INFORMATION SERVICES
April 2002
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to Information Services
Announcements from the Bulletin, Today, Notification-L
04/30/2002, Admin Server to be Restarted at 4:30 PM Today
The Admin server needs to be restarted today at 4:30pm. Please save
and close your work on Admin shortly before that time. It should only
be down for a few minutes. [Notification-L]
04/30/2002, Virus Alert: Klez Worm
This warning only applies to users of Windows OS versions.
We have been receiving numerous questions about a new virus which is
going around. There are several complaints that people have. Some
people are getting notified that they have sent an email with a virus
in it, or a returned message that says delivery failed. Usually the
person being notified didn't send anything to that person, or may not
even know the intended recipient.
The Klez worm works by sending a message to anyone in a persons'
address book and using a different persons' email address as the
reply-to address. This explains the replies to you even though you
never sent anything. If you want, you can copy the header information
from the message and send it to the helpdesk in an email (in Mulberry
click the square button beside the 'formatted' pull-down menu to
expose the header information).
Although our server scans all incoming mail for viruses, and we have
the most recent definitions, the Klez worm is able to disguise itself
as a simple image file or word document and so some of the viruses
slip through our firewall. If you received the virus itself, rather
than a false reply message simply delete it. There are two main
variants of the Klez worm. One is easy to catch because it always has
the subject line "Worm Klez.E Immunity". No virus warning from a
reliable source would be as poorly worded as the body of this message,
that should be the first tip-off. Do not run the "tool" as it will
infect your computer. Please delete the message. The second variant
sends a nonsense message composed of random words and often containing
the words "undeliverable mail" or "returned mail". This one should
also be deleted. If you have a question about a file, DO NOT OPEN IT!
Contact the help desk at x6525 or helpdesk@macalester.edu and let us
look at it.
If you have already been infected by the virus because you opened an
infected attachment or use the MS Outlook Email program and an
unpatched version of Internet Explorer, there may be a telltale sign.
The worm, besides sending out tons of viruses, also displays frequent
bogus error messages about .exe problems. It may also try to copy
itself to your user folder on the servers. If you think you may be
infected, again, please contact the help desk.
If you want more information, please go to http://vil.nai.com and type
Klez in the search field. [Notification-L]
04/25/2002, Computing Information for Graduating Seniors
Congratulations to the Class of 2002! If you're wondering what will
happen with your e-mail, your voicemail box, etc., full details are
available on CIT's Web pages beginning at
http://www.macalester.edu/cit/. If you wish to go directly to the
article, point your browser at the following URL:
http://www.macalester.edu/cit/announce/042302graduating.html.
[Bulletin, Bulletin Flash, Today]
04/25/2002, With Computers, More is Not Better
As the College continues to purchase more computers than are being
retired, our limited support staff are being stretched increasingly
thin to support and service them effectively. Since near-term growth
in staffing is not likely, we must focus on replacing computers that
we already own, rather than acquiring more workstations. For this
reason, using funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year to
purchase new computers must be seriously cut back. (If you wish to
replace older computers, please be prepared to identify those old ones
which will be coming out of service.) For a full description of the
problem, and some solutions being put into place now, please see our
Procurement Policies document at http://www.macalester.edu/infoplan/procurement.html.
[Bulletin]
04/25/2002, New Media Reserve Policy
Next autumn, Media Services will follow a new procedure to reserve
media titles. Due to greatly increased requests to put videos, DVDs
and laserdiscs on reserve, we need more lead time from patrons. Many
titles are shared by a number of professors over the semester, so
reservations should be placed well in advance in order to coordinate
these multiple uses. Media Services needs to receive reserve requests
by August 23rd in order to retrieve and place programs on reserve by
the start of classes.
Faculty may continue to e-mail their requests or course syllabi to
Kristi Wheeler, wheeler@macalester.edu, or
use the new Faculty Reserve Request form on the Media Services Web
page. The address is http://www.macalester.edu/mediaservices/.
