Computing
and Telecommunication Center Newsletter
December 2003 |
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CTC
News and Other Bytes . . . |
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|
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| From
Dave's Desk |
| by
Dr. David Schmidt, Director |
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|
As many of you know, we
are following two tracks for the central administrative system
here at FHSU, one for the Financial-Human Relations functions
and another for the Student System functions. We are staying
with Sungard Bi-Tech for the Financial/HR system and we are
converting and enhancing our own Student System. Below you
will see timelines for both systems.
FHSU staff meet roughly every
other week with Sungard trainers either in person or by remote
distance learning connections. Phil Toepfer, Judy
Getty, Mike Drees, Rachael Depenbusch, Daryl Carswell, Doug
Storer, Larry Rupp, and Mike Lacy and
John Kaba (for security and workflow issues) spend
many hours learning and configuring the system to meet our
needs. Adopting a new system is a little like learning a new
language; full immersion may be the least painful way to “take
the plunge.” I commend the level of commitment shown
by the participants; new systems take a lot of time up front.
In parallel fashion, we are taking the necessary steps to
convert our Student System also. We are seeing some results
of our efforts: the new Enterprise Server has arrived, the
state has posted our bid for outsourcing our conversion to
DB2, and the state has blessed our overall project. We had
to document many aspects of our new system in terms of architecture,
security, work plan, legal requirements, and much more.
The
new Enterprise Server will serve as both our application server
and database server. In addition, a second processor will
use LINUX and assist in delivering academic functionality.
As part of this new system, we ordered an advanced disk drive
array (Shark), new more efficient tape drives, and an impact
printer for mixed case printing. back
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Sungard/New
Server Update |
Using
the New Enterprise Server (prior to the conversion) |
Some
of you may have questions about the new Enterprise Server,
so I am listing a small summary of what it will do. After
moving our systems to the new Enterprise Server (in February)
it will:
- Run
all of our current administrative applications as is (while
we are converting them to new code for DB2).
-
Run the current applications faster.
-
Permit longer up time (probably 20 hours a day) because
it can run the processes faster and we have faster tape
drives.
-
Have the same CICS screens (because the same applications
are running).
-
Have all of the same data that is present on the current
mainframe – including same course title length fields
as now. back
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During
the Conversion to DB2 (roughly 12 months) |
|
While a vendor converts
our code to access DB2, we will have a period of time to prepare
the interfaces to DB2 for many of our existing systems (Blackbaud,
Blackboard, Raiser’s Edge, Greentree, Samba lab access,
etc.), the Data Warehouse, the data feeds to the State, and
many other systems. The vendor will send us converted code
roughly every three months, and we will test the code for
accuracy and for performance. The web developers will use
some test data on DB2 to start developing some of the web
functionality. The conversion itself is a massive job. Interfacing
all of the other existing systems to the new database is also
a time-consuming task. In many cases the interface will be
more efficient because the interface is from relational database
to relational database, but building all these interfaces
takes time.
There will also be time to
look at existing processes and procedures. In fact, this will
be a very opportune time to re-engineer systems that should
be improved. Prior to creating new web screens, it will be
very useful to reorganize procedures that can be automated
and streamlined.
-
Several
User groups will identify areas to be re-engineered and
prioritize them.
-
Staff members, faculty, and administrators with concerns
and special knowledge about these areas and procedures
will decide on the re-engineering procedures. “Power
users” will provide invaluable assistance with every
re-engineering project.
-
CTC
staff will work with these re-engineering teams to identify
areas of automation – in many cases this will involve
development of web screens and in some cases this will
involve CICS and/or batch programming. back
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After the Conversion
to DB2 (one year later)
|
-
The
same CICS screens will be used for many
purposes because the basic logic of the programs remains
the same. Only the database access is changed.
-
The uptime will be closer to 24/7 (because DB2 tables
can be backed up “on the fly”).
-
Web
development will start in earnest so that faculty, student,
and administrator access will use mostly web screens (and
not the CICS screens). Those offices that enter a lot
of data will still use CICS screens for the foreseeable
future because they are more efficient than web screens.
back to top
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Web and Application
Development After the Conversion to DB2
|
Some
web screens will be functional immediately after the conversion
is complete. Other web screens will be made functional after
the re-engineering tasks are completed. The User Groups are
working on identifying the areas needing work and the priorities
for completing that work. The list of these priorities should
be finalized by the end of December. As soon we complete the
list and get approval from Cabinet, we will publicize it.
