.
Prior to submitting the request, please view the
Lotus Notes TH123 Lab (Mac) Calendar or TH121 Lab (Pentium) Calendar to
see if the desired lab is available by doing the following:
For the most current information to aide you in reserving either TH121 or TH123, visit http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/labs/reservinglabs.html
If you need assistance reserving a lab, contact Viv at 4031.
Lotus Notes Training
All new faculty and staff can have a Lotus Notes ID which will enable them to send and receive E-mail and work with calendars. The LN training is not mandatory; however, we strongly recommend that you attend to learn the basics of using Lotus Notes.
We will offer Beginning Lotus Notes 5.0 training throughout the fall semester. These sessions will not be mandatory. The training schedules will be sent to new faculty first and then sent to all LN users through E-mail. Instructions for signing up for the training sessions are included in the note. Each time new sessions are offered, the training schedules are sent to faculty and staff through LN mail.
When signing up for any training sessions offered by the CTC, please sign up by session number to ensure that you get in the right one.
View Class Rosters On-Line
If your security is already set up for the Course System, you may view your rosters by doing the following:
* Sign onto CICS.
* Enter 04 at the Enter Function prompt.
* Enter 81, DEPT, COURSE NUMBER,
SECTION, YEAR, SEMESTER.
HINTS: Semester codes: U = Summer, F = Fall, S = Spring
* Press TAB to move from field to field.
* The default will display ALL students
(regardless of status). Follow instructions
on screen to make another choice.
* View your roster and follow the prompts at the bottom of screen.
If you have a printer attached to your work station, you may choose File and select Print to have a rough copy of your roster(s).
If you need assistance with viewing your rosters or if you would like to have security to this system, call Viv at 4031 or Jane at 5819.
On-Line Registration
Luci Williams, Judy Channel and LuAnn Pfeifer will hold training for on-line Registration (OLR) from October 23rd through October 29th. This will be just prior to the actual Spring 2002 registration.
These sessions are for faculty ONLY. The training is mandatory for any advisor who wishes to register advisees. We will not be able to offer this training again until March, 2002.
Session Date/Day Time
7
10/23 Tues 3:30pm
8
10/24 Wed 1:30pm
9
10/26 Fri 10:30am
10 10/29
Mon 9:30am
11 10/29
Mon 3:00pm
Each training session meets for one hour. The
training will be held in Tomanek Hall 107. Call Viv at 4031 to sign
up.
A note will also be sent out later with this
training schedule.
On-Line Grade Entry
If you are new faculty or have never entered grades before or if you haven't signed onto CICS recently, please sign onto CICS and see if you can access the Course System (for example, try function 81 Roster Inquiry or 71 Roster Grade Update).
This security must be set up before you will be able to enter grades. If you do not have a CICS ID or if you have questions, please contact Jane at 5819 or Viv at 4031.
If you are interested in registering your advisees, contact Jane at 5819 to start the security form process.
Staff Changes
Please notify Viv at 4031 or send a note to vzimmerm@.fhsu.edu any time faculty, staff or student employees terminate their employment with your office so that we can remove their IDs.
Also, send us a listing of any new employees that includes SSN, office phone and room number information. We need this info for security purposes and also to keep the directory updated. In addition, some of the information contained in the LN FHSU Address Book on NotesHub automatically displays on any electronic requests or workflow forms submitted.
If you need assistance, contact Viv at 4031
or Jane at 5819.
CTC HelpDesk
News
by Nancy Geier, CTC HelpDesk Supervisor
CTC HelpDesk Services Available
The CTC HelpDesk is a focal point for access to FHSU computing and telecommunication systems. Two major functions of the office are handling applications and support for Internet Dial-Up Accounts and providing computing-related services and information to students through Student Office Systems (SOS). In addition, the faculty Media Equipment Checkout service is located in the HelpDesk office.
CTC HelpDesk hours may be viewed along with detailed information about the services provided by the CTC HelpDesk at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/helpdesk/. Specific instructions for accessing Lotus Notes from off campus, a Lotus Notes FAQ page, and other E-mail information are also available from the Faculty/Staff E-mail Information section of our web site.
We are located in Tomanek Hall, Room 113. For all services other than Media Equipment Checkout, please contact the HelpDesk at (785) 628-5276 or by sending E-mail to helpdesk@fhsu.edu. The Media Equipment Checkout service can be contacted at (785) 628-5521. Equipment checkout is available during regular University office hours (8:00 - 4:30 M - F). If necessary, arrangements for pick up and drop off during evening hours can be made; however, all arrangements must be made between 8:00 and 4:30 M - F.
Attention New Faculty and Staff...
