DoIT News

DoIT News http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/ en Copyright 2008 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:31:15 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss SPSS Contract Update Permanent Codes Now Available The modified consortium contract was approved and signed by UMBC procurement on September 17, 2008. UMBC received the new license codes for SPSS 15, 16 and 17 on September 22, 2008. The new codes have been posted to myUMBC under the 'Services' tab. Supported SPSS Versions SPSS officially supports the newest version and the previous verions (i.e. 16 and 17). They did provide UMBC with license codes for version 15 but SPSS reserves the right to decline support for this older version. SPSS 17 SPSS version 17 was just released. The media for this version has not yet shipped to UMBC. We expect to receive the media in approximately 2 weeks. Once it arrives we will make it available for distrobution from myUMBC and copies will be made available for loan from the DoIT Help Desk. We expect to have this completed by October 17, 2008. SPSS 17 Modules Included With Site License - SPSS® Conjoint - SPSS® Forecasting - SPSS® Regression - SPSS® Custom Tables - SPSS® Advanced Statistics - SPSS® Categories™ - SPSS® Statistics]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/spss_contract_u.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/spss_contract_u.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:31:15 -0500 FA2008 Clicker Support Issues: Duplicate IDs, Slowness, etc. In recent weeks, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) has learned of and tried to work around issues related to the new version of eInstruction's Classroom Performance System (CPS) "clickers." Specifically, we have received reports of students getting a "duplicate pad ID" error message when they try to click, and we've heard some faculty have to wait as long as a minute to move from one question to another. http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/clicker_support.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/clicker_support.html Known Issues News Teaching & Learning Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:50:38 -0500 Blackboard and Firefox 3 There is a workaround that can be applied. You will need to install an add-on for Firefox in order to make it work. Go to the following Firefox add-on page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59. The name of the add-on is User Agent Switcher 0.6.11.

Once you have the add-on installed, go ahead and take a look in your Tools menu. You will see a new entry, "User Agent Switcher." Select Tools->User Agent Switcher->Options->Options... Now choose User Agents then Add.
Make the description "Blackboard" and the user agent "mac" and then click "Ok".
Close and re-open the browser.

