A Good Day For Backing Up

Computing Services reminds you that having a recent back up of your data is a nice safety net should your computer experience hardware problems. Files backed up to a server are accessible from any computer on campus through FTP, thus allowing you to continue working as your computer is repaired.

Help with transferring your data from your computer to the ftp server is available online or by contacting User Services (ext 2755).

Web CT Now Back Online

As of 1:10 pm Web CT was back online and all data was preserved.

WebCT System Not Accessible

There is a problem with the WebCT system which is not allowing users to access online classes at this time. The system administrator is working to resolve this issue.

User Services - Phil Reinhart

Problems with Datatel

Several people reported problems with Datatel. Administrative Computing Services are working on a solution. Your Datatel connection may drop for a short time.

User Services

Effects of the Power Outage...

There are no known campus-wide repercussions of this weekend's power outage.

Some users in Shultz Hall are experiencing network problems which are currently being addressed by Technical and Network Services staff.

Please report problems you are experiencing to User Services by phone (ext 2755) or email (computing@allegheny.edu).

Reminder To Shut Down Computer This Afternoon

Just another reminder to back up your data and shut down your computer before you leave work this afternoon.

While it is always a good idea to back up data at least weekly it is even more strongly encouraged today as the power is scheduled to be out over the weekend.

Please be sure to include the departmental computers in your area in this process.

Datatel, WebAdvisor and Informer

Employees may now use the Datatel, WebAdvisor and Infomer.

Reminder of Scheduled Power Outage

The majority of campus will be without electric power starting Saturday, March 15, 2008. The power outage is necessary to upgrade the underground power distribution to include the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts.

Computing Services requests that faculty, staff and administrators turn off their computers as they leave work on March 14, 2008. We also recommend that users take this opportunity to back up their files using FTP as a safe guard.

Update - Voice Mail Now Working

3/12/08 Voice Mail Now Working
The User Services voice mail is now working. The system has been re-programmed so calledrs can leave a message if the lines are busy or the office is closed..

3/10/08 Help Desk voice mail is temporarily disabled -
The User Services voice message system is currently out of order. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask you to contact us via email at computing@allegheny.edu while we work on correcting the problem.

Thanks!

Lost and Found

Electronics was forgotten in Murray Lab 116.
If it’s yours, please come to the Help Desk

Expedite your request

When you call User Services, it will expedite your request if you have the following information immediately available:
Your name
Your cell phone number (students only)
The application you are using (Word, Excel, Eudora, Datatel, etc.).
Any error messages displayed.
You may ask the consultant for a log number in case you need to call back regarding the same problem.

Tip: Instead of writing the down an error message that you need to report, use Print Screen function. To print screen from Windows, you can use [Alt] + [Print Screen] to capture the screen. Then, open up a program such as Word or Paint and select Edit | Paste. The screen you captured earlier will be pasted. Now it can be saved, printed or sent to User Services as an attachment.

Computing News and Information Archives

The archives of the Computing News are now available by category. Starting in September news items have been organized into categories based on audience and content topic.

View a News Category by selecting link from list on the right.

Issue With Student FTP Server - Update

At this time Technical Services are continuing to work on the problem with the FTP Server (Hercules), we hope to have services restored as soon as possible.

Please check back for updates

Have You Backed Up Lately?

If you answered no then Computing Services recommends that you check out the tutorials on how to back up your files to your network account.

http://help.allegheny.edu/tutorials/Backups.php

Recently, several rountine computer repairs were complicated by lack of a good back up of user data. By having a good back up of data in your ftp account minimizes your time without a computer should your computer require repairs.

As always User Services is available should you have questions with backing up your data call 2755 with questions.

Happy New Year!

Computing Services open for the new year this morning following the winter recess. There are no know outages or interruptions in services at this time. If you are experiencing problems please contact User Services by phone (ext 2755) or email (computing@allegheny.edu).

Computing Services Will Reopen on January 2, 2008

Users needing assistance over the winter shut down week are encourage to use the online tutorials.

Requests for help can be submitted by email to computing@allegheny.edu and will addressed starting on January 2, 2008.

An Update on the Power Outage

We have recently received more details about the power outage scheduled for December 27, 2007. The outage will start at 7:00am on that day and last 8 to 12 hours. The following buildings will be without power for this period Redhouse/Barn, Baldwin, Walker/Annex, the Sciences Complex, Arter Quigley, Brooks, Bentley, Reis, and Carr. All other buildings on campus will have power during the outage but Oddfellows, Schultz and Ruter will be without network connectivity during that time as network access to those buildings run through buildings without power.

Computing Services encourages all users to shut down the computers in their offices at the close of business on December 21. Users should back up personal and departmental data using ftp prior to turning off the computers as a manner of good practice.

Letter to the Community Regarding P2P Software

As you may know from recent press accounts, the recording industry has been more aggressively pursuing individuals who it believes have been illegally sharing copyrighted music. Movie studios and television companies are following the recording industry's lead and more aggressively pursuing individuals and corporations they believe are infringing on copyrighted movies and video. Allegheny students are being caught in this industry crackdown.

Please be aware that if you install peer-to-peer software such as Limewire, Kazaa, or BitTorrent on your computer, you may be sharing copyrighted or confidential material since the default settings of such software are typically set to seek and share any sound or video recordings it finds. It may also share files containing confidential information if such files are in the same folder as the media files it is sharing. You are responsible for files shared from your computer via your Internet connection even if you are not aware they are being shared.