Here's how to apply for Internet service through FHSU
FHSU provides Internet service to faculty, staff, and students through "Internet Dial-Up" accounts. "Dial-up" is a process that enables you to use your computer's modem to connect to the Internet by dialing in to FHSU's remote access servers. The servers currently house 56K V.90 modems. Using this remote access, you can check your E-mail, download shareware, run statistical software, access the web, and do a variety of other tasks.
There are some minimum system requirements a computer
must meet in order to do dial-up.
Internet Dial-Up Accounts are only available
to FHSU students, faculty, and staff.
If you are interested in applying for an account, just stop by the CTC HelpDesk (Tomanek Hall, Room 113) to complete an application. A photo ID is required. There is no service fee for faculty or staff accounts.
For more information about Internet Dial-Up accounts or other services provided by the CTC HelpDesk, contact us at (785) 628-5276.
Welcome to Fort Hays - we hope you have a great year!
Accessing Lotus Notes from Off Campus
You must have Internet service (such as an Internet Dial-Up account) if you want to access your Lotus Notes files from off campus. Two methods are explained here:
1. Browser Access: This is the recommended method of access. It is simple to use and provides access to some other features besides E-mail, such as calendars and the FHSU Address Book. Using an Internet browser, go to http://tiger.fhsu.edu/. To open your mail, click on Faculty/Staff E-mail Access, and then enter your Lotus Notes User Name and Password.
2. The Lotus Notes Client: Lotus Notes users are also able to check out a CD and install the Lotus Notes Client software on their home computers. Please be aware that the Client runs much slower when used through a dial-up connection than it does on the campus network (even if you have "the newest and the fastest"). If you are interested in having quick response time, this option is probably not for you. However, if you are working with workflow applications or have other special needs that require use of the Client from off campus, read the following information about system requirements carefully.
Lotus Notes Client system requirements: In order to use the Lotus Notes Client from off campus, you must connect using an FHSU Internet Dial-Up connection. Due to security requirements, the Lotus Notes Client cannot be used via a non-FHSU connection.
A PC must have at least 60 MB of disk space, 16 MB RAM, a Pentium 166 MHz processor, and a Windows 95 or higher operating system. These are the minimum system requirements. Macintosh users should contact the HelpDesk for system requirement information. Systems that meet only the minimum specifications will run extremely slow.
A $10.00 deposit is required for checking out a CD for a one-week period. (The deposit will be refunded when the CD is returned.) If you are interested in checking out a CD, please call the CTC HelpDesk ahead of time to see if one is available. If one is not available, your name will be placed on a waiting list.
Where to Find E-mail Addresses
Student, faculty, or staff E-mail addresses can be found by clicking the Search FHSU link located on the FHSU Home Page at http://www.fhsu.edu/.
Scatcat E-mail Accounts Issued to FHSU Students
All FHSU students are automatically issued a Scatcat E-mail account upon enrollment. The accounts require an activation process that allows students to set their own passwords. An account must be activated before it can receive E-mail. Students who have already activated their accounts may continue to use them as before. Students who have not previously used their Scatcat E-mail can activate and begin using their accounts by doing the following:
To find a Scatcat E-mail address, go to: http://scatcat.fhsu.edu/email/
To activate a Scatcat account and set the password, students should go to: http://scatcat.fhsu.edu/activate/
To log in & use Scatcat E-mail, students can go to: http://scatcat.fhsu.edu/visualmail/
If students prefer to use another E-mail service, we encourage them to activate their Scatcat accounts, and then forward them to their account of choice, using the forwarding instructions available from our home page at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/helpdesk/ or call us at (785) 628-5276.
Student Office Systems Offers Services
Please let your students know that Student Office
Systems (SOS) is a resource for students for color printing, scanning and
FAXING. SOS provides a computer that can be reserved by students for image
processing and desktop publishing.
The following products and services are available
to currently enrolled FHSU students:
Item/Service Each
Scanning Free!
FAXing - Receive Free!
FAXing - Send Within U.S. $.50 Pg
FAXing - Send Outside U.S. $1.00 Pg
Color Printing - Text Only $.25 Pg
Color Printing - Graphics $.50 Pg
Reformatted 3 ?" Disks Free!
New 3 ?" Disks $.50
Zip Disks $10.00
InkJet Quality Glossy Paper $1.00
Copier Transparencies $.50
InkJet Quality Transparencies $1.00
Recycled CD Jewel Cases $.25
A student ID is required. SOS is a service of the CTC HelpDesk, which is a focal point for access to FHSU computing and telecommunication services. The CTC HelpDesk has information about accessing student E-mail accounts, posting student web pages, obtaining Internet dial-up access, activating voice mail accounts, locating campus computer labs, and provides other services such as a telecommunications device for the deaf.
