June 23, 2009
ClarITy Newsletter - Summer 2009
Information Technology Services is happy to provide you with the very first issue of our newsletter ClarITy. We plan on publishing new issues three times a year — Summer, Fall and Spring. In addition we will also publish an annual edition which focuses on Student Orientation and will be geared to in-coming students.
Follow the link to read the ClarITy Newsletter - Summer 2009
We hope you will find ClarITy informative, educational and fun. Please feel free to send your feedback, suggestions and comments to us via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu.
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June 17, 2009
myPlymouth and Related Services down this Sunday
On Sunday, June 21st the MIS team will be performing an Oracle upgrade to the servers which host various PSU databases. This upgrade is part of the preparations taking place for the Banner 8 upgrade scheduled for mid-October.
During the upgrade, access to myPlymouth and Zimbra mail will be intermittent. Access to the various services which reside within myPlymouth will be unavailable. This includes access to services such as Banner INB, PSC1, Banner Courtyard, Banner Student, Blackboard and R-25.
The entire upgrade is planned to occur within the normal Sunday maintenance window from 6 am – 10 am. Should you encounter any problems accessing these services after 10 am, please contact the Helpdesk for assistance. We can be reached at (603)535-2929 or via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu
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June 17, 2009
Attention Mac Uusers- Critical Apple security update released
On June 15th, Apple released a CRITICAL security update for Java. This patch fixes a long-term, SERIOUS SECURITY FLAW in Java which allows a remote hacker to control your computer if you launch a Java-based application on the Web. Many sites use Java, including PSU’s own WebCT / Blackboard course management system and Banner, so it is imperative that you apply the update as soon as possible. Additionally, the update seems to fail on many OS X 10.5 computers the first time it is run, so you may need to follow the steps below two or three times. If you encounter any problems, please contact the Helpdesk at x5-2929 to arrange for a Desktop Support service call.
1) Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen.
2) Select Software Update.
3) Make sure that either of the following updates are checked, and proceed to install them.
* Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 9
* Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 4
4) The machine will prompt for a reboot to complete the update. If you receive an error message stating that the update failed, repeat the above steps. If you continue to encounter problems, please call the Helpdesk.
Please do not allow this vulnerability to remain unpatched, as it poses a serious threat to data security on campus. If you would like more information on this patch, please visit the following links:
http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/apple-releases-mac-patch-for-major-java-vulnerability-fixes-32-issues/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3632
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June 3, 2009
Important update for computers running Windows Vista
Overview:
Windows has released a service pack update to the Vista operating system. Service packs are important upgrades to the operating system that often contain bug fixes and other refinements. Computers which are not upgraded become susceptible to viruses and other malware over time.
ITS has been testing this particular update for compatibility with all PSU supported applications prior to releasing it for general installation. This will be deployed via the network in the same manner as the regular monthly updates. Due to the important nature of this update, we need to perform the installation soon. We plan to update half the faculty and staff computers on Thursday, June 4th, the remainder will be done on Tuesday, June 9th.
Details:
The installation should begin close to 8:15 am. We cannot know exactly when your computer will be done; the install process is tuned to efficiently manage the number of simultaneous installs so it doesn’t overload the network.
During the initial 30-45 minutes of the install (older computers may take up to an hour), your computer will seem a bit sluggish, and then you will see the usual box, requesting a reboot.
Be cautious about when to allow the restart — Since the reboot process after a service pack update can take 15 minutes or more, ITS recommends waiting to perform the restart until you are ready to go to lunch or home for the day.
Once you okay the reboot, nothing will appear to happen for ten minutes or so. Turning off your computer at this point could result in data loss, so please be patient. After the reboot, you should see a typical “Please do not turn off your computer” screen, and after another ten minutes, you will be able to logon normally.
ITS does not anticipate any major problems related to this update, however, the Helpdesk is always available should you have any questions or concerns. You can reach us by phone at 535-2929, or via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu.