[Bulletin]
04/25/2002, Upscale Phones
In order to contain costs in Telecomm, if you wish to have a phone with
a display and/or speaker, be prepared to pay the cost! All new
requests for these phones will require an authorization from the
corresponding department head as the difference in cost is the
resposibilty of your department. The range in cost difference is
$50-$90. Of course the central budget will continue to supply basic
telephones where needed. Please direct any questions to
Telecommunications at x6566. [Bulletin]
04/25/2002, Interlibrary Loan Services: May
Wednesday, May 8 is the last day for students to place ILL requests
for the Spring semester. Also, as per our usual policy, the
interlibrary loan service will be closed May 28Ð31 in order to clean
up outstanding records and complete end-of-year recordkeeping.
[Bulletin]
04/22/2002, CARS unavailable 5/3 after hours
The CARS system will be unavailable on Friday, May 3, beginning at 4:30 PM.
The system will be down until midnight that same day, so that we may refresh
the training database (as part of the ongoing Payroll conversion). Please
do not schedule any jobs to run that night. If you have questions or concerns,
please contact Ramón Rentas at x.6633. [Notification-L]
04/18/2002, Micro Fund timetable
All requests submitted
by the April 5 deadline will be reviewed twice - first by CIT staff on technical
grounds, and then by a subgroup of the Information Services Advisory Committee,
which will make decisions. All applicants will be notified as soon as
decisions are made. We hope to finish the decision-making process before
the end of the semester. All new equipment awarded through this round
of the Micro Fund will be purchased beginning June 1, with the college’s
new fiscal year; all gear will be delivered as quickly as possible, before
the beginning of classes Fall semester. Regrettably, we cannot accommodate
requests to move any award to "the top of the list." [Bulletin]
04/18/2002, Need a student phone number?
You have
many available options. The on-line directory available from the main
Macalester Web page (www.macalester.edu) includes all on- and off-campus
students, as does the back of your Staff/Faculty Directory. You can also
be connected to on-campus students' phones by using x.6777, our automated
directory of on-campus departments and people. If you have any problems
using these resources, please contact the switchboard at x.6000 or Telecommunications
at x.6566. [Bulletin]
04/18/2002, Please dial 9 0 # - not!
If someone identifying themselves
as an AT&T Technician calls you and states that to complete a test on
our phone lines you should touch 9, 0, #, and then hang up, just hang
up! This is a scam that will give callers access to an outside line in
places of business that have their own phone networks, like ours. Our
phone network has been programmed to block such a request. Your home phone
line is not capable of this. For more information, check www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/90pound.html. [Bulletin, Today]
04/18/2002, What does that button do?
Would your department like
a refresher course on the functions of your phone or the capabilities
of your voicemail box? If so, call Telecommunications at x.6566 to schedule
a visit with Kelly Borke. [Bulletin]
04/18/2002, I want to stay informed
And we want to keep
you informed. If you are not already subscribed to Notification-L, point
your browser to http://subscribe.macalester.edu/notification-l
and do so. Notification-L is Information Services' quickest method for
getting the word out regarding IT issues of general interest, particularly
regarding planned and unplanned system events. All Information Services
postings to Notification-L, Bulletin and the Today are archived on the
Web at www.macalester.edu/infoservices
for your perusal. [Bulletin]
04/18/2002, Network registration
Beginning Fall 2002,
all students (and staff who are in the dorms) will be asked to register
their computer to obtain Internet access. Registration will be on-line,
fast and easy, and may be accomplished with any web browser on any platform.
No private information will be collected - this is a technical requirement
of our network addressing protocol. Information on the registration process
will be on the 2002-03 "Get Connected!" CD-ROM, which is distributed to
everyone at Macalester in the Fall. Contact Joel Clemmer at clemmer@macalester.edu with
questions. [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, Microcomputer Fund Timetable
All requests submitted by the April 5 deadline will be reviewed twice
- first by CIT staff on technical grounds, then by a subgroup of the Information
Services Advisory Committee, which will make decisions. All applicants
will be notified as soon as decisions are made. We hope to finish the
decision-making process before the end of the semester. All new equipment
awarded through this round of the Micro Fund will be purchased beginning
June 1, with the College's new fiscal year; all gear will be delivered
as quickly as possible, before the beginning of classes in Fall semester.
