ITS/Inside - Sept. 07

ITS/inside
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Second Edition                                                                                                                                   September 2007

“Longtime Interest in Web Development” says Vann
Kyle Vann, Luminis Coordinator, talks about the past, present and where we are going

Nine years ago, Kyle was a student PC Support technician. His duties were very similar to those of current Technical Support student techs. In those days, buildings were broken up amongst the student technicians as general areas of responsibility. Kyle maintained Taylor Hall, Young Gym as well as the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. After a year as a student tech, he was hired as a full-time PC Support technician.

 

Kyle says he has always been interested in web development. “It’s a dynamic medium, nothing is set in stone,” Kyle remarks, “there are always new avenues to go down.” Kyle personally maintained the Information Services website until 2005, when a programmer took over the duty. Approached by the Administrative Computing team in 2006, Kyle was asked if he would be interested in developing the LioNet portal using a SunGard SCT product called Luminis. He accepted the position, and has since designed and implemented the LioNet portal currently available online.

 

Kyle specializes in web development, using HTML, CSS and XML as well as various other web development applications. He works closely with a team of web development professionals, who include Amanda Gish and Megan Miller. When not at work, he spends time with his new baby boy, Jordan, who arrived two months ago to Kyle and his wife, Christina.

His current undertaking is the SunGard SCT Luminis Content Management System, or LCMS. This system is designed to put the content contribution in the hands of those who are most intimate with their subject matter, such as department heads or faculty members. “The system will have a consistent look and feel. It will allow our users to update their content without knowledge of HTML or technical details.”Kyle continues describing LCMS, “It will also allow departments to delegate content management and maintenance to those who are experts in their respective fields.”

 

Looking ahead, Kyle is eager to further develop the Portal as well as LCMS. The recent addition of Blackboard to the LioNet single sign-on system will further enhance the way MSSU makes use of its available resources. He hopes that much of the MSSU campus community becomes interested and involved in LCMS, with feedback, content generation and collaboration driving the next step in MSSU web development.

 

Live@Edu Debuts Late Winter, Lifelong Email for Students, Alumni
Partnering with Microsoft’s Live@Edu program, email is becoming easier to manage

 

With initial testing near completion, the Live@Edu email program is preparing to replace the Exchange email system currently handling the studentmail.mssu.edu domain, as well as the soon to be discontinued Groupwise student post office, which contains 16,000 users. As the initial testing phase is completed, a small test bed of students will be assembled and assigned accounts in the Live@Edu system. They will be asked to use the new email account as a primary address to simulate the average student’s use, including the sending of files, such as PowerPoint slides and Word documents. This will also serve to discover potential incompatibilities, such as message blockage due to spam filters or firewalls, or user-interface difficulties caused by multiple browsers.

 

The switch over to the new system will be a gradual process. All the mail that currently resides in the Groupwise and Exchange post offices can be “POP’d” or moved over to the new Live accounts if desired. MSSU Helpdesk will have FAQ and How-To guides to ensure that students can successfully move their mail across to the new account.

The look and feel of the Live@Edu accounts is very similar to a normal Microsoft Live account, akin to the older Hotmail accounts. The Live@Edu accounts offer the user more features and allows the student to maintain maximum of 5 GB of storage, much higher than the current limits on current MSSU email accounts. Also, current students will have accounts that do not have any advertising or pop-ups. Microsoft Live accounts are nearly 100% available as well, with no routine maintenance windows. Alumni will also be able to keep their email account indefinitely with the Live@Edu system, with the same 5 GB storage availability. Currently, Google’s Gmail is charging $50 per user per year for the same features as offered my Microsoft’s Live email.

Blackboard Inside LioNet: Single Sign-On Now Available

Banner, Blackboard administrators make Blackboard single sign-on possible

Students accessing resources through LioNet will no longer need to navigate to a separate webpage to log on to Blackboard. Banner and LioNet teams working closely with Blackboard Administrators were able to successfully integrate the Blackboard single sign-on into LioNet. Now students, in addition to personal resources and email access, will be able to log into Blackboard with a single click.

