Exeter On-Line
From
the Desk of Susan Keeble
"The NOC is connected to all NEs on campus operating at OC-3 using redundant PVCs and SVCs to support Class 4 QOS." (from Mark Bodnar)
If you can translate the statement above, then you are beyond me at this point. At a recent conference in Boston, my head was spinning from all of the acronyms that form the newest language of the twentieth century. When talking with Mark, I sometimes merely nod my head and hope that at some point I will understand what he is saying! As I begin my tenure as the Associate Dean of Faculty for Technology, I am both excited and overwhelmed by all there is to learn. We have made tremendous progress over the past three years at Exeter and yet, in many ways, we are only beginning. Although we are nearing the completion of the building phase for the infrastructure and the network, we have barely opened the door to ways of using technology to improve the way we work, the way we communicate, the way we teach, and indeed the way all of us learn. Technology will never replace the Harkness System but we will find ways to use technology as a tool to enhance what transpires around the table. We will find ways to work more efficiently and effectively in offices, in the dormitories, and in the classroom. We will find ways to bring the world to our community and to share Exeter with the world.
In July, a group of faculty, administrators, and staff members met in a one-day conference to discuss the state of technology at Phillips Exeter Academy. After assessing where we are now, the group focused on looking toward the future. In the coming months, we will share those ideas with the community and will ask for your help in moving us forward in the effective use of technology on campus.
Who's
New in Telecom
by Shelley Nason
Over the summer we added two new full time staff to the Telecommunications Department. Although we are not yet at our full, approved staffing complement, we are thrilled to augment our current staff of eight with three new additions.
Renae Dutile comes to us most recently from Packard Bell NEC and has more than ten years' diversified experience in information systems. Renae's title is System Support Coordinator and she will be working mostly behind the scenes. The position is responsible for both Wintel and Macintosh desktop installations and local software applications. Renae will interface closely with our Network Administrator, Al Olson, and our User Support Coordinator, Marilee Tuomanen. Renae lives in Plaistow with her husband and two-year-old son.
Although Karen Gorski is not new to Exeter, she has left the Library to join Vi Richter on the Support Desk. During the past two years, Karen had assumed various technology support tasks in addition to traditional Library responsibilities. This past spring, Karen was a key support person for the student dorm room connections and for the student TECHs.
Lori Ott also joins us on the Support Desk for Fall Term. Lori's time is limited in our department since she will be assuming a teaching position in Computer Science starting Winter Term. Lori brings to the position five years of training and support experience.
Summary
of Summer's Work
by Shelley Nason
Although the regular school year always seems more than busy for the Telecommunications Department, somehow the summer finds us even with more work to accomplish. In addition to supporting the Math and Science conferences, Summer School, preparing for the new school year, performing routine maintenance and support we found some time to tackle some additional projects.
1. Upgrade desktop operating systems. Windows computers are being upgraded to NT and Macintosh to OS 8.1. While Windows users will not experience much difference from Windows 95, Macintosh users will note a change in how they move around their system. This upgrade provides for greater system stability and makes support much easier for our department.
2. Upgrade our Office suite to Office 97 on the Wintel side and Office 98 for the Macintosh. This upgrade is a more stable application and adds a few new features.
3. Configure a computer lab for History, a physical assessment lab for the Physical Education department and a prototype classroom for the Science department.
4. Upgrade our network back up and archive system.
5. Reprogram phones to comply with 911 regulations.
6. Bring the Facilities and Physical Education departments onto the network.
7. Move network access accounts to a new server.
8. Add features to increase network security.
Many of these projects are ongoing and will continue during the Fall Term.
Our projects throughout this coming year involve adding your requests to the network, strengthening our network security and refining network performance. Our work may impact users and we will do our best to notify you when we are aware that our work will impact you. There will be times when we will not know the impact to users prior to the work or not have control over work and you may be affected negatively. In these cases we will notify our community with an explanation at our earliest opportunity.
Sharing
the Internet
by Mark Bodnar
As more and more members of the Exeter community begin to use the campus network it is essential that users consider what impact their use of the network might have on other network users. The network provides all users with the ability to share and use resources both on campus and all over the world via the Internet.
The network currently provides access to those resources with little impact on the performance of other resources on the internal campus network. However, with the proliferation of live video and audio sources on the Internet and the increased demand for real-time chatting and expanded graphics on websites, we must consider our Internet choices wisely. For comparison, information transfer on our internal network operates in excess of 100 times the speed of information transfer on our Internet connection.