As
a number of the ITPAC committee members observed, this conversion
provides the opportunity for a new era in administrative computing
at FHSU. There is a great time to look at our existing processes
and changing those that are inefficient or no longer needed.
It is also a time to bring new functionality on-line that
better meets student and faculty expectations. Eventually
all of us will be affected in some way, and we look forward
to working with everyone involved. back
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Sungard
Financial System Training/Activities to Date |
Training/Activity |
Participants |
Date(s) |
| Systems
Review & Consultation by Sungard |
Hardware and Software Systems |
9/8/03 |
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|
|
| General
Ledger - Chart of Accounts (Sungard) |
Phil Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel
Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer |
10/07/03-10/10/03 |
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| Data
Conversion |
Doug Storer |
10/17/03 to date |
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|
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| Data
Load |
Doug Storer, Daryl Carswell |
10/20/03 to date |
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|
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| Workflow
Overview (Remote Demo) |
Phil
Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Sandi Stricker,
Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer, Mike Lacy |
10/27/03 |
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|
|
| Workflow
Followup (Remote Demo) |
Phil
Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Sandi Stricker,
Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer, Mike Lacy |
10/30/03 |
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|
|
| General
Ledger |
Phil
Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Daryl Carswell,
Doug Storer |
11/10/03-11/13/03 |
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|
|
| Financials
- A/P, A/R, Person-Entity Table, Purchase Orders, Cash Receipts |
Phil
Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Sandi Stricker,
Daryl Carswell, DougStorer |
11/04/03-11/06/03 |
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|
|
| Financials
- Purchase Orders, A/P |
Phil
Toepfer, Judy Getty, Rachel Depenbusch, Mike Drees, Sandi Stricker,
Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer |
11/18/03-11/20/03 |
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|
|
| Workflow
Training |
Mike Lacy,
Rachel Depenbusch, Judy Getty, Mike Drees, John Kaba, Daryl
Carswell, Doug Storer, Larry Rupp |
12/02/03-12/04/03 |
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|
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| Develop
Specifications for Forms |
Al Leiker,
Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer, Phil Toepfer |
Due 12/19/03 |
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|
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| Develop
Specifications for Interfaces |
Al Leiker,
Daryl Carswell, Doug Storer, Larry Rupp |
Due 01/10/04 |
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|
|
| CDD
Report Preparation |
Daryl
Carswell, Doug Storer, Rachel Depenbusch, Jane Rajewski, Larry
Rupp, Chad Dague, Jackie Ruder |
12/15/03-12/17/03
back
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Information
Center News
by Jane Rajewski, Manager |
Test
Scoring Using the OMR Full-Page Scanner |
The
CTC offers test scanning and grading services. 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 24 hours, M-F.
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. back
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User
Services News
by Viv Zimmerman, User Services |
End
of Semester CTC Labs Hours |
|
For
more information about our services or hours, visit our lab
web site or stop by TH127 (next to the elevator) and check
with the lab monitor on duty. Check our lab web page for special
hours posted for holidays, finals week, interim breaks,
summer semester, and other special announcements. As always,
if you have questions, feedback, comments or suggestions regarding
our labs, please let us know; send a note to Viv Zimmerman
or call 4031. back
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CTC
Training Schedule on Web |
We
now have a web page for CTC training workshops on the CTC
website. You may access the training schedule and a description
of the workshops by clicking on the Faculty/Staff
Training link from the navigation bar on any of the CTC
web. This page offers a description of the workshops offered
by the CTC. Click on the schedule
link to see a calendar with the current month's training.
Contact Viv Zimmerman or call her at 4031
to sign up for a workshop. back
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Reserving
CTC Computer Labs |
We
have posted information on a web page to aid faculty or staff
who are unfamiliar with submitting a Request for Computing
Services to reserve our CTC TH123 Mac Lab or the TH121 Pentium
Computer Lab for a class or workshop. The information for
reserving
either lab can be found on our CTC labs web page. The lab
supervisor is Viv Zimmerman.
Contact her at 4031 if you have any questions
about reserving a lab. back
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CTC
Newsletters on the Web |
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End
of Semester Acct Maintenance |
With
the end of the semester rapidly approaching, it is important
that you notify Viv Zimmerman whenever faculty, staff, or
student employees terminate employment with your office so
that we can remove their IDs and update our group mailing
lists and security tables.
