IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: December 04 2003

Reliable reports have it that Microsoft will quit support for Windows 98 sometime early in the New Year. It is highly probable that Drexel will follow suit sometime soon thereafter; so IRT strongly recommends that anyone still running Windows 98 consider upgrading to Windows XP in the very near future.

If you have questions about the viability of an upgrade for your current computer equipment or applications, please contact consult@drexel.edu for advice.

2. THE ENDLESS INVENTIVENESS OF NET HOOLIGANS

There is a new type of virus/worm that's begun showing up on the Internet this week. The virus sends you a message that says something similar to "here are the pictures you wanted to see. The password is xxxx."

The virus itself is in the attachment that is included. The attachment is a .zip file that is password protected. When you try to open the attachment, it requires you to put in the password that was listed in the message. Once you type the password, the virus is invoked and your machine is compromised.

Beware! The message may appear to be from someone you know. If you are not expecting a password-protected file, assume it is something you don't want to open.

3. VPN ADVANTAGES - AND LIABILITIES

VPN (virtual private network) means that you are ON the Drexel network.

The advantage of using VPN to log in to Drexel from off-network is that you come in authenticated as a member of the Drexel community. You can thus use Drexel resources like library databases or administrative systems as if you were actually on campus.

The liability of using VPN to log in to Drexel from off-network is that you come in authenticated as a member of the Drexel community. You are thus within the gateway that protects the Drexel network and other Drexel users from many of the nefarious pests circulating on the Internet; if your computer is infected it is capable of spreading that infection to others.

When you are off network, you are completely responsible for keeping your virus protection software and patches up to date.

If you are on campus, the consequence of using an infected computer is that your network jack is turned off until you have disinfected the computer. When you are off-network, the only way to protect Drexel from your worms or viruses is to disable your account.

If that happens to you with a Drexel-owned machine, call 215-895-2698 for assistance. If it happens to you with your own computer, you may call that number for advice but will have to pay privately for assistance from Computer Fixer or a computer repair service near you if you cannot do the job yourself.

Once your computer is disinfected, contact 215-895-2698 to request that your jack or account be re-enabled.

4. SCHOOL DISTRICT TECH PARTNERSHIP 'OUTSTANDING'

The IT component of Drexel's partnership with the Philadelphia School District is off to a brilliant start, according to IRT consultant Annette Rivera who is coordinating the project.

Eight Drexel co-op students have for the past two months been providing technology support to University City High School, to the schools feeding in to UCHS on the Lancaster corridor, and to the Middle Years Alternative School, all in West Philadelphia.

The students' first task, now complete, was to assess and stabilize the existing technology in each school, and then to set up a rigorous maintenance schedule. Meanwhile, Rivera met with the principals and IT leaders in the schools and developed a wish list of new technologies they would like to use. Topping the list was the wish to design web sites for the schools, to be hosted on the School District's servers. This work is now in progress.

The co-op students are also helping to train both teachers and pupils in their schools. The co-ops themselves are provided skills enhancement in scheduled workshops at IRT every two weeks, and call on IRT's professional consultants for answers to technical questions.

Feedback from the schools, says Rivera, has been outstanding. The project is about one-third through its six-month pilot phase.

5. SECURITY PROBLEMS? LOOK HERE!

IRT conducted a series of workshops during Fall term to help members of the Drexel community cope with the recent flood of destructive worms and viruses. For those of you who missed those workshops, or who would like to review what you learned, the content is now online at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/support/security/. This includes a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) that have come in since the face-to-face workshops.

P.S. -- If you'd like an overview of the worldwide impact of these "worms of mass destruction", you might want to check out a special report in the December 3, 2003 issue of the Economist, available online at http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2246018.

6. LOOKING AHEAD TO WINTER TERM

Some new students will be moving in at the beginning of winter term, many students change rooms between terms, and probably a very large number of students will be taking their computers home over the term break and using them in environments unprotected by Drexel's anti-virus gateway.

