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You responded and we listened!
Due to feedback received regarding the changes to the personal web space service originally scheduled for Monday, Dec. 31, the collaboration and web content team will continue to offer the availability of personal web space until further notice. Additional questions or comments may be sent to help@umn.edu.
Dear University Community,
We are sorry, but the Academic Technology Showcase has been canceled this year April 10th, 2013 due to the low number of presentation applications. We appreciate your interest and support of the event and hope to hold the showcase next year.
Thank you.
Please submit your applications to present at the Academic Technology Showcase: Innovation in Teaching, Learning, and Research. This event will showcase how members of the University community are using technology to drive innovation in teaching, learning, and research. We’re looking for a variety of work, from simple solutions to complex projects.
The showcase will take place:
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (open house format)
Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union
There will be over 50 tables showcasing a variety of projects from units across the University.
University of Minnesota faculty, instructors, researchers, and students.
The showcase will be similar to an open house poster session and presenters may use posters, computer displays, or other technology at their display table.
If interested, please apply by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 20, 2013. If you will be unable to attend, you are welcome to invite a colleague to present in your place.
Visit the showcase website.
Bob Zak is leaving the University and his last day will be Tuesday, December 18. We wish Bob the best and thank him for his 19 years of service with the University.
Heather McLaughlin joined IT@UMN as a Salesforce.com Product Owner.
Mark McKay joined IT@UMN as an Academic Technology Systems Analyst.
Welcome Heather and Mark!
The kick-off meetings for the first few IT formal Communities of Practice (fCoP) were well attended. Thank you for your enthusiasm!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All future fCoP meeting notices and community updates will be communicated exclusively via each fCoP's corresponding Google group. To stay informed, make sure to join the Google group for the fCoPs with which you want to engage. Links are below. More information about Google groups is located on the UMN Google site.
More information about the University's IT Community including a master calendar of events can be found on the IT@UMN page.
Continue reading "IT Formal Communities of Practice Update" »
Personal web space is scheduled to be decommissioned on June 30, 2013. In preparation for the decommission, new personal web space folders no longer will be created, effective Dec. 31.
Continue reading "Personal web space to be decommissioned" »
The annual data center maintenance outage is scheduled for 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, with restoration scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. It is expected that all affected services will be restored by noon Sunday.
Since the beginning of fall semester, the use of Gopher Conferencing has increased dramatically. Because we are nearing capacity with the existing conferencing tool, Voice Network Services is planning to upgrade to a new web and phone conferencing application in the upcoming months.
Continue reading "New phone and web conferencing tool planned" »
Mark your calendar for this year's World Usability Day to be held Thursday, November 8. You are invited to join University of Minnesota Usability staff for a day of special programming on the theme "Usability as Service Learning." The program runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon in Coffman Memorial Union, room 303. A Usability lab open house will take place from 1 - 3 p.m. in Walter Library, room B-26. The full agenda will be shared at a later date.
For more information on available usability services at the University, visit the Usability Services website.
Effective Nov. 1, prices will be reduced for department- and collegiate-level ArcGIS software licenses made available through a contract partnership between the University and MnSCU. The decrease is made possible due to increased usage and decrease in annual license fees.
Continue reading "ArcGIS license prices decrease effective Nov. 1" »
The PeopleTools upgrade was successfully completed on October 14. PeopleSoft Campus Solutions (Student Admin and HRMS) and PeopleSoft Financials are available. Some users may have to correct their bookmarks or clear their browser caches when first using the upgraded applications. See http://www.oit.umn.edu/peoplesoft/peopletools-upgrade.
As colleges, departments, and units around the University work 
to reduce costs while enhancing services as part of President Kaler's Operational Excellence initiative--or rather, what he calls "a new way of functioning at the University"--the status quo is being challenged. The effort is also fostering new partnerships.
University of Minnesota faculty and staff are eligible to participate 
in Microsoft's Home Use Program (HUP), enabling those who use Microsoft Office for their work at the University to purchase one licensed copy per platform of Office (for Windows or Mac) to install and use on home computers, for work and personal purposes.
Continue reading "Microsoft Home Use Program Now Available for Faculty and Staff " »
Beginning Saturday, October 13 at 6 p.m. PeopleSoft Campus
Solutions (Student Admin and HRMS) and PeopleSoft Financials will be unavailable for use due to a planned upgrade. It is intended that full functionality will be restored by 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 14. During this time, access to all of the PeopleSoft core applications, as well the many other applications that depend upon them such as One Stop self service and employee self service, will be unavailable. This outage is necessary for an upgrade to PeopleTools version 8.52. Please plan your work accordingly. Updates will be posted throughout the maintenance window on the system status page. For more information, see the PeopleTools Upgrade page or contact technology help.
Google Groups, a tool for a team of users to quickly collaborate with one another either via email, or any of Google's various applications, is now available with Google Apps for the University of Minnesota.
On Friday, September 28, 2012, OIT will update the University of Minnesota sign in page.
Due to feedback from the University community, we are changing the guest account creation and student account initiation links to instead send users to a new page that provides more detail about how to choose the proper account.
Continue reading "U of M Sign In Pages to be Updated September 28" »
Logging in to NetFiles just got easier.
Continue reading "NetFiles migrates to Shibboleth authentication" »
The University wireless network remained stable through the overnight hours Wednesday, and remains stable and working normally this morning. Engineers will continue to closely monitor network traffic throughout the day.
The University system status will be kept up-to-date with any new information.
For more information on the wireless network, visit www.oit.umn.edu/wireless. Please address questions, concerns or problems to the technology service desk at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus) or help@umn.edu.
Regards,
The University of Minnesota Wireless Network Team
Network engineers have brought a level of stability to the University wireless network, providing full wireless service to users in the affected area on the East Bank north of Washington Avenue, while the investigation into the root causes of the outage and longer term solutions continue.
The University wireless network continues to experience intermittent and sporadic loss of service in areas on the East Bank campus north of University Avenue, and some users may experience intermittent disruption. Network engineers continue to investigate the situation and are working on a solution.
The University of Minnesota Web Stats service powered by Urchin will be retired. Urchin is no longer being supported by its vendor, Google. To track your web statistics going forward, Google Analytics is available.
Continue reading "Urchin to be Decommissioned - Google Anayltics Available" »
The WebVista course management system was decommissioned-thumb-300x168-131531.jpg)
on August 31, 2012.
The University of Minnesota (UMN) has transitioned away from having two course management systems--WebVista and Moodle--to a single system based on the latest version of Moodle.
The 2012-13 Technology Resources Quick Reference Guide for Faculty, Researchers and Staff is available at www.oit.umn.edu/instructors-researchers and www.oit.umn.edu/staff
Designed as a quick and easy reference tool, the guide offers introductory overviews of available information technology-related products and services specifically for faculty, researchers and staff, as well as common-good services including:
Printed copies of the document also are available at all Tech Stop locations, new faculty and staff orientation sessions, and various other information technology events held throughout the academic year.
For more information, contact technology help at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or help@umn.edu.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) fall training 
schedule is now available on OIT's Technology Training website.
Technology Training courses are available at no charge to University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff.
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar on the training website.
Email Services will undergo maintenance between 6 a.m. and noon Sunday, Aug. 19, to move bulk storage from end-of-life hardware to the new Isilon bulk storage.
YouTube joined the expanding list of available Google Apps for the University of Minnesota on Friday, August 3. The addition of YouTube also enables the Google Hangouts On Air broadcast feature.
Continue reading "Broadcast Yourself at UMN: YouTube and Google Hangouts On Air " »
A recently published ebook and this year's expansion of the Faculty Fellowship Program show that faculty, staff, and students embrace the benefits of educational technology and are driven to explore its effective use. Together, we are transforming our practices to take advantage of the opportunities academic technology provides at the University of Minnesota.
Continue reading "UMN Embraces and Explores Academic Technology" »
The OIT Faculty Fellowship Program (OIT FFP) announces its 2012 - 13 cohort. This cohort--the largest to date--comprises 16 instructors representing 10 colleges/units and three University of Minnesota campuses. View a complete list of the new cohort of Faculty Fellows.
The OIT FFP is an 18-month program that fosters a multidisciplinary learning community that explores possibilities and good practices in teaching and learning in technology-rich learning environments, produces scholarship in this area, and advances faculty leadership around these issues.
Continue reading "Announcing 2012-13 Faculty Fellowship Program Participants" »
Effective July 4, Symantec AntiVirus (SAV) Corporate Edition 10.x and Client Security 3.x no longer will be supported by the vendor.
At the beginning of each fiscal year, Microsoft offers University of Minnesota collegiate departments and administrative units the opportunity to purchase Project Pro and Visio Premium licenses as a bundle for University-owned computers.
Continue reading "Project Pro, Visio Premium license bundles available" »
Due to a decrease in the Autodesk Education Master Suite contract fee, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is able to reduce the cost for a collegiate-level license from $15,000 to $5,000 per year, effective July 1, 2012. Single-use licenses also are available at a cost of $45 per year; per installation.
Continue reading "Autodesk Education Master Suite available at reduced cost " »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is excited to announce the introduction of Google Drive to the expanding list of available Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Drive provides a new way to access and share all your files and folders, at any time and on any device. It will replace and enhance what you know today as your Google Documents list.
Continue reading "Keep Everything, Share Anything: Introducing Google Drive for UMN." »
The University of Minnesota community is invited to a Campus Conversations* brown bag lunch with Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Scott Studham on Tuesday, May 29, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the President's Room, third floor, Coffman Memorial Union (map).
This month's conversation will be an opportunity to hear from Vice President Studham about his first months on the job, his vision for information technology at the University, and new resources on the horizon. An open discussion will follow the presentation.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend. If you are unable to attend in person, join us online via UMConnect the day of the event.
Bring your lunch; refreshments will be provided.
*Campus Conversations is a recurring forum to discuss issues of interest to the University community. All meetings are open to faculty, staff, and students.
On-the-go access to Moodle courses just got easier. The May 13 upgrade to Moodle 2.2 added a mobile interface that enables students to access Moodle course content and perform tasks on their mobile devices (limited to mobile-friendly file formats) including:
The University of Minnesota has entered into a new agreement with Adobe making available individual licenses for both Acrobat Pro and Presenter to campus users. The new licensing agreement and pricing structure is now in effect.
Continue reading "UMN Acrobat Pro, Presenter License Agreement Updated" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) summer training schedule is now available on OIT's Technology Training website.
Technology Training courses are available at no charge to University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff.
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar on the training website.
A new plugin is active in Moodle that simplifies video uploads for instructors and students, and enables video to be viewed in many more formats. Other benefits include:
Continue reading "New Plugin Simplifies Video Uploads in Moodle" »
Register now for the Community SANS Course SEC 542 Web App Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, scheduled for July 23-28 on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota.
Want to keep up-to-date on technology news at the U? Want to receive it more often but still via email? The Office of Information Technology (OIT) News and Events web page delivers the latest U of M technology news as it happens. And when you subscribe to receive news updates via email we'll send the new items right to your inbox the very next morning.
Continue reading "OIT News and Events: Don't Miss a Byte!" »
To better serve the University of Minnesota the Technology Help service desk has extended their hours, including new Sunday hours!
Continue reading "Technology Help Has New and Extended Hours" »
On Friday, March 30, more than 100 faculty and staff gathered at the University of Minnesota Mobile Initiative kick-off event to explore the question: "What do we need to do to co-create an integrated Mobile U?"
Continue reading "Kick-Off Event Recap: Co-creating an Integrated Mobile U" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT), in collaboration with the Course Management System (CMS) Implementation Group, intends to upgrade Moodle 2.0 to Moodle 2.2 on Sunday, May 13 between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon. Moodle will be unavailable for 2-4 hours during this maintenance window. This date and time was selected based on the published academic calendars for all five campuses and in consultation with the CMS Implementation Group in an effort to minimize impact to students and faculty. That said, we recognize that many colleges and programs have different schedules, and that this maintenance may inconvenience some users.
Continue reading "Moodle 2.2 Upgrade Scheduled for May 13" »
A story featuring the recent Academic Technology Showcase was featured in the April 6 edition of the "Minnesota Daily."
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/04/05/u-showcases-technology-use-across-campus
The summer schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site the third or forth week of April. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for summer courses.
Want to make movies fast? Find free media? Create great charts? Or get your research papers in shape quickly? These and other topics are offered as Technology Learning Bytes--short, concise, 30-minute sessions targeted to your needs.
Continue reading "Technology Learning Bytes: Sample a Few Morsels" »
The Office of Information Technology in collaboration with the Office of Classroom Management and the College of Education and Human Development will host an Apple TV technical discussion from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in Appleby Hall room 3.
Please join us this Wednesday, April 4, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Union's Great Hall for the "Academic Technology Showcase: Innovation in Teaching, Learning and Research."
This open house will feature more than 70 poster presentations from across the University of Minnesota, and one lucky attendee will win the latest iPad 3! For more information about the event and the projects, please visit the Academic Technology Showcase website.
Last fall, UMN undergraduate students were invited to participate in the UMN Mobile App Challenge, a two-semester project that challenged them to develop a new mobile application.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) invites University of Minnesota faculty and Professional and Administrative (P & A) instructors to submit applications for the 2012-2013 OIT Faculty Fellowship Program.
Continue reading "2012-2013 OIT Faculty Fellowship Program: Call for Proposals" »
Last fall, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) invited University of Minnesota undergraduates to participate in the UMN Mobile App Challenge, a two-semester event that challenged them to develop their own mobile apps.
We invite you to attend a final judging event on March 23 to learn more about the apps that students have been working on, and to hear about the student experience in creating these projects. For more information about this event, including a short video introducing the finalists and their apps, visit the Mobile App Challenge page.
Please save the date for the upcoming Academic Technology Showcase: Innovation in Teaching, Learning, and Research on April 4 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Union's Great Hall. This open house will feature over 60 poster sessions ranging from simple solutions to complex projects. An iPad will be given away to one lucky guest (it could be you!), courtesy of the College of Education and Human Development. More information
As of August 31, Moodle will be the sole enterprise course management system (CMS) at the University of Minnesota. The University opted for an open source solution for many reasons, not the least of which was the thriving and passionate community of developers behind it. People across the globe who see the potential of Moodle--to provide greater access to education, to help instructors teach and students learn--devote their time and apply their skill to improving and enhancing it. The University has been an active member of that community since 2006, when we first installed Moodle.
Continue reading "UMN: Engaging in the Global Moodle Community" »
Effective March 1, 2012 due to increased usage of the SAS software license, the fee for a one-year-single-use SAS software license was decreased from $75 to $35. Ordering information and links for SAS help and support can be found on the Utools website.
OIT Software Licensing would also like to announce the release and availability of SAS version 9.3. All new orders as well as current license holders are eligible for this upgrade. Please direct questions about the price change and upgrade availability to software@umn.edu.
The Project and Change Management Collaborators (PCMC) group invites University faculty and staff to the workshop, "Project Management 201: All's Well That Ends Well."
March 12, 2012
9 a.m.-noon
120 Elmer Andersen Library
The workshop features instructor John Skovbroten and is being offered free of charge. Please RSVP for the workshop by using the enrollment key "pcmc" on the PCMC Moodle site. For more information, see The Project and Change Management website.
The Office of Information Tecnnology (OIT) was quoted in a Minnesota Daily story on the University's adoption of Turnitin anti-plagiarism software.
All PeopleSoft systems and their associated web applications will be unavailable beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, until 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. This outage is occurring so that the Office of Information Technology (OIT) can upgrade both the software and hardware for the Oracle databases that support PeopleSoft, allowing the University to continue to receive support from Oracle.
During this maintenance window, PeopleSoft and all related applications will be unavailable, and batch jobs will not run. Staff will not be able to work in PeopleSoft or related systems during this maintenance window. Once this upgrade is complete, it will have no noticeable impact on your daily work in PeopleSoft.
During this upgrade, the following applications will be unavailable:
For up to date information during this outage, visit the OIT System Status page
The University of Minnesota is implementing a Business Intelligence (BI) practice to enhance its current measurement and reporting practices. BI is a broad term for data management, analysis practices, and software tools enabling evidence-based decision making. Evidence-based decision making is not new to the University. What is new with this BI practice is a formalized approach fostered throughout the institution.
Continue reading "Business Intelligence Update and Timeline" »
To support the University of Minnesota’s February 20 rollout of Turnitin, a plagiarism prevention and grading software suite, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has arranged brown bag sessions and webinars for faculty and staff who are interested in learning more about the tool.
It's important, first, to remember that there is a difference between University of Minnesota Google Apps accounts and personal Google/Gmail.com accounts. They are totally separate from each other, and fall under separate and different contractual agreements, as well as different terms of service. Institutions that use Google Apps for their email, calendar and the other core applications, have individual contracts with Google that define how data is handled and stored.
Want to learn how to find free images, format bibliographies, or edit videos? These and other topics are offered as Technology Learning Bytes--short, concise, 30-minute sessions in a small group environment, targeted to your needs. Sessions are held in the new Tech Stop: learning. support. research, located in Blegen 90. There is no cost and no registration is necessary. Attend, ask questions, and expand your skills!
Check the Technology Learning Bytes calendar for scheduled times. Technology Learning Bytes are sponsored by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and U of MN Libraries.
Recently, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has received an increasing number of reports of suspicious and nefarious activities by no-name antivirus services, similar to this:
Continue reading "Be Careful of Cheap/Free Antivirus Software" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) now has completed allocation of IPv6 network addresses on the Twin Cities campus data network.
Continue reading "OIT completes deployment of IPv6 on TC campus" »
Shared vision. Shared innovation. Shared leadership. Shared purpose. ONE IT.
Continue reading "Defining Moments 2011: OIT's Year in Review" »
UC-Berkeley; Cornell; Minnesota; Virginia; and Wisconsin Participating in Pilot
Ann Arbor, MI--Jan. 18, 2012--As textbooks continue shifting to digital, Internet2, McGraw-Hill and Courseload today announced implementation of an eText Pilot Trial Pack to students and faculty at five universities for the Spring 2012 semester. The five institutions, also Internet2 members, include: University of California, Berkeley; Cornell University; University of Minnesota; University of Virginia; and the University of Wisconsin.
The pilot, which is based on Indiana University's eText model (http://etexts.iu.edu), provides a timely and simple way for universities to quickly assess a new model for digital course materials. While an increasing number of eTexts are already available at retail prices, eTexts can cost less when institutions negotiate attractive volume price deals to dramatically reduce costs to students while efficiently paying authors and publishers fairly for each use of their digital work.
Participating universities in the pilot get McGraw-Hill eTexts, the Courseload reader and annotation platform integrated with their Learning Management System, and can be part of a joint research study of eText use and perceptions. Through the Courseload software, students can print, use social annotation with classmates and instructors, and access their eTexts on any HTML5-capable tablet, smartphone, or computer. Students will receive their eTexts at no cost as the institutions are subsidizing the study, and students who prefer a full hardcopy book may optionally order a print-on-demand version of the eText for a $28 fee. Faculty interest at the pilot institutions has been very strong.
"McGraw-Hill is pleased to be a partner in this pioneering effort to open digital access to course materials in a substantive way across all higher education institutions," said Tom Malek, McGraw-Hill higher education vice president, learning solutions and services. "We believe 2012 will be the year digital access of eTexts becomes mainstream."
"We have seven instructors with 8 sections and more than 400 students enrolled in the program at UVA," said James L. Hilton, vice president and chief information officer, University of Virginia. "Enthusiasm is quite high. Our effort grew by word of mouth and we had 11 volunteers within a day of announcing at an advisory committee meeting, which is really remarkable."
"Cornell is exploring how new digital publishing models will be advantageous to our students, and potentially lower textbook costs," said Ted Dodds, chief information officer and vice president, Cornell University. "This pilot is timely, building on faculty experiences, and will explore how new publishing models and technologies can be leveraged for student learning."
"Our academic community has been very positive about our eText pilot," said Bruce Maas, vice provost for information technology and chief information officer, University of Wisconsin - Madison. "Combining services on a national scale thru Internet2's NET+ Services enables the higher education community to influence publishers and the eText offering. This influence helps us to better represent the interests of our students and faculty, and better address important areas such as accessibility. The result of this national partnership benefits all of us."