For more information about SOS, call the CTC HelpDesk at (785) 628-5276.
Off-Campus Internet Access in Western Kansas
Fort Hays State University is proud of its efforts to provide students with access to information technology. These efforts include the creation of partnerships with western Kansas Internet service providers. Together, these companies provide local Internet dial-up access in over 100 communities.
Fort Hays State University students who are currently enrolled in three or more credit hours and live in service areas covered by these companies are eligible for substantial price discounts on Internet service.
Please share this news with any students who might benefit from these programs. This includes those who are enrolled in at least three hours, live outside of Hays, and are in a service area covered by one of our Internet service provider partners.
An alphabetical listing of cities currently covered in the distance programs, the companies providing service in those cities, and contact information are available on our web site. Students should contact the companies directly for more specific application information.
CTC HelpDesk Hours
Fall 2001 Office Hours
(Effective August 20, 2001)
Hours are subject to change and may be adjusted due to semester breaks or changes in demand.
Mondays - Thursdays 8am - 10pm
Fridays 8am - 5pm
Saturdays CLOSED
Sundays 7pm - 10pm
For more information... visit the FHSU CTC HelpDesk. Adjustments to these hours will be advertised via campus E-mail and will be posted on our web site.
Password and ID Information
Please be aware that sharing your ID and password for any computer system with another person or allowing another person to use your system access is a crime.
Acceptable Use of Your Internet Dial-Up Account
The Fort Hays State University Internet dial-up
service is a heavily used system. Computing and Telecommunication Center
staff closely monitor dial-up activity as one of our efforts to improve
efficiency of its use. The Fort Hays State University Acceptable Use of
Computing Resources Policy, which prohibits excessive inefficient use of
limited shared resources, governs use of the dial-up system. A copy of
the policy may be viewed online at: http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/
The Internet dial-up system is a shared resource;
the number of modems available limits the number of users who can connect
simultaneously. Remaining connected to a modem when the connection is not
actively being used may prohibit others from being able to gain access.
The dial-up system is provided to the University community for the primary
purpose of supporting FHSU's educational mission. Internet access has become
an essential element of the education process; therefore inefficient use
can lead to unnecessary expansion costs.
The following actions are requested of you to help reduce inefficient dial-up system use:
Always disconnect from the dial-up system when
your connection is not being actively used. Note that simply closing your
E-mail or browser software usually does not automatically disconnect the
dial-up connection. For most computer systems, the setup instructions included
in your packet give complete details on how to disconnect. If your setup
instructions do not include a section on how to disconnect or if further
assistance is needed, please contact us.
If you believe someone else may be using your
account, come to the CTC HelpDesk (Tomanek Hall 113) with a photo ID and
we will issue a new password for you. You can be held legally responsible
for any Internet activity that occurs while your account name and password
are in use. If more than one person uses your computer for Internet dial-up
access, each person should apply for his or her own Internet dial-up account.
If a program that causes automatic redialing is in use, we strongly recommend disabling it. We strongly discourage automatic checks for E-mail because each time a request is sent to check mail, valuable server resources are used and response time is reduced. If it is absolutely necessary to use this option, please set it to check for mail only once every 30 or 60 minutes and to disconnect when it is finished.
For assistance with implementing any of the actions listed above or for more information, contact the CTC HelpDesk at (785) 628-5276.
Virus Warnings: What To Do???
At one time or another, yobably been the recipient of a ?Virus Warning? notice. If so, you have probably wondered...What should I do? Shou have prould I panic? Should I pass this warning along to everyone I know (as the note probably suggests), or should I simply ignore the warning and delete it?
First of all, DON?T panic. While some virus warnings
may be legitimate, as a general rule, these notes are simply hoaxes.
At Fort Hays State University, any valid warnings
will come from the system administrators or other staff within the Computing
and Telecommunication Center. In the past, these warnings were also widely
publicized through the news media (for example, the Melissa virus, Code
Red, etc).
So, you ask, what should I do?? The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) web site at http://HoaxBusters.ciac.org/ provides some excellent advice. It provides information on how to identify a hoax warning, how to identify a valid warning, and what to do if you think a message is a hoax. A quite useful feature of the site is a list of common virus hoaxes. Two other reliable sites to check for identifying virus hoaxes are http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp? and http://www.symantec.com/.
If you receive a warning, do not circulate it without first checking with an authoritative source, such as one of the web sites given above or a system administrator. In addition, most anti-virus companies publish web pages containing information about widely known viruses and hoaxes. One key to identifying a possible hoax is that the warning usually urges you to pass it along to everyone you know. As stated on the CIAC web site, ?When in doubt, do not send it out to the world.?