It may be essential to your job or your class to connect to a video or audio resource on the Internet for an hour or two a day, but it would not be responsible to connect to a resource and remain connected for the entire day. To ensure fair usage and equal access to the Internet for all, please plan appropriately when connecting to those enticing Internet audio and video resources.
Where
is the Faculty Lab?
Faculty who have used the previous Faculty Lab in Room N of the Academy Building may be surprised to see that the room is no longer being used as a Faculty Lab. This change was precipitated by the fact that all faculty now have access to networked computers, if not in their own classrooms, then in their department rooms.
However, a faculty lab does exist in the Merrill Room of the Class of 1945 Library. The Merrill Room, on Floor 1M, is available during all open Library hours and has six networked computers including two multimedia stations, one a Wintel/PC and the other a Mac clone. The multimedia machines are configured with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, and other web development tools, offering the capability for video editing, scanning, color printing, and web page development. The lab is available for faculty/staff training and faculty multimedia curricula development. The multimedia aspects of this room are currently under development and will undergo hardware and software upgrades as the faculty defines more uses for this type of lab. Check availability of the room and support issues with Elizabeth Garrity in the Library. A key for the room may be obtained by faculty at the Library Circulation Desk.
Network
Security and Password Changes
Now that so many of us are logging on to the network to do our daily work, rather than working from a stand-alone, non-networked computer, there are some additional security concerns. Each time we log on, we each load a profile of information which opens to us specific places for sharing, saving and retrieving files, printers, and even desktop colors and icons. The keys to opening these resources are our username and password. Because we now connect to shared resources, it is even more critical than before that we do not share our passwords or write them down where they can be discovered easily or figured out by readily available clues (such as our birthdate, children's or pets' names, or any other "public" information). One suggestion for creating memorable and secure passwords is to use a sentence which you are sure to remember, then construct a password from the first character of every word. For example, if my sentence were "I was born in 1901," my password could be "Iwbi1901." I will remember it because it is about me, but no one else will guess it easily. This password also meets current security standards.
In order to best protect the network and access to resources stored on the network, Telecommunications has implemented the standard of requiring users to change their passwords regularly (every 90 days). Telecommunications is requesting that all users change their current passwords by Sunday, September 13. For information about the specific format required, and for assistance, please see printed documentation distributed via the Mail Room.
Once every 90 days you will be prompted at logon to change your password. After a password is changed, it will be another 90 days before you must change your password again. Your screen will provide three blanks, the first line to enter your current password (the one you would have used, had you not received the prompt to change your password). In the second blank, you will be requested to supply a new password between six and eight characters in length. The new password may not contain part of your name or username and must contain certain character types.
Passwords will be remembered by the network and may not be used again for three times. This means that you may have Password1, then change it to Password2, then to Password3. (Of course, the less alike your passwords are, the more secure they are.) If at that point you wish to revert to Password1, the system will accept it. You will also not be able to change that password again for 7 days. Users may change their own passwords at any time from any WindowsNT machine on the Academy network by logging on, then pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE and choosing the Change Password button. Changing your password at the WindowsNT Change Password button will change all your passwords: email, remote access and network. It will usually take up to 10 minutes for all the passwords from each area to synchronize.
Macintosh Users
If you will
be using the Macintosh computers on the network, you will need to use
passwords which are between 6 and 8 characters long and conform to the
previous outlined standards. The "set password" option is accessible below
the "special" menu item. If your password is longer than 8 characters,
you will need to go to a Windows machine and change it prior to logging
on to the Macintosh.
Classroom
Phones
When classroom phones were installed last year, many dormitory faculty chose to have the dorm study number and the classroom number be the same. For emergency purposes with the 911 system, every telephone extension must have a unique location. In this way, when 911 is dialed there is no ambiguity about where the call originates. Therefore, classroom phones for dormitory faculty have been assigned new numbers.
During the summer, we needed to make decisions about how dormitory faculty could handle the additional phone number. The two options were to have a separate voice mailbox for the classroom extension which would mean that faculty members would need to check and manage two voice mailboxes, or to have voice mail from both numbers go into the same voice mailbox. In the latter, the light on the classroom phone would not blink to indicate a message. Each option has drawbacks, but we elected to have only one voice mailbox. By the end of the fall term 1998, the dorm heads will evaluate how the system is working. If the dorm heads strongly recommend separating voice mailboxes, the change would be made during the winter break.