"We have benefited significantly from the strong sense of collaboration from all of our participating units, said Billie Wahlstrom, vice provost, University of Minnesota. "The university-owned bookstore has been a very progressive partner helping us in the recruitment of faculty and management of logistics with the publisher. We have also benefited from a great implementation team which included representatives from Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs, IT, Faculty Senate, Office of the General Counsel, Faculty Affairs, Disability Services, and Libraries. We are very interested in collaborating with the other participating universities in the evaluation of this project."
"Courseload is delighted to be a pilot partner working with these innovative universities as they proactively shape effective models for digital course materials," said Mickey Levitan, Co-Founder and CEO of Courseload.
"Efficient markets have informed buyers and sellers, and this multi-university pilot is a big leap forward for institutions to better understand how they can shape the market during the transition to digital," said Brad Wheeler, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, Indiana University. "This pilot would not have been possible without Internet2's NET+ Services, as it went from first thought to real implementation on campuses in less than 60 days. It's a great example of how universities can have greater influence when we learn fast and engage early."
Internet2 NET+ Services and program aggregate the IT needs of university members and efficiently contract with leading commercial firms for services tailored to that community. Recent NET+ opportunities for Internet2 members include cloud storage services from Box.Com, and cloud computing from Hewlett Packard and SHI.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of training courses.
Web Development: Essentials - XHTML
Feb 1, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: Essentials - Cascading Style Sheets
Feb 3, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Moodle 2.0: What is Different from Moodle 1.9?
Feb 3, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Media Production and Publishing Introduction
Feb 7, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Moodle 2.0: Grades
Feb 8, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Macintosh/Windows
Google+ Overview
Feb 10, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Moodle 2.0: What is Different from Moodle 1.9?
Feb 14, 16, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Excel 2007/2010: Spreadsheet Basics
Feb 14, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Windows
Web Development: Dreamweaver CS5 Basics
Feb 15, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Moodle 2.0: Creating Basic Course Websites
Feb 16, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Google Docs Overview
Feb 17, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Relational Database Design Basics
Feb 17, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Seminar
Moodle 2.0: Collaboration
Feb 21, 8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: Essentials - XHTML
Feb 21, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Excel 2010: Managing and Analyzing Data
Feb 21, 23, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Windows
Google Calendar: Effectively Managing your Calendar
Feb 24, 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Geographic Information Systems: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Feb 24, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Wilson Library S30C
Windows
Google Apps: Collaborating using Documents, Spreadsheets, Forms and Presentations
Feb 28, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Macintosh/Windows
Web Development: Essentials - Cascading Style Sheets
Feb 28, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
Web Accessibility Issues and Techniques
Feb 29, 1:30 PM-3:00 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
Access 2007/2010: Basic Database Development
Feb 29, Mar 1, 2, 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Windows
OIT's 'Tech Stop: learning.support.research.' is now open
The Office of Information Technology (OIT), in partnership with University Libraries, now offers "Tech Stop: learning.support.research.," a new state-of-the-art computer lab, technology support and collaboration center.
Continue reading "Transforming the U's tech support experience: " »
All are invited to submit a presentation for the Academic Technology Showcase: Innovation in Teaching, Learning, and Research.
The Academic Technology showcase will demonstrate how members of the University community are using technology to drive innovative teaching, learning, and research. We are looking for a variety of work, from simple solutions to complex projects. The showcase will be similar to an open house poster session, and presenters may use posters, computer displays, or other technology. We plan to have Over 50 tables showcasing a variety of projects from across the University.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union
If interested, please apply by midnight February 24, 2012. If you will be unable to attend, you are welcome to invite a colleague to present in your place. Lunch vouchers will be provided for presenters.
For more information and to apply, visit the showcase website.
The Academic Technology Showcase is a collaboration between the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the Office of Information Technology (OIT), and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
Students Embrace Moodle
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) invited some University undergraduate students to talk about Moodle on camera. Discussion topics included how they use Moodle to collaborate and communicate, how it helps them stay organized, and how Moodle's grades function eases student anxiety. View this edited (approximately two-minute) video on the University's Moodle site.
Continue reading "WebVista to Moodle: The U of M Transition" »
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of training courses.
Moodle 2.0: Creating Basic Course Websites
Jan 24, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Geographic Information Systems: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Jan 27, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Wilson Library S30C
Windows
Google Calendar: Effectively Managing your Calendar
Jan 31, 1:30 PM-4:00 PM
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
SAS Programming I - Essentials
Jan 31, Feb 2, 7, 9, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Windows
[Announcement letter from Eric W. Kaler, President; and Robert J. Jones, Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration]
Dear Members of the University community:
We are pleased to announce R. Scott Studham as the University of Minnesota's new vice president and chief information officer, pending approval by the Board of Regents in February. Scott has served as the chief information officer at the University of Tennessee since 2009, where he was responsible for the strategic direction and management of the university's information resources. View his résumé.
As the new vice president and chief information officer, Scott brings his experience with enterprise application integration and enterprise resource planning implementations in complex, distributed organizations, and with implementation of technology services for multi-campus environments. He has been the project manager or chief architect for a top 10 supercomputer six times during the course of his career, and is an internationally recognized researcher in the area of high performance computing. Scott has published in CIO Magazine, Scientific Computing, and multiple IEEE peer reviewed journals, and has been called upon by the U.S. Congress to provide testimony on information security on multiple occasions.
We believe Scott has an extraordinary vision for building on the existing strengths of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to ensure the strategic and operational excellence of both academic and administrative information technology to support and advance all aspects of the University's mission.
Scott will begin in his new position on February 13, 2012. We want to thank the vice president and chief information officer search committee, and especially co-chairs UM-Rochester Chancellor Stephen Lehmkuhle and Vice President for Human Resources Kathy Brown. We also want to thank Ann Hill Duin, associate vice president and associate chief information officer, for taking on this interim leadership role for the past six months and for continuing to serve until Scott arrives.
Finally, we express our appreciation to everyone who took the time to participate in the interviews or on-campus forums, who watched them online, or who filled out the online evaluations of the finalists. Your input was invaluable. We look forward to working with Scott, OIT, and all of you to continue to position the University of Minnesota for excellence.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President
Robert J. Jones
Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) spring training schedule is now available on OIT's technology training web site (www.oit.umn.edu/training).
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has scheduled a town hall forum to inform the University community about it's current web hosting services redesign project for 10-11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 13 in Science Teaching and Student Services room 131A.
Continue reading "Town hall forum for new web hosting service planned" »
On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 5 a.m., OIT will upgrade the University of Minnesota sign in page and its authentication platform. As a result of this upgrade, the following significant changes will be noticed:
A picture of the old sign in page displayed on a desktop computer (click to enlarge)
A picture of the new sign in page displayed on a desktop computer (click to enlarge)
A picture of the new sign in page displayed on a handheld device (click to enlarge)
New Authentication Platform
To provide authentication for its applications and services, the University currently uses both Shibboleth (an open source SAML implementation) and Central Authentication Hub (CAH). As has been previously communicated, OIT plans to sunset CAH and migrate all applications to Shibboleth. Based on feedback, the original date of December 31, 2011 has been changed to June 15, 2012.
On February 15, OIT will upgrade its current Shibboleth implementation to a new platform. The upgrade will include software and hardware updates. As a result, the following will occur:
Summary
For more information, visit the U of M Shibboleth Wiki.
The Spring schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site the first week of January. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Spring courses.
The University of Minnesota, the Regions of the Learning Network of Minnesota (LNM), and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) have signed a contract with Kaltura Inc. to provide a statewide media management platform for public higher education in the state of Minnesota.
The new media management platform provides UMN, LNM, and MnSCU with many advantages. First, and foremost, the new media management platform will be accessible by every public higher education institution in Minnesota. In addition, the technical capabilities of the new media management platform will enable departments to integrate the tool into their own systems.
To help define the timeline and implementation points, a steering committee has been created with representatives from the largest tenants of Media Mill and Media Magnet. Three implementation points have been identified: integration with Moodle 2.0, integration with Camtasia Relay, and development of a media management interface.
Integration with Moodle is scheduled to begin during the Spring 2012 semester. Moodle users will be able to seamlessly and securely add videos into Moodle courses without having to know HTML. Students will be able to securely hand-in video assignments, allowing instructors to utilize the Moodle gradebook functionality with media. OIT's supported lecture capture software, Camtasia Relay, will be integrated during late spring 2012. Development of a media management interface is scheduled to begin in summer 2012. The new interface will combine features of Media Mill and Media Magnet. For more information about this project, visit the Media Management website.
In addition, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is creating a Media Management Implementation Group. The formation of this group is a part of OIT's effort to help facilitate the University of Minnesota's transition to this new media management platform. We plan to hold monthly meetings for this group with the purpose being to report progress, to share experiences and resources, and to serve as a forum for voicing questions and concerns. The members of the Media Management Implementation Group have the essential function of sharing information from and with their colleagues, departments, and colleges. All are invited.
Save the date for our next meeting on January 31 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. in 101 Walter Library. Online streaming will be available on the day of the event at http://umconnect.umn.edu/mmigroup. No RSVP is required.
OIT is pleased to announce that all University of Minnesota students on the Twin Cities campus enrolled in at least one credit are now eligible to purchase a one year MATLAB license. MATLAB is a high-level language and interactive environment that enables you to perform computationally intensive tasks faster than with traditional programming languages such as C, C++, and Fortran. It is used primarily by Computer Science students. Qualifying CSE & CFANS students will continue to have access to a license free of charge through their college.
To learn more about MATLAB and see it in action, visit the MATLAB site.
To purchase the software at the discounted student rate, visit the U of M MATLAB Software UTools page.
You spoke and we listened. Last month we asked you to participate in a survey about how you would like to receive University of Minnesota technology news. An overwhelming majority of you said you would like to receive technology news more often but would like to continue receiving news via email. Based on the results, we are making some changes to better match your preferences.
On February 1, 2012, we will retire the monthly OIT Tech Brief newsletter. But don't worry; you will not be without news. We have created a new News and Events web page that will deliver all of the latest U of M technology news headlines. From this page, you can subscribe to receive news updates via email. Every time the Office of Information technology publishes a news story you will receive it in your inbox the very next morning. No more waiting for the first of month to learn what is happening with technology at the U of M. In addition, you can like us Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive your news as it happens.
There are four ways to receive U of M technology news:
President Kaler and Senior Vice President Jones invited three candidates to campus for public interviews, and each candidate provided their perspectives on "Transforming Teaching and Research in Higher Education: A Vision for IT in the 21st Century." Below are links to their presentations as well as their vitae.
Donald E. Harris (PDF)
Watch archived video
Please save the date for the University Video Users Community (UVUC) Round Table on January 12, 2012 from noon - 1:00 p.m. in room 101 of Walter Library. This month, we will be discussing captioning and accessibility.
UVUC is a collaborative peer network of University professionals who work in video - production, presentations, networking, event coverage and classroom use.
If you are unable to attend in person, join us via UMConnect.
Google Executive Chairman Eric E. Schmidt this morning spoke at the University on, "The Future of the High-Tech Economy: How Technology is Changing Business, Education and Government."
Continue reading "Google executive chair speaks at the U of M" »
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of training courses.
Web Development: Dreamweaver CS5 Basics
Dec 6, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Humphrey Center 50a
Macintosh/Windows
Excel 2010: Managing and Analyzing Data
Dec 6, 8, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter Library 210
Windows
Geographic Information Systems: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Dec 9, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Wilson Library S30C
Windows
Moodle 2.0: Creating Basic Course Websites
Dec 13, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
President Kaler and Senior Vice President Jones have invited three candidates to campus for public interviews, and each candidate will provide their perspectives on "Transforming Teaching and Research in Higher Education: A Vision for IT in the 21st Century."
See the Vice President & Chief Information Officer Search site.
As a benefit of the University of Minnesota holding a site-wide contract with ESRI, University of Minnesota faculty members can order their students ArcGIS Desktop and Extensions Student Edition software and licenses free of charge. Instructors can request the software and license for their students at the ESRI website.
For more information on the ArcGIS software, please visit the Office of Information Technology's ArcView and ArcInfo pages on the UTools website.
Did you know that Office of Information Technology (OIT) websites are accessed nearly 4,000 times a month by people using mobile devices? In October alone, OIT websites were accessed 3,444 times by people using mobile devices. Website visits with mobile devices has doubled over the last year. The most popular devices used to access OIT websites are Androids, iPads, and iPhones. They each account for over a 1,000 visits a month. According to EDUCAUSE Center for applied research, the percentage of college students who use mobile devices daily was up to 43% in 2010. We anticipate that this percentage will only continue to grow.
In general, Moodle 1.9 and Moodle 2 are quite similar, but there are some important differences. To help you quickly learn about what has changed, OIT's Technology Training has prepared both a one-hour seminar and a series of short videos. Choose the format that works best for your schedule and learning style; the content is the same.
Continue reading "Moodle 1.9 versus Moodle 2: What's the Difference?" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) invites and encourages University of Minnesota instructors to move their WebVista and Moodle 1.9 course sites to Moodle 2 for Spring Semester. Moodle 2 has been available at the University since August 15. Its improved interface makes the course design process easier and more intuitive for instructors and designers.
Continue reading "Spring Semester: A Great Time to Make Your Move to Moodle 2" »
Issue
At 10:45 a.m. the University became isolated from the Internet, and off campus users were unable to connect to the University network or websites. This condition was resolved for most users by 12:45 p.m., and for all other users by approximately 4 p.m. The network on campus was still functioning throughout this time period.
Cause
A change was scheduled at 5 a.m. and was completed by 8 a.m. This change is designed to re-organize and streamline our Internet borders. At 10:45 a.m., one of the University's main routers for Internet access with a local Internet service provider (ISP) failed, and our provider thought it was still up, even though content and web pages were not loading for off campus users.
Resolution
The condition was resolved by forcing another provider to assume the traffic and forcing out the provider who was associated with the malfunctioning router. The malfunctioning router also services direct peering with certain ISPs such as IP House, US Internet, Visi, and Access Media 3. Users were unable to connect to University websites via these and other ISPs throughout the afternoon. As our engineers received reports of which ISPs still did not work throughout the afternoon, they shut down our peering connections with those providers.
The engineers who performed the earlier change to our borders immediately began troubleshooting to uncover the cause of the disruption. They felt this service disruption was caused by the earlier change, so they worked for several hours to investigate and completely back out of the change to restore our infrastructure to its original state. The engineers gathered logs with the vendor, and the vendor helped identify a main routing table that was overloaded and caused the router to become unstable. They worked to back out of the entire change, and they rebooted the failed router per the vendor recommendation. The change was completely back out and all services deemed stable by 7 p.m.
Timeline of Events
The Office of Information Technology released a new support website for UMConnect. The new site includes a user guide section that replaces the FAQs that were on the old site. The user guide is better organized and enables users to easily find the information they need.
UMConnect enables University faculty, staff, and eligible graduate students (e.g., teaching assistants) to host on-demand web presentations and to communicate and collaborate through web conferences and webcasts at no cost.
On Thursday, October 27, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) added Google+ to Google Apps at the University of Minnesota, making it available to students, faculty, and staff who already have a University Google account--except accounts affiliated with the Health Care Components (HCC. In doing so, the U of M became one of only 22 universities worldwide that brought Google+ to campus on the launch date.
Join us for World Usability Day, Designing for Social Change, on Thursday, November 10 in 402 Walter Library.
The event kicks off at 9:45 a.m. with Beth Fraser, director of governmental affairs for the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. She will review her case study on organized testing of the usability of absentee ballots in the State of Minnesota. We will see how this study increased the likelihood of the successful submission of votes by absentee citizens, including soldiers serving overseas.
The afternoon presentation begins at 1:00 p.m. with Matt Diamanti, senior director of UX for the Mayo Clinic. He will delve into how a designer's worldview affects how effectively he or she serves the needs of users, with a specific focus on healthcare and the Mayo Clinic.
For the evening portion, the Minnesota chapter of the Usability Professionals Association has arranged for a presentation by Thomas J. Smith, lecturer for the University of Minnesota School of Kinesiology. He will speak about the importance of usability and learning environment design in student learning outcomes at 7:00 p.m. in 330 Science Teaching and Student Services. A buffet dinner is included and will be served prior to the meeting at 6:00 p.m.
These events are free and open to the public. No reservation is required.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of training courses.
Garfield Bowen, director in the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Project Management Office (PMO), recently was elected 2013 president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI-MN). He was elected to a three-year term that begins in January 2012 as President-Elect and COO, and continues through 2014 as Past President.
Continue reading "OIT's Bowen elected to three-year leadership term of PMI-MN" »
A story featuring the U's Active Learning Classrooms appears in the Thursday, Oct. 13 issue of The Minnesota Daily, and highlights the Office of Information Technology's (OIT) research in that area. http://www.mndaily.com/2011/10/13/active-learning-classes-garner-attention.
Faculty, instructors and course designers can sign-up for one-on-one or small group 30-minute appointments for tutoring at the Coffman Union Tech Stop.
Jamil Jabr, manager of Office of Information Technology (OIT) computing facilities, was presented with an award at this year's Access Achievement Awards celebration, held on October 10. University of Minnesota Disability Services holds this event annually. The awards recognize University faculty and staff who support and advance accessibility at the University. The recipients go above and beyond the expected to bring the University closer to being fully accessible for everyone.
Jamil and his team were recognized for their work with Disabilities Services to ensure that OIT computing facilities provide access for students with disabilities. Thanks to Jamil and his team, as well as a strong partnership with Disabilities Services, students with disabilities have access to the JAWS screen reader, ZoomText screen magnifier, and Kurzweil scan and read systems on all computers designated for general student use in OIT computing facilities. These applications enable students with disabilities to do their course work and collaborate with their peers.
The software provided in computer labs can be expensive, so it is necessary to make the OIT budget go further. Jamil and his team accomplish this by leveraging software licensing management (SLM) technology. OIT strives to provide software to all students in the same way, whenever possible. With SLM technology, OIT can install software to all of our computers, but by managing the number of concurrent users at any given time, we can legally reduce the number of licenses we need to purchase. For example, if we own 20 licenses for the JAWS screen reader, we can install it to 100's of machines, but only 20 people can use it concurrently. The 21st person will wait in a queue and get access to the software as soon as one of the 20 people using it log off. The number of licenses purchased is based on average use that is monitored by the SLM system.
Our thanks to Jamil and his staff for their creative solutions, integrity, and hard work!
Do you have an idea for a mobile app? Are you willing to see your idea through and actually launch a new app? The University of Minnesota App Challenge is your opportunity to do just that, and have the opportunity to win big prizes.
How it works
If you have an idea for an app, we want to hear it.
Pitch your idea to us, and we will select five apps to compete in the challenge. If yours is one of the five chosen, you will receive guidance and financial help to bring your app from concept to reality. Don't have the programing skills? Gather a team! Have the vision and the skills? Give it a go yourself!
Remember, all you need is an idea. We'll help you take care of the rest.
Win!
The winning team will receive funding to attend a major industry conference such as Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) or Google I/O.
Kickoff event
We'll help get you started. Join us from 5:00-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in 101 Walter Library. We'll provide free pizza, describe what we expect from your apps, and share tips on how to effectively pitch your idea. Coordinate campus students can attend via UMConnect.
More details can be found on our Mobile App Challenge website.
NetFiles is an online file storage tool that provides 5 GB of storage to all current students, staff, and faculty. This enables you to securely store and share files on a University server that has been approved for storing private and protected data. Learn more about NetFiles by attending a 20-minute Learning Byte session at the Tech Stop or by viewing a series of short videos online.
Business Intelligence (BI) enables improved, evidence-based decision making by collecting, analyzing, and leveraging data. The Office of Planning and Analysis (OPA) and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) are engaged in an initiative that will advance BI at the University of Minnesota through improved processes, tools, and collaboration.
BI can provide decision makers at all levels of the University with relevant, accurate, and consistent data, as well as the tools and skills to analyze them. Examples of ways in which BI can be useful include: monitoring and predicting enrollment to inform course scheduling and support, and analyzing unit spending by category or item to enable more effective resource allocation.