If you investigate a virus warning and feel that it may be legitimate, do not send it to everyone you know! Forward it to the CTC HelpDesk at helpdesk@fhsu.edu or to one of the system administrators in the CTC. If the warning is legitimate, we will then take proper action to inform any users who may be at risk.
Armed with a little education about how to identify these bogus virus warnings, we can all help reduce the amount of "junk" mail circulating about on the web.
Thank you... for doing your part to assist us in providing efficient and affordable Internet service!
Scatcat Account, Blackboard, & Computer Lab Logins
Here is some basic reference information that should help to clear up any questions you may have about what login information students should use to access these resources.
As most of you now know, student Scatcat E-mail accounts require an activation process that allows the student to set the password. Students can then access their E-mail using the ID portion of the address as the user name, along with the password that was used when activating the account. Once an account has been activated, the student can change the password by using a new web page now available at http://scatcat.fhsu.edu/. Complete information about activating and using Scatcat accounts can be accessed from the CTC HelpDesk home page at: http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/helpdesk/ .
Logins for the Blackboard online course system are initially set to use the Scatcat ID as the user name and the last four digits of the social security number as the password. The student is able to change this password after logging in to Blackboard. For Blackboard assistance, contact Virtual College 24-hour support at 1-877-228-3376 or send E-mail to support@fhsu.edu.
As campus computer labs are updated, the CTC has begun to implement a new process using the Scatcat account login. Currently, this new process is used only in a few locations.
Most labs still currently use a generic login, which is normally posted in the lab or next to the computer. Check with the lab monitor on duty for assistance using these logins.
The McCartney Hall computer labs, located in MC205, MC215, and MC217 use the student's Scatcat ID as the user name and the last four digits of the social security number as the password. Questions about access in these labs should be directed to Bob Swindler at extension 4185.
The following locations now use the new login process, which uses the Scatcat ID as the user name and the password that is set when students activate their Scatcat E-mail accounts: FL020 (English), RH348 (English classroom), and TH125 (Geosciences). After a Scatcat account has been activated, the password change web site at http://scatcat.fhsu.edu/ can be used to correct login problems in these labs. If a student has changed the Scatcat account password, the new password should be used when logging in to these labs.
Current information about how to log in to computers in campus computer labs is posted at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/labs/. As always, if you are not sure who to contact about a specific situation, give us a call at the CTC HelpDesk at extension 5276, and we will assist you with obtaining the information that you need.
Scatcat E-mail Lifetime Use Policy
Because electronic messaging has become a mainstay
in our society, Fort Hays State University now offers its students lifetime
E-mail accounts. All students who enroll at FHSU are automatically issued
a student Scatcat E-mail account. An account that has been activated will
continue to be available after a student is no longer enrolled for as long
as it remains in use. More details can be found by viewing this policy
online at http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/helpdesk/,
located under Students in the E-mail & Web Pages section of our website.
Computer
Crime Is. . .
by Detective Ed Howell, University Police
Please be aware of the following issues relating
to computer crime.
Under K.S.A. 21-3755 Computer Crime is:
(A) Intentionally and without authorization accessing and damaging, modifying, altering, destroying, copying, disclosing or taking possession of a computer, computer system, computer network or any other property;
(B) using a computer, computer system, computer network or any other property for the purpose of devising or executing a scheme or artifice with the intent to defraud or for the purpose of obtaining money, property, services or any other thing of value by means of false or fraudulent pretense or representation; or
(C) intentionally exceeding the limits of authorization
and damaging, modifying, altering, destroying, copying, disclosing or taking
possession of a computer, computer system, computer network or any other
property.
All of the above provisions are a severity level
8 nonperson felony.
(C) (1) Computer password disclosure is the unauthorized and intentional disclosure of a number, code password or other means of access to a computer or computer network.
(D) Computer trespass is intentionally, and without authorization accessing or attempting to access any computer, computer system, computer network or computer software, program, documentation, data or property contained in any computer, computer system or computer network.
Computer password disclosure and computer trespass, as defined in section (C) (1) and (D), is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.
Please contact Detective Howell at 5304
for further information.
User
Services News
by Viv Zimmerman, User Services
Important LN Calendar Option
It has been brought to our attention that some users are having problems with meeting invitations being accidentally deleted from their Lotus Notes calendar when they erase the original meeting invitation from their Inbox.
We recommend that users please check their calendar profile and make sure that they have the following option selected Remove Invitations from my Inbox after I respond to them. There should be an X in the box next to this option.