For dormitory faculty, the primary voice mail number is the dorm study number. Only the dorm study phone number will be published in the photo addres book. The dorm study number (in addition to home phone numbers for emergencies) should be the one given to parents and others needing to contact faculty after the academic day or during the summer. During the academic school year, the classroom extension number and the dorm study number share the same voice mailbox with the dorm study number being the primary voice mail number. Therefore, the light on the classroom phone will not blink when there is a message. To check for voice while in the classroom, the faculty member can log in by dialing 2900 and then entering the dorm study number and password. From an external number, the faculty member can dial their extension number and when the message begins, dial 81 to enter the voice mail system.
Telephone
Tips for Fall Term
by Tracey Lulek
Phillips Exeter
Academy Telephone Exchange
Here is
an updated list of Academy numbers since we have a new exchange of 777
implemented on June 8, 1998. When someone calls the old exchange, they
will hear an announcement referring them to our new exchange. The main
number to the Academy 772-4311 has not changed and will remain the same.
Please remember to change all stationery and locations where these numbers
may be programmed, such as department fax machines, to reflect the new
777 exchange.
Phillips Exeter
Academy Exchange Direct Dial Extensions
777 3000-3699 Administrative Offices & Department Rooms
777 3800-3899
Classrooms
777 3700-3799 Faculty & Staff Voice Mail
777 4000-4399 Dorm Faculty Apartments & Common Rooms
777 8000-9399 Students
New
Voice Mail Features
Voice Mail Commands used while listening to your messages
1. To skip back press
1
2. To skip forward press 3
3. To pause press #, to resume press 2
4. To go to the next message press 6
5. To go to the previous message press 4
6. To go to a specific message press 86, enter the message number then
#
Editing an Existing Distribution List in Voice Mail
Adding Numbers:
1. While logged into your voice mailbox press 85
2. Enter the distribution list number, then press #
3. Press 5 to add numbers
4. Enter each number, then press #
5. When finished adding numbers, press #
Deleting numbers:
1. Press 85
2. Enter the distribution list number, then press #
3. Press 6 to find the number you want to remove
4. Enter the number and then press #
5. Delete the number by pressing 76
Temporary Absence Greetings
This feature allows you to record an additional greeting in voice mail when you are on vacation or away from the school for a temporary period of time without having to edit your existing greetings.
1. While logged into
your voice mailbox press 82
2. Press 3 for temporary greeting
3. Press 5 to record, be sure to wait for the tone to speak
4. When you have finished speaking press # to end the recording
5. Press 9 to set the date that the greeting should expire
6. Enter the month then #, enter the day then #, enter the time then #
7. If you do not set an expiration date the greeting will remain in effect
until you delete it
8. To delete the temporary absence greeting press 76
Other Tips
When dialing 5-0 from academy phones to reach an outside operator, please be patient. It may take 15-20 seconds to connect.
To log into voice
mail from off campus:
1. Dial your telephone number (For example: for extension 7777 dial 777-7777)
2. When voice mail answers, dial 81
3. Enter the voice mailbox number (7777) followed by # sign
4. Enter the password followed by # sign
Differences
in Word97 from Previous Versions
by Donna L. Archambault
Here is a brief description of how Word95 and Word97 differ and an overview of new features in Word97.
Office Assistant instead of Answer Wizard. Clicking on the X in the Assistant window can turn this off.
To move from one page to the next press CTRL Page Down or Page Up, depending on direction, instead of CTRL-ALT Page Down.
You no longer have to frame a picture in order to get text to wrap around. Select the graphic and press the Word Wrap button on the Drawing toolbar.
Using the crop tool on the Drawing Toolbar allows you to crop pictures.
Page borders - Allows you to put borders around your pages quickly and easily. Format, Page Boarders, select the appropriate boarder.
Performs a grammar and spell check automatically unless deactivated in Tool, Options.
Thesaurus has been moved to Tools - Language.
Tables
· Added features
· Draw Table
· Distribute Rows Evenly and Distribute Columns Evenly
· Vertical alignment - Allows you to align text vertically within a cell
· Vertical text direction - Text can flow vertically
· Row resizer - drag row size as you do the column wide. Press ALT while
you drag.
AutoCorrect
Autocomplete
The current date
A day of the week
A month other than the current one
Your name and company name
Auto Text entries
Common phrases
I'm sure there are a number of other changes that I have not mentioned, however, this is an overview. The Word Help button has more information and is very "helpful."
