Exeter On-Line
AT&T
Long Distance PSC Code Service
by Tracey Lulek
As of December 18, there is a change in the dialing instructions when using a PSC code to make a long distance call from Phillips Exeter Academy's campus telephones. AT&T is merging long distance telephone lines coming into Phillips Exeter Academy's campus to one network. Instead of dialing 7+ PSC code + long distance number, please dial 7 + long distance number then wait for the voice prompt and enter PSC code. Please reference new dialing instructions below.
DIALING INSTRUCTIONS:
PSC = Personal Security Code
When Using Your PSC: For calls requiring a PSC, follow instructions
for the type call being made. After you listen to the voice prompt, enter
your PSC with no pauses. If the system accepts the PSC, the call will
progress. If not, you will be prompted to try again. Enter your PSC a
second time. If the system does not accept your PSC, hang up and verify
the PSC number you entered matches the PSC you were assigned. If it does,
contact the AT&T Service Center 1-800-569-0554 as your code may be deactivated.
Long Distance Calls
Dial 7 + 1 + area code + 7 digit number, wait for the voice prompt, enter
PSC.
International Calls
Dial 7 + 011 + country code + city code (if needed) + local number, wait
for the voice prompt, enter PSC.
Long Distance Directory Assistance
Dial 7 + 1 + area code + 555-1212, wait for the voice prompt, enter PSC.
For Assistance with Long Distance Calls using a PSC Code
Call the AT&T Service Center. Dial 5 + 1 + 800-569-0554.
Please have ready:
1) Your service account number
2) Your Personal Security Code (PSC)
3) Date and time problem occurred
Microsoft
in the New Millennium
by
Stephanie Casale
Windows users across campus can look forward to the implementation of Office 2000 this year. Installation and testing began last fall in the computer labs, including the Little and Merrill Labs in the Library, the History and Computer Science Labs in the Academy Building, and the East Lab in Thompson Science. Starting in January, all new computers will be delivered with Office 2000, and IT will begin working its way through existing academic and administrative department computers to install the software during winter and spring terms.
The basic installation of Office 2000 will include Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Photo Editor, and Internet Explorer 5. Microsoft Publisher may also be available by special request. Except for Access, files saved in 2000 format are fully backwards and forwards compatible with Office 97. The MIS Department is still testing Access 2000, and this implementation will likely be delayed in offices that use Access databases supported by MIS.
Most of the enhancements in this version of Office center around increased support for web application, improving the integration and sharing of documents, data, and presentations using a web interface. This will become increasingly important as the Academy continues to build an intranet. Plans are also in the works at the Academy to migrate from Windows NT to Windows 2000 during the 2001-02 academic year, another reason for moving to Office 2000 now.
Users should appreciate 2000's enhanced graphics and be reassured that menu items and toolbars are virtually identical to those in Office 97. New features include a WYSIWIG font menu, better table handling, and the ability to copy and paste multiple items quickly (up to 12 items can be collected on the new clipboard). Power Point features a new tri-pane view to make editing a presentation easier, eliminating the need to navigate back and forth between slides. Charting and data analysis in Excel are also improved.
The 'Save as Web Page' feature (formerly 'Save as HTML') saves files for publishing to your web site or intranet and enables document sharing with anyone who has a browser. You can now preview web files in your browser from within Office before you save. Graphics in web files are now automatically converted from BMP to the appropriate format, whether JPG or GIF. Another bonus is the ability to edit html documents created in a 2000 application by opening them in IE 5 and selecting 'Edit.' And an enhanced 'Send To' command enables users to send their documents as email attachments from within Office.
Building on the theme of increased web support, program help now includes the option to jump to www.microsoft.com for additional help. Explore Microsoft's web site and you will find a number of resources to increase your productivity using the software. The Tips and Tricks page might be a good one to bookmark (http://www.microsoft.com/office/using/tipstricks/default.htm). Here's an example: "You can find a common synonym for a word without using the Thesaurus command. Just right-click the word and point to Synonyms on the short-cut menu. Then, click the synonym you want, and it automatically appears in place of your original word. Word will sometimes supply antonyms for the selected word, for those times when you only know what you don't mean to say." As always, users interested in training and support on any aspect of Office are encouraged to call the Support Desk at ext. 3693.