As a word of caution, if you do not have the above option selected, whenever you accept a meeting invitation from your Inbox, the entry will be posted on your LN calendar but the invitation will also remain in your Inbox. Then, if you delete the invitation from your Inbox, LN will also remove the calendar entry from your calendar.
Please set up this option so that LN will automatically remove meeting invitations from your Inbox after you respond to them; then LN will remove the invitation from your Inbox but will not remove the corresponding meeting entry from your Calendar view or Meetings folder. To set up this option, open your LN Inbox, select Tools and select Preferences. Click on the Calendar tab and the Autoprocess tab. Click on the box to the right of Remove Meeting invitations from my Inbox after I respond to them and then click the OK button.
If you need assistance with setting up this option, contact the CTC HelpDesk at 5276.
Adding Links to LN Notes
In Lotus Notes, it is simple to include a link in a note. In the body of the note, enter the complete URL such as the following: http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/labs/ . It is also recommended that you leave a space between the last character of your link and the period if your link is at the end of a sentence as shown in the above example. It will not look like a link in the note that you are composing but it will look and function as a link in the recipient?s note.
Another method for putting a link into a note is to cut the link from the URL address box from Netscape or Internet Explorer and paste it into your note. Either method works well.
LN FHSU Address Book Icon
If you do not have the FHSU Address Book displayed
on the left side of your LN window in your Bookmark Bar, do the following
to load it:
All faculty and staff are responsible for entering their own Work, Home, and Company information into the LN FHSU Address Book. There are still some users who have not entered this information. The LN FHSU Address Book contains phone and office location information about each user on campus. It is used as an on-line campus directory for looking up phone numbers, office locations, and other information. The information contained in the FHSU Address Book is also used extensively by the LN on-line request and workflow systems. That?s why it is important to have your information correct at all times.
Find your entry and double-click on it to review. If necessary, click the Edit button and enter your information or make revisions. When finished, click the Save and Close button. Refer to the on-line Beginning LN 5.0 Client Handbook for assistance (see next article FHSU CTC Handbooks Database). If you need further assistance, contact the CTC HelpDesk at 5276.
FHSU CTC Handbooks Database
If you do not have the on-line FHSU CTC Handbooks
database displayed on the left side of your LN window in your Favorite
Bookmarks folder, do the following to load it:
Here's how to request new IDs
It would be helpful if the departmental secretaries would send a Lotus Notes Request for Computing Services as soon as possible to request user IDs for Lotus Notes, CICS, Bigcat, or any other systems that are needed for any new faculty, staff, or student employees hired.
Please include the following information: name of employee, SSN, department name and number, title, indicate whether the new employee is faculty, staff, or student employee, office location and phone number.
On this request, also include the location of the computer that needs to have LN installed and any special instructions -- such as -- is this computer shared by several users? Computers shared by more than one user affect the way LN is set up and installed.
This would help us tremendously in processing
your requests more efficiently. Since our work load significantly increases
with the beginning of the fall semester, please do not wait until the last
minute to send your request.
Using LN Groups Hint
Have you ever sent a note to a large group only to have all of the names appear at the top of your note? More than likely, most of you have probably received an occasional note displaying all of the names at the top.
We have created the faculty, staff, and allusers groups in the Lotus Notes FHSU Address Book on NotesHub for your convenience. In order to use any of these groups, all that is necessary is to just key in the appropriate list name in the To: field of your memo. For example, if you wish to send a note to all of the faculty, just type the group name faculty in the To: field. Make sure there is a comma after each name or group listed because LN requires commas.
LN will automatically suppress the huge lists of recipients at the start of the memo when these FHSU Address Book groups are used.
IMPORTANT HINT: Please do not copy the faculty, staff, or allusers groups from the FHSU?s Address Book on NotesHub to your own LN personal Address Book. If you do copy these groups to your own LN personal Address Book, the feature that suppresses the long list of recipients will be disabled and the names of all the recipients will display at the top of your note. In addition, any groups that you copy to your own LN personal Address Book will not contain the current updates.
Also, remember to use the appropriate group(s) when sending notes.
FHSU Vacant Positions Icon
The Personnel Office maintains a Vacant Positions database on Lotus Notes. If you would like to access the FHSU Vacant Positions database on Lotus Notes, follow the steps in the article on page 3 How to Load CTC Application Icons on Your LN Desktop to add this icon to your desktop or bookmark it to your Favorites Bookmark folder.
Click on it to view the FHSU Classified Staff Vacant Positions, State of Kansas Civil Service Jobs, and Notice of Non-Discrimination.
The vacant positions are posted on bulletin boards
throughout the Physical Plant, Gross Memorial Coliseum, Personnel Office,
and Mailroom. Contact Joyce Klaus in the Personnel Office at 4462
if you have any questions about the positions posted.