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April 13, 2009
PSU To Implement New Password Reset Process
In an effort to improve security and offer better customer service, PSU is changing the process to reset lost or forgotten passwords. Your myPlymouth username and password gives you access to use a broad selection of resources at PSU; however the current mechanism used to assign the initial password and to reset the password is based on sensitive information. In our ongoing efforts to limit the use of sensitive information we’re developing a new mechanism to assign initial passwords and reset existing ones.
The new process relies on email instead of sensitive information, and will allow you to reset your password at any time, not just during the hours the help desk is open. Should you ever need to reset your password, you can click a button on the myPlymouth login screen, enter the off-campus email address that you’d previously registered with us, and the system will send an automated email message to that address with a special one-time code that will allow you to reset your password.
New users will register their off-campus email address at the time of initial account creation; we’ll be asking current users to register their off-campus email address in myPlymouth starting Monday, April 13, 2009.
Why use email?
The new process follows the best practices of popular and trustworthy internet services. Email addresses are an aspect of our identity, and most people have an email address before they come to PSU. Further, the process is well understood and accepted by security experts as a safe mechanism to establish identity and reset passwords in electronic networks.
Why do I need to provide an off-campus email address?
If you’ve forgotten your myPlymouth password it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to read your PSU email to get the special password reset message.
Are you eliminating my PSU email?
No. Your @plymouth.edu email address and myPlymouth will still be the institution’s primary means of electronic communication with you.
What if somebody else knows my off-campus email address and tries to reset my password?
Resetting a password requires two things: knowledge of a registered off-campus email address, and the ability to read the messages sent to that address. It is important that you maintain the security of your off-campus email account just as you would your myPlymouth account.
My family shares a home email address, can I use that?
Anybody who can access the off-campus email address that you register with us will be able to reset your myPlymouth password. It is important that you maintain the security of your off-campus email account just as you would your myPlymouth account; please do not use a shared email address for this.
I don’t have an off-campus email address, what do I do?
Now is the perfect time to get one. Services like Google Mail and Yahoo! Mail are free, and don’t forget that your home ISP probably offered you an email address as well.
I can’t give you a secure off-campus email address.
That’s okay. You’ll still be able to reset your password by coming to the help desk and showing a picture ID.
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March 19, 2009
Internet Explorer upgrade – Please wait!
In the up-coming days, Internet Explorer users are likely to be prompted to upgrade their browsers to the newest version – Internet Explorer 8.
ITS requests that our PSU users NOT upgrade to the new version until we are sure that our campus services (myPlymouth, Blackboard, Zimbra mail, Banner INB, etc.) are compatible.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the ITS helpdesk at x 2929 or via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu
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February 25, 2009
How to change your password in Microsoft Outlook 2007
If you have changed your myPlymouth password, you have also automatically changed your email password in myMail. However, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 will still contain the old password. So you will have to update the password in Outlook to match your new password. Here is how to do it.
1) Open Outlook. Select the Tools menu and then Account Settings.
2) Double-click on your account’s name.
3) In the Password box, erase what is in it and then type in your new password. Select the Save Password box.
4) Select “Next.”
5) Select “Finish.”
You can test the password setting by sending an email to yourself.
If you have any questions, call the Help Desk at 603 535 2929.
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February 19, 2009
Internet access will be down Sunday morning - 2/22/09
Internet access will be down this Sunday (February 22) for a period of about 30 minutes beginning at 6 am, so that UNH can upgrade our PSU connection to web.
This outage will impact all on-campus connections as well as off-campus connections trying to get to PSU resources such myPlymouth, Blackboard, email and other PSU on-line services.
Internet access is expected to be fully restored by 6:30 am.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Help desk at (603) 535-2929 or via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu
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February 19, 2009
MyPlymouth access restored at 8:00 am 2/19/09
MyPlymouth access was restored at 8:00 am. All systems operating normally.