Email
Management
by Vi Richter
Our email server (the machine which runs the campus email system) software has been upgraded to allow users options to manage the forwarding of their own email to another account. Forwarding Exeter email to another email account may be set up by the user in the following manner:
1. Start Netscape and log into your INBOX as usual.
2. From the Edit menu, click on Manage Mail Account.
3. A dialog box will appear on the screen and you will be prompted for your username and password. Type your username and password in the blanks on the dialog box and press the Enter (or Return) key.
4. A new screen will appear entitled Server Account Manager for username, where username is your name. On the left of the screen is a list of options. Click on Mail Delivery.
5. Locate the box beneath the words "Forward a copy of your messages to:" (If you don't want a copy to be retained in the Exeter email inbox, uncheck the box beside "Your POP3/IMAP mailbox.").
6. Click in the box and type the forwarding address for your other email account, for example: myemail@aol.com
7. Click on the Change button to complete the forwarding request.
8. If you wish to cancel forwarding your email, repeat steps 1-6. Click in the box which contains your forwarding address and remove the forwarding address by selecting and deleting the text of your username.
Please note: the change password feature at this location should NOT be used to change network or email passwords. Doing so will interfere with your ability to use the PEA mail server. (See the previous section on Network Security regarding changing your password.) Also of note is that the vacation message option is not currently available on this version of software.
From
the Support Desk
by Marilee Tuomanen
Where is the Support
Desk?
The Support Desk has been moved to the main floor of the Library behind
the Copy Room. The Copy Room is to the left of the Circulation Desk.
Help Versus Support
You may have noticed on our recent documentation and on our telephone
display that we have changed our name from the Telecommunications Help
Desk to the Telecommunications Support Desk. This change has been implemented
to avoid confusion with the new Facilities help desk and to reflect current
industry naming standards. It also more clearly fits our support strategy
to empower users to be able to meet their computing needs.
About Word Error
Messages
We often get calls at the Support Desk that sound something like this:
"I opened my document and the computer is telling me that it is opened
by Telecommunications. What are you doing in my files?"
This error message is indicating that the user already has that document open, either on the current computer, or on another networked computer. All applications at PEA are registered through Telecommunications and that is why the message states that the application is opened by Telecommunications-Telecommunications is the registered owner. The copy of the document can be opened "read only" but changes cannot be saved until the original copy of the document is closed.
Naming
Files and Folders
Our WindowsNT network automates many functions, one of which is to backup files nightly. However, certain file and folder names cause problems with the process. To assure that your files are backed up on the network, please do not use the "/" or "\" characters in your names.
Visual
Changes when Accessing Servers
In order to accommodate the needs of multiple users on the network, but to keep the network "navigable," it has been necessary to make uniform the ways users reach their local home directories and applications on the Harkness server from both Macs and Wintels. These files have not been moved, but the method of accessing them may appear different to certain users.
Since Harkness houses primarily academic material, staff may not see this change. However, after September 4, faculty and students may need to change the way they find applications and/or home directories on Harkness.
Harkness is divided
into two sections:
Applications (where department-specific programs and files are stored);
AND
Departments (where users' home directories are stored and shared department
folders are found).
These sections may be accessed in several different ways.
From a Mac
From a Mac, the Launcher has tabs which, when clicked, will display buttons
for different applications and different departments' folders. For example,
if you want to get to the English Department folder, you would first log
into the Mac, click on the English/History/Religion tab, then click on
the button named English Department.
You could also get the English Department folder by opening the Chooser, clicking on Appleshare, clicking on Harkness, and clicking on Departments. This procedure brings you to the exact same place on the server, regardless of which method you choose.
Applications are accessible in the same two ways, either going through the Launcher or through Chooser. You will notice that there is no longer a shared server called ACADEMIC. To conform to what users see on the Wintel side, the shared file called ACADEMIC has been changed to APPLICATIONS and now looks the same whether you are on a Mac or a Wintel.
From a Wintel
From a Wintel, English Department faculty may access the English Department
folder either by going through My Computer to the drive named EnglishDept
on Harkness (F), or by going into Network Neighborhood, double-clicking
on Harkness, and then on English. This is the same location, regardless
of which way you get there.
Applications are accessible
in the same two ways:
either by going through My Computer to the drive named Applications on
Harkness (E), or through Network Neighborhood, by choosing Harkness and
then Applications.