INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
October 2006
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Announcements from the Bulletin, Today, Notification-L

10/31/06, Blocking Automatic Upgrade of Internet Explorer

This message contains instructions that must be followed TODAY, Tuesday October 31. Happy Halloween!

Microsoft is releasing an upgrade to its Internet Explorer Web browser, which will be automatically delivered as a Windows system update. As reported in October's Bulletin, ITS has been warned about incompatibilities between Internet Explorer 7 and both Sungard's Banner and Wells Fargo's PCard systems. To protect Banner and PCard processes, we have installed a 'block' that will prevent the automatic upgrade from IE 6 to IE 7. This block is a temporary measure, and will be removed when Sungard and Wells Fargo certify that their systems will work properly with IE 7. No other automatic Windows updates will be affected. Macintosh users and students may ignore this notice altogether.

To enable the block, you need to doubleclick on the "IE7 Blocker" icon in the Novell Application Launcher window. If you do not see such an icon, follow these steps:

*Close the NAL window
*Click the 'Start' menu and choose Run
*Type "nal" (without quotes)
*Hit Enter

Please note that this block prevents only the automatic upgrade of IE. If you do not use Banner or a College-issued PCard, you may certainly download and install IE 7, available directly from Microsoft here:

www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

If you are a Windows user who does not normally log into Novell, you may download the IE 7 block from our own network, here:

www.macalester.edu/crash/software/pc/misc/ie7blocker.exe

If you have questions about the block or need assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk at x.6525. [Notification-L, also Bulletin Flash]

10/27/06, Limited Help Desk Services, November 6-8
All of ITS' professional Help Desk staff members will be attending an international user services conference Monday November 6 through Wednesday November 8. In their absence, Help Desk student consultants and other ITS staff will keep the Help Desk open for regular hours. Please note that during these three days, response to problem reports will be slower than normal. We recognize the inconvenience this may cause and ask you to bear with us as our staff participate in this enriching professional development opportunity. [Bulletin, also 10/31]

10/25/06, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, PCards and Banner

*If you use Banner or a PCard, DO NOT upgrade to Internet Explorer 7.*

*If you use Banner or a PCard, DO NOT upgrade to Firefox 2.*

Microsoft is releasing the newest version of their Web browser, Internet Explorer 7. This new version will be distributed as an automatic update to the Windows operating system - meaning it will come directly from Microsoft to your PC. (Macintosh users will not be affected.) If you use Sungard's Banner, or if you have a College-issued Wells Fargo PCard, you should NOT install Internet Explorer 7. We are told that the software will give users an "accept/decline" button. DECLINE.

Currently both Sungard and Wells Fargo are still testing IE 7. The new version of the browser is known to have some incompatibilities with Banner. It may or may not cause problems with PCard accounting. In both cases the vendors are not giving us clear information about how Microsoft's new product will work with Sungard's Banner and Wells Fargo's PCard services. In the absence of such clear information, you are strongly encouraged to DECLINE the update and continue using Internet Explorer version 6.

Mozilla is also releasing a new version of the Firefox browser, 2.0. This will not be pushed, but is available as a Web download. If you have a PC and you use Sungard's Banner, or if you have a College-issued Wells Fargo PCard, you should NOT download and install Firefox 2.

We are working to get straight answers from Sungard and Wells Fargo, and we are told that their technical staffs are working on resolving problems with IE 7. You are encouraged to hold off on upgrading Internet Explorer and Firefox until we get these answers and pass them along to you. If you accidentally upgrade to IE 7 and wish to backgrade to version 6, please contact the ITS Help Desk at x.6525 or via e-mail at helpdesk@macalester.edu. [Notification-L, also Bulletin 10/27, 10/31. Additionally, this information has been sent directly to all PCard holders by the Director of Purchasing.]

10/20/06, Don't Be Fooled
"This Phone is Tapped........" Have you seen this label on some public phones around campus? There is no truth to that supposed 'warning.' If you haven't already, please disregard those prankster labels. These warning labels are removed as we see them. If you have any questions, call Terry Gorman at x6218 or Kelly Borke at x6566. [Bulletin, also 10/24]

10/20/06, Have You ICE'd Your Cel Phone?
Take a moment right now to put "ICE" by the names of the people in your cel phone's addressbook you'd want called in case of emergency. That's what "ICE" stands for - "in case of emergency."

The ICE program was conceived by a British paramedic in May 2005. He got tired of trying to figure out whom to contact when dealing with shocked or injured patients who can't give the information themselves. The idea behind the program is to enable first responders (paramedics, firefighters, police officers) to identify people and contact their next of kin to obtain important medical information. You are encouraged to enter emergency contact person(s) in your cel phonebook in the following format: 1ICE-mom, 2ICE-dad, 3ICE-etc. The number in front of the word ICE keeps the ICE contacts at the top of the phonebook list. So, get out your cel phone and enter your ICE contact information. Share this idea with your family and friends. [Bulletin, also 10/24]

10/19/06, OCS Backup Hardware Maintenance
We will be replacing the hardware that backs up our e-mail system tomorrow, Friday, October 20th, at 5 AM. E-mail will be unavailable from 5 AM until 6:30 AM. During this time, incoming mail will be held; it will be delivered after service is restored.

Please contact Marisa Brandt at brandtm@macalester.edu or x.6181 with any questions or concerns. [Notification-L]

10/16/06, Corporate Time Server Maintenance
We will be rebooting the Corporate Time server at 4:30 PM this afternoon (10/16) to apply a security patch. Corporate Time will be unavailable from 4:30 PM until approximately 4:35 PM.

Please contact Marisa Brandt with any questions or concerns (brandtm@macalester.edu or x.6181). [Notification-L]

10/13/06, Your Employee Directory
If you haven't already been using the online directory to reach co-workers and students, please check it out (click on "directory" on the Mac home page). Look at your own information and your department's information. If you see errors, contact Human Resources at x6280.

If you use Mozilla Firefox, you can have multiple windows or tabs open (click on File, then New Tab). This way, you can keep the directory window open throughout your workday, and not interrupt other browsing you are doing. If you prefer Internet Explorer, you can have other browsers open (i.e. Mozilla Firefox), or multiple windows of Internet Explorer. Once at the directory, you can search by first name or last name or department or e-mail address. If you have any questions regarding using the online directory, please call Kelly Borke at x6566, or the ITS Help Desk at x6525.

There will be a limited number of printed directories available for those who absolutely need to have one. There is nothing in the printed version that is not online. As an added bonus, the online directory is updated daily. Printed directories will be available to be picked up in the Telecommunications office (Humanities 316) as of Friday, October 13. [Bulletin]

10/10/06, ITS and Library Fall 2006 Classes
Classes for the week of October 16 include Dreamweaver Basics and Introduction to PowerPoint (October 17); Introduction to Excel and Photoshop (October 18); Dreamweaver Beyond the Basics, Dreamweaver Interactivity and PowerPoint Animation for Windows (October 19). Sign up at www.macalester.edu/infoservices/training. [Bulletin, also 10/13]

10/03/06, FRANCIS Interface is Changing
FRANCIS, a subscription database that indexes a wide range of multilingual, multidisciplinary research in the arts & humanities and social sciences with particular emphasis on current trends in European and world literature, has changed interfaces. Take a look by clicking here. [Bulletin]

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