IET Report : Information and Educational Technology Operational Highlights
Migration of student email accounts to Gmail wraps up in December
Last fall, IET began converting all undergraduate and graduate student email accounts from Cyrus to Gmail-powered “DavisMail” accounts. Approximately 29,000 student email accounts were migrated between October 6 and December 5, 2008. During the migration, the IT Express Computing Services Help Desk received roughly 300 DavisMail related support calls (about 1% of the total number of accounts migrated). Students will continue to access their accounts through MyUCDavis, and there was no change to their email addresses, login IDs, and passwords. Students who are currently redirecting their email account to another service and want to use a DavisMail account will need to go to the Computing Accounts Web page to select the DavisMail service. While there are no immediate or specific plans to implement the service for staff and faculty, UC Office of the President (UCOP) is looking into a contract with Google that would allow the service to be available to the rest of the campus community. Contact: IT Express Computing Services Help Desk, 530-754-HELP (4357). Contact: Gaston DeFerrari, project manager, gdeferrari@ucdavis.edu.
Major campus services get new IP addresses; ISUN retires
A number of IET-Data Center services including the campus WWW service, UC Davis Web Mail (Geckomail), MyUCDavis, and Courseware were moved to new IP addresses on the new Virtual Local Area Network (VLANs) last fall. The move was prompted by the imminent retirement of the current IP VLANs.
Also slated for retirement are the ISUN servers which will no longer be available starting February 25. ISUN is an interactive Unix access service, started in the 1970s, and up until 2002, all users were automatically given an ISUN account when they set up their computing account. The service was originally intended to enable those users without computers or easy access to the internet to have a free common place area to work, with limited services and availability of packages, such as compilers, editors, email packages, etc. With the migration of campus email users to the Cyrus email servers last year and the proliferation of personal computers and internet availability, there are no longer any significant services provided by the ISUN service.
In preparation for the transition, IET began contacting all ISUN account holders in December to ask them to move any necessary files from their ISUN account to their desktop or myspace.ucdavis.edu account.
IT Express help desk consultants will continue to individually contact every faculty member who currently uses pine for email to assist them personally with migrating to a different supported email client. Contact: Jatinder Singh, project lead, jatsingh@ucdavis.edu
Online Course Management and Collaboration
SmartSite sees increase in usage
After a smooth upgrade to SmartSite in late summer, the number of courses using SmartSiteto host content rose during fall quarter to 889—up from 540 courses last spring. Other recent SmartSite project highlights include:
- A redesigned Gradebook. Work continued throughout fall 2008 with all of the primary interface screens nearing completion. The first set of screens were released to the SmartSite QA team at the end of November, and the project continues on target for early user testing during winter quarter.
- Guest access capability. This project is also nearing completion and was released to the QA team at the end of the calendar year.
- Online course evaluation tool. IET began initial research on a tool developed by Virginia Tech and Cambridge University that offers online course evaluation capabilities. The SmartSite team plans to do additional research on integration, training and documentation before deciding to deploy the new feature.