Keeping
Up To Date - On-Line Updates
by
Marilee Tuomanen
On-line updating is a very convenient feature of software and internet access, allowing us to keep software up to date without ordering diskettes and CDs and doing man-ual installations. On our Academy computers, in our offices and classrooms, we are sometimes notified that it is time to update, renew the license, or download new versions of the software. Although this is an option for users at home on their personal computers, it is not an option on the Academy network. Academy computers are protected from unauthorized installations. The IT Department keeps track of licenses and performs campus-wide software updates when needed. If you are prompted to update any software on an Academy computer, please bypass the update, click "no," or exit the installation program. If you do initiate an installation, it will fail and may produce annoying, though not necessarily fatal, error messages.
You may sometimes be prompted to download a "plug-in" that will allow you to view certain files that you receive via email. Again, do not initiate any installation. If you believe that a plug-in is missing on your computer, or that a plug-in necessary to open work-related files, please call the Support Desk and describe the messages you are receiving and the plug-in requested. A technician will be dispatched to install the plug-in if it is required.
In summary: On home computers, we have the option of updating software on-line. On Academy-owned equipment, it is not an option. If you have questions about the version of the software you are using, you may call the Support Desk at 3693.
The
Intranet and the Portal Interface
by
Shelley Nason
We are currently planning the expansion of the Academy intranet and developing a portal server to access many of those resources. Several members of the community have asked me about the difference between an intranet and a portal.
Intranet resources are centered on the sharing and exchange of departmental information related to the business of the Academy. Currently many of these resources are accessed using a variety of software packages. Access is generally limited by the installation of this software and the issuance of a username and password to access the respective systems. The expansion of the intranet will attempt to bring all of these resources together to be accessed through a common, secure interface such as a web browser. With the exception of email, Biblion, and some other limited applications we have not yet developed this access on campus. Intranet development strictly focuses on access to the data, files, email, databases and other resources the Academy has behind a firewall that outsiders cannot access.
In looking at the concept of a portal, the main difference is that an intranet is an organization-centric tool, used by an organization to put tools out to people within that organization. A portal on the other hand is a user-centric tool. A user logs in, and then the portal lists ALL the password protected services available to the user from within the organization and also allows the user to customize the portal interface to include external services that may be of use or importance to them. Academy departments and committees would define which intranet services are available to the user based upon who they are within the organization. The IT/MIS departments are currently constructing the network and database framework to support the sharing of these resources. The portal will provide a common interface for users across campus to access these shared resources.
For example, in the intranet model, if I am a member of the IT/Telecommunications department, sit on XYZ committee and am auditing an Astronomy class, I'd have to find the folders (directories) that apply to me. Sometimes this means I would click on folders within folders until I located and reached the files I wanted to and had the access to open. I may even need to access a different drive if I want to open software installed on the network. In the portal model, I'd open my browser and my portal would display the resources I have access to without my searching drives or needing my instructor or committee chair informing me of the location. The portal would know that Shelley Nason is a member of IT/Telecommunications and other campus "memberships." It would gather all the password-protected tools and information channels relevant to me from all campus organizations together into one consistent user interface that I would have complete control over.
The main obstacle to the portal approach is that a portal has to be an Academy-wide effort, not something that an individual department or the IT/MIS team can create without input from departments. A portal is more that just putting a password on a web page. You can't have a Computer Science Portal and not an "Admissions Portal"; it has to be one place to get information from ALL departments. This implies a lot of intra-departmental coordination and planning before it can be done. We are in the process of building the infrastructure that will provide a campus portal. Look for more information, as this becomes a topic in committees and departments.
Profiles,
Permissions, Policies
by
Al Olson
A user's Windows profile consists of user-specific information contained in a special file that is located under a local system directory and/or on a network server. User profiles help users maintain their own preferences, network settings, and application settings when logging on to a workstation. There are three types of user profiles. They are local, roaming, and mandatory. A strictly local profile is stored on the local machine only. A roaming profile is typically stored on a network server so that it can be accessed from multiple locations. A mandatory profile can be stored either locally or on a network server, depending on the intended use. Mandatory profiles cannot be changed by typical users. The majority of the user accounts logging into NT workstations at the Academy are set up to use roaming profiles. The Winterms in the Library are the major exception to this, using mandatory profiles located on a network server. Owners of individual Windows 95 or Windows 98 machines may or may not have their machines set up to use profiles.