When you want to submit an assignment, you will need to click on Tools -> User Agent Switcher -> "Blackboard" and then you should be able to submit.]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/blackboard_and.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/09/blackboard_and.html Blackboard Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:31:26 -0500 myUMBC Slowness on Thursday 8/28 This article explains why myUMBC was very slow on Thursday. We normally have about 750 to 1000 people logged into myUMBC at any one time during the daytime. We are running close to double that and it is slowing things down. The reason for the high demand is because OIT sent out an alert to people to warn them of the daly attempts via email that are occurring to get people to give up their username and password (called phishing). Late this morning we sent out the alert, which I authorized, warning people and we experienced a surge of people trying to sign on to myUMBC that has slowed the system down. The system will probably remain slow this afternoon as people sign in and check the alert and then sign off. We sent an alert because we have seen a half-dozen people each day sending in their username and password to these messages. We then see those accounts used to send massive amounts of spam out onto the internet, which caused sites to block all mail from UMBC. We worried that new students are likely to respond to this kind of attack and the resulting problems this would cause. As a result, we tried using a channel other than email to notify the campus and learned a lesson. We have new hardware for myUMBC that should dramatically expand the load; however we got the hardware in late this summer and didn't want to rush putting it into production. In mid-September that will go in and should be able to handle loads this high. We apologize for the inconvenence this caused. Jack Suess, VP of IT http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/myumbc_slowness.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/myumbc_slowness.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:34:34 -0500 FA2008 Blackboard Update fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong (rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For more information about using Blackboard, login via myUMBC or visit http://blackboard.umbc.edu.]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/fa2008_blackboa.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/fa2008_blackboa.html Blackboard News Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:32:17 -0500 Danger! Do Not Provide Your Account Information Click HERE for more information on Phishing). These e-mails are fraudulent and have not originated from the Division of Information Technology at UMBC. DO NOT EVER reply to these or other similarly worded e-mails. These Fraudulent E-mails typically request information such as: Email Username : EMAIL Password : Address : City : The Office of Information Technology Will NEVER: • Request Your Username in Unsolicited E-mails • Request Your Password • Send You an Unsolicited Attachment • Request Other Sensitive Information (e.g. SSN, Banking Information, Date of Birth, Address etc.) Under No Circumstances
should you respond to unsolicited e-mails, web links or attachments. If in doubt don’t open it and contact the OIT Help Desk for assistance. helpdesk@umbc.edu 410-455-3838 Sincerely, Michael Carlin Assistant VP, Infrastructure and Support Office of Information Technology ]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/bogus_emails_fr.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/bogus_emails_fr.html Security Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:13:51 -0500 Downtime for spaces.umbc.edu migration, Thurs 8/21 6-8pm In an effort to improve the performance of our spaces (confluence) instance (spaces.umbc.edu), DoIT will be performing an upgrade of these services by migrating them to a more robust, scalable infrastructure. This upgrade is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 21 between 6:00-8:00 PM. We must have the system offline in order to migrate, so during this upgrade access to spaces.umbc.edu will be unavailable to the campus community. Point contacts for individual spaces on spaces.umbc.edu will also receive an email letting them know when spaces.umbc.edu is back in service. http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/downtime_for_sp.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/downtime_for_sp.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:17:18 -0500 Linux GL servers and the DoIT Linux Lab image for Fall The DoIT Linux Lab image was buttoned up and given to the DoIT Desktop group last Monday (8/11/08). They are in the process of imaging our labs for the start of the Fall semester (Wednesday 27th). We are finalizing a few items today to do the upgrade of the GL linux servers (Linux1,2,3). We are planning to have downtime of Linux3.gl tomorrow (Tues 19th) between 730-10:30am. Linux1 and 2 will remain up during this time. Providing all goes well tomorrow, Linux1 and Linux2 will be upgraded on Wed (20th) between 7:30-10:30am, Linux3 will be remain up during that time. We ask that you connect to linux.gl instead of the individual system names. As always, if you have any issues with the GL Linux servers or our lab systems, please start a ticket with our HelpDesk. Please include the name of the system you are on and as much detail as you can about the problem. It will then get moved to the group that can best handle it for you. http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/linux_gl_server.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/linux_gl_server.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:09:47 -0500 DoIT and CIRC Sponsor 9/18 Mathematica Demo Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Computing (CIRC) are co-sponsoring a demo of the Mathematica software on Thursday, September 18, at 10 a.m. in ECS 023. The speaker will be Cliff Hastings, Director of Academic Initiatives at Wolfram Research, who has been a Mathematica user over over 10 years.]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/doit_and_circ_s_1.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/doit_and_circ_s_1.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:09:39 -0500 Using Clickers to Control Online Access to Recordings of In-Class Lectures ONLY students who attend class to access recorded lectures online, for the purposes of review (not discovery). ]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/using_clickers_1.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/using_clickers_1.html Blackboard News Teaching & Learning Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:15:03 -0500 Bb Version 8 Pilot Server to Help Prepare for January Upgrade pilot server and welcomes faculty interested in using it for Fall 2008.]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/bb_version_8_pi.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/bb_version_8_pi.html Blackboard News Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:18:40 -0500 Changes to Turnitin Interface--Not Status @ UMBC While the interface to Turnitin has changed, the status of the plagiarism detection software's use at UMBC remains unchanged. http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/changes_to_turn.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/changes_to_turn.html News Teaching & Learning Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:16:59 -0500 "Clicker" Hardware & Software to be Upgraded in Lecture Halls Following a recommendation from eInstruction.com, makers of the Classroom Performance System (CPS) "clickers" used on campus, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), will be upgrading the clicker hardware and software in all lecture halls for start of semester. http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/cps.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/cps.html News Teaching & Learning Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:49:10 -0500 <![CDATA[Seven Classrooms & One Lecture Hall Get Tech Upgrades; Mobile AV Requests Due 8/22]]> plan to permanently install presentation technology upgrades in all of UMBC's 73 general purpose classrooms. ]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/7_classrooms_1.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/7_classrooms_1.html News Teaching & Learning Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:13:14 -0500 FA2008 Bb Course Shells Created and Enrolled available."]]> http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/fa2008_bb_cours.html http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/oit-news/archives/2008/08/fa2008_bb_cours.html Blackboard News Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:18:51 -0500