It
is imperative that all security is removed for those who no
longer work in your office. back
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CICS
Password Changes |
Having
a protected password is essential to the security of the information
that you have on your account and the protection and privacy
of the information that you may have access to on CICS. We
encourage you to periodically change your Lotus Notes and
CICS passwords. If at any time you feel that your CICS password
may have been jeopardized or would like to have it changed,
please e-mail Jane Rajewski at jrajewsk@tiger.fhsu.edu.
Include in the note your CICS ID, current CICS password and
what you would like for your CICS new password (up to 8 characters).
You will be notified via LN when to start using the new password. |
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LN
5.0 Hints & Tips . . . |
LN
Mail View Options |
You
may sort the messages in your LN Inbox and your mail
folders by clicking the triangle in the heading of the column
that you wish to sort. The most common headings that can be
sorted, are Who, Date, and Size. Each has
a small black triangle that lets you sort the particular column
in either ascending or descending order.
This
sort is only in effect while you are in the Inbox.
As soon as you exit the Inbox or exit Lotus Notes
completely, it reverts back to the default.
If
you would always like to view your new mail at the top of
your Inbox rather than the bottom, please follow
these directions:
-
Open your Inbox.
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Choose File, Preferences, User Preferences.
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Click Basics.
-
Under the Additional Options section, select Retain
View Column sorting.
If
you need assistance doing this, contact the CTC HelpDesk at
5276. back
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Having
Problems Accessing Links Included in E-mail?
If
you have problems getting links to work when you click on
them in notes that you receive, you may need to change your
Lotus Notes browser. For example, you may have had a problem
accessing the latest CTC training workshop schedule. It may
have shown you a previous training schedule instead of the
current one or you may not be able to get any links to open
at all unless you copy and paste then into the URL line of
your browser.
Many
users find the default Lotus Notes browser cumbersome and
if you wish to change it to another browser, such as Internet
Explorer, do the following:
- Go
into File.
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Choose Mobile.
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Choose Edit Current Location.
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Click the drop-down menu for Internet Browser.
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Select Microsoft Internet Explorer.
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Click OK.
-
Click the Save and Close button.
Then,
the next time you are reading your LN mail and click on an
URL listed in a note, you will be able to access the site
from Internet Explorer rather than the LN browser.
If
you need assistance changing your LN browser, contact Viv
at 4031. back
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LN
Calendar View |
|
Some of your calendar views may start with
Monday instead of Sunday. This can be confusing. If you'd
like, you can change your calendar view to start with Sunday
instead of Monday by following these simple steps:
-
Choose File - Preferences
- User Preferences.
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Select the International icon on the left
side of the window.
-
Select a day of the week under:
Week Starts on Sunday.
Calendar view starts on Sunday.
Small calendar starts on Sunday.
-
Click OK.
Then,
get out of your calendar and get back into your calendar and
all of the calendar views should start with Sunday and end
with Saturday - just like a regular calendar. In
addition, when you look at anyone's calendar, it should now
start with Sunday.
If
you need assistance with this option, contact Viv
at 4031. |
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Guest
Article . . .
by Suzanne
Klaus, FHSU Web Site Manager |
FHSU Home Page
Link Changes
Some links that were previously
located on tiger.fhsu.edu have been relocated in
a different place in an effort to streamline the FHSU web
experience and provide links that various groups on campus
want. If users enter tiger.fhsu.edu in the URL box,
they will be taken directly to the FHSU
home page. Faculty and staff can now
find the Faculty/Staff/Student E-mail Address Book
and E-mail (Lotus Notes) links in the navbar on the
Faculty & Staff page. The Buy, Sell, Trade
link can be found on the Faculty & Staff page
under All Employees. The Graduate School Workflow
link can be found on Faculty & Staff page under
Faculty.
For students
using Lotus Notes features, the Buy, Sell, Trade
link can be found on the Current Students page under
Campus Life. The E-mail (Lotus Notes) link
is in the navbar on the Current Students page. FacultyStaff/Student
E-mail Search can be found on the Current Students
page under Technology. The Traffic Appeal Form
is linked from the University Police site at http://www.fhsu.edu/police/
.