The University is using Oracle's Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) toolset, which we are branding "UM Analytics," to support a continuum of analytical needs. With UM Analytics, users will be able to create standard reports, ad hoc reports, alerts and analysis, forecasting and predictive modeling. UM Analytics is scheduled to launch in early 2012, after the completion of a three-month pilot focusing on financial content. The financial pilot began in mid-September with volunteer participants from a number of different employee groups, business roles, colleges, campuses, and departments.
In the coming months, we will share stories from staff and faculty at the University who have used BI principles to improve their decision making. In addition, town hall meetings will be held to share information with the University community and to provide a forum for discussion and feedback about BI. To stay up-to-date with all BI information and activities, please join the listserv at BI-IMPLEMENTATION-request@LISTS.UMN.EDU.
If you have any questions about the BI initiative at the University, please send them in an email to opa@umn.edu.
President Eric W. Kaler was inaugurated as the 16th President of the University of Minnesota on Thursday, Sept. 22. In addition to the live audience in Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2,643 unique viewers watched the inauguration in a live broadcast using UMN Live Stream.
President Kaler's inauguration speech is available online. In addition, video of the inaugural ceremony in its entirety is available for viewing. A shorter summary of the speech can be read at "Fulfilling a Promise."
Please join us for the next University Video Users Community (UVUC) quarterly meeting on Friday, October 28 from 9 - 11 a.m. in 402 Walter Library. The agenda will include a media management update and demo as well as a HD video conferencing update. Please RSVP for this event here. If you are unable to attend in person, please join us online at umconnect.umn.edu/uvuc.
We invite you to like "University of Minnesota Information Technology" on Facebook so you can get Office of Information Technology (OIT) news and information as it happens. OIT news releases are posted to our Facebook page throughout the month. This month, we also posted a fun picture from the "Paint the Bridge" event.
"Paint the Bridge" gives departments, colleges, and student organizations the opportunity to paint a panel of the Washington Avenue walking bridge in order to encourage involvement or promote services. This year, OIT's bridge panel--complete with a functioning QR code--promotes face-to-face technology help at Tech Stop in Coffman Memorial Union. The QR code, which in this case leads to the Tech Stop website, can be read by a QR code reader, a free application for mobile devices.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of training courses.
On Friday, September 30, 2011, there will be a change to the University of Minnesota login page. This is the page that you use to log in to University of Minnesota applications such as email, calendar, and Netfiles.
Description of the change
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is adding a link to this page, which will allow users to create a new guest account. For a visual demonstration of the change, compare the following:
Reason for the change
Our current CAH login page deployment has a feature that allows an application to request changes to the appearance of the login page. For example, several applications that allow guest account logins use this feature to enable the display of a "Create a new guest account" button. So when a user attempts to log into an application that allows guest accounts, they see this button on the login page. But when they attempt to log into an application that does not use guest accounts, they do not see this button.
The look and feel of this login page is due for an overhaul to meet new branding and mobile requirements. This update will be implemented when the new CAH -independent Shib implementation goes live in January. This new Shibboleth implementation, however, does not support this feature that allows applications to request changes to the appearance of the login page. Instead, on this new page, there will be a "Create a guest account" link active on the page at all times.
The problem, and the need for this short term change, comes from the fact that a number of applications that require having the guest account button appear on the login screen and have been using this "guestable" feature will be converting to Shib prior to the rollout of the new look and feel. Since we need to have a way to support these applications, we are therefore adding the "Create a guest account" link to all login pages, regardless of whether the application requested it. This is a much more desirable solution than making significant changes to the CAH integration code, considering that CAH is going away at the end of the year.
Fall semester has started and students are back on campus. The streets and sidewalks are crowded and so are the fast food restaurants. More foot traffic on campus also means more Internet traffic. With thousands of students accessing the Internet, the University must make sure it has the capabilities to serve students' needs.
The Office of Information Technology has installed 4,300 wireless access points on campus, 1,011 over the last year, and 177 of them have been repositioned to get maximum output. To help you understand how important wireless Internet is to the University campus, during the first two days of the fall semester, nearly 400,000 wireless sessions took place.
Currently wireless is only being expanded through customer funded requests. For specific locations of wireless frequency, please see the Wireless Coverage Map.
New students and faculty who need wireless connection assistance may visit the Wireless website or stop by one of our Tech Stop locations.
This online course is offered by the the Office of Information Technology. After enrolling in this course, you will have access to online training materials directly from the SAS Institute. You will also be able to enroll in optional hands-on lab sessions. For more information and to register, see SAS Programming I & II.
On Friday, October 7, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM the Office of Information Technology will offer a new workshop that explores using web conferencing software to conduct training or instruction for users anywhere, anytime. Experience using interactive features such as audio and video, whiteboard, polling, content and screen sharing. For more information and to register, see Web Confernecing for Distance Learners.
There will be a planned twelve-hour interruption to IT services at the University of Minnesota beginning on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., with service restoration beginning on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 6:00 a.m. All services will be restored by noon on Sunday. This service interruption will result from the Office of Information Technology (OIT) shutting down its main data center to perform necessary maintenance, testing, and repairs of facility infrastructure. A full list of the IT services that will be impacted by this work is available.
The Fire Marshal requires that the Emergency Power Off (EPO) and the fire suppression system in the data center be tested. This requires that the data center be powered down to protect the IT equipment from damage. Since this power down is necessary, the OIT data center services team intends to leverage the downtime to fulfill some additional data center activities that are less urgent, but require the power to be off. You can view the full scope of maintenance activities, including the schedule for restoring services.
All affected departments have been consulted and have been planning for this shutdown for the past several months through coordinated efforts with the OIT Change Approval Board and the University of Minnesota IT Leadership Alliance.
Every effort will be taken to ensure that the University community is notified of this service interruption. We ask you to assist us by sharing this message with your own colleges, departments, or administrative units. During the service interruption, updates will be available on the University of Minnesota System Status page.
October 3, 2011
9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
101 Walter Library: Map It
An Adobe PDF is much more than a document destined for the print queue. When it comes to creating and enabling a PDF with underlying "intelligence," Acrobat stands alone in improving educational processes in higher education; from creating research proposals and assembling instructional materials, to improving processes involving collaboration and rich media integration.
Whether you are a student, faculty member, researcher, or administrative professional this in-depth presentation will demonstrate how Acrobat can transform and repurpose existing materials for a more efficient environment for a number of common and complex tasks. Share your questions and successes and come see how everyone can maximize resources and time with the new interface and workflows in Acrobat X.
At the end of this session participants will understand:
September 20
Noon -- 1:00 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
Please join us for the next University Video User Community (UVUC) round table on September 20 from noon - 1:00 p.m. in 101 Walter Library. At this b.y.o.l. (bring your own lunch) event we plan to discuss strategies for storage and retention of large video files as well as best practices concerning video storage on campus. Members of the University Libraries and Archives staff will be on hand to discuss submission of videos to the University Digital Conservancy. If you have experience with video storage and would be willing to facilitate the next UVUC round table, please let Susan Tade know at stade@umn.edu.
If you are unable to attend in person, UMConnect will be available at http://umconnect.umn.edu/uvuc. No RSVP is necessary.
Also, save the date for the UVUC quarterly meeting on October 28 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. in 402 Walter Library and stay tuned for more details!
UMCal is scheduled to be decommissioned Friday, Sept. 30. Effective Oct. 1, UMCal no longer will be available, and Google Calendar will become the University's official calendar.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
The online file storage tool, NetFiles has been upgraded to version 7. The upgrade includes several new features and improved functionality in a new, easier-to-use interface.
Browser software and plug-ins/add-ons also need to be patched for security holes. Qualys BrowserCheck will perform a security analysis of your browser and its plug-ins to identify any security issues and help you fix the security issues discovered by the scan.
This tool is available for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, and many other browsers, including mobile. Run the tool on all installed browsers. Students, faculty, and staff can install the tool on their personally owned computers or mobile devices at no charge. Install the tool at the Qualys BrowserCheck website.
Moodle 2.0 became available to the University of Minnesota on August 15, 2011. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is pleased to support this open-source tool that enables web-enhanced course delivery, group forums, internal training, sharing of resources, and more. The Moodle 2.0 roll-out is the culmination of more than a year's effort. Implementation work began after the May 2010 announcement that the University would move away from supporting two Course Management Systems (CMS), WebVista and Moodle 1.9, and provide a single CMS, Moodle 2.0.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) fall training schedule is now available on OIT's technology training web site (www.oit.umn.edu/training).
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has partnered with e-academy to offer the Microsoft Work-at-Home option, an additional benefit of the Microsoft Campus Agreement. This option will allow faculty and staff systemwide who use Microsoft Office programs and the Windows operating system on their University-owned computers to use a second copy of a limited selection of products on either a laptop or desktop computer that he or she personally owns or leases. The software may be used only for work-related purposes and only during the term of the campus agreement. The Work-at-Home licenses do not apply to students, unless they also are an employee.
Continue reading "OIT offers Microsoft Work-at-Home option" »
NetFiles will be unavailable between 8 a.m Saturday, Aug. 27-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, for the upgrade to version 7. The upgrade includes several new features and improved functionality in a new, easier-to-use interface.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) now offers Secunia Software Inspectors to help keep student, faculty, and staff personal computers up-to-date and secure. Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) scans your computer for thousands of known programs, checks for missing security patches and vulnerabilities in those programs, and reports back to you with information on how to update them. Students, faculty, and staff can download and install the PSI on their personally owned computers at no charge. For more information and to download the software, visit the UTools website
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has expanded its walk-in technology help services to three computer lab locations in 103 Walter, B60 Coffman, and 50 HHH on the Twin Cities campus. The additions will bring the total number of walk-in help locations to five, including the current 101 Coffman and 50 Coffey locations.
As a reminder, the CMS Implementation Project includes two major components:
We intend to make Moodle 2.0 available beginning August 15, which will allow a full year for users to transition away from WebVista and/or upgrade their Moodle 1.9 courses. Moodle 2.0 will be the sole CMS as of September 1, 2012. To see a graphic depiction of the CMS Implementation Timeline, visit the Moodle website.
OIT Help and Support efforts for the CMS Implementation include a full range of services from collegiate and departmental planning services, to individual consultation, to technology training, and technical support.
For more detailed updates, you are welcome to attend the CMS Implementation Group quarterly meeting next Thursday, August 4, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. in room 101 Walter Library. (No RSVP required) or visit the Moodle website.
Due to the University's continued increase in JMP usage, OIT is, for the second year in a row, pleased to announce that we were able to lower the price for individual and departmental yearly license fees, effective July 1. In addition, we added a collegiate level of JMP licensing. An individual license now is $10 per year, down from $15 and previously $45, a departmental coverage license is now $250 per year, down from $500 and previously $2,100) and the new collegiate coverage license is $500 per year. Complete information on the University's program is found on the UTools website.
JMP (pronounced "jump") is a statistical computer program that performs simple and complex statistical analysis. It dynamically links statistics with graphics to interactively explore, understand, and visualize data. This allows you to click on any point in a graph, and see the corresponding data point highlighted in the data table, and other graphs. JMP can work with a variety of data formats, such as text files, Microsoft Excel files, SAS datasets, and ODBC-compliant databases. For more information, visit JMP Wikipedia entry.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Science Teaching and Student Services, room 131B
Twin Cites/East Bank
"The Effects of Cloud Computing on your Business, Reducing Cost and Complexity" is planned for 2-3:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, in room 131B of the Science Teaching and Student Services Building.
Please join Steven Loeschorn, senior IT consultant with the IBM Executive Briefing Center to discuss how IBM's x86 systems can help keep costs and complexity under control.
The seminar will focus on the business impact and financial analysis of cloud computing. How does your business manage the public cloud, the private cloud and hybrid cloud? IBM's experts will lead you through the decision process to determine what the effects of each cloud offering has on your bottom line.
Seminar topics include:
This seminar is focused NOT on technology (speeds/feeds), but on the business case and impact of implementing a cloud solution. The event is sponsored by OIT.
Effective August 1, 2011, due to decreased Minitab usage at the University of Minnesota, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is discontinuing their unlimited Minitab license. To renew the license for another year, OIT would need to charge more per license to cover the cost of the contract than individual users could purchase a perpetual license or six-month rental license from other sources.
OIT and Minitab, Inc. recommend that if you need Minitab licenses AFTER July 31, 2011 that you order a new license through e-Academy. A version 16 perpetual license can be purchased for $100 or a six-month rental for $30. You can also direct your students to the e-Academy store. The six-month rental is ideal for students that need to use Minitab for a semester or two.
If you are a current license holder, OIT Software Licensing has already communicated this information with you, as well as, provided details regarding a pro-rated refund as appropriate. Please remember that if you are a current Minitab license holder and user through OIT Software licensing, your Minitab software will stop working August 1, 2011; therefore, we urge you to purchase a new license prior to that date.
For updates and links to order through e-Academy, please visit the UTools Minitab page.
The Fall schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in mid-August. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Fall courses.
ImageNow, the University's comprehensive imaging and document management system, will be upgraded later this summer to take advantage of new features and bug fixes. The dates of the upgrade have not yet been confirmed, but we are planning for July 21-24. Users should be aware that ImageNow will be unavailable during the upgrade. We will confirm the dates of upgrade as soon as they are approved by the OIT Change Approval Board. In the meantime, please share this information with the ImageNow users and technical support staff in your areas.
The new desktop client will be available for download on the Document Imaging website. In addition, the new client will be distributed among the University Computer Management community so that AD administrators can deploy the new client if they so choose.
Because the new client is not compatible with the current version of ImageNow, we recommend that you do not install the new client until closer to the upgrade. The new client will be available for download at least one week before the upgrade is underway.
If you have any questions, contact the Imaging & Archiving Team at oia-imaging@lists.umn.edu.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) announces the selection of a new IT Service Management (ITSM) tool to replace HP Service Center, ServiceNow. The selection is the result of rigorous planning, investigation, testing, and negotiation in collaboration with the University of Minnesota IT community.
Like HP Service Center, ServiceNow enables ticketing, however its capabilities are expanded as it more thoroughly supports Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes. ITIL is the most widely adopted approach for IT Service Management in the world. OIT is adopting ITIL methodologies to create efficiencies and improve service. OIT intends to leverage ServiceNow to support key ITIL processes described below.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) reminds you that all faculty and staff accounts, except accounts affiliated with the Academic Health Center (AHC) and Health Care Component (HCC)-related accounts, are eligible for University of Minnesota Google accounts.
OIT will complete the transition of all University accounts (except AHC and HCC accounts) to Google Apps this summer, and all users who have not yet signed up on their own, with the exception of those affiliated with the Academic Health Center and Health Care Components, will be moved to a Google account automatically.
To make the the transition go as smoothly and quickly as possible, users are strongly encouraged to transition their account on their before their automatic transition is scheduled. Sign up is available on the University's Google Apps website.
Automatic transitions for faculty and staff will begin July 12 on the Duluth campus, with other campuses to be scheduled later in the summer. Users will receive notification via email prior to their automatic transition, once it has been scheduled.
You should expect the following to happen on the day your account is scheduled for its automatic transition:
• The first time you visit mail.umn.edu that day, and attempt to log in to your University email account, you will be directed to another page requiring you to move your account to Google for the University.
• You will be asked to agree to the Google Apps terms of service.
• You will not have access to email until you initiate the migration.
• Those who use a desktop email client such as Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail, will receive the error message "invalid user name or password," and will be directed to log into mail.umn.edu and follow the instructions to proceed. You also may go to www.umn.edu/myaccount and choose Google Account Options.
Alumni and retirees that were eligible BEFORE they became an alumni or retiree, also are eligible.
Google Apps are web-based, state-of-the-art collaboration tools providing increased productivity opportunities available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A U of M Google account offers:
• Gmail for University email
• Google Calendar
• Google Docs (Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations Document Sharing)
• Google Chat and Google Talk (Instant Messaging)
• Google Sites (Website Publishing Tools)
For more information or questions, as well as links to training opportunities, visit the Google Apps support site, or contact help@umn.edu.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
NetFiles has been fully restored and is now back online and available to use.
We were able to recover the archive log files needed to restore the database up until point of the last backup, which occurred at 2:03 a.m. Sunday, June 26.
We're currently in the process of verifying and testing the application's post-recovery functionality, and expect to have NetFiles back online before the end of business today. Our next update will be sent once the application is back up and running, and available to use.
Work on the NetFiles outage progresses, and a backup has been recovered. The database restoration process is in progress, and we expect the process will be completed within a few hours.
In addition, we have escalated the severity of the service call with Oracle to it's highest level making it a critical "production down" issue.
We expect to have more information available soon, and will continue to provide updates here and on the system status page as soon as any new information and/or details become available.
NetFiles remains unavailable, and administrators continue to work to recover and restore the databases and bring the application back online. More information will be available here and on the system status page as it becomes available.
Issue
Starting at 9:35 p.m. Friday, May 20, 2011, email services were unavailable to some University email users as a result of problems experienced by the SAN storage frame located in one of OIT's main data centers. The problems with the storage frame caused three email servers in that location to cease functioning. This issue affected approximately 28,000 out of the University's 146,000 email accounts. Affected users may have experienced long delays or no response when attempting to access their email, and they were unable to send and receive email.
Email services were fully restored to most customers the next morning, Saturday, May 21, 2011, when two of the three email servers were brought back online. Email services could not be restored on the third server, and approximately 7,000 users could still not send, receive, or view email on Monday, May 23, 2011, prompting the initiation of the disaster recovery plan. Email engineers set up new accounts for affected users enabling them to send and receive email while their historical email was being restored. This was completed on Tuesday, May 24 for faculty and staff accounts, and Wednesday, May 25 for students. Historical email was restored from backups to customer accounts on Sunday, May 29, 2011, at which point customers were able to access their historical email.
Cause
On the evening of Friday, May 20, a vendor was attempting to troubleshoot an ongoing issue with a failed drive on the SAN storage frame, which was caused by an unexpected power outage a few weeks prior. During a scan, the drive went "Not Ready" (i.e. failed) which caused the three email servers to crash.
Resolution
The problem with the storage frame was resolved when the vendor replaced a bad physical disk on Saturday morning. This allowed two of the three email servers to be put back into service. The third email server's file system was damaged beyond repair. Services could only be restored through a full file system recovery to a spare server, which, because of the high volume of accounts on that server, took over 50 hours to complete. During the recovery process, new email accounts for customers were set up temporarily on other email servers and the queued mail that had accumulated was delivered. After the full file system recovery was completed, the affected accounts were all moved to this "spare" server, and historical email was restored under a hierarchy named "mail/restored_email," allowing users and/or technical support staff to merge their folders back into their original locations.
Next Steps
It is extremely expensive to support email at the scale that is necessary for the University of Minnesota, and the legacy email infrastructure is no longer designed to meet the University's business needs. The University is therefore in the process of migrating its email support to Google, which offers a more reliable platform than our current one and is designed to provide a higher level of service delivery. Our goal is to migrate all users away from and then decommission the aging, expensive email system that we have, without investing more money in it.
If your account is eligible for migration to Google, please migrate as soon as possible. All student (undergraduate and graduate), faculty and staff accounts--except accounts affiliated with the Academic Health Center (AHC)--are eligible for University of Minnesota Google accounts. Alumni and retirees that were eligible before they became an alumni or retiree, also are eligible. Learn more about Google Apps for the University of Minnesota.
On June 14 and 22, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will be making software changes to convert Identity Management middleware services from the old x.500 directory service to LDAP. We are moving Central Authentication Hub (CAH) services off of old directory servers so that we can retire the old servers. By retiring the old servers, we simplify our updating processes and better position ourselves for future Identity Management upgrades and projects.
There is no planned downtime to make these changes, and we expect no service interruption. The work will be performed in the morning outside of business hours. We chose to not make these changes during scheduled maintenance hours to ensure that standard problem reporting channels (e.g., 1-HELP) are available within a short time after the changes are made.OIT staff will be monitoring the change and will be prepared to revert the changes in the event that problems occur.
If service interruptions occur, the impact will be minimal. Service interruptions would only last a few minutes and would only affect a small number of users. Services that have the possibility of disruption are any services that require central authentication.
If you have any questions about the upcoming changes, please email the authentication services team at idm@umn.edu.
The University of Minnesota has launched its newly redesigned home page. The new home page delivers a customized experience by allowing individuals to self-select an "audience view." The University will be a leader in the field of higher education by meeting the growing expectations of website visitors to identify the type of information they want.
