GoToMeeting to Replace Adobe Connect

Business Services, Media Technology Services, Services

As the result of a review of conferencing tools last year by various campus departments, along with Information Technology, GoToMeeting has been acquired for campus web conferencing needs. The new platform will replace Adobe Connect, which is set to expire on December 15th at 8pm.

Information Technology has been transitioning users from one service to another over the past few months. If you would like to learn more about GoToMeeting or transfer your web conferencing needs over to the new service, please contact it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

For those departments that require the continued use of Adobe Connect, we will have a limited number of licenses to use on a case by case basis. Should you have recordings in Adobe Connect that need to be archived, IT will work with current Adobe Connect users on archiving the recordings they wish to preserve.

For more information, please contact it-help@mtu.edu or call 7-1111.

Current Known Mac OS 10.10 Issues

Computing on Campus, Software

We are currently seeing some issues with Mac machines that have been upgraded to the brand new Mac OS 10.10 (Yosemite).

  • Most notably, the new OS seems to completely disable the functionality of the F5 VPN product on most, if not all, systems.  This means that users who need to use the Multidrive or access MTU-only resources from wireless or from off-campus will not be able to do so.
  • Some users have experienced their wireless connection randomly disconnecting since upgrading to OS 10.10.
  • Users  who were previously having no problems mounting network drives from the Multidrive are now seeing the drives not mount or hang while mounting. Some of this may be related to the F5 VPN problem mentioned above, and we are actively working with users who have reported problems.

We are recommending that users wait to upgrade to Mac OS 10.10 for now.  As with most brand new OS releases, it sometimes takes a bit of time to work out the bugs; Michigan Tech IT then needs time to test our systems with the new OS so that we can support campus users. At this point, none of the campus’ major applications have been tested for compatibility with Mac OS 10.10.

If you have already installed Mac OS 10.10 and are having problems, please contact IT User Services at it-help@mtu.edu or 487-1111, and we will do our best to provide support. We appreciate your patience while we work through these technical issues.

September I.T. Update

Computing on Campus

Michigan Tech I.T. would like to update you on the latest news:

  • Have you been to the new Active Learning Center (ALC)? “The Fish Bowl” in the MEEM was completely remodeled and is now a 72-seat, collaboration-friendly, reservable classroom. When class is not in session, it is available as an open computing lab. More information, including the room schedule, is at http://it.mtu.edu/computer-labs.
    MEEM2
  • The wireless connectivity in the residence halls was completely upgraded this summer with approximately 700 new access points installed throughout Wadsworth, McNair, and Douglass Houghton Halls and Hillside Place. More information on the project is at: http://www.it.mtu.edu/wireless-project-status.
  • Our wireless lounges were updated this summer with new furniture and more collaboration-friendly spaces. Find the lounge list at: http://it.mtu.edu/computer-labs.wireless
  • The next Open Student I.T. Forum will be on October 21, 2014 from 6:00pm-8:00pm in the Memorial Union Ballroom A1. Pizza will be served; please RSVP to the Facebook event page.
    it forum oct 2014

Want I.T. Updates?

Regarding recent stories about Google credentials posted on Russian web site

Security

There are a number of news services running a story about a Russian web site posting the gmail and mail.ru credentials of approximately 5 million users.

The 5 million passwords that were posted on the Russian website include a significant number of passwords for Google accounts. These passwords appear to have been acquired over several years worth of phishing campaigns by various hacking groups. Google has reviewed the list and believes that the majority of the accounts on the list have already been suspended or had their password change since the credentials were acquired.

Currently there appears to be no reason to worry about this incident. IT will continue to monitor the situation and work on verifying that no @mtu.edu accounts were on the list.

Active Learning Center Open House

Computing on Campus, Media Technology Services

Information Technology invites you to attend the Active Learning Center’s (ALC) open house on Friday, August 22, 2014, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm in MEEM 120. The ALC, formerly known as the MEEM “Fishbowl,” has been completely transformed into a technology-rich collaborative learning space, featuring 72 student computer stations, 3 instructor stations, and 29 collaboration LCD monitors.

Unlike the traditional learning space, the “front” of the classroom has been eliminated, allowing faculty to facilitate both heads-down concentration work and group collaboration, as well as provide hands-on technology for their students. In addition, when this room is not scheduled for classes, it will be available to all students as a computer lab.

Please join us this Friday to learn more, as staff will be on hand to provide tours and demonstrations. For further information, please contact it-help@mtu.edu or call (906) 487-1111.

IT Update – Returning Students

Computing on Campus

Michigan Tech IT is looking forward to the start of fall semester. It’s been a busy summer at Michigan Tech with some major changes and improvements to campus IT systems:

  • Based on feedback received, we are taking the following steps to improve wireless network access:
    • The “MichiganTechSecure” network is no longer available; it was causing disconnect issues with most users. Please make sure you’re connected to the network named “MichiganTech.”
    •  The old bandwidth cap on wireless has been removed.
    • Installation of the Bradford Agent software was previously required for wireless security. The Bradford System now uses a “dissolvable” client that does not require permanent installation on your machine. The old Bradford software can now be uninstalled; instructions are at:  http://www.it.mtu.edu/bradford-agent/.
    • Over the summer, Michigan Tech IT hired a consulting firm to evaluate wireless connectivity throughout campus. Based on their report and feedback from residence hall students, we are in the process of installing nearly 700 new access points in the residence halls, which results in roughly one access point in every other room. This project will not be completed before move-in weekend; it will be a continuous process until all access point are active. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we finish this important project to provide exceptional wireless coverage.
  • This summer the former MEEM “Fishbowl” was renovated into the new Active Learning Center. This is a “flipped” classroom that focuses on collaboration and doesn’t have the front of a traditional classroom. Like all computer classrooms, when this room is not scheduled for classes, it will be available to all students as a computer lab. Design information on this room can be found at: http://www.mtu.edu/alc. Watch renovation progress on a live webcam at: http://www.mtu.edu/webcams.
  • Have you previously downloaded software from Michigan Tech IT’s software download center?  If so, there may be updates available this fall.  Visit the software download center at: http://downloads.it.mtu.edu.
  • Finally, Michigan Tech IT is available to help you with any IT issues you experience as you begin the new year. Please contact us at it-help@mtu.edu or (906) 487-1111. You can also follow the latest IT news on our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/MichiganTechIT.