Exeter On-Line

Winter 2000 Issue                      A Publication of Information Technology  

A New Face in Telecom

Please join our department in welcoming Amy Nishimura, formerly of the Credit Union, to Telecommunications. Amy will work as staff assistant to the Telecommunications department.

Standard Formats for Attaching Files

When you create a file, whether in Word, Excel, or Lotus, there is a file "format" associated with the file that tells the computer the program to use to open the file when you double-click on its icon. By default, when you save a document in Microsoft Word97, it is saved in Word97 format, unless you change the default format to something else (in the file type box on the SaveAs screen it will say "Word document"). Although Microsoft Word97 and Excel allow us to open many different types of files (or file formats), not every file type is supported. Therefore, it is essential that you make sure you know an appropriate file format before attaching a file to an email and expecting the recipient to be able to open it.

The current standard for office applications on campus is Microsoft Office97 for the Windows platform and Office98 for the Macintosh platform. If you create a file on a Macintosh in Office98 and send it to one or a series of Windows users, please follow these steps to make sure the recipients will be able to open the file:

• Name the file concisely, without using punctuation (especially the "/" character)
• End the file with the ".doc" extension. For instance, you could name your document as "myletter11121999.doc"
• If you wish to delineate different words in your filename, use caps and the underscore "_" to separate words as in "My_Letter_11211999.doc"
• Remember that there are both Academy-standard and department-unique software programs on campus and convert your files according to the recipient. In general follow these conversion rules for campus-wide file distribution:

Convert Lotus files to Excel by choosing the dropdown arrow beside File Type and changing to Excel from within Lotus…it is also useful to change the filename to reflect the change in file (for exam-ple: "My_File_Word99Mac" to make it obvious that this is not the master file, but is a converted copy).

Convert Pagemaker files to Word format. Your formatting will be impacted but the text of the document will be available.

Remember that it is the responsibility of the sender to send the file in a format usable to the recipient.

Laptops and Norton AntiVirus

In order to protect your files and the integrity of the Academy network, Norton AntiVirus has been installed on Academy Windows95 or Windows98 laptops. However, since new viruses are created daily, it is necessary to update the virus definitions frequently. Your computer should prompt you regularly to perform either a scan or a live update of Norton AntiVirus. Generally, this prompt will occur on a weekday between 11:30 and 1:00 if your laptop is connected to the Academy network at that time. It is important that you answer "Yes" to the request to per-form the scan or live update. At that point, you may notice an increase in activity on your hard drive, but it should not impact your ability to continue your work. If your laptop was not on or available during the recent upgrade, that work will be completed by Telecommunications as we individually update laptop machines or, when it is replaced, if due for replacement. Thank you for your assistance in protecting your Academy laptop and keeping it running smoothly. If you have any questions, please contact the Support Desk at ext. 3693.

Glossary of Virus Terminology

[You may check www.sarc.com to ascertain whether email you have received about a virus is a hoax. The list is kept current. Remember NEVER to open an executable (.exe) file attached to an email unless you are sure of the sender and content. Even then, it is prudent to scan the file first with Norton AntiVirus. Here is some information regarding the terminology you may encounter when reading about viruses.]

Viruses: Programs or pieces of code that attach themselves to other programs on your computer. They can trigger anything from a harmless flashing message to a system-wide collapse.

Hostile Java applets and ActiveX controls: Programs that web browsers automatically download from Web sites. They can modify or delete data, crash your system, or broadcast your computer data over the Net.

Malicious Web sites: Sites that contain viruses, hostile Java applets, and ActiveX controls that your browser downloads when you visit them.

Multipartite: Viruses that infect both executable files and boot-partition sectors.

Trojan Horses: Destructive programs that masquerade as benign applications. They are similar to viruses but do not replicate themselves.

Polymorphic viruses: Viruses whose virus code differs from copy to copy, making them harder to find.

Some of today's vicious viruses are: Chernobyl (a version of CIH), Melissa, Happy99 and Worm.Explore.Zip.

*Reprinted with permission from Education IT News, A Publication compliments of Universal Access Consulting, Inc., vol. 1, issue 2, August-October 1999

AT&T Discontinues Paper Monthly Bills

As of January 1, 2000, AT&T will no longer provide the Academy with a paper copy of our monthly bill. Since both Accounting and Telecommunications will be working with the bill electronically, we, in turn, will send monthly telephone bills electronically to all department heads via email. For departments where the bill is too large to send via email, we will notify the department that this is the situation and place it in the department dropbox. For assistance using your dropbox, please contact the Support Desk at ext. 3693.

Network Resources are Finite

When the voice and data network was created, it was designed to meet campus academic and administrative work and student residential (communication) needs. The network's capacity is finite; meaning it is not able to do all things for all people at all times. Since all departments are networked and we have over 600 students connecting from the dorms, there are times when we have noticed that the resources are utilized to the maximum. In order to support the school's mission, we ask everyone to evaluate their use of network resources and limit the use to work-related purposes. Listed below are some of the more common uses of the network which negatively impact its capacity or performance. Avoiding these scenarios will benefit all users.

Voice

• Sharing the Academy's 800 number with family and friends. Many people believe that 800 numbers are either free or there is a flat fee for 800 number use when, in fact, there is a charge per minute to the Academy.
• Not maintaining voice mailbox messages.

Data

• Staying logged into network resources (i.e. web, email, and applications) while not using the computer.
• Personal use of the Internet such as shopping.
• Personal email.
• Storing personal files (particularly large files, such as photos and games).
• Not maintaining email inbox and trash.
• Streaming Internet audio (radio).
• Sharing network accounts with people from outside the community.

Support Desk

• Hours: Monday, 8-6; Tuesday, 8-6; Wednesday, 8-5; Thursday, 8-6; Friday, 8-6; Saturday, 8-noon when regular classes are in session.
• To contact the Support Desk by phone, dial extension 3693.
• To contact the Support Desk by email, write to: supportdesk@exeter.edu.

Entering Two-Digit Years into Spreadsheets

Whenever possible enter the year as four digits. When entering the year as two digits in Excel on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms, Excel determines the century by using the following rules:

When you type a date that uses a two-digit year, Microsoft Excel uses 29 and 30 as the pivotal year for centuries.

For example:

If you want to type a date that is before January 1, 1930, or after December 31, 2029, you must type the full four-digit year.

For example:

To use the date, July 4, 2076, type 7/4/2076.

Faculty Committee Email Groups

Starting in winter term, faculty committee email groups will be available for community use. An email group is a list of email addresses maintained on the email server, rather than in one's individual address book, which allows all campus users to send a message to a group of users by addressing it to a single group address. To check email group members, search the PEA Usernames directory in your Netscape address book for the relevant email group name.

It was possible to create faculty committee email groups since they are maintained by the Dean of Faculty's Office in the Academy's relational database, Colleague. To send an email to a group, type the email address as shown in the address section of your email message (or, if available, type the short email address). If you have questions regarding use of email groups, please contact the Support Desk at ext. 3693. Please refer questions of committee membership to the Dean of Faculty's Office.