Development of these features is informed by the SmartSite Oversight Committee headed by Professors Lori Lubin and Susan Keen (vpiet.ucdavis.edu/smartsiteoversight.cfm). In addition to programming and planning developments, IET hosted a three-day workshop for Sakai community programmers working on kernel and user-interface redesigns for future releases of Sakai/SmartSite. Attendees from Cambridge University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Georgia Tech, University of Michigan, Stanford University and the Sakai Foundation exchanged valuable technical and planning information. Contact: Kirk Alexander, project manager, kdalex@ucdavis.edu. Web site: smartsite.ucdavis.edu
Telecommunications and Networking
Telecom billing statements now downloadable
In October, IET-Communications Resources (CR) released a new Web-based tool called e-Bill that allows Authorized Telecommunication Representatives (ATRs) to download their department’s monthly telecommunications billing statements. e-Bill provides ATRs with the ability to distribute their department’s telecommunications statements electronically, facilitating more efficient, paperless business processes and reducing paper waste. It also helps eliminate the cost of printing the telecommunications statements. Web site: cr.ucdavis.edu/atrportal/ebill.pdf. Contact: Dave Klem, IET-Communications Resources Director, djklem@ucdavis.edu
CENIC optical connection upgrade completed
IET has completed the upgrade of the CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) optical multiplexing hardware between the UC Davis and CENIC networks. The upgrade will provide additional capacity for establishing high-bandwidth (10 Gigabyte/second) connections between UC Davis and other research institutions in California. Contact: Mark Redican, NOC manager, mredican@ucdavis.edu. Web site: cenic.org
The first stage of the campus network infrastructure upgrade completed
IET’s UCDNet3 project team is working to upgrade the entire campus network infrastructure over the next three years. As of January, IET completed the first stage of the UCDNet3 project which replaced the network core and the Area Distribution Frame (ADF) routers. The core and ADFs were replaced during non-business hours without interruptions in network service. The new hardware provides increased capacity in the form of 10 Gb/second connections for the campus network. The project Web site, ucdnet3.ucdavis.edu, explains the objectives and implementation plan of the UCDNet3 project. On the site is a schedule that details when each ADF was replaced. The next stage of the project will be posted in early spring. Contact: Mark Redican, NOC manager, mredican@ucdavis.edu
NetID replacement—RFP process continues
In August, IET released an RFP to procure the most effective and cost efficient Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) system. In November, the RFP was updated and reissued, and all bid packages are scheduled for review in January 2009. Finalists will be asked to present a demonstration and submit their system to a 30-day confidence test. A contract will be awarded based on the outcome of the confidence test which is scheduled for February. Contact: Mark Redican, NOC manager, mredican@ucdavis.edu
Online Directory Services project focuses on departmental listings
Last July, the Campus Directory printing costs were identified in IET’s Budget Reduction Initiatives for fiscal year 2008–2009 (vpiet.ucdavis.edu/budget.cfm). As a result, the 2008–2009 printed UC Davis Campus Directory will be the last directory published. To replace the printed edition with online functionality, IET has created the online individual listings in the UC Davis People Search (ucdavis.edu/search/search_people.html), a tool that searches faculty, staff and student contact information. Next, IET will publish more of the printed directory’s content on the Web by developing an online version of the departmental listings. In the printed directory, the departmental listings contained contact information for campus services and academic departments. Additionally, they served as a valuable set of cross-references and “key terms” that made searching through the listings more efficient. These two main pieces of functionality are what IET hopes to capture in the first iteration of the online departmental listings. IET plans to convene a newly formed Online Directory Advisory Board by early 2009 to provide input on the design and functionality for the online departmental listings. Contact: Nick Barbulesco, ucdlesco@ucdavis.edu
Campus community updates personal information in WarnMe
WarnMe, the official emergency notification system for the campus, now has a publicized WarnMe Web site that allows faculty, staff, and students to enter and update personal contact information. IET launched the site last October and to date, more than 20,000 people have logged in to update their contact information. Additionally, changes were made to the voice networks on campus and at the Medical Center in order to improve the capacity of concurrent calls placed and received during an emergency. The improvements were made as a result of network testing in February 2008. IET is planning another round of testing in early 2009 to verify the improvements. Web site: warnme.ucdavis.edu
West campus utilities project—update
IET is working to revamp the voice and data infrastructure at the Primate Center on the west side of campus. CR engineers and technicians have begun to convert the voice telecommunications backbone infrastructure from older, copper-based technologies to the fiber-optic-based Digital Loop Carrier (DLC). Construction of the state-of-the-art, secure, and environmentally controlled facility to house the new voice and data infrastructure and electronics is complete and most of the electronics have been installed. The project is scheduled for completion this January. Contact: Diane Bahr, ECM manager, ldbahr@ucdavis.edu
Cellular coverage expansion continues
Since July of 2007, UC Davis has been working with four cellular carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon) to install cell sites on the main campus. An informational Web site (cellsites.ucdavis.edu) created by IET-Communications Resources, illustrates the cell tower construction progress. Sprint has completed construction of a new cell site atop Chemistry Annex and T-Mobile has installed a new cell site atop of Kerr Hall, both of which will be operational in January. Verizon’s new cell site, next to the north quad parking structure, has been up and running since January 2008. Plans to install an AT&T cell site on the roof of Hutchison are slated for completion in early spring. Contact: Zack O’Donnell, service manager, zmodonnell@ucdavis.edu
Campus dial-up internet service ended New Year's Day
On January 1, IET ended the campus dial-up network service. This change is part of the 2008-2009 budget reductions (vpiet.ucdavis.edu/budget.cfm), and was based on the cost of continuing to provide the service for the small number of customers still using it. To allow clients time to implement an alternative means of connecting to the internet, IET began a six-month phase out of the service starting last July. A final reminder regarding the change to service was sent in December to all individuals who had used the modem service within the last year.