University Relations is asking for feedback about the new design. There is a "Tell us What You Think" link in the lower right corner of the page. Please take a moment to share your feedback.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
The Internet Society (ISOC) has planned World IPv6 day for Wednesday, June 8. On that day, many major Internet web powers such as Facebook, Google, and Yahoo! and important content delivery network (CDN) providers, including Akamai and Limelight Network, will offer their content over IPv6 for a 24-hour "test flight."
IPv6 is the new version of the Internet address protocol that has been developed to supplement--and eventually replace--IPv4, the version used today. IPv6 is intended to replace the IPv4 standard because the lack of availability of new IPv4 addresses is beginning to restrict Internet growth and use. The IPv6 protocol provides virtually limitless Internet addresses.
According to The Internet Society, "The goal of the Test Drive Day is to motivate organizations across the industry - Internet service providers, hardware makers, operating system vendors and web companies - to prepare their services for IPv6 to ensure a successful transition as IPv4 addresses run out."
The University IPv6 implementation team has been preparing the University network for IPv6 readiness. Although we will not offer any of our sites over IPv6 on June 8, it's important for the University community to know, as Internet users, what they might encounter when visiting some websites on June 8.
Most users will not experience any trouble, and most sites and hosts will not notice a change or adverse impact. However, if you happen to visit sites that have enabled IPv6, you may have problems including slow start-up connections, slow performance and failed connectivity, that could lead you to think that the network or the particular website is experiencing some level of "brokenness."
Keep in mind that any such issue should last only through this 24-hour worldwide test day. However, as the trouble may have its roots in the configuration of the individual computer or device, University community members are encouraged to call the Office of Information's technology help at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus) for assistance.
More information about IPv6, World IPv6 Day and the ISOC is available at http://isoc.org/wp/worldipv6day/.
NetFiles will be upgraded to version 7 this summer. The upgrade includes several new features and improved functionality in a new, easier-to-use interface.
New features include:
Some users create a "ticket" in order to share documents in NetFiles. This ticket creates a URL/link providing people access to a file or folder stored in NetFiles. Password-protected tickets will not work after the upgrade and will need to be recreated (which is easier with the new share feature).
An introductory video is available on the University Technology Training Center website.
For more information about NetFiles, visit www.oit.umn.edu/netfiles. Questions or comments should be directed to the OIT help desk at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or netfiles@umn.edu.
Approximately 7,000 people at the University of Minnesota have been without access to their email since Friday evening. Multiple paths are being explored to restore these accounts. Full Story.
Beginning May 17, new AnyConnect Virtual Private Network (VPN) client configuration instructions and connection instructions for Apple iOS Devices will be available on the Office of Information Technology (OIT) VPN website.
Continue reading "New VPN Configuration and Connection Instructions Available for iOS Devices" »
Adobe has discontinued the distribution of Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which included Presenter 7. They did not include Presenter in their Acrobat Pro 10 package, which is what our package includes. However, our Adobe Acrobat contract does come with downgrade rights. If you or your staff are already using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which includes Presenter 7, you can continue to exercise your downgrade rights and go on using it as long as you hold a current Adobe Acrobat Pro license. Please see system requirements for Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended.
Reminder: You only need a license to create Presenter presentations. You do not need a license to view presentations. All previously created Presenter presentations will still work even after the license has expired. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) offers Camtasia Relay as an alternative option for creating presentations.
OIT has started researching Adobe Acrobat license renewal costs for January 2012 contract end date. Analysis will focus on renewing a system-wide Adobe Acrobat license. We are researching Adobe Presenter options. After initial estimated quotes, we anticipate the UMN Presenter license will be very expensive. If a system-wide license for Presenter alone is not cost-effective, OIT will research the best economical price available for individual licenses to be purchased by and for departmental use on the UTools website.
Please visit the UTools website for more updates.
"Osama Bin Laden Dead," reads the largest headline on the May 2 CNN home page. Like recent stories about tsunamis and nuclear events, today's headlines are inspiring people to use search engines and social networking sites to find information about an important event. But criminals are attempting to spread links to malware through search engine poisoning or common attack vectors with weak or nonexistent security, causing some people who search for news to wind up at a web server under the attacker's control.
According to Alan Amesbury, Office of Information Technology, users should be aware that Facebook and Twitter messages may not be safe, as compromised accounts have been known to be used as avenues of attack. A link to a website which demands immediate installation of a Flash upgrade or new video codec should also be treated with great skepticism.
For more information about computer safety and security issues, see the Safe Computing site.
Products
Continue reading "Adobe Higher Education Product Announcements and Updates" »
Free seminars by Adobe education and industry experts about Adobe software solutions are available online this May and June:
New Release--Adobe Creative Suite 5.5: Prepare Your Students for the Workforce
Wednesday, May 4 at 10 a.m. Pacific
Video Features of Adobe CS5.5 - For Faculty and Students
Wednesday, May 18 at 10 a.m. Pacific
Adobe Education Exchange Spotlight: Creating and Implementing a
Graphic Design Curriculum for Adobe Creative Suite 5
Thursday, May 19 at 10 a.m. Pacific
How Penn State Uses Adobe Connect to Sustain Communities
Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific
See the Adobe Education Webinar Series page.
University staff members took part in the spring ELI focus session, "Seeking Evidence of Impact," held April 13-14, 2011.
Access the 2011 ELI Online Spring Focus Session Recordings online.
The recordings from the Kaltura Media Management Demo day are available for review. To view the recordings from this event, please use the links below:
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) has "completely redesigned and reorganized the Technology Collaboration webpages on the CIC Website to better focus on how the CIC Chief Information Officers' collaborative efforts support the key academic and research missions of our institutions" (TechNews April 11, 2011).
See the Technology Collaborations pages.
In the words of EDUCAUSE President and CEO Diana Oblinger, the March/April 2011 EDUCAUSE Review "offers several perspectives on mobile technology--thoughts on how our expanding notions of portability are intersecting with, influencing, and advancing many of our current ideas on teaching, on e-books, on iPads, on websites, on mobile devices, and even on change itself. These perspectives highlight three dominant and interwoven aspects of mobility that our institutions need to consider: complexity, communication, and control" (Complexity, Communication, and Control: Perspectives on Mobile).
Read the Getting a Handle on Mobile issues online.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) summer training schedule is now available on OIT's technology training web site (www.oit.umn.edu/training).
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar.
Two additional IPsec Virtual Private Network (VPN) clients are available for download on the Office of Information Technology (OIT) VPN website. Download, connection, and advanced instructions are also available.
If you need assistance or have any questions, contact OIT help and support .
The equipment and software that runs voicemail (Gopher Messaging), telephone conferencing (Gopher Conferencing) and Auto Attendants is being upgraded from Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7, 2011. This upgrade should be mostly transparent to users. However, there will be very brief, intermittent outages lasting less than five minutes each while the upgrades are occurring. Expect these outages during the following windows:
If you have any questions, contact OIT help and support.
The Office of Information Technology provides free E-Learning courses from Microsoft. Office 2010 and Windows 7 E-Learning courses are now available, in addition to courses for Office 2007, Office 2003, Windows XP and Windows Vista. For more information, see Microsoft E-Learning Courses.
When: 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Where: Walter Library, Room 402
Register: http://www.mathworks.com/seminars/umn42611
8:45 - 9:00 a.m.: Registration and Sign-in (Walk-ins welcome)
9:00 - 11:30 a.m.: Parallel Computing with MATLAB
In this session, you will learn how to solve computationally and data-intensive problems using multicore processors and computer clusters. We will introduce you to high-level programming constructs that allow you to parallelize applications to boost your execution speed. We will show you how to overcome the memory limits of your desktop computer and solve problems that require manipulating very large matrices by distributing your data. We will also illustrate how you can run the same application on a single machine using the Parallel Computing Toolbox and on large scale computing resource such as a cluster using the MATLAB Distributed Computing Server.
This session will cover:
When: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Where: Walter Library, Room 101
Register: http://www.mathworks.com/seminars/umn42611
12:45 - 1:00 p.m.: Registration Sign-in (walk-ins welcome)
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.: MATLAB for Life Sciences
Geared towards scientists with little to no programming experience, this seminar will show you how MATLAB can be used for statistics, image processing, and bioinformatics.
Highlights include:
When: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Where: Nolte 140
Register: http://www.mathworks.com/seminars/umn42711
8:45 - 9:00 a.m.: Registration and Sign-in (Walk-ins welcome)
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.: Curve Fitting with MATLAB for Scientists and Non-Programmers
Researchers often need to fit an equation or model to experimental data. This can be difficult since many curve fitting tools require the user to have advanced mathematical or programming experience. Also, it's common for researchers to perform repeat fittings with multiple data sets which can be time consuming.
In this seminar, you will learn how to perform curve/surface fitting with MATLAB in a manner suitable for those with little to no programming experience. You will also see how to automate your entire model fitting workflow including:
Topic: Mobiles
Date: April 12, 2011
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: 402 Walter Library
As mobile devices become lighter and more affordable and wireless access continues to expand on campus and around the globe, people are keeping their mobiles as constant companions. Mobiles store vast amounts of data and give us instant access to news, information, entertainment, and social interaction. Some innovators at the University of Minnesota are already putting mobiles to use, while others are imagining new ways mobiles can enable teaching and learning, and improve the day-to-day college experience.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) welcome you to attend our next pecha kucha-style event on the topic "Mobiles." Pecha kucha (pronounced "peh-CHAK-cha") presentations are narrated slideshows that are concise, engaging, and entertaining. This time, we'll hear about
Members of the University community are continually confronted with emerging technologies and trends in the use of technology in teaching, learning, and research. Given the nature of our work, we must engage thoughtfully with technologies and the opportunities and issues they present. The 20 by 20 presentations on emerging technologies are meant to provide a few good ideas and inspire the audience to learn more from each other and on their own. Through the use of this innovative presentation format, we hope to gain attention and start conversations. The pecha kucha format requires thoughtful media selection and explaining concepts through narrative and metaphor. It can help both presenters and the audience to rethink their use of Powerpoint in presentations.
Please join us Tuesday, April 12, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in 402 Walter Library, or participate via webcast. A recording of the presentations will be published on the 20 x 20 web page and on iTunes U shortly after the event.
The Office of Information Technology has released four new websites.
Please update your bookmarks and contact oitweb@umn.edu with any questions or concerns.
April marks the one-year anniversary of Driven to Discover: The Research Series, a video series that looked inside the lives and work of the University of Minnesota's most daring researchers to see that they are incredible people who make unbelievable discoveries that improve our lives, our planet, and our understanding.
On April 5, we will release the final segment of the Research Series titled "Africa Perspectives." The segment contains two portrayals of Africa--one from the inside and one from the outside. On the outside, we have a film about a team of student engineers, who help bring clean drinking water to a school in Uganda. On the inside, we have a story of Africa told by Africans.
The final segment can viewed online at the Driven to Discover: The Research Series website.
2 - 3 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has created a help desk consortium, bringing together representatives from nearly 40 campus IT help desks who provide direct computing support to their customers across the University of Minnesota and Fairview Health Services.
Agenda Topics:
10 - 11:30 a.m.
President's Room, Coffman Union
Twin Cities/East Bank
Turning Technologies will be presenting their latest technologies on April 19 from 10 - 11:30 a.m. in the President's Room on the third floor of Coffman Union. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by filling out the OIT Event Registration form.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
The Summer schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in late-April. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Summer courses.
The Project and Change Management Collaborators (PCMC) is sponsoring a 1/2 day workshop by John Skovbroten on Project Management fundamentals. The workshop is free and is open to all University staff, faculty, and students. Advance registration is required; attendees who are not already members of PCMC will need to register first with PCMC before registering for the workshop.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) charged the CMS Implementation Project team to:
The first steps were to engage governing bodies, a steering committee for guidance and approvals processes, and a user-group, called the CMS Implementation group, to enable communication between the CMS Project team and the colleges and units who design and use Moodle courses. Since then, the CMS Implementation team has continued to work toward a smooth transition and upgrade.
Each year, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative publishes the Horizon Report. It "describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education and creative expression over the next one to five years. The areas of emerging technology cited for 2011 are:
Time to adoption: One Year or Less
Time to adoption: Two to Three Years
Time to adoption: Four to Five Years
See the EDUCAUSE 2011 Horizon Report page.
The Management Information Systems Research Center (MISRC) in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota presents "Cloud Computing":
It is difficult to ignore the impact of cloud computing, both in the expanding range of vendor products and the collective responses of IT organizations in global and local companies. Thomson Reuters Legal is re-examining its computing platforms and its own software products in response to "the Cloud". This presentation is a consumer's perspective to cloud computing and examines Thomson Reuters' initiatives ranging from the adoption of cloud infrastructure services to new software service offerings through technical, operational, legal and financial perspectives.
See the March 4, 2011 seminar page.
In December 2010, WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) conducted a survey of preferences of screen reader users. WebAIM reported these results:
The conclusion identified in the previous screen reader user surveys remains: there is no typical screen reader user. These results highlight significant changes and trends over a span of only 2 years, results that we hope will drive informed web accessibility practices.
A few items of note:
- JAWS is still the primary screen reader, but usage is decreasing as usage of NVDA and VoiceOver significantly increases.
- The perception of free or low-cost screen readers is improving.
- 98.4% of respondents had JavaScript enabled.
- The outlook for future web accessibility is optimistic.
- Two-thirds of the respondents use a screen reader on a mobile device, up from only 12% two years ago.
- Most respondents find longdesc useful.
For details, see Screen Reader User Survey #3 Results.
The Office of Information Technology launched a Data Center Modernization Program in mid-2010. Besides creating efficiencies for the University system, the program has created opportunities for colleges and individual departments to be more strategic about resource use. If widely adopted, the program will give IT staff more time to do work that directly supports the U's mission. Read more of Data Center Modernization.
Computers formerly used by the University are available for sale through Asset Recovery Corp. The used surplus equipment was functioning at the time of de-installation. All units have been tested and cleaned prior to shipment. Items are being sold with a DOA Warranty. (Item will not be "Dead on Arrival.")
Please expect some minor cosmetic imperfections such as scratches, dents, cracks and discoloration due to normal corporate wear and tear. These minor cosmetic issues will not affect the performance or usability of these items.
All hard drives installed in computers on this site have been scrubbed. It is the responsibility of the buyer to use a licensed Operating System of their choice. For a listing of available computers please visit the Asset Recovery Corp. University of Minnesota Employee Sale site.
On February 13, 2011, PBS aired a TV show described as "featuring the foremost thought leaders, innovators and practitioners in the field, Digital Media is a startling preview of a 21st Century education revolution." The video is available to watch online.
Wireless Internet users can secure their wireless activities from eavesdropping by using the "UofM Secure" wireless network. Some configuration changes may be necessary.
For assistance, contact your network administrator or Office of Information Technology help staff.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training website for a complete listing of courses.
Continue reading "March Technology Training Opportunities" »
OIT staff will share information about free technology training opportunities and a variety of digital technology consultation services and faculty development programs as exhibitors at the Professional Development Fair on March 8, 2011.
University faculty and staff must constantly evaluate how to be more efficient in the work that they do. This is the "new normal" of declining budgets in higher education.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides a number of common good services to help the University accomplish just that. In November, we talked about the Data Center Modernization Program, a collection of eleven different projects which aim to create significant efficiencies and cost savings for the University of Minnesota, not to mention reduce risk to private data and minimize our carbon footprint. Read Data Center Modernization Program. This program seeks to completely rethink the way we offer hosting services for applications, data, and servers. By familiarizing themselves with this repurposed suite of services, OIT's customers can ensure that they are maximizing these efficiencies and spending their resources wisely.
What's in It for ME?
Besides creating efficiencies for the University and offering advantages to the institution at large, this program creates opportunities for individual departments. By leveraging common good services that are provided to you at no cost, you can be more strategic about how you use your own resources. Instead of running servers and supporting infrastructure, you can focus on the activities that are critical to your department, the activities that make you stand out from the other departments.
In the past few months, different departments, colleges, and administrative business units from around the University have begun leveraging these services. William Bear from the Humphrey Institute, for example, says that his relatively small department has very limited IT resources and must focus on activities that add value to the college: "The more time I can free up, the more time my staff can spend on developing and supporting critical applications and working with customers." Server hosting, however, is a commodity that doesn't really add any strategic value that is unique to the college. "A server is a server," he says. "It just needs to meet the business need."
William adds that in addition to having more time for his staff to focus on more strategic activities, his department didn't have enough full time staff to keep up on the demanding work of server administration. "We just didn't have enough staff to ensure that we were keeping the servers up to date."
Curtis Coffer and Cau Huynh from Alumni Relations explained that for them, moving to OIT hosting services was primarily a cost saving measure: "Two years ago, our unit was forced to cut approximately 14 percent of its operating budget," Curtis explains. "I looked around, and I asked 'why does an organization with 25 staff need a server closet?' Surely, there had to be a centralized resource we could leverage rather than providing this service for ourselves." Curtis adds that since moving all of their hosting off of their old servers and into the OIT managed virtual environment, their membership database and their accounting application have both performed flawlessly.
Curtis explains that there were other benefits to making the switch as well: "What happens when [the system and network administrator] wants to take a vacation? I wanted to move to a more structured, standardized support environment that wasn't dependent on one person--one that followed a University best practices model for supporting servers." Another advantage that Curtis identified is disaster recovery and backups. "We are now at a tremendous advantage for being on the central systems. OIT provides backups of our systems as well as disaster recovery services. There are things that OIT does. It was time for us to stop doing them ourselves and focus instead on the activities that are core to supporting alumni."
Mail Delegation, a feature that allows Gmail users to provide access to their University email account with co-workers, now is available in Google Apps for the University of Minnesota.
Mail Delegation can be useful for people who want others to have access to read or respond to mail on their behalf. For example, you can delegate email rights to up to 10 others, such as administrative and executive assistants, in your unit. This feature is recommended primarily to access a supervisor's email in order to complete correspondence on their behalf. For privacy and security reasons, it is not recommended for general use at the University.
The delegate also has access to the the other person's contacts. However, users won't be able to give delegates permission to change their account password or settings, or chat on the user's behalf.
Any messages sent by a delegate from another's account will include both names, and will show the sender as Your Name (sent by Delegate Name). Each account will open in a different browser tab or window so you can view both accounts simultaneously, all while signed into your primary account.
To grant access to another account, click Settings in the top right corner of Gmail. On the Accounts tab, you'll see a new section where you can Grant access to your account. The account added will receive a verification email with links to accept or deny access. Once the account accepts and you've refreshed your browser or logged in and out again, you'll see a small down arrow beside the email address at the top right corner of Gmail which can be used to toggle between accounts.
If someone has granted access to their account to you, you can access it by clicking the down-arrow next to your email address in the upper-left corner. Select your delegate's email address from the drop-down menu.
Signing out of any one of the accounts will sign you out of all the accounts you're currently viewing. You can revoke a delegate's access at any time.
Instructional information and a short how-to video on setting up Gmail delegation are available at the Google Help Center. For further questions or information, contact the technology helpline at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or via Live Help.
The 2011 Quality Fair & Forum is an annual event to highlight and learn from the work of our colleagues at the University of Minnesota. The 2011 fair and forum will focus on the power of collaboration and the many ways we can learn from the expertise around us. Colleges and units will demonstrate their most notable quality improvement projects or initiatives completed over the past year. For more information visit the Quality Fair website.
Fair & Forum Highlights:
If you are use the U of M Secure wireless network on the Twin Cities campus, you will need to make a slight configuration change so that you may continue connecting to this network.
Technical Explanation
In February, OIT engineers are installing a new security certificate for "wireless.netaccess.umn.edu," used to authenticate the "UofM Secure" wireless network. This means users of that network must change their computer configuration settings to trust the "AddTrust External CA Root" certificate authority. After February users may remove trust configurations for the previously used "Thawte Premium Server CA" certificate authority.
User Guides
For help configuring your computer, visit the wireless setup guides. Select the user guide for the operating system that you are using, and follow the steps to get to the section titled "Enter network settings." The steps in this section of the user guide will show you how to trust the correct certificates.
Need help?