If you would like to learn more about this issue, please attend the workshop on P2P software and file sharing to be held Tuesday, December 4, at 8:00 p.m. in Baldwin Hall. If you cannot attend the workshop and would like more information, please contact Helen McCullough.

This is a significant issue for the Allegheny community. Five Allegheny students have been sent a settlement letter from a recording industry attorney indicating that the students are believed to have been illegally sharing copyrighted materials. At least some of these students appear to have been unaware that they were sharing music. The attorney's letter explains the alleged violation and directs students to a Web site ( http://www.p2plawsuits.com ) at which the alleged copyright infringer can pay a monetary settlement determined by the recording industry and its attorneys. Media reports note that settlements have typically been at least $3,000. The letter also indicates that the industry will file civil suits against any individuals who do not accept their settlement offer. In early October, the first such case was settled in Duluth, Minnesota, and the industry won an award of $220,000. Late last month, a lawsuit against two (as yet unnamed) Allegheny students was filed in Erie federal court, and the College has received a court order seeking the names of the community members responsible for the Internet addresses connected to the suspected copyright infringement.

The best way to avoid receiving such notices and experiencing the consequent actions is to refrain from sharing copyrighted material online using peer-to-peer services like Kazaa and BitTorrent. Music can be purchased legally online from stores such as iTunes, Amazon.com, eMusic, and many more.

Sincerely,

Rick Holmgren
Executive Director of Learning, Information, and Technology Services

To learn more about recent industry practices and their results, please read the following news stories:

• Recording industry group says piracy students are settling, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 27, 2007.
• Record Companies to Accused Pirates: Deal or No Deal?, Chronicle of Higher Education. March 16, 2007.
• Record Companies Win Music Sharing Trial. , Washington Post. October 5, 2007

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack

In the spring of 2007, Computing Services prepared for the release of Microsoft Office 2007 by deploying the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. This plug-in allows the College's current version of Office 2003 to open files created using Microsoft Office 2007. Even though the compatibility pack was deployed last semester we are finding some users that did not receive the update.

Users can test to see if their computers have the compatibility pack by downloading this Word 2007 document and trying to open it. Users that are not able to open this file should contact User Services at 2755 or computing@allegheny.edu so that the Compatibility Pack can be installed.

Options for Mac users are being investigated.

Servers Back Online

Shortly before noon, the systems administrator confirmed that both servers are back up and fully functioning.

Original Post - User Services News: Allegheny Password Change and Hercules Servers Down

Users Might Authenication Issues

Users might experience authentication problems when checking email or transferring files. This is related to the server with the password change form being down. The system administrator continues to work on resolving this issue.

Original Post - User Services News: Allegheny Password Change and Hercules Servers Down

Log On to Public Computers Using Your Allegheny Username

As of today, 9/17/07, all members of the Allegheny Community must log on using a their Allegheny username and password.

The most typical problem being experienced is an inability to log on because the user has not set their password using the online password change form. This form is accessible from any computer on the internet, thus users are encouraged to change their password before heading to a public lab.

User Services is ready to help users that do not have access to a networked computer or experiencing problems setting passwords using the online form. Users needing help are encouraged to contact User Services at ext 2755 or better yet visit Murray between 8:00 and 5:00pm Monday - Friday.

Issues Sending and Receiving Email Off Campus

Many users have expressed difficulties with email coming from or sent to off campus locations. The problems range from longer than normal delivery times to having messages bounce.

The problems stem from a larger than normal volume of messages our mail servers are processing. In the last 24 hours, the mail server has processed over 160, 000 mail messages, which is over two times the normal number of messages processed in a given day. The Systems Administrator and Director of Technical Network Services are monitoring the situation and working to modify network settings to minimize the difficulties users are facing.

Users experiencing problems with sending and receiving messages on campus should report those problems to User Services as there are no known issues with messages being sent and received on campus.

Addressing Network Hardware

Users in Carr Hall and Wise Center experienced lack of network connectivity because of power fluctuations over the week. The issues in Carr Hall were addressed by rebooting the network devices.

Users that cannot connect to the network should email (computing@allegheny.edu) or call (ext 2755) User Services to report their problem.

Email Server Maintenance at 5:00 on August 31

Over the last couple of days the users experienced intermittent problems with sending email on campus. To address these problems the systems administrator is going to take the email servers offline at 5:00 on August 31. The servers will be down for a short period to perform maintenance necessary to address this issue.

Good Computing Habits

As we start another semester of classes, Computing Services reminds all users; students, faculty, staff and administrators, to remember three good computing habits as they use computers on campus.

1. Remember to log off of public computers when you are finished using it. - This is important as people log in to computers with personal usernames and passwords. By logging off you and your files are protected.
2. Backup your files to your network folder on a regular basis. - Files transferred to your network folder using FTP are safe as they are backed up everynight. If you want to make sure your files are safe you are encouraged to FTP daily. (See tutorial for assistance)
3. Employees are encouraged to restart their computers as they leave the office for the day. - Allegheny computers are set to receive automatic updates overnight. The act of restarting the computer employees prepare the computer to receive updates thus keeping the computer and data it contains more secure.