October 5th, 2008 by Isaac Straley
In September 2007, NACS changed the configuration of the campus network to improve security. UCI’s Internet firewall (a device that controls off-campus access to UCI computers) now denies inbound connections except the ones that have been approved in advance by faculty and staff. This protects most campus systems from unauthorized access while preserving off-campus connectivity wherever it is needed.
Directing Network Traffic
The process of authorizing specific off-campus connections is called “server registration” although it is not limited to servers in the traditional sense. If you own or manage a computer that needs to accept network connections from off campus, you can define what kinds of access are needed using a Web-based form. You can then manage all the machines you are responsible for, using a set of online tools. Please check with your local support, because some units coordinate server registration on behalf of users.
Registration offers a simplified configuration process for common situations, such as remote access — secure shell (SSH) or Microsoft Remote Desktop — or systems that really are servers and are already protected by firewalls. If you manage a large number of systems, you can register them as a group by email request to security@uci.edu .
Since server registration was implemented last September, 4.5 billion unauthorized probes from off campus have been blocked, or roughly 12 million per day.
A more complete description of this service and how to use it can be found on the server registration web page.
October 5th, 2008 by Bob Hudack
Windows Vista Logo
Microsoft has released new editions of its Windows operating system, Vista, as well as its productivity suites Office 2007 and Office 2008 for Macintosh. Here is some information NACS has collected to help users and departments adapt to and make optimal use of these new tools.
In the summer of 2007, NACS coordinated a series of workshops, partly funded by a grant from Microsoft. We are currently planning the next series of workshops.
NACS works with its counterparts at other UC campuses to be sure UCI faculty and staff have access to advantageous licensing programs, including UC-MCCA (the Microsoft Consolidated Campus Agreement).
We have introduced Vista and Office 2007 in the AIRB training lab, and will expand their availability as demand grows.
NACS and departmental computing support staff can assist faculty and staff deciding when (or whether) to migrate to Vista and Office 2007. Vista requires a higher-performance system to run effectively, and Office 2007 and 2008 introduce new file formats that are incompatible with earlier versions. Office 2007 and 2008 offer the option to save files in a backward-compatible format, and users of earlier versions of Office can download the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.
Windows Vista runs most software well, but some specialized research or administrative tools won’t run under Vista. NACS recommends purchasers of Vista systems plan to test their most important applications in advance of purchase.
Today, all new PC purchases running Windows come with Vista licenses. If running Windows XP is important to you, choose a business-class system from a reseller like Dell or HP, and select a Windows XP configuration. The University’s strategic sourcing reseller, KST Data, offers a variety of systems preconfigured with Windows XP Professional. Be aware that obtaining the correct XP drivers for hardware designed for Vista may be problematic.
Microsoft last released a service pack (a collection of software updates) for Windows XP in May, and therefore by Microsoft policy, XP will be supported until at least May 2009. However, Microsoft has not committed to supporting or retiring XP beyond that date. Interested users can follow Microsoft’s evolving plans for XP at the Windows Service Pack Road Map web site.
October 5th, 2008 by Son Nguyen
Last fall, NACS brought three new instructional computing labs up, and we want to be sure faculty, staff, and students are aware of them.
The first lab, dedicated to faculty and staff training, is in the Anteater Instruction & Research Building (AIRB). Priority is given to NACS and the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) events, but it is available free of charge for other faculty and staff training on campus. Equipped with 16 Windows workstations in addition to an instructor’s station, this room also features the same console and other equipment found in UCI Smart Classrooms.
You can view the availability of the training lab in Oracle Calendar, or request reservations online (login with your UCInetID).
NACS@Student Center Lab
Two drop-in labs opened as part of the upgraded Student Center and Cross-Cultural Center. The NACS@StudentCenter lab has approximately 44 Windows and Macintosh workstations and a print station. The NACS@CCC lab has another 6 Windows workstations. Additional seats are available for students with their own laptops, with access to UCI’s wireless network. Hours of operation, as well as hardware and software details can be found on the NACS Drop-in Labs web page.
October 5th, 2008 by John Mangrich
Email
During the last academic year, NACS made a number of enhancements to the central campus email service.
The most important changes were implemented to improve performance and responsiveness of the email system, including the Webmail interface.
One of those changes was the format in which email was stored (the “mix mailbox format” from the University of Washington) which allows much faster response with large inboxes. The email servers are connected to disk storage in a new way, improving access speeds. We’ve also installed new versions of the email server software (the program that supports POP and IMAP), which includes features that improve server performance.
Other enhancements include:
Disk quotas have been expanded to 1Gb for faculty and 500Mb for staff, and larger quotas are on the horizon.
The maximum size of an email message has been expanded from 20 million to 30 million bytes. Practically, this means you can send larger attachments in a message. However, large attachments affect email server performance, and may not be acceptable at the destination server. Therefore, it is prudent to be aware of your attachment size, and you should consider alternatives for file sharing such as sending a link to your document.
In addition to these visible changes, NACS maintains email performance in other ways, such as applying security patches, and refining the rules that identify spam.