Security
SSL VPN service deployed for campus departments
A new security solution called Secure Socket Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) is available for campus departments. Through SSL VPN, campus departments can license the same technology currently employed by the UC Davis Library VPN Service, which allows UC Davis constituents to access restricted library resources that are not available to the public from remote locations via any standard internet connection. Web site: cr.ucdavis.edu/sslvpn
CAS to undergo enhancements
The Central Authentication Service (CAS) has replaced DistAuth for a number of significant central applications including the campus portal MyUCDavis. CAS has successfully handled the effects of additional usage. A series of CAS enhancements and improvements over the next four months will provide improved single sign-out capabilities, auditing capabilities, and a high availability configuration to reduce downtime in the event of an outage. Contact: Hampton Sublett, middleware program manager, hbsublett@ucdavis.edu
Identity management oversight committee begins scope definition
Having established a memorandum of understanding between the UC Davis Health System and IET last November, Identity Management Oversight Committee co-chairs Mike Allred and Robert Ono are working with managers and technical staff to define the phases involved in developing and implementing an identity management architecture. The resulting proposal was reviewed by Identity Management Oversight Committee on December 18 with the goal of making a recommendation regarding the scope of this important project. Contact Robert Ono, IT security coordinator, raono@ucdavis.edu. Web site: vpiet.ucdavis.edu/init_identity.cfm
Computing services and security conference set for June 16-17, 2009
Planning for the event combining UCCSC and the IT Security Symposium, now dubbed UCCSC-Focus on Security, continues. Classrooms and labs have been reserved, and the Tercero Dining Hall will serve as the central location for registration, meals and networking opportunities. In light of current budget restrictions and based on the feedback of CIOs from multiple campuses, the conference schedule has been modified from events of past years. Modifications include reducing the conference from two and a half to two days, shifting the event kick-off from Sunday to Tuesday, and ensuring the registration fee remains below $125 (about half the traditional UCCSC registration fee). The 2009 event will offer registrants the opportunity to attend multiple lectures and hands-on labs relevant to technical professionals across the UC campuses. Ample opportunities for social networking will also be provided. The planning team is now seeking presentation proposals from managers and technical professionals from each of the UC campuses. To submit a proposal, visit uccsc2009.ucdavis.edu. Proposals will be accepted through February 2009. Contact: Julie McCall, jdmccall@ucdavis.edu
Cyber-safety reporting
The 2008 deadline for submitting Cyber-safety reports was on December 19. Robert Ono, the campus IT security coordinator, is reviewing and analyzing the reports submitted by each college, school and administrative office. Vice Provost and CIO Pete Siegel and Ono will present findings from the Cyber-safety reports to the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors (CODVC) in March. They are expected to discuss report findings as well as next steps for improving the campus’ security posture. Contact Robert Ono, IT security coordinator, raono@ucdavis.edu
Server room physical security proposal to be reviewed
A small workgroup has proposed a plan to integrate server room physical security provisions with the campus Cyber-safety security standards. The draft proposal has received positive feedback and support from several campus constituent groups. In conjunction with this proposal, the workgroup is revising the server room physical security assessment tool. In February, the workgroup will present the proposal and revised assessment tool to the Cyber-safety Oversight Committee for review and approval. Contact Robert Ono, IT security coordinator, raono@ucdavis.edu
Password standards review
As part of the Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) replacement project, the project team is exploring potential updates to the campus password standards and password reset processes. The team will present a proposal to campus advisory groups this winter. Current plans call for the campus to replace its Kerberos KDC in the fall of 2009. This transition will require all campus account holders to select a password, making the transition to the new KDC an opportune time to update campus password standards and password reset processes. Contact: Robert Ono, IT security coordinator, raono@ucdavis.edu.