Applications
Programming
by Daryl Carswell, Applications Programming
Manager
The Applications Programming section of the CTC is comprised of a manager and five full-time programmer/analysts. Our main function is to develop and support the current administrative computer systems for the IBM mainframe computer in areas such as student records, degree progress, payroll/personnel, accounting, course inventory and schedule development, alumni and endowment records, and facilities.
However, our section has also become heavily involved in activities preparing for the new Sungard administrative system such as data conversion and meeting with representatives to discuss this process. We are looking forward to testing the system with our own data to determine functionality and accessibility issues.
Future directions for administrative applications include moving from the present mainframe applications to the new administrative system.
At this time, students can view their class schedules, transcripts, and personal information on the Student Web Services site at: http://www.fhsu.edu/sws/. There is also a new scholarship application form on-line that can be accessed at http://secure.fhsu.edu/scholarship/.
If we can be of assistance, please contact us
at 4047 or E-mail dcarswel@fhsu.edu.
Data
Communications
by Dan Pfeifer, Coordinator
Campus Ethernet Network Upgrade
The upgrade work to the campus Ethernet network continued over the late spring and summer months. We have nearly completed this work with the upgrade to the administrative buildings and the residence halls. The upgrade started a year ago with the academic buildings. Prior to the upgrade, the Ethernet network provided shared bandwidth of 10 megabits per second to the desktop among users within a building with a dedicated link of 10 megabits per second to the campus backbone for each building. Now each user has a dedicated 10 megabits per second to their desktop computer with an uplink of 100 megabits per second to the campus backbone for each building.
We are planning to increase the uplink bandwidth from each of the academic buildings to 1,000 megabits (one gigabit) per second in the very near future. This upgrade requires the installation of single-mode fiber optic cable from each academic building to the campus backbone switch. We are currently working on the design and acquisition of materials for the fiber optic upgrade. The gigabit upgrade also requires the installation of gigabit ports on each building Ethernet switch and the campus backbone switch. These bandwidth upgrades to the campus Ethernet network should position the University and its users well for voice and video communications over the campus network.
Last April, at the request of the University, the University's Internet Service Provider, KANREN, upgraded the campus Internet connection. The upgrade accomplished two things. First, the bandwidth was doubled from 3 megabits per second to 6 megabits per second. Second, the physical connection was changed from multiple physical point-to-point links (T1 circuits to Kansas State University) to Southwestern Bell?s ATM cloud. The upgrade accomplished at least two significant things. Bandwidth on the Internet link can be increased easier and quicker by KANREN as needed and it is less costly to the University per unit of bandwidth.
In this same vein, a bandwidth manager has been deployed on the Internet link to manage the quantity of bandwidth consumed by some uses of the Internet link.
Network
& Micro Services
by Mark Griffin, Manager of Servers and Desktop
Systems
Latest Virus Warning
A new Internet worm virus called "nimda" ("admin" spelled backwards) was unleashed on the Internet community on 9/18/2001. Be extremely careful with any readme.exe attachments. At this time, we would recommend not opening any readme.exe attachments.
This new virus is a mass mailing worm that spreads itself in attachments named "readme.exe". Nimda is the first worm to modify existing web sites to start offering infected files for download. Also, it is the first worm to use normal end user machines to scan for vulnerable web sites. This technique enables Nimda to easily reach Intranet web sites located behind fire walls - something worms such as Code Red couldn't directly do.
The computers of several users on campus have already gotten this virus. Please be cautious whenever opening any mail that contains a "readme.exe" attachment.
Archive Mail Procedure
Some users receive a large amount of E-mail from students, colleagues, or others and they keep it in their Inbox or in folders. This is fine, but after awhile, they start receiving a message upon accessing their mail indicating that they have exceeded their size threshold capacity. Usually, we suggest deleting all unnecessary mail, but some users want to keep these notes for later reference. These notes can be archived and stored on your own PC rather than stored on the server. This will free up server space and still allow you to access these notes later.
First, make sure you have Notes Release 5 before
trying to archive. Click the Help menu and select About Notes to determine
your version of Lotus Notes.
Note 2: If you have Notes R5.0.x, but cannot find Actions - Archive - Settings, then your database needs to be upgraded. Please notify Mark Griffin to have this done. You can E-mail him or give him a call at 4026.
Current Events Notes Database
We have set up a Current Events discussion database on our Notes server. We thought this would be a good place for everyone to express their concerns and/or opinions or share information about any topic that may be of interest to others.
Rather than using our server?s capacity for the numerous E-mails that are being sent around, we can save some resources if everyone would use this discussion database. It will also leave a single repository for anyone to go back to if they wish to view a note at a later time.