If you have any questions about this process, contact 1-HELP.
Current customers with Centrex lines will receive an email notice about the upgrade on January 17, 2011.
Please come to the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Technology Fair to:
Refreshments will be available and visitors can qualify for a prize drawing by getting Technology Fair "passports" stamped at three information booths. "Passports" will be issued at the door.
On Tuesday, January 4, 2011, from 5:20 - 7:20 p.m., over 800 University of Minnesota websites became unavailable, including OneStop, Google Mail, and Gophermail.
At 5:20 pm, a critical component of the data network became temporarily unavailable. As a result, a number of critical web servers were offline.
If you have any questions, contact OIT Help and Support.
The Business Intelligence (BI) initiative is a collaborative effort between the Office of Planning and Analysis (OPA) and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) aimed at improving how data is gathered, analyzed, and shared across the University with the goal of fostering a culture of collaboration and data-driven decision-making. The BI initiative at the University has three components: improved processes, increased collaboration, and easier to use technologies.
Process
The BI initiative will initiate a data governance practice to improve data definitions and implement consistent practices for gathering and analyzing data across the University. In addition, an emphasis on training and development will help staff and faculty members obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to acquire and use data effectively.
Collaboration
BI will provide a common home for institutional and unit data, facilitating the transparency and availability of data. In addition, new capability to distribute the development of reports and dashboards will allow users to share their ideas and knowledge and disseminate their insights and innovations throughout the University.
Technology
The BI initiative will provide users with easier to use reporting tools, empowering faculty and staff to access the data they need to make evidence-based decisions. In addition, centrally supported tools empower units to develop their own reports and data-driven processes without needing heavy IT infrastructure investments.
Why Business Intelligence?
Now more than ever, the decisions we make at the University need to be rooted in data. The costs of many of the resources needed to sustain the University are escalating. State appropriations are unlikely to rebound significantly. We must look for ways to continue to advance the excellence of the University at lower cost. Meeting this challenge requires us to innovate and develop strategies to improve efficiency and productivity.
The BI initiative can help by providing decision makers at all levels of the University with relevant, accurate, and consistent data as well as the tools and skills to analyze them. Examples of ways in which BI can be useful include: monitoring and predicting enrollment to inform course scheduling and support, and analyzing unit spending by category or item to improve allocation of resources. Most importantly, BI ensures that University faculty and staff have accurate and consistent data to make the best possible decisions.
If you have any questions about the BI initiative at the University, please send an email to opa@umn.edu. If you would like to receive updates on the progress of the BI initiative, you can join the listserv at bi-implementation@lists.umn.edu.
The Libraries recently completed a planning process to ensure that resources are aligned to meet the changing needs of its users. The evolution of digital content, new forms of information access, and tools for communication and exchange are changing rapidly. As this digital context changes how faculty and students discover and manage their research resources, create new knowledge, and share their work, the Libraries are challenged to support them. For more information see University Libraries Vision, Mission, and Goals or download the full report (pdf).
A list of University publications that might be helpful in gathering what's going on around the U is being created as part of the work of the University's Internal Communications group. Currently, the collection is meant to showcase primarily either flagship publications or those intended primarily for faculty and staff.
This is a developing resource of publications ranging from administrative, to college, institutes, and others. To view the current list, visit U of M Publications. Please provide feedback and submit any omissions, as well as any corrections and additions, to overland@umn.edu.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses Please visit Technology Training for a complete listing of training courses.
Geographic Information Systems: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Jan 7, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Blegen 90
Windows
Moodle 1.9: Creating Basic Course Web Sites
Jan 12, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Macintosh/Windows
SAS Programming I - Essentials
Jan 25, 27 and Feb 1, 2, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Blegen 90
Windows
Excel 2007: Managing and Analyzing Data
Jan 26, 28, 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Walter 210
Windows
Gmail and Google Calendar Overview
Jan 27, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Walter 210
Seminar
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) spring training schedule is now available on OIT's technology training web site (uttc.umn.edu).
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar.
After power was restored, impacted systems and services returned to normal functioning one at a time, as their system administrators brought them back online.
Members of the University have been receiving fake emails directing them to download updated software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and Skype. Do not be deceived! These are not legitimate.
Check your software vendor's web pages directly for updates. Also, you can go to the Safe Computing site for information on current patches and updates, as well as information on how to check whether your system is current.
Going to be out of the office for a few days? You can set an "away" message for your University email account using the Set Email Forwarding and Autoreply found in the "Manage Your Email" section of My Account.
OIT offers a centrally-managed printing solution, providing a fast and easy way to standardize the way students print across campus, decreasing print waste and further promoting student accountability with a pay-as-you-print system. Find out more about Managed Printing.
The New Media Consortium (NMC) has just released a preview of the 2011 Horizon Report. As explained on the NMC website: "The Horizon Project, as the centerpiece of NMC's Emerging Technologies Initiative, charts the landscape of emerging technologies for teaching, learning and creative inquiry and produces the NMC's series of Horizon Reports." Read more of the Horizon Report 2011 Preview.
The Spring schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in mid-December. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Spring courses.
OIT Technology Training offers a variety of Moodle course. Topics include creating basic course web sites, working with assignments and quizzes, using the Moodle grade book. To learn about all our Moodle courses, visit the Moodle resource page on the training web site.
OIT has launched a Data Center Modernization Program in order to provide the University of Minnesota with a number of significant benefits including cost savings, better security for private data, reduction of our carbon footprint, and much more. Read more of Data Center Modernization Project.
A program for institutions that provides a wide range of Autodesk design tools, including AutoCAD, is now is available for any departmental license purchase system-wide on all University of Minnesota campuses. Autodesk is used for teaching in the fields of manufacturing, industrial design, architecture, construction and civil engineering. For complete information, visit UTools Autodesk.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses. Please visit the Technology Training for a complete listing of training courses.
Continue reading "December Technology Training Opportunities" »
The University of Minnesota winter closure is approaching quickly, and the Twin Cities campus will be closed from Friday, Dec. 24-Friday, Dec. 31. Normal business hours resume and buildings reopen Monday, Jan. 3, 2011.
In May 2010, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) announced to the University that Moodle would become the sole Course Management System (CMS). At that time, WebVista course sections outnumbered those in Moodle. Since the announcement, Moodle use has continued to increase such that by September, Moodle course sections outnumbered WebVista course sections.
In order to help the University through this challenging transition process, OIT will partner with campus leaders and form governance groups for input and advice. These groups will include the CMS steering committee, comprised of administrators; the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC), comprised of administrators, faculty members, and academic technologists; and the CMS Implementation Group, formerly University Technology Enhanced Learning Leaders (UTELL), comprised primarily of academic and nonacademic operational staff members. These groups will act as liaisons to their colleges and units to bring forward concerns and requests and to take back critical information regarding the transition and the upcoming Moodle upgrade.
The Office of Information Technology's (OIT) Usability Services has launched a newly designed website complete with a virtual tour produced by OIT video production services. In this short video tour, David Rosen, manager of OIT's Usability Services, shows and describes the Usability lab's conference space, observation area, and its recording equipment.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has launched a Data Center Modernization Program in order to provide the University of Minnesota with a number of significant benefits including cost savings, better security for private data, reduction of our carbon footprint, and much more.
The Data Center Modernization Program is a collection of eleven different projects, which all share the following objectives:
This program offers a number of benefits to the University:
Virtualization: Virtual hosting, a service that is now offered by OIT, allows 20 servers to be hosted on only one physical server, thus eliminating server and space requirements dramatically. Nearly 3,000 servers can now be housed in just three computing racks.
Cost Avoidance: By eliminating 1,500 physical servers, there is no need for a new 20 million dollar data center.
Reduced Costs: A potential multimillion dollar annual savings is expected for the University.
Reduced Risk: Data and equipment will be stored in a secure "lights out" facility, to physically secure computing equipment and critical and private data.
Improved Computing Uptime: These modernization efforts, including adding a new secondary site for critical applications and data, will improve uptime for applications and data hosted in OIT sites.
Green IT: The University can reduce its carbon footprint by 7,500 metric tons (900+ avg. homes) or over 700 thousand dollars per year in electricity. In addition, we can eliminate the energy and materials needed to produce 1,500 servers every four to five years, as well as the toxic waste from disposing of them.
Space Utilization: The University can reduce the number of rooms used to house servers by 99 percent, freeing up over 200 rooms on campus for other purposes.
Strategic Server Purchasing: By standardizing server models, the University will establish strategic pricing contracts with Dell, IBM, and Apple, which will be available through UMart, with the goal of reducing the number of server manufacturers on campus from over 50 down to a few.
Thus far, three of the eleven projects in the Program are complete, and the University will begin realizing the long-term benefits of virtualization and data center consolidation in the next 12-18 months. More information about this program will be available in the coming months.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has launched a Data Center Modernization Program in order to provide the University of Minnesota with a number of significant benefits including cost savings, better security for private data, reduction of our carbon footprint, and much more.
The Data Center Modernization Program is a collection of eleven different projects, which all share the following objectives:
This program offers a number of benefits to the University:
Thus far, three of the eleven projects in the Program are complete, and the University will begin realizing the long-term benefits of virtualization and data center consolidation in the next 12-18 months. More information about this program will be available in the coming months.
by Ellen Puffe
The University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology (OIT) welcomes returning students, faculty, and staff--and the incoming class of 2014!
OIT oversees information technology (IT) at the University by providing guidance to central and collegiate units and managing the system-wide IT enterprise. OIT manages the centrally provided computer, network, phone, and other information technology systems of the University of Minnesota, and also provides a comprehensive range of services to students, faculty, staff, and departments through our service units.
Throughout spring and summer, OIT staff has continued to add, enhance, update, and improve University technology tools. This insert will explain just a few of our services and help you get in step and connected with the technology available to you on the Twin Cities campus.
Why do you need all of this technology? Technology allows the University to do what it does in many ways. From making courses and class schedules available online; to facilitating departmental collaboration; to helping with computer hardware and software purchases; to managing records and providing online file storage; to staying connected via telephone; to providing wired and wireless networks--technology has become part of the University's landscape, and OIT is committed to bringing cutting-edge technology services to the campus community.
To help you get acquainted with how OIT services can help you, become familiar with the Getting Started Guide and learn about required campus technology resources such as Internet and email, as well as anti-virus software and safe computing practices.
Some of the many OIT features and services include:
Discover more technology services, including up-to-date information about all of the technology tools and resources available to you as a member of the University community, and available student technology resources on the OIT website. Also, join us on Facebook at "University of Minnesota Information Technology."
by Ellen Puffe
By now, many of you have experienced first-hand, or at least heard about the adoption of Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Partnering with Google will give University students, faculty, and staff access to a suite of state-of-the art communication and collaboration tools that will enhance their ability to work together. In addition to increased productivity opportunities, Google Apps also will allow the University to save costs in the long run by reducing the need to buy and support software, hardware, and storage to maintain our own independent email service.
During the summer months, several colleges, and academic and administrative units successfully migrated to Google for their University email (Gmail) and calendar. As of Aug. 25, more than 20,000 students faculty and staff have transitioned to Google Apps.
Implementation for other units will continue in phases over the next several months, and it is anticipated that by spring 2011, email accounts for all new, incoming students automatically will be set up in Gmail.
So, why is the University "going Google?" The move to Google allows the University to:
The bottom line--it's all about collaboration, partnership and innovation, and is directly in line with the Transforming the U strategic position process. Collaborative technologies are much more advanced than many of those in place today, and Google is on the leading edge of these technologies. The combination of Google's ever-innovative technologies, and the integration of other tools and technologies, expands and enhances all information technology services.
Until now, the University has been using a number of non-integrated tools that no longer meet our users' needs, and are at the point where they need to be replaced. OIT and other campus IT leaders recognized that many faculty and staff already were using personal Google Apps accounts for their work here at the University.
And we can see the impact of the increasing use of these apps in the future. The demand was out there, and the users led us here.
But here's where the University of Minnesota stands out from the crowd....the University of Minnesota is the first Research 1 University to migrate to Google, and one of the first anywhere to offer the entire suite of apps to faculty and staff, as well as students. We are, at the request of and in collaboration with Google, in the process of creating our own case study--including a University-produced video--to share our story with the rest of the academic world. We are being looked upon as a leading-edge enterprise trendsetter, and many other universities are looking to us as an example and a success story.
And we've been in touch with our users for their feedback. We've conducted usability testing; held town hall meetings; surveyed a those who have opted in, including students, faculty and staff; had a web presence offering project implementation information and updates; and have responded to or otherwise taken action on the many emails and calls we receive from all five campuses. The buzz around the University with regard to Google Apps is very positive end exciting.
Cloud-based technology services such as Google Apps, once seen as personal tools, now are considered enterprise-class tools for large organizations, and provide an excellent service model to meet the growing electronic collaboration needs of the University community. The forecast is that many, if not most, institutions and corporations will be using these or equivalent managed cloud services in the next five years. The increased collaboration, communication, productivity and cost-savings we expect to see by using Google Apps for the University of Minnesota can provide unlimited benefits and possibilities for the entire University community.
For more information, visit the University's Google website.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 2, all new eligible University user accounts will be added to Active Directory automatically as part of the account creation process. The new process, which has been requested by many participating units and individuals, will eliminate the need for individuals to activate their central Active Directory account through the MyAccount page.
Current users that have not already opted in will be added to the directory beginning Monday, Aug. 9, beginning with staff and faculty and followed by students. These additions are expected to be completed by Friday, Aug. 13.
These additions will not impact the performance of Active Directory domain services.
To check your eligibility status visit www.umn.edu/myaccount and click Active Directory Account Options.
Google Apps for the U of M was featured in the June 23 issue of U of M Brief in a story about the changing ways in which Information Technology services are delivered and how those changes will benefit the U systemwide. Read "Collaboration is the key to IT."
OIT's video solutions group recently completed a collaborative effort with the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) in support of the Trent Tucker University Scholars program. This program is a partnership with the Trent Tucker Non-Profit Organization, the Office of the Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration, CLA Connections (College of Liberal Arts K-12 Outreach Program), CLA Video Services, and W.I.S.E. Charter School. Trent's work is focused on enhancing youth development, directing mentor activities at the University, facilitating new programs in the community, and supporting existing youth development programs in partnership with University colleagues.
Students in the program were able, over the course of three weekly sessions, to create public service announcements (PSA) for the program. These hands-on sessions, which were under the supervision of staff and student employees, utilized the equipment in CLA's Studio B in Rarig Center. Producing these PSAs gave students the opportunity to see the entire production process and realize it is something they can do too.
In the words of some Tucker Scholars:
The PSAs were then shown at the "End of Year Celebration" at the University's Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center on May 5th, where the students presented Susan Tade, or OIT's video solutions group, with a giant postcard of thanks.
We invite you to watch these PSAs:
OIT plans to continue to work to support Trent's efforts to engage with the local community and truly make the University of Minnesota a "destination" for Twin Cities students.
Blackboard, the company that owns WebVista, will discontinue support for WebVista beginning January of 2013. However, the University supports a second course management system called Moodle. University faculty will therefore need to stop using WebVista by August 2012 and move their courses to Moodle.
In order to address these difficult decisions regarding the future of Course Management Systems (CMS) at the University of Minnesota, Vice President and CIO Steve Cawley charged a working group to explore and analyze our current use of CMS, and to recommend a strategy for the future. One of the primary questions we needed to address was whether we needed to implement a new course management system to replace WebVista or if Moodle could serve as the sole course management system for the University of Minnesota.
A thorough investigation was conducted by the workgroup that included representatives from CEHD, CLA, CSOM, Office of the Vice Provost for Distributed Education and Instructional Technology, Office of Information Technology (OIT), and UMD. This group did not recommend replacing WebVista with a new CMS system. This group recommended Moodle as the sole CMS. Based on this recommendation and increased use of Moodle, OIT has begun to increase the capacity of Moodle servers, and is working to re-architect the technical infrastructure that works with Moodle.
Students indicate a strong preference for one system. Additional assessments indicate that it is cost prohibitive over the longer term to run two CMS systems. OIT is committed to continuing its funding level and support of Moodle long term as Moodle use is rapidly increasing at the University while WebVista use is declining.
The Moodle CMS is open source, meaning its development and production is "open" and available. It has a large and diverse user community with CMS sites being used in 212 countries and territories worldwide. The University of Minnesota is one of the largest higher education users of Moodle in the U.S.
As additional information becomes available, it will continue to be posted on the CMS website and on the MyU portal. In addition, an FAQ on the CMS process is available. Ongoing updates will be presented at the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC), University Technology Enhanced Learning Leaders (UTELL), SCIT, and IT Directors meetings.
If you have any questions, contact cms-trans@lists.umn.edu
The University's Google Apps implementation remains on schedule, and rollout to faculty and staff at the Humphrey Institute began May 17. The proposed implementation schedule for the rest of the University is:
June 7-11
Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI)
Academic Support Resources (ASR)
College of Continuing Education (CCE)
June 14-18
Carlson School of Management (CSOM)
June 21-25
Institute of Technology (IT)
June 28-July 2
College of Design (CDES)
College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)
July 12-16
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Sciences (CFANS)
July 19-23
College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
July 26-30
University Services
University Libraries
Aug. 2-6
College of Biological Sciences (CBS)
Aug. 9-13
School of Public Health
More information on Google Apps for the University of Minnesota is available at www.oit.umn.edu/google.
The third episode of Driven to Discover: The Research Series will air on Tuesday, June 8 on the Driven to Discover: The Research Series website.
In the third episode, "Student Researchers," we learn what makes student researchers tick and highlight their notable contributions; discuss creativity in research; and create an imaginative view of student research.
The Research Series is altering its programming schedule for summer. Instead of new segments being released weekly, they will now be released monthly during the summer months. Visit the Driven to Discover: The Research Series website to watch the videos or subscribe to the podcast through iTunes U.
OIT customers currently can choose from three web hosting services offered by three different teams. Each service is defined and accessed somewhat differently, but are essentially the same. Earlier this year, a team was formed to align these services, provide current and potential customers with a clearer roadmap, and better define partnerships between customers and our staff.
In order to further test enhanced software functionality, the deletion of email messages in Trash folders after 30 days has been rescheduled to early summer 2010.
For complete information on Trash deletion and auto-filing, visit www.oit.umn.edu/email/autofiling/index.htm.
An open house at the Office of Information Technology's (OIT) usability lab is planned for 1-4 p.m. Monday, April 26, in B-26 Walter Library on the Minneapolis East Bank campus.
The open house in an opportunity for University faculty, staff, students, and the public to tour the lab and learn about available services. Consultants will available to discuss lab services and answer visitor questions. Demonstrations of usability evaluation tasks using the lab's eye-tracking equipment also will be provided.
The usability lab helps Web design project teams and academic researchers obtain user perspective on ways in which information is presented on a computer screen. The lab provides an environment in which teams are able to observe users trying out a Web site or other design utilizing screen capture, video, audio, and eye-tracking tools and equipment.
No sign-up is necessary. Visitors may stop by anytime during the open house hours. Visit http://dmc.umn.edu/usability/directions.shtml for lab location and directions.
For more information, contact David Rosen, Usability Services manager, at (612) 624-9365 or rose0414@umn.edu.
Check out the third segment of the "Heart of the Matter" episode. In the "Lines of Reasoning" segment, our panel discusses the scientific and ethical arguments behind stem cell research. Visit the Research Series website to watch the video.
You can also subscribe to the weekly podcast through iTunes U.
The Summer schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in mid-May. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Summer courses.
The first segment of The Research Series is now posted on the Driven to Discover: The Research Series website.
Tune in today to watch the first segment of the "Heart of the Matter" episode featuring U of M researcher Doris Taylor. A new segment will be released every Tuesday.
Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, will discuss the latest research findings on people's use of social media (social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and, yes, even email) and how technology has affected some of the ways people learn, make decisions, and offer social supports to others. He will highlight the ways in which those who use participatory media are changing the ways communities of all kinds form and perform.
Continue reading "April 22, "The Rise of the Networked Individual" a talk by Lee Rainie " »
The University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology is set to co-host "An Evening with Neil Gaiman," a live Internet event to kick off National Library Week, scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 12.