Online backup service to be chosen
A new Web page on the IET computer security Web site provides information for people seeking online data backup services. Ten questions you should ask before using an online backup service (security.ucdavis.edu/backupquestions.cfm) provides suggestions for steps to take and questions to ask before entrusting an online service with important data. Contact: Julie McCall, jdmccall@ucdavis.edu
Campus license for Identity Finder
UC Davis and the UC Davis Health System recently purchased licenses for Identity Finder, a scanning tool that searches computers to locate and secure personal identity information. Licenses were purchased after campus testing determined that Identity Finder offers several benefits not provided by other tools, including fewer false positives and the capability to search additional file formats (e.g., PST files and databases). Personal identity scanning software can also assist e-discovery document searches. Resources related to Identity Finder, including download instructions and deployment guides are available via the campus SmartSite project Web site. Additional information and instructions for requesting a license are available at my.ucdavis.edu/software.
User Support, Communication and Outreach
Higher Education Act requires the campus to plan for copyright infringement
Last September, Congress passed the new Higher Education Act—an 1100+ page document that included a few paragraphs requiring institutions to implement plans to block copyright infringement. While the Department of Education devises a framework for addressing the requirements passed in the Higher Education Act, the campus will continue to educate the community on the perils of copyright infringement(notifications for the current academic year seem to be running just under last year’s counts, with no new pre-settlement letters at UC Davis.) To learn more about copyright infringement, UC Davis sent representatives last fall to an anti-piracy conference hosted by a leader in infringement detection. The conference provided much information on how the DMCA notification process works from the other side. The campus also participated in a second conference held in LA at the end of October, where representatives from the entertainment industry, higher education and technology companies collaboratively discussed the future of entertainment copyrights. Contact: Jan Carmikle, intellectual property officer, jdcarmikle@ucdavis.edu
IT Express completes pilot survey to measure customer satisfaction
The IT Express Computing Services Help Desk conducted a 30-day customer satisfaction survey pilot which concluded on September 5, 2008. The survey was used to measure client satisfaction, help desk strengths as well as identify areas in need of improvement. Of the 1,439 surveys sent, 222 were returned yielding a 15% response rate.
The results of the survey, collected and analyzed by the IET-Client Services Reporting group, were very positive with over 90% of clients reporting satisfaction across all five questions. Clients were most satisfied with the courtesy and respectfulness of their help desk consultant. Faculty and staff reported the most satisfaction at 93%, while students reported 80% satisfaction. Students had the highest number of support requests for issues that fell outside of the scope of IT Express services—this may help explain their lower level of satisfaction. Across all support cases, dissatisfaction was usually associated with an application, system, service, or policy that falls outside of the scope of IT Express services rather than dissatisfaction with the help desk or consultant. Upon completion of the pilot survey, IET management decided to continue using the survey as an ongoing tool for evaluating satisfaction. The survey may be implemented by other Client Services units and used to evaluate other IET services in the future. Contact: IT Express Computing Services Help Desk, 530-754-HELP (4357). Contact: Morna Mellor, director, IET-Data Center and Client Services, mwmellor@ucdavis.edu
IT Express Computing Services Help Desk continues to provide critical project support
During the period from October through January, IET staff provided support for the following events and projects:
- Dorm move-in weekend—Staff members were on hand to welcome the incoming class of 2012 during dorm move-in weekend, staff assisted students with registering their computers for use on Resnet, helped troubleshoot connectivity problems, and answered general questions about computing resources on campus.
- DistAuth to CAS transition—Throughout fall, as part of the ongoing replacement of the old Distributed Authentication service (DistAuth) with the newer Central Authentication Service (CAS) which provides enterprise-level Web site single sign on, several campus Web sites were moved behind CAS login pages, including MyUCDavis and MyUCDavis Course Management, PPS and SIS Decision Support, the Communications Resources Online Invoice System and MyInfoVault. During the transition, IT Express assisted approximately 220 users with updating their campus computing accounts to access the new authentication system.
- DavisMail migration—Between October and December, over 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students were migrated from the central campus mail servers to the new DavisMail service, powered by Google. DavisMail offers students a Web-based client with more features than Geckomail, and a disk quota of over 7 GB instead of the default 60 MB on the campus servers. IT Express provided post-migration support and assistance for users accessing the new system and configuring desktop clients for DavisMail. Contact: IT Express Computing Services Help Desk, 530-754-HELP (4357).