We encourage you to post to this database instead of sending notes to Allusers to facilitate the discussion of current events. When you receive a note with information that you?d like to post in the Current Events database, open the note, choose Edit and Select All, open the Current Events database, click the New Main Topic button. Fill the Subject of your topic in the Subject section. Click the drop-down arrow in the Category field and choose the appropriate keyword and click OK OR click Cancel and enter a new category in the Category field brackets. Paste your note in the Content section. When finished, click the Save and Close button.
To leave a response to any Topic posted, open or select the item, and then click the New Response button. Follow any prompts and click the appropriate buttons.
We will continue this Current Events discussion database on Lotus Notes so users will have a place to post future entries that may be of interest to the campus community. If you need assistance with posting a topic or leaving a response, contact Viv at 4031 or Jane at 5819.
Network Resources: Brief Guide to Keeping Connected
by Cheryl Helget, Network Administrator
This short troubleshooting guide is presented to you so that you may be able to better understand your networked environment and so you may be able to communicate your problems to us more accurately if you are unable to resolve the problem yourself. A few of the most common problems are addressed. This guide does not address problems with accessing off-campus resources.
I'll begin by briefly describing your networked environment on campus. You most likely have a desktop PC or Mac. Within your Mac or PC there is a NIC (Network Interface Card) that is visible from the back of your computer. The computer is the thing that whirs, clicks and beeps when you turn it on, and is often simply referred to as your machine. You will not find a NIC on the back of your video monitor that is connected to your computer. The NIC in the back of your machine contains a jack that looks like a large telephone jack. There is a cable plugged into the NIC that has connectors on both ends that look like large telephone connectors. The opposite end of the cable is plugged into a data jack on the wall. The cable, which we refer to as a network cable, must be plugged into the data jack, not the telephone jack. In newer buildings, the jacks are clearly labeled with a telephone icon above the telephone jack, and a computer icon above the data jack. In older buildings, the jacks are vertical to one another, and either jack could have been used for the data jack when wired, but generally the data jack is on the bottom. (Remember this if you rearrange your office!) The cable you are using should have been provided to you by The Computing and Telecommunication Center (CTC). If the cable was not provided by the CTC, it may not have been made to our campus network specifications.
The data jack in the wall is connected to a cable that runs from the jack to a central device, called a hub, in your building. The hub resides in a room called a wiring closet, where the building network cables converge to become a part of the campus intranetwork. Fiber optic cable connects your building hub to the main campus network, which eventually leads to the main campus computers, servers and the internet.
Begin troubleshooting connection problems by finding out if anyone else in your office or on your floor is experiencing the same problem. If more than one person is experiencing the same problem simultaneously, then the problem most likely exists with a server or other network component within the campus network.
If the network problem appears to be unique to your machine, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem yourself:
One of the most common problems is losing access to a network resource that you previously had access to, such as a printer or a shared drive. Many times this is caused by incorrectly logging onto your windows session. The shared resource you are wishing to access may be using security from a Windows NT domain. (A domain is a logical group of computers in an NT-based Local Area Network that share the same security account database.) If this is the case, you will need to logoff by clicking START, then selecting LOGOFF username. If you do not have a LOGOFF option on the START menu, you can logoff by selecting SHUTDOWN, and then selecting the bottom option: Close all programs and logon as a different user. Log back onto your windows session with the correct ID and password. Now, try to regain access to the resource by performing the following:
To regain access to printers:
For Windows users: Open up the My Computer icon on your desktop, then open the Printers folder to check if the printer you were once accessing is still included in the group of printers. If not, you will need to re-add it: Click the Add Printers Icon, select Network Printer Server, click Next, find your printer under the list of shared printers (which are organized by domains or workgroups, then by server or peer names, then by shared printers), click the printer share name, click OK, choose whether or not you want this printer to be your default printer, then wait to see if the add is successful.
If the printer is included in the group of printers, but the icon is shaded and you are unable to open it when clicked, delete the printer by right-clicking its icon, then select delete. Now go about adding it back in as previously explained.
To regain access to Network drives (or shared directories):
Open Network Neighborhood on your desktop. If you do not see the share's host machine in the browse list, click Entire Network, then Microsoft Windows Network. You will need to navigate through the browse list to find the workgroup or domain that the resource's host computer is listed under. When you find the host computer, double click it to display the directories it is sharing with the network. Locate the directory to which you wish to map. Right click the shared directory, choose map, then click OK
When troubleshooting shared directory access problems,
keep in mind that a shared directory is a directory on a disk that is available
to other people on the network. It can be a directory on the hard disk
of a peer machine, or a directory on the hard disk of a server. The loss
of access may be due to the host machine of the shared directory not being
turned on, or perhaps it has lost connection to the network at some point
in time while you were linked to it. It is also possible that the share
was removed by the host machine's operator.