Lotus Notes PC
users can change their LN Internet Password from the web;
click on the Preferences link in the upper
right corner of your screen when you are in iNotes and click
on the Other tab. Click the Change
button under the Change Internet Password section
and follow the prompts. Click OK
when finished. Mac users can either
call the CTC HelpDesk to change their LN Internet password
or change their passwords through the LN client on their office
computers.
If you need assistance finding
any links on the FHSU web site, please contact the CTC
HelpDesk at 5276 or Suzanne
at 5520. back
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E-mail
Large Attachments
by Mark Griffin, Manager of Servers and
Desktop Systems |
Some
Lotus Notes users have been sending notes that contain very
large attachments; I ask that you please delete
these kinds of e-mails from your Inbox
immediately after reading. Most of these kinds
of notes are extremely large due to the graphics attached
to them and when delivered to over 1200 individuals they
take up a great deal of space on our server.
While
you are in the e-mail deleting mode, it wouldn't hurt if
you would take a few minutes to delete other old or very
large e-mails from your Inbox. A very quick and
easy way to free up a great deal of space in your e-mail
is to sort your e-mails by size (click on the triangle in
the "size" heading in your Inbox), then
go through and delete several of the largest e-mails.
In
the future when individuals send notes with attachments
to allusers, it would be great if everyone would use the
Attachments database. Once you are in the Attachments
database, create a new document and place your attachments
in it. Then, when you send your e-mail to allusers or faculty
or whoever, explain that the users need to go to the database
to view the attachments. It might be helpful if you would
include the link to the database in the e-mail as well.
You can copy and paste the link into your note. If you need
assistance copying and pasting the link into a note or accessing
the Attachments database, contact the CTC
HelpDesk at 5276. The only limitation
to using the Attachments database is that only
FHSU Lotus Notes users will have access to the attachments,
which should be fine in most cases. I appreciate everyone's
efforts to keep Lotus Notes running smoothly. Thanks and
Happy Holidays! back
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Mail
Cleanup!
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.
This
is a reminder for everyone to clean out their Notes mail Inbox.
There are many users out there who are over their mail quota.
You know who you are! You receive a warning everytime you
start your Lotus Notes.
You
either need to delete your e-mail or archive it. Deleting
your mail is self-explanatory. If you archive your e-mail,
you will still have access to that old mail on your
own work PC. The mail will be saved in a database
on that PC, not on the Notes server.
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.
To
archive selected documents, you can put a checkmark next to
particular documents that you wish to archive, then click
Actions - Archive - Selected Documents. Or,
you can go into Actions - Archive - Settings
and set it up to automatically archive all documents
that are over a certain age (eg. all documents over
180 days old). After entering the settings you wish, click
Actions - Archive - Archive Now.
If
you have trouble archiving, please contact Mark Griffin
at 4026 and I will gladly help you. Cleaning
out your Notes mail will help our system run more efficiently.
Thank you for taking care of this important maintenance issue.
back
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Mediated
Equipment Report
by
Jack Jackson, Coordinator Mediated Classroom Design and Installation |
Today,
all general purpose classrooms (60) at Fort Hays State are
mediated. This means that they have the following equipment
installed:
- LCD
projector (minimum of XGA resolution, 700 lumens output)
- PC
computer (minimum of 400 mhz)
- Document
camera (26 with video output/34 with RGB output
- VCR
- Amplifier
and speakers
- Control
equipment (switches and touch panels)
In
addition, some rooms also have a Mac computer, Laser disk
player, audio cassette player/recorder, lavalier microphone,
DVD player and touch panel control. This additional equipment
can be installed in any classroom upon request. All classrooms
are also set up for easy use of a laptop computer. Laptops
can be easily used for presentations in the classrooms but
will need special preparation to access Internet through the
campus ethernet network. Please contact Jack (5841)
or Odus (5287) for help with this setup.
Now
that the classrooms are built, they have to be maintained.
