ITS/inside - August '07

ITS/inside
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First Edition; August 2007

Administrative Computing Hires New Programmer
Edward Emanuel fills open Programmer Position, Looks forward to working with ITS Team

With five years at Leggett and Platt as a programmer in the E-Commerce department, Edward Emanuel is a perfect choice for the Banner Administrative Computing programming position he has recently accepted. “He is an experienced programmer, and we felt he was the right person for the job” remarked Tim Owen, Director of Administrative Computing.

 

He is replacing Dan Willers, staff programmer. Moving from the corporate background of Leggett and Platt, Edward enjoys the friendly atmosphere of MSSU Information Technology Services.

 

“It’s awesome,” Edward stated, in reference to the difference between the two work places. “It wasn’t so much the stress of the work I had to do (at Leggett and Platt); it was just the stress of the environment. The environment here is so much more laid back.” A MSSU graduate, he will be programming for the new Banner system and components. His main area of expertise includes .Net, VB6 and .ASP, but he is currently working with .Net at MSSU.

 

Plaster Hall Data Center Complete, Over 100 servers moved
New Data Center makes campus computing easier, more secure

With the last of the Banner servers moved, the Data Center Project located in the first floor of Plaster Hall is finally complete as of late July. The final hours of the nine-month long undertaking went smoothly as the last of the preparations were completed. INFRASEC and Administrative Computing staff worked together to bring the Banner systems online and doubled-checked the servers to ensure all of the data was safe.

The nearly year-long project began with demolition of the old storage area located in the first floor area of Plaster Hall. After the remaining storage items were removed, masonry work started, erecting the walls that would become the new data center. Thanks to the hard work of MSSU Physical Plant, the framing and drywall construction ran ahead of schedule. The new Technical Services area was completed first, followed shortly by the Data Center and the adjoining office areas.

 

Nearly 25,000 feet, or 4.7 miles, of CAT6 copper cable was required to fully wire the Data Center to meet current industry standards. A team of INFRASEC professionals worked long hours to complete the wiring and infrastructure requirements to meet the final move-in deadline. With over 100 servers resting in their new home, the climate controlled environment ensures a secure atmosphere for the invaluable data the MSSU Information Technology Services’ works to protect.

  

ITS INFRASEC Considering Changing Maintenance Window
New time better accommodates schedules, Technical needs of staff, Campus Community

 

From 2003 through 2007, INFRASEC staff has been on campus every Friday night, working on damaged servers, updating systems and protecting data through backups and audits. Some late nights turn into early mornings if a problem arises or systems don’t perform as required. Many times the maintenance window interferes with MSSU sporting events or a staff member working a late evening, preventing their access to the internet or files saved on the network.

The current maintenance window is Friday night, from 5 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. the following Saturday afternoon. Although this time span allows for more intricate repairs and installations, it doesn’t allow Network and Administrative Computing staff to pursue recreational activities or spend time with family and friends. The newly proposed plan would have techs working from 3:30am to 6:45am Monday through Friday, with each morning focusing on a different area. The week would be broken up into shifts so no one has to work more than two mornings.

“It’s a real trade-off,” Ryan Halstead, Electronic Communications, stated. “I know the early mornings will take some adjustment, but I will appreciate having a Friday evening again.” With these changes in mind, the new maintenance schedule will take effect during the final weeks of the summer semester. The new window will run through a trial period to see if the staff and the campus community prefer the changes with respect to the old schedule.

 

Helpdesk New Focus of 2007; New Helpdesk Area in Spiva Library
All support and technical calls must go though Helpdesk, Footprints Ticketing Queue, Second Floor Spiva Library

The new focus of ITS this year is the Helpdesk, located in Plaster Hall 222. Many times, people are accustomed to simply calling someone they know in ITS to help them through an issue or answer a question. While this is a definite convenience, it often times prohibits technicians from answering work orders that are weeks or sometimes months old. With the massive call volume related to new semesters and system implementations, Helpdesk staff, as well as technical staff, is overwhelmed with requests for service. Walk-in traffic also accounts for a large portion of the work load on any given day.

“If they call the Helpdesk first,” David Barrow, Helpdesk Operator states, “we often have a FAQ or a work-around already in place that can save everyone time.”  David continues, “If we (the Helpdesk) know first, it can make solving the problem much quicker and easier.” An area is being set up in the Spiva Library to accommodate an additional Helpdesk area. The desk is located directly behind the main staircase on the South side of the Spiva Library on the second floor. A Helpdesk operator or technician will be available daily from 7:30am to 11:00pm Monday through Thursday, Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. , Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. This will allow students and faculty to access ITS Technical Support without having to travel across campus to Plaster Hall.

 

Backbone Upgrade Approved for Late Summer, Fall 2007
Partial Upgrade to Network Backbone; New product vendor, faster data speeds to follow

Nathan Achey, Network and Identity Administrator will improve Network Infrastructure and Security at MSSU by upgrading parts of the network backbone equipment, beginning this fall and winter. The upgrade will include new HP switches and routers to replace the aging Cisco equipment currently in place. The HP components boast a lifetime warranty for repair or replacement.

 

The new HP devices will also raise the building network speeds from the current 100 Megabit per second to faster 1 Gigabit per second, substantially improving network speeds.

The end user will see quicker network response times as well as faster server-to-client transfer speeds. Polycom cameras located in classrooms across campus will also benefit from the quicker network response. Alongside the equipment replacements, student technicians will perform routine maintenance and repair.