Generally speaking, each time the user logs on to a Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000 networked computer, the computer searches to determine whether it is set up to use profiles and, if so, whether the user has a local profile. The computer also checks for a user profile of the person logging on in the user's home directory. If the user profile on the server is the most current, the profile is copied to the local computer for use during the current session. Alternatively if no local user profile exists, the computer copies the server version to the local computer. If no profile is found at either location, the computer creates a new user profile on the local computer using default settings. At the end of a session, both the local and the network copies of the user profile are automatically updated with current settings, including changes, when the user logs off. On public machines at the Academy, the local profiles are automatically deleted from the machine in order to conserve disk space. This leaves the profile that has been written to the network server as the active copy of the roaming profile. A user will access this profile whenever logging on to another public NT machine, maintaining their desktop preferences and application settings as they roam.
When a computer user attempts to access a file or folder that is located in an area subject to NT security (on an NTFileSystem partition) the user will only be successful if the required permissions, or access rights, have been granted to that user. The NT operating system determines a user's permission to a file by using a security identifier (SID). The security identifier is unique per user and was permanently assigned to a user when the network account for that user was created. If the SID is among those allowed to access the file, then the user will be successful in accessing the file. If the SID is not on the allowed list, the user will typically receive an "Access Denied" message and will not be able to access the file. The users who can access particular files, folders, etc. can be controlled by administrators of the computer where the files are stored, by the owner of the files or by others who have been assigned control over security of the files. Additionally access can be controlled on an individual user basis or on a group basis. An individual user can be allowed access if that user's SID is on the list that is granted access or if that user belongs to a group that is allowed access. The users or groups that have access to a file or folder can be observed from a computer running NT by right clicking on the object, choosing properties and then selecting the security tab. The permissions, or access rights, security list will be displayed, including the type of access. At the Academy, most permissions are assigned to groups. So, in order to access most areas on the servers at the Academy, a user needs to be a member of the groups who are allowed access to those areas.
On computers that do not use NTFS security, access can be controlled by using policies. Policies are rules that are applied locally in order to protect the system from unauthorized changes and use. (Although policies can be used on NT systems also, at the Academy policies have not been used on those machines.) Policies operate in a fashion similar to permissions in that individual and group policies can be set. However, policies are typically set by using a template in which an authorized user checks boxes to allow or disallow access to certain functions. The template is then stored either locally or on the network and is automatically accessed at startup and login. At the Academy, in the past, policies were used to manage access on the public Windows 95 networked and stand-alone machines. Only non-networked machines and an occasional Academy-owned network laptop still use policies for security and access control.
Telephone
Traffic Study
by
Tracey Lulek
Every year we have our telephone switch vendor perform a traffic study on our telephone lines. This provides us with data that determines how efficiently the system and lines are processing telephone calls. The annual traffic study completed this year was in September/October. The results showed that telephone lines which process local calls had been receiving and giving busy signals. All other telephone lines were performing and routing traffic efficiently without busy signals. The most traffic produced was by calls to 800 and 877 toll free numbers. Due to these findings, we will make a change to the routing of toll free calls winter term. Our goal is to make the current telephone lines that process local calls more efficient and not produce any busy signals. This routing change will not affect how you dial an 800 number.
Training
by Donna Archambault
Check out the IT training calendar on the web. You can get to it from the home page under calendars. Starting this winter term, we will be offering sessions in file management, email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Classes will be scheduled for 1 ½ to 2-hour sessions. The Word and Excel sessions will be topic-based allowing the user to just attend topics of interest. If you find you need training on Academy-supported software and a class is not being offered, please contact the support desk at 3693 or email us at support_desk@exeter.edu.
Surveys
We would like to thank those of you who took the time to fill out and return the IT survey. Your comments are important to us and enables us to review how to better serve the Academy community. We plan to summarize survey findings and give you the results in the Spring Exeter On-Line.