The following is the estimated annual costs of maintenance: |
| |
| 60
projectors (avg lamp life of 18 months) = 40 bulbs/yr @ $400
ea |
$16,000 |
| 60
projectors (ave life of 5 yrs) = 12 projectors @ $1800 ea |
21,600 |
| 60
document cameras (avg life of 6-8 yrs) = 9 cameras @ $1800 ea |
16,200 |
| Computer
replacement (avg life of 5 years) 85 computers/5=17 @ $1000 |
17,000 |
| Misc.
replacement needs (VCR, touch panels, switches, etc.) est. |
4,000 |
| Estimated
total annual operating expense |
$74,800 |
| |
Media
Equipment Checkout |
The
following equipment is available to be checked out by faculty
and staff for use in areas not mediated or for use when traveling:
- 11
Dell laptop computers
- 2
Mac laptop computers
- 7
portable LCD projectors
- Digital
video camera
- Digital
still camera
- Portable
sound equipment
- VHS
players
- DVD
player
- TV
sets
- Slide
projectors
- Overhead
projectors
Four
laptops and two projectors were added last spring as the result
of an action plan initiated by the Provost's office. The greatest
needs at the present time are for digital still and digital
video cameras and a larger sound system. We plan to add at
least one more of each very soon.
To
reserve equipment, please call 5211. If staff
does not answer, they are probably delivering equipment. Please
leave a phone message. It will be returned promptly. The office
is staffed by three students, Jason Penka, Justin Cook, and
Adam Larez. Jason is classified as a seasonal employee to
manage day-to-day operation. To address a concern of members
of Instructional Technology Policy Advisory Committee (ITPAC),
an additional student will be added second semester and hours
will be extended until 7:30pm. This is being done to extend
support for evening classes.
If
you have questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding any
aspect of instructional media, please contact Jack Jackson
or any member of ITPAC. back
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Wireless
Data Network News
by
Dan Pfeifer, Coordinator Data Communications
|
Deployment
of a wireless data network with access to the wired campus
network made some advances over the past several months.
Wireless access to the campus network is available in Forsyth
Library on the main floor with fairly good coverage. There
is coverage in the basement and the second floor that will
require improvement. Wireless access is available in several
areas of the Memorial Union, specifically in the Sunset
Lounge, Trails Room, TV Lounge and adjacent cafeteria area.
Additional coverage is planned in Memorial Union. Areas
in Tomanek Hall with wireless access include the front halls
on the first and second floors and adjacent areas. We plan
to provide maps in buildings showing coverage areas.
Access
to the wireless network requires authentication of the user
with a username and password in the Windows FHSU domain
account. Many faculty and staff members have a Windows FHSU
domain account. Students wanting access will be provided
an account. We are working on a system which will allow
students access using their Scatcat account.
The
authentication standard used for access is known as 802.1x.
PC laptops running Windows XP or Mac laptops running OS
version 10.3 systems support 802.1x, natively. Handhelds
supporting 802.1x should work also, although we have not
tested them at this time. The wireless network supports
a radio standard known as 802.11b. This standard operates
at 11Mbps (mega-bits per second) on the wired side. There
are two other standards known as 802.11a and 802.11g. These
competing standards promise speeds up to 54Mbps. Which of
the two will survive in the marketplace is uncertain. We
have not committed to either one.
Anyone
interested in using the wireless network can call 4038
or send me e-mail at dpfeifer@fhsu.edu.
back
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CTC
HelpDesk News
by Nancy Cunningham, HelpDesk Supervisor
|
HelpDesk
Services Available |
|
The CTC HelpDesk News is now being published
online. Click on the following link to read the current articles.
http://www.fhsu.edu/ctc/helpdesk/newsdec03.shtml
December
headlines:
-
It's Internet Dial-Up Renewal Time (Students Only)
-
Microsoft Office Now Available to FHSU Students, Faculty,
and Staff at Volume Discount Prices!
-
How to Protect Your Computer from Virus Attacks
-
Transferring Files Using Your Scatcat Account
-
New Web Page Procedures for Scatcat Users
-
Use Your Tiger Card to Purchase CTC HelpDesk Products
and Services!
-
Wireless Internet Access under Development at FHSU
-
CTC HelpDesk Hours (from now through Spring 2004)
-
How can we provide better service?
-
Other HelpDesk Headlines
For
more information about the CTC HelpDesk, visit our Web
site, visit us in Tomanek Hall 113, call us at (785) 628-5276,
or send an e-mail to helpdesk@fhsu.edu.
We look forward to serving you!
|
| |
Have a safe and fun-filled
holiday!
|
| back
to top |
| Contact Viv
Zimmerman with any questions or comments concerning this
web page. |