  

 

Helpdesk and Technical Services Update – September 2007
Current Stats and Trends within MSSU Campus Computing

Technical Services – David Tole, Coordinator

 Settling into his role as Technical Services Leader, David Tole has had a strenuous four weeks. Hiring new student technicians was a priority at the beginning of the month. In addition to managing Technical Services, David also works with the Frontline Helpdesk in the Spiva Library. Filling vacant helpdesk support positions was crucial for a smooth transition into the fall semester. Working closely with Debbie Woodmansee, David’s team has produced numerous FAQs and Helpful Documents for the Helpdesk. His next Helpdesk-related project will be integrating the FAQs into the new Helpdesk Website.

Technical Services has been busy with the Footprints Queues and the New Tree conversion that is staging to begin later this fall. Joshua Thomas is currently managing the Novell ZenWorks project that will be in testing soon. Several multimedia classrooms have been installed as well as the Dental Clinic system in the Ummel Technology Building.

 

Remarking on the new group of student techs, David noted, “We are fortunate to have an incredibly hard-working group of students willing and able to assist the campus community with any technical difficulties.” With nearly 4,200 calls for service this month, the new technicians have had a short time to become acquainted with a wide variety of problems and solutions. When asked what makes a good student tech, Joshua Thomas said, “Being careful and checking things twice. Even if you know what you are doing, you can make a mistake.” As the semester continues later into the fall, the initial call load will lessen as the campus community settles into a normal routine.

Helpdesk Operations – Debbie Woodmansee, Leader

The month of September was very busy for the ITS Helpdesk. (See Stat Box for call volume) Debbie Woodmansee reported that many of the calls dealt with the Exchange ActiveX conflict with Vista users. This problem was fixed last week with a system-wide patch applied by the INFRASEC team. Wireless access in the apartments has been a frequent complaint. The structural steel in the walls and ceilings prevent good wireless signal propagation in the dorm rooms. This, combined with 2.4 GHz cordless phones which cause disruptive interference, can prevent students from using the wireless in the rear bedrooms. A solution is actively being researched by Network Administration. Additional call volume included routine calls for account creation and deletion, lost passwords and connectivity issues in various buildings around campus. Normal repair operations remained unchanged with many new software installations and system deployments in several buildings.

 

Helpdesk Defines Issue Priority, Order To The Queue
New policy helps ITS Support Specialists respond more efficiently

The MSSU Helpdesk is using a new policy to simply the response profile for any given problem that may arise on the MSSU campus. A copy of the policy follows:
To further clarify the service priorities of the MSSU ITS Helpdesk, this statement will enumerate the response goals of the Helpdesk personnel.

Service Priority One: Campus
If the whole MSSU campus is unable to successfully utilize the resources provided by MSSU ITS, priority is given ahead of all other objectives.

Service Priority Two: Building
If an entire building is unable to successfully utilize the resources provided by MSSU ITS, priority is given ahead of all other objectives.

Service Priority Three: Department
If an entire department, or an event sponsored by a department, is unable to successfully utilize the resources provided by MSSU ITS, priority is given ahead of all other objectives.

Service Priority Four: Individual
If an individual is unable to successfully utilize the resources provided by MSSU ITS, priority is given ahead of all other objectives.

Service Priority Five: Individual Failure to Utilize Helpdesk Services
If a member of the MSSU campus community tries unsuccessfully to remediate an issue that is typically handled by the Helpdesk, last priority will be assigned to the related Helpdesk issue.

The Helpdesk hopes that the new policy will offer better response times and a more effective distribution of resources about campus. With this shift in emphasis, ITS focuses on a World Class customer support experience.

 

Bringing this new facet to bear, ITS have opened a new Helpdesk location in the Spiva Library, which can be found on the second floor, near the south staircase.