IT Times moves to electronic distribution only
The IT Times is moving online. Starting with the midwinter issue, the 16-year-old newsletter will be distributed electronically instead of by campus mail, to save money and paper. The electronic IT Times will be produced as an 8.5x11-inch PDF that readers can print easily (the smaller size began with the fall 2008 issue). The IT Times will still focus on news and information about campus technology at UC Davis with the goal of explaining how that technology can help staff and faculty. The newsletter will also continue as a periodical companion to TechNews, a campus information service for students, faculty and staff that posts items online every week. People can sign up to receive a notice when each issue is ready by subscribing to TechNews updates at technews.ucdavis.edu; postcard reminders will also be sent to the old IT Times campus mailing list for an issue or two, to remind readers to look for the publication online. Contact: ietpubs@ucdavis.edu
Publications, outreach help prepare for new academic year
The IET Communication Workgroup’s preparations for the start of the 2008-09 school year included various outreach efforts. The group created and distributed a new campus tech map which outlines wireless hot spots and printing locations; posters promoting the new computer room in 182 Shields and an anti-phishing warning; and a new business card promoting TechNews, among its usual publications and Web posts. The group also staffed and assisted dorm resource fairs, dorm move-in, and Fall Welcome events on campus and in downtown Davis. Contact: ietpubs@ucdavis.edu
Multimedia
New help request form helps assess faculty needs
In the fall, the Faculty Support Group worked in collaboration with the Teaching Resources Center (TRC), to implement a new “faculty help request form.” The form is being used to assess faculty needs ranging from pedagogical to technical support. Feedback gathered from the forms have helped the Faculty Support team target assistance for SmartSite, podcasting, Audience Response system (clickers) use, laptop network and projection configuration, and use of classroom SmartPanels.
Faculty Support has also provided new documentation on the use of the Test and Quiz tool in SmartSite and redesigned the main Web page as well as the SmartSite help system home page. The changes made to the Web pages were based on input from users collected from individual contacts and tickets recorded at IT Express. At the same time the main SmartSite page was reconfigured to permit the posting of training class schedules, tips for using SmartSite and SmartSite system maintenance schedules. Contact: Kirk Alexander, kdalex@ucdavis.edu
Media Services highlights
The Media Services unit of IET provided audio and video production services to support live case conferences for the 2008 Vascular Interventional Advances (VIVA) Conference (vivapvd.com/). IET was contracted by Dr. John Laird and the UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) Vascular Surgery Center to record and transmit live surgical cases from UCDMC to 1,500 conference attendees in Las Vegas via fiber optics. The three-day project required a production crew of eight, and combined four broadcast cameras and eight imaging sources transmitting live to the Wynn Conference Center. Contact: Paul VerWey, paverwey@ucdavis.edu
Plans in works for Adobe ConnectPro upgrade
IET is in the planning stages for upgrading Adobe ConnectPro to version 7.0. The plan also includes upgrading the server hardware to meet the requirements of the new software and to improve the reliability of the service to campus. Two units of IET, Academic Technology Services and the campus Data Center, will be collaborating on a migration strategy to ensure a smooth upgrade. Contact: Paul VerWey, paverwey@ucdavis.edu
Software
Software License Coordination unit offers additional Systat software products
Upon annual renewal of the campus agreement with Systat in October, the IET-Software License Coordination (SLC) unit added three new Systat products to the agreement, including AutoSignal, PeakFit, and SigmaScan Pro. Staff and faculty may now purchase these products from the Software Web site (my.ucdavis.edu/software) at the discounted price of $100 per license, which includes maintenance for the contract year. Students may purchase licenses from the campus Bookstore. SLC has offered Systat products—SigmaPlot, SigmaStat, and Systat—to the campus since 2006. Web site: my.ucdavis.edu/software
Identity Finder available to campus technical community
IET purchased a limited number of Identity Finder licenses to distribute within IET and to Technology Infrastructure Forum (TIF) members and Technology Support Coordinators (TSCs). Identity Finder is a scanning tool that searches computers for a wide range of sensitive data types including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth. The software has many benefits including:
- The ability to schedule and manage scans across multiple domains
- Support for Office 2007, Exchange, Thunderbird and Access, Oracle and Filemaker Pro file formats
- Integrated data dispositioning (e.g., shredding file, redact element)
- The ability to preview flagged content within the application