Gaiman, the 2009 Newbery Medal winner and honorary chair of National Library Week, will speak about his lifelong love of libraries and the role they play in a democratic society. Gaiman will join a live audience virtually from the University of Minnesota using high-definition videoconferencing technology supported by Internet2. Virtual attendees in up to 1,000 locations will have access to the live, high-definition stream and the opportunity to participate in interactive conversation with Gaiman.
Anyone interested in watching can join in the event live via UStream.tv. A 1Mbps Internet connection and Flash player are required. Internet2 also will multicast the event on its national network enabling multi-cast enabled members to broadcast the event to their campuses. Multicast information is found at www.internet2.edu/k20/gaiman.html.
The program is hosted by the Jessamine County (Ky.) Public Library in collaboration with ALA's Campaign for America's Libraries, Internet2, HarperCollins Children's Books and the University of Minnesota. For more information visit http://gaimanatjcpl.org.
2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Whole Music Club
Twin Cities/East Bank
Cost: Free
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) invite you to attend our next pecha kucha-style event. Eight short, entertaining presentations will be given by faculty, staff, and students on the topic "Open UMN," followed by Q&A. Presentations will be Web cast, and a recording of the presentations will be published online.
For more information, please visit the 20 by 20: an OIT Pecha Kucha Event page.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
105 Cargill
Twin Cities/St. Paul
To R.S.V.P. for this event, visit the Event Registration website. The event will also be available on UMConnect .
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Hanson Hall, room 1 -111
Twin Cities/West Bank
You are invited to attend a Mathematica seminar sponsored by the Office of Information Technology.
Justin Smith from Wolfram Research Inc. will show useful teaching and research examples for mathematics, the physical sciences, engineering, and business/economics. Ideas for creating universal examples in Mathematica that can be used by colleagues or students with no prior Mathematica experience will be a central theme. The content will help attendees with no prior experience get started with the Mathematica language and work flow. Since there is a large amount of new functionality in Version 7, most intermediate and advanced users who attend these talks report learning quite a bit as well. All attendees will receive an electronic copy of the examples, which can be adapted to individual projects. Students are also welcome.
Topics to be covered include:
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has received considerable feedback on our recent announcement regarding deletion of Trash folder messages more than 30 days old. We've listened to your comments and recommendations, and based on the feedback we've received so far, we will delay implementing the process until May 1.
As previously announced, OIT is making a change in the way email messages marked as Trash are handled for the University's central email service.
In the past, messages marked as Trash have been included in the auto-filing process. Beginning May 1, 2010, OIT no longer will auto-file email messages in trash folders; instead all messages marked as trash that are older than 30 days will be permanently deleted.
Depending on the user's software and configuration, this will include messages in folders with names such as Trash, Deleted Items, or Deleted Messages.
This practice will make available a significant amount of additional storage space and enhance system performance and user response time for our central email system. In addition, it will better align University practices with general best practices for email services followed by Google and service providers in the education and public sectors.
If you've been in the practice of storing important information in your Trash folder, it is recommended that you take this opportunity to go through those folders, move any messages that you need to keep into your inbox or other folders, and delete any unnecessary items. Once trash email is deleted, it cannot be restored.
1-3 p.m.
CLA-OIT Academic Technology Showcase
The Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
The CLA-OIT Academic Technology Showcase will feature exhibitions on innovations in technologies for teaching and research throughout the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
Cost: Free
Contact: Sarah Knoblauch at (612) 624-7874 or sjk@umn.edu
News should be available when it happens, when it is relevant, when it is convenient for the reader; not just when it is convenient for the news organization. Up until now, you have had to wait until the first of each month to find out what's happening with technology on campus. Now, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is changing the way we deliver news.
We have created a Facebook fan page where you can get information technology news delivered, as it happens, to your Facebook news feed. To take advantage of this new service, simply go to your Facebook profile and become a fan of Information Technology at the University of Minnesota. You will start receiving updates about technology-related events, technology outages, security alerts, and more.
Creation of the Facebook page is just one of the planned changes to our news delivery this year with the goal of keeping our customers, clients, and partners better informed. If you have ideas for how we can improve our news, we would love to hear them. You can leave comments on our Facebook wall or provide feedback using this Google form.
The Facebook fan page will not replace Tech Brief, the OIT monthly newsletter. We will continue to publish and send Tech Brief as long as it still makes sense to do so. To subscribe, send an email to oca@umn.edu with the subject line "subscribe."
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is making a change in the way email messages marked as Trash are handled for the University's central email service
In the past, messages marked as Trash have been included in the auto-filing process. Beginning on the evening of April 2, 2010, OIT no longer will auto-file email messages in trash folders; instead all messages marked as trash that are older than 30 days will be permanently deleted.
Depending on the user's software and configuration, this will include messages in folders with names such as Trash, Deleted Items, or Deleted Messages.
This practice will make available a significant amount of additional storage space and enhance system performance and user response time for our central email system. In addition, it will better align University practices with general best practices for email services followed by Google and service providers in the education and public sectors.
If you've been in the practice of storing important information in your Trash folder, it is recommended that you take this opportunity to go through those folders, move any messages that you need to keep into your inbox or other folders, and delete any unnecessary items. Once trash email is deleted, it cannot be restored.
For more information, visit OIT's Email website.
Due to budget constraints, the University of Minnesota has determined that it is necessary to increase the price of Microsoft Office and Windows operating system software available to students through the Microsoft Campus Agreement program.
Effective Friday, April 30, the Microsoft software prices for students will be $40 for Office software and $35 for Windows operating system upgrade software, which includes the cost of the media.
Since the Microsoft Campus Agreement program's inception in 2003, the University has paid for one Microsoft Office software license and one Windows operating system upgrade software license for each University student. However, the current economic situation is such that the University can no longer subsidize the entire cost of these Microsoft student software licenses.
University officials recognize the need for and importance of the software for students. Under the new structure, the University will pay for a portion of the software license for students, keeping the cost substantially lower than if students purchased the same software from an outside source, including the discounted seasonal program called the "Ultimate Steal," which offers the software starting at $60, plus the cost of the media. Academic pricing through other sources start at $150.
More information and the online order form are available on the Office of Information Technology's UTools website.
Not all applications on your computer have automatic updates enabled. When applications are left unpatched, they are at risk and make your computer very vulnerable for virus infections from the Internet. This can compromise your data and your processing power.
Continue reading "Five Big-Risk, Unpatched Applications to Fix Now" »
The Office of Information Technology offers Tech Tutoring--an opportunity to schedule an appointment with an instructor to learn specific skills or concepts, such as how to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word or how to build a quiz in WebVista. Participants are encouraged to bring their project files as well as their laptop (if available). Appointments are currently available on these topics: MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Apps, WebVista, and Moodle. View the Tutoring Calendar to register for a 30 minute appointment.
On May 28, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will decommission Sawmill, the former U of M Web statistics tool. OIT replaced Sawmill with Urchin from Google earlier this year.
Urchin is available to anyone looking to run analytics on their websites. Current users of Sawmill should be aware that they can have their history transferred to Urchin. For more information about using Urchin, please see the Web Stats website.
On Tuesday, March 23, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will begin the process of replacing the existing University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, campus-wide Virtual Private Network (VPN) hardware and software. The upgrade is needed because the current equipment and software supporting the service will no longer be supported by the vendor. Replacing this equipment and software with a more robust, state-of-art solution will ensure that students, faculty, and staff will continue to have secure access to University resources from off-campus sites. The replacement will be done in two phases.
Continue reading "OIT to Replace VPN Hardware and Software" »
On Sunday, March 21, 2010, from 6:00 a.m. until noon, there will be intermittent outages to central email, Listserv (email lists), and Lyris (the Mass Email Distribution System).
Explanation
This downtime will allow OIT engineers to install necessary Solaris Operating System patches. These are standard vendor patches that address security concerns and reliability issues, and provide bug fixes.
Schedule of events
This outage will affect four separate servers at four separate times throughout the morning:
More information
Updates will be posted on the OIT System Status page as they become available, as well as during the morning of the outage.
We apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused. If you have any questions, please call 1-HELP on campus (612-301-4357).
Be cautious when a web page presents you with Java applets that require your permission to run as a "signed" applet. Signed applets, small programs that provide some facility or service, should be properly signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA), because acknowledging them as "signed" means they will be granted more access to your computer (and have more potential to cause harm).
Malicious "advertisements" have grown from a big problem into a HUGE problem in recent weeks. Web sites that display 3rd party advertisements cannot be considered safe anymore. Legitimate web sites such as newspapers, TV stations, blogs, and more are being exploited to deliver malicious software (i.e., computer viruses) via ads displayed in Web browsers. These malicious advertisements can potentially infect your computer simply by being displayed - you do not need to click on them to become infected.
There are several well-funded criminal organizations that have the resources to get their ads shown on the largest advertising networks and most popular Web sites. They are registering many different domains daily, and are often changing them several times each day as they are "caught". Recently the Star Tribune had to cut out their outside advertising feed because it was being used to deliver fake "anti-virus" software used to infect personal computers. However, other popular Web sites displaying 3rd party advertisements have recently been abused into silently installing Trojans that steal confidential data (anything you type into a Web form - such as credentials for banking, credit card, auction and social networking sites, online credit applications and more).
These criminals are consistently changing their techniques in efforts to avoid detection by Antivirus and other security software, and in many cases, there are no immediate signs of infection. Therefore, it is important to keep not only your Operating System and Web browser up-to-date with critical security fixes, but to also install critical security fixes for all other applications that can integrate into your Web browser.
Ways to Help Protect your Computer:
By Chris Moellering
When people think of "researchers," they often picture people like my freshman chemistry teacher, a geek in a lab coat and thick-frame eyeglasses with tape over the nose piece holding up a Bunsen burner and that "other thing," trying to explain a complicated equation no one can remember.
Continue reading "Driven to Discover: The Research Series" »
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC website for a complete listing of training courses.
Recycle your old computer. Properly disposing of your computer helps prevent mercury, cadmium, lead, and other hazardous chemicals from leaching into our environment. See the Computer Recycling website for more information.
Tired of a crowded inbox? Drowning in a sea of emails? Is your mailbox unorganized and out of control? Here are a few quick and easy best practices for using your University email account.
Google recently announced its plans to begin phasing out support for Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are no longer supported by their own manufacturers.
Continue reading "Google to phase out support for IE6 and other older browsers" »
Due to budget constraints, the University of Minnesota has determined that it is necessary to increase the price of Microsoft Office and Windows operating system software available to students through the Microsoft Campus Agreement program.
Continue reading "Microsoft Office, Windows OS software prices to change" »
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
402 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
The Office of Information Technology's IPv6 adoption team invites you to take advantage of an exciting opportunity offered to the information technology professionals at the University of Minnesota. Owen Delong, of Hurricane Electric, will be visiting the University this March and has offered to share the experiences of Hurricane Electric during their adoption of IPv6.
Over the past few days some email users have been experiencing significant delays in email processing. These performance issues have been limited to the email servers located at the St. Paul BioAgeng data center, and are the result of of disk failure in the email storage array at that location. OIT engineers are working with the vendor to resolve this problem as quickly as possible and restore email service to normal performance. This may take several hours, so some users may continue to experience performance issues throughout today.
In order to mitigate performance problems for all e-mail users, some of the larger active users on the St. Paul servers are being moved to servers at other locations. By moving these users, OIT is able to balance the demand more evenly across all email servers, thus increasing overall performance for all users. OIT will be closely monitoring performance today, and making adjustments as needed to optimize performance.
We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve these issues.
Some members of the University community require access to private data and/or transaction systems that requires additional access beyond the standard Internet ID and password authentication. In order to gain access to these University data and systems, those employees must request access formally, and those requests then go through an approval process.
Continue reading "Automated online Access Request Form (ARF) planned" »
OIT intends to upgrade our UMConnect service on March 14, during spring break. The upgrade is welcome because it will offer new utility, but it is also necessary to replace out-of-warranty hardware, and to increase disk space which was reaching its limit. In addition, the new equipment is configured to be redundant for fail over and disaster recovery, making it more reliable for users.
Google recently announced its plans to begin phasing out support for Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.
According to an email message from Google to account administrators, Google plans to start phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor beginning March 1, 2010, and indicates that after that date, certain functionality within these applications may have slower response times and may not work correctly in older browsers.
No other specific browsers were identified in the email.
Starting this week, users on these older browsers can expect to see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser.
Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above. Google says it plans to enhance its product's features and performance by implementing faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5.
Google also plans to send additional reminder alerts to users closer to March 1, and to start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar later this year.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) invites University of Minnesota faculty and P&A instructors to submit applications for the 2010-2011 OIT Faculty Fellowship Program. This 18-month program fosters a multidisciplinary learning community that explores possibilities and best practices in technology-rich learning environments, produces scholarship in this area, generates organizational awareness, and advances faculty leadership around these issues.
Continue reading "OIT Faculty Fellowship Program - Call for Proposals" »
The University has seen a recent outbreak of an e-mail worm, coming with a variety of subject lines (e.g., "Thank you from Google!," "Jessica would like to be your friend...," and "Shipping update for your Amazon.com order ..."). All have an attached zip file which contains a program that will infect your computer and make it start sending this mail and its payload. Because the mail is being sent from infected systems, the letter may appear to come from a trusted source.
The Office of Information Technology is working to block this mail, but because such threats can change quickly, you should be cautious of any unexpected e-mail, especially with unexpected attachments. Do NOT open them. Just delete the message.
The installation of a new copy of the wireless.netaccess.umn.edu X.509 certificate could affect some Macintosh users of the U of M Secure wireless network. The change, scheduled for installation at approximately 11 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, could result in the operating system issues or "complaints" related to the certificate change. This change is a result of a recent certificate validity period renewal.
To resolve issues related to the change, users who experience certificate problems should delete cached certificate information for the wireless.netaccess.umn.edu certificate, as outlined in the instructions below. Those using other operating systems should not experience issues related to this change.
To delete a certificate:
1. Open Keychain Access from the Applications\Utilities folder.
2. Click Show Keychains at the bottom of the screen. An area called Keychains will appear in the upper-left of the window.
3. Click X509 Anchors in the Keychains area.
4. Scroll through the list of certificates until you find the one you want to delete.
5. Click the certificate you want to delete, and select Delete from the Edit menu.
For additional information or help, contact the technology helpline at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or www.oit.umn.edu/help-support.
Turn off peripherals such as printers, scanners, and speakers when not in use.
OIT's Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) is a system-wide committee of faculty and staff from academic and central units who explore the use of, implement, evaluate, and support technologies for teaching and learning at the University of Minnesota. Committee members act as liaisons between their colleges or units and the committee, to share information and ideas and further the University's mission.
Continue reading "ATAC committee: Collaboration in Ed-Tech" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) now offers a new web stats tool for analyzing the traffic on your website. The new web stats tool uses Urchin Software from Google to provide reports on visitor traffic, volume, and referral information.
The new copy of the wireless.netaccess.umn.edu X.509 certificate could affect some Macintosh users of the U of M Secure wireless network.
Continue reading "New Wireless Certificate Could Affect Some Mac Users" »
You can access your Google Apps for the University of Minnesota Gmail account using desktop and mobile email programs, and you can retrieve your Gmail messages with OIT-supported clients or devices that support IMAP.
You will need to set a Google desktop/mobile client password if you want to use desktop email clients such as Apple Mail, Thunderbird or Outlook, and/or if you want to access to your Google account with your mobile device. Complete information about Google desktop/mobile client passwords is found at the E-mail Setup Guides web site. The necessary University of Minnesota-specific configuration information is shown on that page, as well as in the right sidebar on the Using Gmail page.
Complete information about Google Apps for the University of Minnesota is found at www.oit.umn.edu/google.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC website for a complete listing of training courses.
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Mississippi room, Coffman Memorial Union
Twin Cities/East bank
As part of the University of Minnesota community, students, faculty, and staff can take advantage of discounts on computer hardware, internet service, cell phones and plans, and licensed software negotiated by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and offered for sale through the new, more user-friendly website, UMart.
To raise awareness of this great benefit, celebrate the launch of the UMart website, and introduce the University community to the UMart vendor partners and their products, OIT will host a Technology Fair on Wednesday, February 24 from 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. in the Mississippi room located on the third floor of the Coffman Memorial Union.
Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend this informative, casual, and fun event. Visitors can enjoy refreshments and chat with peers. A prize drawing will also be held. To qualify, visitors must have their Technology Fair "passports" stamped at three information booths. "Passports" will be issued at the door.
In addition to vendor booths, OIT will have information booths on services we offer to the University community such as Wireless, Tech Stop, Video Services, Computer Labs, and UTools. No Registration is required to attend the OIT Technology Fair. Please stop by!
10 - 11 a.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
RSVP to kcragg@umn.edu
UTELL is a community of individuals who practice the effective use of academic technology in support of teaching, learning, research, and engagement.
Meeting topics will include the following:
Don't be tricked into installing Fake Antivirus software. There are literally hundreds--if not thousands--of different rogue (bogus) Antivirus products on the Internet, and they will stop at nothing to get you to install their product. These products are promoted by scaring you into thinking they have just discovered multiple viruses on your computer for you.
Many of them actually download and install malicious software (malware) onto your computer. Some will then tell you they can clean up infections if you purchase their product--often at a price of $40 or more. Do not install their "free" version, and please do not purchase these bogus products.
You can easily be redirected to these bogus Antivirus Web sites through no fault of your own. If you encounter a Fake Antivirus website:
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) now offers the Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended software license option for University-owned computers. Departments and collegiate units at the University will benefit greatly from OIT's new contract with Adobe. Pro Extended is only available for the Windows operating system. However, OIT also offers Acrobat Pro for MacOS at a discounted rate.
Continue reading "OIT Now Offers Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended " »
The Google Apps and TechStop training schedules for the Spring 2010 semester are available.
Continue reading "Google Apps & TechStop training schedules now available" »
Users running older versions of Windows have seven months to upgrade to newer versions before Microsoft cuts off support. As of July 13, 2010, Microsoft will no longer support Windows XP SP2, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Client. Users of those operating systems are urged to upgrade to Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.
Microsoft is offering online resources to ease the transition, including a Windows XP to Windows 7 migration guide and a Windows 7 Automated Installation Kit. Microsoft will probably continue to issue important security updates for XP and 2000 after the official support period ends, but will no longer issue service packs or other non-critical updates.
For more information, see the Information Week article, "Microsoft To Kill Windows XP SP2 Support."
Also review the Windows Operating (OS) Upgrade for the University of Minnesota.
If you configure your computer to use WPA2 encryption, you can secure your wireless network traffic from eavesdropping. In addition, once your computer is set up for WPA2, you will no longer have to sign in each time you connect to the wireless network.
Ensure that power management features are enabled on your computer. For step-by-step instructions, check out the power management guide on the Energy Star Web site.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
10 - 11 a.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities/East Bank
RSVP to kcragg@umn.edu
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has developed a help desk consortium, bringing together representatives from nearly 40 campus IT help desks who provide direct computing support to their customers across the University of Minnesota and Fairview Health Services.
The next Help Desk Consortium meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 3 from 10-11 a.m. in 101 Walter Library. RSVP to KT Cragg by Monday, Feb 1.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) spring training schedule is now available on OIT's technology training web site (uttc.umn.edu).
To view all available offerings click on "List of Courses" in the left navigation bar.
Schedules for Google Apps and TechStop training are being finalized and will be posted on the training web site in early January.
Title: "Software Development for the iPhone and iPod Touch"
Delivered by: Steve Hayman, Apple Consulting Engineer
Hosted by: Office of Information Technology
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time: 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Location: First floor, Coffman Memorial Union Theater
Cost: Free of charge
Register for this event at the Apple Seminars and Events Web page
Continue reading "January 13, "Software Development for the iPhone and iPod Touch"" »
A new version of the University's Web-based e-mail application Gophermail, known as Gophermail 2.0 is available, and replaces the original Gophermail application, known as Gophermail 1.
The original application, Gophermail 1, is set to be decommissioned effective Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, and no longer will be available. After that date, your e-mail account can be accessed only through GopherMail 2.0 or, if you are eligible, a University of Minnesota Gmail account. To find out if you are eligible for a University Google account and for more information on the Google Apps for the University of Minnesota implementation schedule, visit www.oit.umn.edu/google-initiative.