Media
Equipment Checkout
by Jack Jackson, Mediated Classroom Support
An inventory of audio and video equipment is maintained by CTC to supplement the mediated classrooms. The Media Equipment Checkout office is located in Tomanek Hall 113. We have added more of the most often requested equipment such as laptop computers and LCD projectors during the summer. A list and description of the equipment available may be viewed at the following web page http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/media_checkout/ .
You may reserve equipment for your classes or professional presentations by calling 5521 or by sending a CTC Request for Services via Lotus Notes. Equipment is scheduled on a first-come/first-served basis. We do our best to supply all requests but during busiest times, we may not be able to accommodate all users. Thus, please remember that equipment should not be considered to be reserved until you have received a confirmation.
We have student help available to deliver, pick up and help set up equipment on campus during regular office hours. If scheduled in advance, equipment can also be picked up during the hours that the CTC HelpDesk is open.
Shawn Atkins has been hired to manage the daily operation of the checkout office. If you have any problems, questions, or suggestions on how we may better serve you, please call Shawn at 5521 or Jack Jackson at 5841. We would also welcome feedback from faculty regarding future purchases that will aid in your instructional endeavors.
Mediated Classroom Update
Seven additional mediated classrooms have been finished over the summer bringing the total installed base to 51. In addition, the earliest classrooms have been renovated with brighter projectors and newer computers.
Following a series of faculty forums held during
the fall semester, the Instructional Policy Advisory Committee (ITPAC)
met and made several suggestions regarding future classrooms. You will
notice some changes in some of the rooms as a result. All mediated classrooms
will now have a basic set of equipment consisting of a PC, a document camera,
a VCR, and a ceiling-mounted LCD projector with appropriate switches. Other
equipment that has traditionally been available, i.e., a Mac computer,
laser disk player, audio cassette deck, and slide projector are not automatically
included (but are available to be installed in any given classroom upon
request).
You will also notice some changes in the equipment
currently being installed. Technology continues to provide us with better
equipment, usually at lower prices. We are trying to balance consistency
of the user experience with the improvements provided by the new technology.
We realize that this may cause some anxious moments when you find something
changed from previous years but we believe you will like the results. We
do suggest that you "check out" your classrooms before classes begin, even
if you have previously taught in a room -- it may have changed dramatically!
A couple of the specific changes in the new and remodeled classrooms involve a new model of document camera that is much sharper than earlier models and a new touch panel control system that will provide all of the functions that were previously available on the switches and remote controls.
As always, we are looking for ways to improve
the learning environment for you and for your students. If you have any
questions, problems, or suggestions, please call Jack Jackson, manager,
at 5841 or E-mail jjackson@fhsu.edu
or Odus Trober, technician, at 5287 or E-mail otrober@fhsu.edu.
Telcomm
Services
by Tom Webb, Manager
The mission of Telecommunications is to facilitate the smooth reliable communications of voice, data and video at a minimum cost and a maximum utility and ease of use to the university.
Using the Campus Phone System
Instructions on how to use the campus phone system can be found in the front of the FHSU Campus Directory that is published each fall by University Relations. This is where you can learn how to start and stop call forwarding, transfer a call, and other fancy tricks.
KANS-A-N Long Distance
Official university long distance calls are routed over the KANS-A-N long distance trunk lines. Please review your KANS-A-N Directory for some important information about this service.
Any long distance calls you place from your campus phone are routed by the PBX switch. Long distance calls from off campus can be made with the use of a KANS-A-N credit card issued by Darlene Schippers (5900) of the Business Office. To request a KANS-A-N calling card, please submit a Request for Telephone Services on LNapps through the Lotus Notes System.
Requesting Telephone Services
Requests may be submitted electronically through
Lotus Notes on the Telecomm Request for Services on LNapps form. Select
the appropriate option and then an electronic form will appear on the screen.
Fill in the blanks; be as specific as possible. Click on the Submit button
to submit the request to the CTC for approval. The CTC staff will schedule
it.
If you are moving to a new office, please submit
your request for service at least two weeks in advance. If you have a problem
with your phone service, you can E-mail us directly at twebb@fhsu.edu,
brajewsk@fhsu.edu,
or vhiller@fhsu.edu or call (Tom
at 4488, Vaudene at 5999 or Bob at 5997).
AUDIX Voicemail Service
Our voicemail is processed with the Lucent Technologies
AUDIX system. Training for the AUDIX system is on video which we will loan
to you upon request.