Regrettably, we cannot accomodate requests to move any award to "the top
of the list." [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, AIA-Carnegie Open Meetings
Social Sciences faculty: the search committee will shortly be bringing
to campus candidates for the newly-created Academic Information
Associate position in the Social Sciences. Open meetings, at which
all interested Carnegie faculty and staff may meet the candidates,
will be announced as soon as they are scheduled. Your thoughts on the
candidates will be most helpful to us in making this crucial hire, so
please watch for these announcements and come if you can! [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, Heard of 696-NEWS?
Well, it's going away. 696-NEWS had been the number to call for campus
closings and other major campus events. It is published in the
Staff/Faculty Directory and in student publications. Because of its
rare use, it has been decided to eliminate 696-NEWS and make such
information available at the switchboard at x6000. If it is "after
hours," the x6000 greeting will be updated to reflect any closing or
event status. If you have any questions, please call
Telecommunications at x6566. [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, What Does That Button Do?
Would your department like a refresher course on the functions of your
phone or the capabilities of your voicemail box? If so, call
Telecommunications at x6566, to schedule a visit from Kelly Borke. [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, I Want to Stay Informed!
And we want to keep you informed. If you are not already subscribed
to Notification-L, point your browser to
http://subscribe.macalester.edu/notification-l/ and do so.
Notification-L is Information Services' quickest method for getting
the word out regarding IT issues of general interest, particularly
regarding planned and unplanned system events. All Information
Services postings to Notification-L, the Bulletin and the Today are
archived on the Web at http://www.macalester.edu/infoservices/ for
your perusal. (Hint: you're reading that page now.) [Bulletin]
04/11/2002, Food for Thought: Lunchtime Lyrics
Macalester's own Stephen Burt
and Wang Ping will read
selections from their poetry in the Harmon Room on April 17, 2002 at
noon. Their readings will showcase the diversity of their work and
give people glimpses into the work and lives of contemporary poets.
The poetry reading is part of the Harmon Reading and Research series
and celebrates National Poetry Month and National Library Week. We
will have copies of two books, one by Stephen Burt and one by Wang
Ping, for a free prize drawing. Please bring your brown bag lunch.
Cookies and beverages will be provided. For more information, please
contact Clem Guthro, x6208.
[Bulletin]
04/11/2002, Not-So-Brilliant Software
This week's tech news reveals that a company named Brilliant Digital
Entertainment has piggy-backed its own networking software on the
popular file sharing program, KaZaa. We recommend that KaZaa users
uninstall BDE. Check http://www.macalester.edu/cit/docs/howto/index.htm to see how.
[Bulletin]
04/11/2002, Network Registration
Beginning Fall 2002, all students (and staff who are in the dorms)
will be asked to register their computer to obtain Internet access.
Registration will be on-line, fast and easy, and may be accomplished
with any web browser on any platform. No private information will be
collected - this is a technical requirement of our network addressing
protocol. Information on the registration process will be on the
2002-2003 'Get Connected!' CD-ROM, which is distributed to everyone at
Macalester in the Fall. Questions? Contact Joel Clemmer at x6700.
[Bulletin]
04/10/2002, Software
CIT has the latest versions of many common software packages
such as Netscape, Internet Explorer and Winzip available
for download at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/services/software/ [Today]
04/08/2002, CARS Downtime 4/13/02
The CARS system will be taken down next Saturday, April 13, beginning
at 8:00 AM in order to refresh the data in the 'train' database. This
is part of the continuing Payroll/Human Resources conversion. CARS
will be brought back up at approximately 3:00 PM the same day. If you
have questions, please contact Ramón Rentas at x.6633.
[Notification-L]
04/04/2002, Inbox Bloat is Slowing Service for Everyone!
Mail messages that you leave in your Inbox are stored in a different
place than messages that have been filed into other mail folders.
There is a limited amount of space allocated for Inboxes on the mail
server, but a very generous amount alloted for other mail folders.
Please keep the number of messages in your Inbox small, move messages
you want to save to other folders, and save attachments outside of
e-mail and delete the message containing the attachment. The speed of
the mail server is slowed down by large Inboxes, and the mail server
will crash if the allocated space fills up. Mulberry will also be
much faster if you have a small number of messages in your Inbox.