You may begin using Gophermail 2.0 immediately, and there is no action required on your part. In addition to the features you're used to in Gophermail, including an ultra-fast response time, the ability to view and forward HTML and attachments, and the ability to save message drafts, Gophermail 2.0 adds:
• My Folders pane appears along with message list
• Standard view
• Accessible view optimized for screen readers
• Mobile view for handheld devices
• UTF-8 (international character set) support
• Updated inline help
More of GopherMail's features, as well as further information and instructions are found at www.oit.umn.edu/email/setup-guides/index.htm. For information about a Google Apps for the University of Minnesota Gmail account, visit www.oit.umn.edu/google-initiative.
Questions and comments should be directed to 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or via Live Online Help.
Keep an Eye on Window's Security Icons. The icons in the Notification area (located on the Taskbar usually near the lower right corner of your desktop) provide important information about the security of your computer. Pay particular attention to the icons for Windows Update, Windows Security Center, and your security software.
Continue reading "Keep an Eye on Window's Security Icons " »
The Centers for Disease Control has received reports of fraudulent emails (phishing) referencing a CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1. The messages request that users create a personal H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the CDC.gov web site.
Users that click on the embedded link in the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their system. CDC reminds users to take the following steps to reduce the risk of being a victim of a phishing attack:
Read more information from the CDC, including an example e-mail.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is in the process of enhancing the wireless network on the Twin Cities campus, with a goal of providing broader, more reliable wireless coverage. Since OIT created a single wireless network, wireless traffic has doubled at the University in one year. We expect continued exponential wireless network traffic growth, and therefore must increase the capacity of this critical common good resource.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
The Office of Information Technology has redesigned its UMart Web site. UMart is a gateway to vendor sites where current University faculty, staff, and students can purchase discounted technology products for their personal use. Authorized staff also may use UMart to identify discounted technology products they want to obtain for their departments and then purchase the products through PeopleSoft.
The Google Apps for the University of Minnesota implementation remains on schedule. The Office of Information Technology is in the final stages of finishing the due diligence work that will lead to student, faculty, and staff adoption. This work involves the University's internal audit department and the University's internal IT security and assurance department. We have begun a phased implementation of Google Apps to some student groups, and those groups will receive an invitation by e-mail when they are eligible to sign up for an account. We expect to be in a position to begin offering accounts to faculty and staff within the next several months. We will continue to work with University IT leadership on that adoption plan.
For more information, visit the Google Initiative Web site, or send e-mail to help@umn.edu.
Close unused applications. Running unnecessary applications causes your CPU to work harder and therefore use unnecessary energy. Furthermore, the added strain on the CPU generates heat, prompting your computer's fan to turn on, which in turn uses more energy.
The University has developed guidelines to help colleges, departments, and units use social networking tools most effectively. The University Social Networking Guidelines can be found on the eCommunication Standards Web site.
To learn more about these guidelines as well as other electronic communications efforts, check out the eCommunications blog.
12-1 p.m.
101 Walter
Twin Cities campus/East bank
The University Video Users Community (UVUC) is holding its monthly brown bag session and would like you to join them. UVUC is a professional peer network of video professionals at the University of Minnesota. UVUC members work in all types of video, including production, presentation, networking, event coverage, and classroom use.
No RSVP required.
The Minneapolis Perl Mongers (a group of Minneapolis-based Perl programmers) are organizing a Perl workshop in Minneapolis on February 5-7, 2010, and we hope some of you can attend. They are also working on a hackathon the day after, and two Perl classes on Friday, February 5: "Effective Perl Programming," taught by brian d foy, and "Introduction to Moose," taught by Dave Rolsky. Early bird prices for the workshop are $50. Student rates are $25.
We have also opened our call for speakers, and we would love to have your submissions. You can view the Frozen Perl Call for Speakers Web page. For more information, please visit the Frozen Perl Web site.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) invite you to attend our first pecha kucha-style event on Wednesday, December 2, 2 - 4 p.m., in the Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union. Ten short, entertaining presentations will be given by faculty, staff, and students on the topic "Google@UMN," followed by breakout discussion sessions. Presentations will be Web cast, and a recording of the presentations will be published online. There is no charge for this event and it is open to the public; registration is not required.
For more information, see 20 by 20.
The Spring schedule for technology training offered by the Office of Information Technology will be posted to the training web site in mid-December. Check back then to find upcoming dates and to register for Spring courses.
Due to low enrollment, this event has been canceled.
Topic: DEV541 Secure Coding in Java/JEE: Developing Defensible Applications
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - Friday, January 8, 2010
Times: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Carlson School of Management (CSOM) room 2-206
Price: $1,000.00 per person
Registration: Visit the SANS Web site
Continue reading "*Canceled* SANS Professional Development Opportunity" »
Google Apps for the U of M featured in Nov. 12 edition of the Minnesota Daily
The Office of Information Technology (OIT), in partnership with the Digital Technology Center, is sponsoring a free program of events on Thursday, November 12, for World Usability Day. The purpose of the program is to promote awareness of the benefits of usability engineering and user-centered design. World Usability Day was started in 2005 by the Usability Professionals Association and involves 36 hours of usability-related activities around the world in 30 countries.
You are invited to join us for a program including speakers on usability topics, a participatory activity dealing with recycling, and an Open House at the Usability Services Laboratory.
All students, staff, faculty, and the general public are invited to the World Usability Day events. Events will take place in Coffman Union and Walter Library on the East Bank of the Twin Cities campus. All events are free of charge and no registration is necessary.
A schedule of events is listed below.
Continue reading "Invitation to World Usability Day 2009 Events at the University of Minnesota" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has redesigned its UTools Web site. UTools provides a complete and comprehensive list of all U of M software and applications; not just software options available through OIT.
Faculty, staff, and students at the University of Minnesota can purchase Windows 7, the latest operating system from Microsoft, at academic prices through OIT's UTools Web site.
Learn how to easily capture either the audio and/or video of a class session using the Camtasia Relay service, a software-based class capture solution. This learning opportunity is currently available as a 12-minute online presentation.
On October 19, the OIT Tech Stop located in Coffman Memorial Union was visited by its 10,000th customer.
The Tech Stop in Coffman opened in late January and over the last nine months has been busy providing students, staff, and faculty on the Twin Cities campus with face-to-face technology consultations, support, and training.
Recently, Tech Stop has expanded its reach by opening a new location in Coffey 50 in Saint Paul making it even easier for the University community to find technology support.
For more information about Tech Stop, please visit the Tech Stop Web site.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) now has another way for customers to get help. Live online help is now available as an online chat feature. You can find out about all of OIT's technology support options at the Help and Support Web site.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
9:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
303BC Coffman Memorial Union
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Coffey Hall room 50
Twin Cities campus/Saint Paul
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Mississippi Room; Coffman Memorial Union
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Digital Technology Center is sponsoring a free program of events on Thursday, November 12, for World Usability Day. The purpose of the program is to promote awareness of the benefits of usability engineering and user-centered design. World Usability Day was started in 2005 by the Usability Professionals Association and involves 36 hours of usability-related activities around the world in 30 countries.
Continue reading "Announcing World Usability Day 2009 Events at the University of Minnesota" »
The Google Apps for the University of Minnesota implementation remains on schedule.
Our next step is to begin a phased roll out to students, and we will begin to send invitations to the freshman class during the Oct. 30 weekend. We expect that all freshmen will have received an invitation by the end of the first week of November. This phased implementation will then move to the sophomore class and continue until all students have been invited by the end of the calendar year.
At the same time, OIT is in the final stages of finishing the due diligence work that will lead to faculty and staff adoption. This work involves the University's internal audit department and the University's internal IT security and assurance department. We expect to be in a position to offer Google Apps to faculty and staff from collegiate and administrative units near the beginning of December, and will continue to work with the IT leadership in these areas on that adoption plan.
For more information, visit the Google project Web site at www.oit.umn.edu/google-initiative, or send e-mail to gpilot@umn.edu.
November 13
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Coffey Hall room 50
Twin Cities campus/Saint Paul
Work in the WBOB data center is now complete. All systems should now be up and running. If you continue to experience issues with any systems, check the System Status page, or call 1-HELP on campus, (612) 301-4357.
On Sunday, November 1, from 5am to noon, many important University of Minnesota IT systems and applications will be unavailable for use. This outage is necessary so that the Office of Information Technology (OIT) can resolve ongoing stability problems with the current configuration of our Cisco load balancer.
During the disruption, all Cisco load balanced servers will be impacted. Because of this, the applications, databases, or other services using this load balancer will be unavailable.
For a list of services that will be impacted by this work, to view OIT's timeline for completing this work, and to view our backout plan visit the System Status Outage page.
Know the top 10 campus wireless locations? Based on the number of sessions this year to date, they are:
O. Meredith Wilson Library; Room 00590; 11,581 sessions
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Room 3166A; 6,420 sessions
Coffman Memorial Union; Room 0E446; 6,342 sessions
Coffey Hall; Room 00277; 5,180 sessions
Coffman Memorial Union; Room 0G002; 5,137 sessions
Carlson School of Management; Outside Room 213; 5,079 sessions
Coffman Memorial Union; Room 00119; 4,626 sessions
VoTech; Room 0325A; 4,595 sessions
Johnston Hall; Outside Room 102; 3,715 sessions
Walter Library; Room 537; 3,644 sessions
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is working on plans to provide the Google Apps Education Edition for use at the University. A University Google account will offer, in addition to e-mail, access to the University Google Apps suite, and will provide users the opportunity to share documents with others in the University Google space.
Since it was first announced, the Google Apps for the University of Minnesota project has generated a great deal of interest across the University. The project team has received many questions and comments since we began planning and developing the applications, and began informing the campus community about using Google Apps at the University.
The team invites you to attend one of our town hall forums, scheduled for 3-4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, and 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in 402 Walter Library, East Bank campus.
Both events will be available via UMConnect at https://umconnect.umn.edu/townhallforum.
For more information, visit www.oit.umn.edu/google-initiative, or contact gpilot@umn.edu.
At 2 a.m. on Oct. 24, many important University IT systems and applications will be unavailable for use, including PeopleSoft Financials, Student Registration, and approximately 1/3 of University e-mail accounts. OIT is working on a plan to keep some of the University's key applications running during this window--particularly those used by students and faculty. All applications supported by OIT are expected to be restored to service by noon on Sunday, Oct. 25.
You can read more about this outage, including a list of which systems and applications will be available and which will not. This site will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
The Office of Information Technology's Video Solutions has produced a half-hour documentary for the President's Office and University Relations about the U of M's new TCF Bank Stadium.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is pleased to announce three technology training options being offered at no charge through the Coffman Union Tech Stop. Tech Stop is a hub for students, faculty, and staff to receive face-to-face technology consultations, support and training.
Continue reading "Technology Training to be offered at Tech Stop" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is working on plans to provide the Google Apps Education Edition for use at the University. A University Google account will offer, in addition to e-mail, access to the University Google Apps suite, and will provide users the opportunity to share documents with others in the University Google space.
The video-sharing Web site, which started as a place to share funny home videos of your cat chasing string or your toddler dancing, has become so much more. As instructors explore using digital technology to reach students, social media tools like YouTube are at the center of attention.
In preparation for the launch of Google Apps at the University of Minnesota, the Office of Information Technology is providing several training options to help users with the transition. Whether you want to investigate how Google Apps might assist you in collaborating with your colleagues or just have a few questions about transitioning to Google mail - we have a training option for you.
Turn down the brightness setting on your monitor. The brightest setting on a monitor consumes twice the power used by the dimmest setting.
On September 16, 2009, OIT hosted a town hall presentation to discuss adopting IPv6 at the University of Minnesota. You can view the slides (pdf) from that presentation.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
October 12
3-4 p.m.
402 Walter Library
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
October 14
9-10 a.m.
402 Walter Library
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
Both events will be available via UMConnect.
For more information, visit the Google Initiative Web site, or contact gpilot@umn.edu.
Broadcast of talk, "The Internet, the Public Intellectual and the 'War on Terror,' given by Juan Cole at the IAS on April 5, 2007." Program will appear on TPT-Channel 17 on broadcast television, and on satellite and most cable stations; Channel 13 on the Comcast Cable system in Minneapolis.
Continue reading "October 20, "Juan Cole: The Internet and the 'War on Terror'" " »
Noon-1 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
10-11 a.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities campus/East Bank
2:00-4:30 p.m.
402 Walter Library
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
10:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Coffey 50
Twin Cities campus/Saint Paul
University of Minnesota faculty, teaching staff, and technical coordinators are invited to attend training on TurningPoint, a student response system, offered by Turning Technologies and hosted by the Office of Information Technology (OIT). The training is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30, in 210 Walter Library, and will focus on setup and use of TurningPoint in the classroom. A basic and an advanced session are planned.
10 - 11:30 a.m.
President's Room, Coffman Memorial Union
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
On August 31, at 8:06 a.m., the University's network experienced slow connectivity in the data center making a number of centrally supported IT systems and applications sporadically unavailable.
The issues were a result of instability and failure of the firewall modules in the OIT data center network. The Gopher Messaging failures were in response to the network behavior and its attempt to continually fail over to find a stable network.
The firewall module was manually failed over to the redundant to restore normal operation at 9:13 a.m. Gopher Messaging, including auto attendants, was restored by 9:22 a.m.
OIT is still evaluating the root cause on the suspect firewall module. Further updates will be posted as they are available. If you have any questions, call (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus).
On August 26, the Office of Information Technology officially launched its academic online survey tool UMSurvey.
An option to sending large files via e-mail is the University's NetFiles, a secure online file storage application with collaboration and sharing features. NetFiles provides up to 5 gigabytes of storage space for each user.
Continue reading "Use NetFiles to Share Large Documents and Files" »
In order to optimize system performance and better align University of Minnesota e-mail services with industry best practices, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will make adjustments to selected University e-mail account parameters. The adjustments are consistent with recent conversations that have taken place in the technical community on this topic. In addition, the changes will help facilitate users' potential move to Gmail this fall.
The Office of Information Technology's University Technology Training Center (UTTC) is rolling out a new and revised Web Development courses series this fall to better meet the training needs of anyone who works on Web pages at the University of Minnesota.
Don't use a screensaver. Screensavers are not necessary on modern monitors, and they use power and can in some cases prevent your computer from going fully into power saving mode. Instead, set your computer to go directly to standby or hibernation after a designated period of inactivity.
OIT video production staff has begun working on a half-hour documentary for the President's Office about the building and opening of the U of M's new TCF Bank Stadium.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
2:30-3:30 p.m.
310 Walter Library
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
1:00-3:30 p.m.
402 Walter Library
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
10:00-11:00 a.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
12:00-1:00 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
Recently, a number of computers at the University of Minnesota have become infected with a worm on the social networking site Facebook. Once this worm infects a computer, it attempts to gather personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Full Story
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is pleased to announce that our University Technology Training Center (UTTC) courses, formerly offered for a fee, will now be available to current faculty, staff, and students at no charge.
Offering technology training is a part of OIT's effort to further the University's goal to become one of the top three research universities in the world. Professional development opportunities such as this can help to build skills and create efficiencies affecting academic and professional success and advancement for the individual and the University community as whole.
University of Minnesota: Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness (U-SEEE) announces grants available through its U-SEEE Pilot Research Program, which provides funding of up to $15,000 for public health systems research related to enhancing the usefulness of education and training that build the capacity of the public health preparedness system.
August 24, 12:30-4:45 p.m.
Saint Paul Student Center Theater
Twin Cities campus/ Saint Paul
Continue reading " OWASP Minneapolis-St. Paul 2009 Event Registration Open" »
In order to optimize system performance and better align University of Minnesota e-mail services with industry best practices, the Office of Information Technology will make adjustments to selected University e-mail account parameters. The adjustments are consistent with recent conversations that have taken place in the technical community on this topic. In addition, the changes will help facilitate users' potential move to Gmail this fall.
Effective Monday, Aug. 17 the maximum e-mail message size will be 25MB, and Trash and Sent folders will be auto-filed after 30 days.
Any messages in your Trash or Sent folders that are more than 30 days old will be moved automatically out of those folders and filed in a folder called "AutoFiled," which will appear in your folder directory. Messages will be arranged by the date they were received in subfolders named by year. For example, a message received to your Sent folder Aug. 13, 2009 will be filed in the folder called "2009.Sent" inside the AutoFiled folder.
It is important to note that no e-mail will be deleted and that the auto-filed e-mails will be easily accessible with any desktop e-mail IMAP client, such as GopherMail, Outlook, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail.
If you've been in the practice of storing important information in your Trash folder, it is recommended that you take this opportunity to go through those folders, move any messages that you need to keep into your inbox or other folders, and delete any unnecessary items. OIT also recommends that you do the same with your Sent folder, moving older items to other folders and deleting any unnecessary items.
If there are no messages older than 30 days in your Trash or Sent folders, automatic auto-filing will not occur.
More information about auto-filing can be found at www.umn.edu/adcs/accounts/emailautofiling.html.
Use NetFiles to share large documents and files
An option to sending large files via e-mail is the University's NetFiles, a secure online file storage application with collaboration and sharing features. NetFiles provides up to 5 gigabytes of storage space for each user.
NetFiles also makes it much easier to collaborate with co-workers, as well as colleagues off campus and around the world. You can place large documents or presentations in NetFiles and give your co-workers access rights, so all of you are working on the same file and storing it in the same place. You can also lock files while you're working in them, preventing others from making changes before yours are saved. Document owners can be notified when any changes are made to their documents, and NetFiles can be used to keep track of various versions of a document.
All currently registered students, staff, and faculty with an active appointment may use the NetFiles service. Before using NetFiles for the first time, users must activate their NetFiles account at www.umn.edu/myaccount. Follow the link for NetFiles Account Options and agree to the information there to activate your account. After activating your account you can log in to the system, with your Internet ID and password at https://netfiles.umn.edu. After logging in, you'll see your home directory.
You can add a new file to your account using the Upload button in the navigation toolbar.
1. Navigate to the directory in which you wish to upload your file.
2. Click Upload in the toolbar.
3. Click Browse to locate the file you want to upload.
4. Click Ok and your file will be uploaded.
NetFiles also allows for collaboration and file sharing with people inside or outside of the University of Minnesota with "tickets." You can issue a ticket for a limited amount of time and/or create a password for added security. It is recommended that when you send a ticket to someone, you e-mail the password separately or call and give that person the password. To use tickets:
1. Click the Share icon.
2. Click Tickets in the top toolbar.
3. Click Create Ticket in the top toolbar.
4. You can use the Basic or Advanced options to create a ticket to send to other users for access to the file or directory you want to share. The Advanced options allow you to specify a password and also rename the ticket.
To notify someone that a shared file or directory exits:
1. Check the box next to the file or directory you want to share.
2. Click E-mail in the top toolbar.
3. Choose either Link or Ticket.
4. Click E-mail and a message will be created (using the default e-mail application) with the link or ticket information.
You also can use your NetFiles space as a Web site. You can use as much of your 5 gigabytes of space as is available for your personal Web space. Your Web space can either be publicly accessible to only a group of users you choose to access it.
Visit http://uttc.umn.edu/training/resources/netfiles/ for further information on using NetFiles. If you need further assistance or help activating your account, call the technology helpline at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus), or send e-mail to the NetFiles support group at netfiles@umn.edu.
For additional information or assistance with auto-filing or NetFiles, contact the technology helpline at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus) or help@umn.edu.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Northrop Plaza
1:30-3:30 p.m.
This event is by invitation only.
Continue reading "Second Annual OIT Customer Appreciation Day" »
The world is facing a dwindling supply of IPv4 address space and significant and growing demand for IP addresses. Here, at the University of Minnesota, we have allocated more than 97 percent of our IP(v4) address space and cannot get more. In order to address this issue, OIT is adopting a new Internet protocol known as IPv6. By moving as many users as is possible from the current 32-bit address in IPv4 to a 128-bit address in IPV6, we will be able to significantly increase our supply of IP addresses.
Plug all of your electronic equipment, such as computers, monitors, and printers, into one power strip and turn the strip off when you're not using your computer for an extended period of time. Computer equipment can continue to draw power, even after it has been shut off. Turning off the power strip or unplugging the equipment ensures that your electronics are not drawing any unnecessary power.