IRT's network gurus thus anticipate a torrent of infected computers coming (back) to campus in January. To manage this flood of digital pathogens, all network jacks in residence halls will be switched back to the V-LAN at the start of winter term.

To activate the jack, all computers must have been disinfected and patched and then re-registered. As in September, when you connect to the network jack you will automatically connect to a web page with instructions and tools for doing this.

7. UPGRADES COMING

IRT will be taking advantage of the term break to upgrade central computer systems on campus. Most of these changes are expected to be transparent to computer users, and accompanying downtimes will be planned for early mornings or weekends.

The most significant visible change will be to the course numbering system. To consolidate the nomenclature between Drexel colleges and the Health Sciences schools, the systems will change effective in January. The new system will give the year (2003 for the current academic year), the term (1=fall, 2=winter, 3=spring, 4=summer for Drexel; the health sciences schools omit winter term and have terms 1,3,4)), and the unit system (5=quarter, 1=semester). Previously completed courses retain their old nomenclature.

These changes are a step on the way to merging administrative systems for all Drexel's colleges and schools while still accommodating the dual quarter/semester systems. University administrators will be especially benefited by the consolidation.

Other changes - to dunx1, listserv, and Photo Classlist among others -- are related to upgrades in hardware and software. Most of these represent behind-the-scenes improvements in service but little change in the user interface. Small groups of users who are particularly impacted by a visible change will be individually notified. For scheduled downtimes, check in at http://inside.drexel.edu/technicalservices/outages/.

In the case of dunx1, there may be a very few people who have special software on the server that will not run in the new operating system. These applications will be kept for one month on the outgoing server while other arrangements or workarounds are being made. Please contact IRT (consult@drexel.edu or 215-895-2698) if you think you fit in this category.

-------WebCT News-----------

8. BACKING UP FALL TERM COURSES

To learn how to back up your fall term course in WebCT, go to the DES-101 (Course Designer Forum) course and select "Backup & Restore" on the Course Menu. A narrated PowerPoint presentation will walk you through the process. If you do not have access, or you need one-on-one help, email webct@drexel.edu.

9. RESTORING COURSES FOR WINTER TERM

Moving course content from one term to another is called "restoring". This is an over-write process, so knowing just how to do it is important. Winter term courses will appear in your My WebCT page just prior to the New Year holiday, so there won't be much time for feeding content into the new course shell. Email webct@drexel.edu if you want help.

10. WebCT BOOT CAMPS

Do you plan to use WebCT in winter term? Sign up soon - they fill up fast - for a WebCT Boot Camp. The schedule for the next six months is:

Friday, Dec 19 - FULL
Friday, Jan 30
Friday, Feb 27
Friday, March 26
Friday, April 23
Friday, May 21
Friday, June 18

Boot Camps are held in Room 116, Korman Computing Center. They begin at 9 a.m. and continue through 3:30 or 4 p.m. It is a hands-on activity with laptops provided. When the session is full - and it usually is - participants receive a free lunch.

11. TIPS FOR THIS MONTH

* Hagerty Library has talented representatives who can provide expert assistance to students. Some professors ask us to "enroll" library representatives in their courses, giving their students direct contact with library resources and advice.

* End-of-course surveys are challenging for any department. Some have elected to make them available to students via WebCT. One Survey can be created and then used in a number of courses in your discipline.

* A great way to begin using the Discussions tool in WebCT is with end-of-chapter questions from your textbook. You don't need many. Choose the most relevant and though-provoking questions and post them as topics to inspire meaningful discussion on your course content.

12. BOOK OF THE MONTH

"Transforming e-Knowledge: A Revolution in the Sharing of Knowledge"

Authors: Norris, Mason & Lefrere
Publisher: Society for College and University Planning
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0-9700413-2-2

These authors strive to "express the ways in which e-systems can be exploited, the benefits they could yield, and what we all, individuals and organizations together, must do now" (from the book's Forward, by Diana Laurillard, Head of the E-Learning Strategy Unit at the UK Government's Department for Education and Skills).

Modified: August 20, 2008

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