We are running periodic jobs to warn people if the size of their Inbox
gets too large. You do not need to delete messages, just move them
from your Inbox to another folder. If we send multiple warnings, and
Inboxes aren't cleaned up, we will be forced to move the messages from
your Inbox to another mail folder in order to keep the mail server
running properly.
If you are using Eudora and get a message warning you about the size
of your Inbox, you may have Eudora configured to leave messages on the
server after it downloads them to your computer. Please contact the
Help Desk at x.6525 for help cleaning out your Inbox and reconfiguring
Eudora to not leave messages on the server. You can also contact the
Help Desk for assistance if you don't know how to create mailboxes and
move messages. [Bulletin]
04/04/2002, A New Voice at the Switchboard
The "voice of Macalester College" has changed. Diane Bjorklund is the new
switchboard operator and its her voice you will usually hear when you
call x.6000. Diane joined CIT on March 21; she has held positions in
Admissions and Development before
making the move to CIT.
Toni Schrantz has moved
on, to be the Administrative Assistant in Philosphy and Religious
Studies. Congratulations to both! [Bulletin]
04/04/2002, Micro Fund Deadline is Here
If you have not already applied to the Microcomputer Fund to replace
computers that are four years old or older, it's almost too late. All
requests need to be submitted to David Sisk in CIT by close of
business on Friday, April 5. Not sure how old your computer is? Check
the Macalester ID sticker; if it's 12563 or below,
the computer qualifies for replacement. Full details and application
forms are on the Web at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/general/funding.html
or call David at x.6745. [Bulletin]
04/04/2002, Phone & Voicemail Refresher Offered
Would your department like a refresher course on the functions of our
campus telephone system or the capabilities of our voicemail system?
If so, call Telecommunications, x.6566, to schedule a visit to your
department from Kelly Borke. [Bulletin]
04/04/2002, Heard of 696-NEWS?
Well, it's going away. 696-NEWS had been the number to call to hear
the status on campus closings and other major campus events. It is
published in the Staff/Faculty Directory and in student publications.
Since most of us didn't remember 696-NEWS because of it's rare use, it
has been decided to make any such information available at the
switchboard (x.6000). If it is "after hours," the x.6000 greeting
will be updated to reflect any closing or event status. If you have
any questions, please call Telecommunications at x.6566. [Bulletin]
04/02/2002, Inbox Bloat is Slowing Service for Everyone!
Mail messages that you leave in your Inbox are stored in a different
place than messages that have been filed into other mail folders.
There is a limited amount of space allocated for Inboxes on the mail
server, but a very generous amount alloted for other mail folders.
Please keep the number of messages in your Inbox small, move messages
you want to save to other folders, and save attachments outside of
e-mail and delete the message containing the attachment. The speed of
the mail server is slowed down by large Inboxes, and the mail server
will crash if the allocated space fills up. Mulberry will also be
much faster if you have a small number of messages in your Inbox.
We are running periodic jobs to warn people if the size of their Inbox
gets too large. You do not need to delete messages, just move them
from your Inbox to another folder. If we send multiple warnings, and
Inboxes aren't cleaned up, we will be forced to move the messages from
your Inbox to another mail folder in order to keep the mail server
running properly.
If you are using Eudora and get a message warning you about the size
of your Inbox, you may have Eudora configured to leave messages on the
server after it downloads them to your computer. Please contact the
Help Desk at x.6525 for help cleaning out your Inbox and reconfiguring
Eudora to not leave messages on the server. You can also contact the
Help Desk for assistance if you don't know how to create mailboxes and
move messages. [Notification-L]
04/01/2002, Message #1 MICROCOMPUTER FUND DEADLINE - FRIDAY, APRIL 5
Applications for the first round of the 2002-03 Microcomputer Fund are
due by Friday, April 5. Any computer with a Macalester ID number of
12563 or below is old enough to qualify. Full details and forms are on
the Web at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/general/funding.html.
Please send completed forms to David Sisk in CIT. [Bulletin Flash, Staff and Faculty versions]
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