Due to the rapid expansion of the University of Minnesota's wireless network and the decreasing supply of unallocated IP addresses, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) plans to change the addressing scheme on the University's wireless network.
Continue reading "Network Address Translation on U of M Wireless" »
The University of Minnesota is partnering with Google to offer Google Apps for the University of Minnesota to registered students, faculty, and staff. The optional service is slated to launch in October.
The University of Minnesota was mentioned in an article on Google's work with universities that are either implementing or near implementation of Google Apps for their institutions.
The University of Minnesota has partnered with Apple to launch the University of Minnesota on iTunes U. The partnership provides the University an opportunity to use Apple's iTunes software to privately share content with the University community, as well as a dedicated presence for public content on iTunes U in the Apple Store.
Antivirus software is required on all computers connected to the University network. One copy of Symantec AntiVirus is provided at no charge to University faculty and staff members.
You can use Gopher Messaging to access telephone-based voicemail, as well as to access your messages online, send voice messages to an e-mail address, send text messages to a voicemail account, and much more.
Approximately 300 students attended each day of new student orientation this summer, and many of them visited the Office of Information Technology's (OIT) resource booth for answers to their questions regarding computing on campus.
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
Google Apps training coming this fall
New this fall: Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. A variety of training opportunities are planned including presentations, hands-on training, and self-paced options. Check the UTTC Web site for updates as well as the complete listing of UTTC's fall courses. The UTTC fall schedule will be published online in early August.
Technology Training Courses
Registration information for all classes is found on the UTTC Web site.
Each airing of this program is repeated every six hours for a total of four airings at 7 p.m., 1 a.m., 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Continue reading "Aug. 11 "Juan Cole: The Internet and the 'War on Terror'" " »
10:30-11:30 a.m.
101 Walter Library
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
On July 30th at 9:17 a.m., the University suffered a network outage on the Saint Paul Campus in the area near Bio Sciences Building.
The Network outage was caused by a power supply failure in the Bio Science Core Router that affected both power supplies. Both power supplies affected the main electrical panel, and in turn, caused the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to fail. This is our current best understanding.
We have replaced the failed power supply. Service was returned at 11:34 a.m.
We are continuing to evaluate this issue and how to appropriately mitigate it. Further updates will be posted on this page as they are available.
If you have any questions, call (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus).
Due to the rapid expansion of the University of Minnesota's wireless network and the decreasing supply of unallocated IP addresses, the Office of Information Technology is planning to change the addressing scheme on the University's wireless network.
On August 15, 2009, OIT plans to deploy a technology on the "UofM" SSID called Network Address Translation (NAT). NAT is a technology that translates an end user's private IP address to a public IP address, thus reducing the University's need for IP addresses. This deployment will not affect the other SSIDs on campus ("UofM Secure" and "UofM Guest").
Once this technology is deployed certain applications that require the user to have a unique IP address may not function properly. One example of a type of application that might be affected is outside VPN clients. OIT expects this process to be completely transparent for most general wireless internet users.
If you experience any problems running an application over the "UofM" SSID after August 15, you can check to see if your application is affected by NAT, or you can switch to the "UofM Secure" SSID, which will not be affected by this transition.
If you have any questions, contact wireless@lists.umn.edu
The instability that was reported in the OIT/ NTS Data Center Network early July 9th has been identified as a physical wiring problem that caused one of the Data Center Edge Nodes to intermittently spike its processor to capacity. This network connection was continually requesting the EtherSwitch Stack to recreate the VLAN trunk port. (This is provisioned to provide several VLANs on the same port so that servers can take advantage of multiple networks on the same interface.)
OIT identified and isolated the physical issue by 8:45 a.m. and worked to resolve it. Between 10:20 and 10:40 a.m., the problem returned as trouble shooting was performed. NTS and OIA worked together to verify proper that the server was operating properly and that the service was fully restored.
Unfortunately, this problem caused some additional intermittent disruption within the Data Center network on that switch. The physical port was also damaged as a result of the failed wire, and the service had to be moved to a new port.
It is difficult to identify the full scale of the disruption, as it should have been intermittent only while the port and CPU on that Ether Switch were attempting to initialize the Interface's VLAN and integrated trunks.
We know that some servers behind the Load Balancer were affected as well as other servers intermittently during the timeframes explained above.
The event began on Wednesday night. OIT opened a ticket Thursday morning and worked all day Thursday to identify and mitigate the problem. Early Friday morning, the Wire and Port were put back into production and normalized. OIT is reviewing methods to improve detection of events such as this.
If you have any additional questions, contact (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus).
The Office of Information Technology offers a number of technology training courses through the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). Please visit the UTTC Web site for a complete listing of training courses.
As of June 30, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. the Legacy mainframe regions CUFS and PAMs will no longer be available. These were shutdown according to the schedule established with the implementation of the EFS system. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357.
Due to the increased security changes in the credit card industry, the UProducts service on the UMart Web site will be phased out over the next year. Effective immediately, UProducts no longer will accept new customer requests. This change will not affect outside vendor stores on the UMart Web site.
The Office of Information Technology congratulates former faculty fellows Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber who have been named 2009 recipients of the Academic Health Center's Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The award is the highest recognition of excellence in the AHC educational mission.
The University of Minnesota is committed to reduce annual campus energy usage by 5 percent by the end of 2010. A 5 percent reduction will save the University $2.25 million each year and result in 25,000 fewer tons of CO_2 being released into the atmosphere.
To learn more about what you can do to help the University accomplish this goal, visit the It All Adds Up Web site.
Going on vacation? You can set an "away" message for your University e-mail account using the Set E-mail Forwarding and Autoreply found in the "Manage Your E-Mail" section of the My Account Web site.
What will you discover? Coming fall 2009: Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Communication and collaboration is just about to get easier. Google-powered e-mail, calendar, document sharing, and IM with Google Apps is coming soon to the University of Minnesota. For more information, visit the Google Initiative Web site.
WebVista A instructors and designers are reminded that WebVista A, the Blackboard Vista version 3.0.7 cluster, is no longer available. The decommission, which was effective July 1, is the final step in the University's upgrade to WebVista 4. For more information, visit the WebVista Web site.
Registered students are eligible to purchase network- and wireless-ready certified laptop computer bundles complete with the latest operating system, updates and patches, as well as pre-installed software, such as Microsoft Office. For more information, visit the UMart web site.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Blegen Hall room 90
Twin Cities Campus
2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Hanson Hall 102
Twin Cities Campus/West Bank
Continue reading "July 17 "University Video Users Community"" »
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Continuing Education and Conference Center (formerly Earle Brown)
Twin Cities Campus/St. Paul
Continue reading "July 23 "Introduction to E-Learning and Webinars"" »
11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Walter Library 310
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
Getting ready to prepare a poster for an upcoming conference? Learn pointers about using PowerPoint to create the poster as one large slide and send it to a large-scale printer.
Cost: Free
Contact: j-kemp
Due to the increased security changes in the credit card industry, the UProducts service on the UMart Web site will be phased out over the next year. Effective immediately, UProducts will no longer accept new customer requests. This change will not affect outside vendor stores on the UMart Web site.
The Office of Information Technology would like to congratulate Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber, 2009 recipients of the Academic Health Center's Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The award is the highest recognition of excellence in the AHC educational mission.
Dr. Avery was a DMC Faculty Fellow from 2001 to 2002 and a TEL Grant recipient in 2005. Since 1996, Dr. Avery has worked diligently to create technology-enhanced learning opportunities for students from rural and urban under-serviced areas.
Dr. Avery's significant accomplishments include the design and delivery of three mostly online graduate programs in nursing. She also co-chaired the WebVista conversion committee, serving as the faculty lead for the massive effort which impacted over 2,200 faculty and staff and over 50,000 students as the University upgraded to a new course management tool.
Patricia Schaber was a DMC Faculty Fellow from 2006 to 2007. Dr. Schaber's year as a fellow coincided with Occupational Therapy's move from a traditional face-to-face model to a hybrid model, and her work in the program focused on redesigning a class for distance learning.
Dr. Schaber embraced the challenge to adapt a course focused on professional behavior and attitudes. She used learning technologies to teach affective content in an online environment and to develop the kind of community that she had always enjoyed in her face-to-face courses.
Congratulations to Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber. Their hard work and dedication has earned them the prestigious award and the opportunity to expand their amazing work with educational technologies.
Not all applications on your computer have automatic updates turned on. When applications are left unpatched, they are at risk and make your computer very vulnerable for virus infections from the Internet. This can compromise your data and your processing power. Below is a list of the six most recent high-risk applications.
- Adobe Reader
- Adobe Flash
- Adobe Acrobat
- Java
- MS Office
- Quicktime
Use the following Web sites to see if you need to fix some of the most targeted apps.
Windows - Use Secunia
Mac - Use Metaquark
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will once again have a strong presence at new student orientation events throughout the summer. Some of the many ways students and their parents will learn about information technology and OIT at the University are by:
• Visiting an information table at the resource fair in the Great Hall where OIT staff inform students about technology help services and software and laptop bundles. Students can take home an OIT magnet listing technology help phone numbers and URLs.
• Viewing training presentations that give students and parents an overview on what they need to know about computing on campus.
• Getting help from OIT staff with authentication, e-mail set-up, Active Directory and NetFiles activation, and other issues.
• Picking up informational and marketing materials.
New student orientations began June 10, are scheduled to run through late August, and include events for incoming freshmen, graduate students, transfer students, and several individual colleges.
The Office of Information Technology will be holding two Town Hall meetings to discuss the replacement of the campus-wide VPN service and to solicit input from the University community on what they would like to see in the new VPN solution.
The meetings will be on held on two separate dates for your convenience:
• Thursday, June 18 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 19 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
The sessions will take place at the Information Technology Building located at 2218 University Ave. S.E. in Room 185. The June 18 meeting also will be available via UMConnect. To access the UMConnect session, please visit the VPN Town Hall page.
These meetings are open to the campus community. Feel free to pass this invitation on to others in your department or unit that may be interested in attending.
To register for one of these two Town Hall Meetings, please RSVP to KT Cragg at crag0006@umn.edu by noon on June 15 and state which session you wish to attend.
On June 15th, 2009 at 9:00 a.m., the Office of Information Technology is changing the Gopher Messaging web interface, the Web page used for checking voicemail and managing voicemail settings online. The new page will include a drop down-menu on the login page, asking users to select either "Twin Cities" or "Rochester" in the Location field.
The change will take minutes to implement, and it will not cause a disruption in service. The change is necessary for the University to support customers at the Rochester campus. Questions may be sent to tac-nts-list@umn.edu.
10:15-11:15 a.m.
120 Andersen Library
Twin Cities Campus/West Bank
Presenter: Dwayne Buttler
Continue reading "June 9 "Cultivating a Copyright-Savvy Campus: Key Issues and Strategies"" »
All switch maintenance in the WBOB data center is now complete. All systems should now be up and running. If your application is still offline, call 1-HELP on campus, (612) 301-4357. Full story
The Office of Information Technology's University Technology Training Center (UTTC) offers a variety of free or low-cost, in-person computer training courses, as well as online training options. Whether you want to gain new skills or brush up on your expertise, check out UTTC's summer training highlights.
University of Minnesota: Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness (U-SEEE) is accepting applications now through June 18 for the U-SEEE Fellows Program for the period July 2009-June 2010. The Fellows Program is an opportunity for University of Minnesota graduate students in public health, other health-related fields, or education to gain specialized training in the intersection of public health preparedness systems research and education. Awards are $20,000 per year for up to two years. This opportunity is supported in part through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/COTPER. More information
Facebook. Twitter. MySpace. Flikr. LinkedIn. YouTube. Wiki. Blogging. Yammer. Delicious. Ning. Even Google Docs with its collaborative framework for sharing. The list of social media networking tools goes on and on, but the common thread among all is the conversational discovery and sharing of information. Each has a unique style and purpose, and it used to be, that each was used for personal reasons. But it's not just for playtime anymore.
Marketing and communication through social media outlets has become more than a trend in recent years, raging through user accounts faster than a speeding bullet. The viral nature of social networking has become an attractive, efficient, and inexpensive way to market yourself, your business, and your school. Read more of Social Media in Higher Ed.
From 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday June 7, 2009, all IT systems, applications, and tools may be sporadically unavailable for use. Some applications will be down for up to 90 minutes at some point within this window, while other applications will not be down at all. All applications should be back on line by 12 p.m.
Explanation
This outage is required for the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to perform maintenance on the network switches in the WBOB data center. For further explanation about why this maintenance is necessary, visit the Network Cleanup and Reallocation Project Plan.
Please plan accordingly. We recognize the importance of the University’s core systems, and we apologize for any inconvenience this causes. For more information, visit the System Status page. If you have any questions, call 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357.
Learn the recommended Firefox Web browser settings that can reduce risks associated with the Web.
UMContent users should be aware of a new version of Site Studio Designer for 10gR4. The upgrade is available at the UMContent support Web site. While the old Site Studio application will connect to production, there have been a few minor issues noticed when using the older editor. System administrators recommend that everyone acquire the update as soon as possible.
New student orientation begins in June and includes first-year freshmen, transfer students, graduate students, and parents. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will offer presentations to new students and their parents about their technology needs on campus. In addition, OIT will provide information at the orientation resource fairs and will assist with account setup in Tech Stop. For information, visit the Orientation and First Year Programs Web site.
A fall rollout of Google Apps for the University of Minnesota is planned and will be optional for students, faculty, and staff. Future plans call for Gmail to be the default University mail application for students, and faculty and staff will continue to have the option to use it, as well. For the latest updates on the project, visit the Google Initiative Web site.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has partnered with MnSCU to offer a statewide contract for the ESRI Geographic Information System (GIS) software, ArcInfo and ArcView. The contract will allow all U of M campuses, Extension Offices, and Research Centers the option to participate in the contract, while actually saving the University money. With this new contract, we also were able to reduce the departmental cost from $4,500 to $3,000 per year.
Continue reading "Statewide ESRI Software Contract Announced" »
Beginning July 1, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will implement changes to the ordering process and pricing of Adobe software purchases for all University of Minnesota department-owned computers.
A recent targeted phishing attack reached the e-mail inboxes of University accounts in late May. The bogus message, or possibly others similar, appeared to come from University e-mail administrators, and reads:
Continue reading "University Users Fall Prey to Targeted Phishing Attack" »
10-11:30 a.m.
Walter Library 101
R.S.V.P to KT Cragg at kcragg@umn.edu by Friday, June 12
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Walter Library 310
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Continuing Education and Conference Center
St. Paul Campus
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Walter Library
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
Continue reading "June 25 "Mobile Data Solutions for Today"" »
Registration and payment information for all classes is found at the University Technology Training Center Web site.
Research In Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry technology provides ‘push’ technology services for e-mail. To accomplish this ’push’ capability, RIM servers fetch mail from your existing e-mail account and in turn ‘push’ it to your Blackberry device. In order for this to work properly, your University Internet ID (x.500) Username and Password must be stored on Research In Motion servers.
The practice of placing your password in other systems is a form of ‘sharing’ that is prohibited by the Standard—Passwords (Appendix Q) of the University’s Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy.
The University’s Chief Information Officer, the responsible University officer for this policy, has made an exception to this standard for the use of Blackberry devices. This exception decision is a result of University-wide consultation, including with security staff, which weighed the benefits against the risks.
Today at approximately 12 p.m., the OIT Disaster Recovery team conducted a test of the WBOB Data Center Alert notification system. As part of this test, we requested that anyone who received the test message reply to the message.
However, we sent the message in such a way that any replies to the message would also cc: the dcalert list. As a result, anyone on this list was flooded with replies to the message, beginning immediately after the test was sent.
We thought that the test was set up to reply only to our department e-mail address. We did not realize that it was set up to cc: the dcalert list. We shut off the dcalert fowarding before 12:10, which resolved the issue. We apologize for flooding everyone’s email — and for those who gave us cell phone numbers, for overfilling their text messages.
Do NOT click on the link or reply to the e-mail titled "Webmail Quota Has Exceeded the Set Limit."
The link asks for your e-mail address, username, and password. The University will NEVER ask for your user name and password in an e-mail.
All switch maintenance in the OIT data centers is now complete. All systems should now be up and running. If your application is still offline, call 1-HELP on campus, (612) 301-4357.
OIT engineers are investigating a layer 3 latency issue between 90 Church and WBOB. Updates will be posted at on the System Status page.
At approximately 11:40, on May 20, 2009, there was a brief drop in power to the Twin Cities East Bank campus. Some outlying athletic facilities were not affected.
Because power was dropped to several of OIT’s data centers, many centrally supported services went offline until servers were fully restored. Most servers rebooted automatically, and services began immediately coming back on line. However, several servers needed to be manually rebooted and therefore are taking longer to come back up. E-mail was fully functional by 1:20 p.m. There is still intermittent availability for voicemail.
If you have any questions, call 1-HELP on campus at (612) 301-4357.
The move to Google Apps for the University of Minnesota was featured in the May 8 issue of the Pioneer Press. Read the story
May 3 (7:00 p.m.)
The cooling system in the WBOB data center has been repaired. All IT systems, applications, and tools have been brought back on line and should now be functioning normally. If you continue to experience issues with any systems, check the System Status page, or call 1-HELP.
Sunday, May 3 (4:30 p.m.)
Systems are beginning to come back online. Check the system status page for the status of individual systems.
Friday, May 1
Starting at 5 a.m. on Sunday May 3, 2009, for up to 12 hours, systems and applications that students and faculty normally use that are centrally supported will be unavailable for use.
This outage is required for the Office of Information Technology to repair a leak to the cooling system in one of its data centers.
Please plan accordingly. We recognize the importance of the University’s core systems at this busy time, and we apologize for any inconvenience this causes. For more information, visit the System Status page. If you have any questions, call 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357.
After reviewing the logs generated from last Sundays outage, it was determined that the Pillar storage frame that hosts the affected host systems has a bug in the code which caused the outage during the snap process. The snap process is a technique we use to take incremental images of the system and create a recovery point. The bug was triggered at 3 pm when the snap process resumed after we applied our code update during the normal maintenance window. This caused the storage system to go off line.
After we worked with the vendor to determine the cause we rebooted the storage frame and all systems came back online at 7 pm. The systems impacted continue to work normally.
Steps have been taken to mitigate a further outage by stopping the snap process. A patch is scheduled to be delivered this week to fix the bug. We have a test environment and are currently testing the failure, and we will then apply the patch to the test box to make sure it not only corrects the bug but does not cause a further outage. Once this testing is complete, we will work to apply it off hours during a regularly scheduled maintenance window so we can re enable the snap process safely.
In recent weeks, there has been an increase in fraudulent e-mails from American Greetings/Hallmark to University of Minnesota account holders. These e-mails contain attachments that will infect your computer with a malicious computer virus. Exercise extreme caution with any e-mail greeting cards that you receive. More information:
Read an article published on February 26 about the grand opening of Tech Stop: U consolidates info tech services in Coffman.
A story about the deployment of the University's 802.11n wireless network recently was featured in the "VoIP and Wireless Tech Center" section of online magazine Business Solution.
Continue reading "U of M wireless network deployment featured in online IT magazine" »
Three University of Minnesota productions have been chosen as ResearchChannel Video On Demand (VOD) featured selections in upcoming months. ResearchChannel is a consortium of leading research and academic institutions that share their work with the world through online, on-air, and on-demand video distribution. The University became a ResearchChannel member in 2008, and was allowed to submit ten hours of programming per year. After submitting four video shorts and three full-length programs, the three full-length programs were selected for cable VOD.
Continue reading "Three U of M Programs Selected for ResearchChannel" »
The University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology (OIT) was highlighted in a Baseline Magazine feature on energy efficiency in technology.
Continue reading "U of M mentioned for work in energy efficient IT infrastructure" »
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has scheduled a grand opening open house for the new OIT Tech Stop for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, February 26, in 101 Coffman Memorial Union.
Phishing attacks, or fraudulent e-mails designed to steal personal information from unsuspecting e-mail users, are on the rise at the U of M. Learn more about how to identify a phishing attack and protect your identity. Or, download OIT's latest Phishing awareness poster. By printing and displaying these posters in your spaces across campus, you can help spread awareness about this growing threat.