Monday, August 31, 2015

New Moodle Course Servers, New Moodle Features Now Available

The Moodle course server: https://lms.manhattan.edu was recently upgraded from Version 2.7 to 2.9, a 2-part upgrade in release functionality.

In addition, to reduce the number of courses on the course server and to reduce the size of the database to improve performance, the oldest courses are being moved from the course server to a new course archive server:

https://lms2015.manhattan.edu

Our Infrastructure group is still in the process of completing that move.  When complete, you will notice a link to the Archive Server in the Moodle server navigation menu.

New Features of Moodle

For a quick guide illustrating the biggest new features with screenshots, visit the Moodle 2.8 New Features and the Moodle 2.9 New Features pages.



Watch Screencasts of Moodle 2.8 Release Highlights:





Watch Screencasts of Moodle 2.9 Release Highlights:






For more in-depth technical info on the new features introduced in each release, please visit the Moodle 2.8 Release Notes and the Moodle 2.9 Release Notes pages.


Welcome Back

Welcome Back
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We want to take a minute to welcome everyone back for a new semester. Please take a minute to read through the following Reminders and Announcements:

Kick off the New School Year Right!
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Keep everything.  Share anything.  Get Drive today.  Click here to find out more.

Security is important. Passwords should never be hand-written/visible to the public. In an effort to maximize security and minimize the number of post-it notes with passwords on them, we recently added SSO (Single Sign-On) to Banner Forms.

Add to your professional network. Below are some sites that you might find relevant and interesting:

ITS Summer Updates
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The Rodriguez Room now has a new Pixie Plus A/V Control Unit.  No Remote needed!

Airplay device installations have expanded to more classrooms.  We expect to have Airplay devices in all classrooms by the beginning of the Spring semester.  Check out our Airplay Knowledge Base Articles to find out more.

WiFi improvements in the dorms have been occurring throughout the summer.  If you are experiencing any WiFi issues, we want to know about them.  Please email its@manhattan.edu or call 718-862-7973 to let us know. 

Aging Web Kiosks in the O'Malley Library Internet Cafe and by the elevator on each floor have been replaced with new Dell Chromebox computers.

Audio Visual Technology enhancements have been made in the Chancellors Room and the O'Malley Library Teleconference room.  Both rooms have been outfitted with new Crestron control units and Airplay devices.  The Teleconference has also been outfitted with a Chromebox for meetings.

The following rooms have been outfitted with a Mini Displayport cable.  This precludes the need for a Mac VGA adapter.  To access the Mini Displayport input, click "INP2".  List of rooms:
  • DLS 307
  • DLS 312
  • MGL 307
  • MGL 312
  • HAY 201
  • HAY 202
  • MGL 305
The Proactive Projector Replacement Initiative has made much progress through the summer and will continue throughout the year.  We have added new mounting brackets to this initiative.  These new mounts fit into the existing ceiling tile grid, making them much more seamless.  Also, they have a quick swap secure mount, making projector replacements quicker and offering a high level of security.

An effort to secure all projectors on campus was initiated this summer.  This effort is a combination of a secure mounts and network monitoring.

Summer 2015 Classroom Renovations
The following rooms have have been renovated this summer.  Renovations include installation of a new Crestron control unit.
  • Miguel 304
  • Miguel 306
  • Miguel 308
  • Miguel 314
  • Leo 242
  • Leo 330
  • Leo 333
  • Leo 318
  • Hayden 306
  • Hayden 404
  • Hayden 406

Leo 102 is now a brand new engineering computer lab.

The Teacher's Station in DLS 314 has been replaced with a wooden podium.

Summer 2015 Computer Lab Upgrades
The following Computer Labs received new computers this summer.

  • RLC 102 (Expanded to 33 stations)
  • RLC 208
  • RLC 102A
  • RLC 104
  • MGL 305
  • DLS 309

Please keep informed by checking our Known Issues page.

Reminders
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Have a question?  Check out our Knowledge Base first.

The best way to get in touch with a Client Services representative is an email to its@manhattan.edu or a phone call to x7973 (718-862-7973). Note that email and voicemail for this line go to our ticketing system so we encourage you to leave a message.

Remember that we will never ask you for your password. We encourage you all to please reset your computer and provide the temporary password to ITS prior to dropping it off at Client Services. If you do not do this prior, please allocate an extra 5 minutes to work with a Client Services representative so that they can assist you in changing your password when working with us. Upon completion of work on your computer, please allocate another 5 minutes so that a Client Services representative can assist you in changing your password back to its original state. This is necessary in order to safeguard your password. Remember that you should never give your password out to anyone under any circumstances. Note that the same procedure holds true when you are requesting assistance with one of your Manhattan College accounts.

Client Services can NOT lend out equipment to students. If a student needs equipment for a project, they must have a Manhattan College employee sign out equipment on their behalf. Note that the Manhattan College employee is responsible for that equipment.

Client Services can provide short-term loaner equipment such as laptops and projectors by reservation. Note that if equipment is needed long term, it should be purchased via your department.

In lieu of loaning certain cables and remotes, Client Services has installed commonly used VGA and Audio cables as well as projector remotes in all yet-to-be-renovated classrooms. Network cables will be provided to faculty upon request. Faculty requiring other specialty cables or adapters (such as Apple VGA adapters) should contact Client Services for assistance purchasing this equipment as they are not stocked or provided by Client Services.

The Client Services office does not work on personal computers. We will train employees and students and instruct them on how to fix their computers, but personal computers cannot be dropped off for service. No personal items should ever be left in any of the Client Services offices.

Please remember to plan event setups in advance. We work with limited resources so we cannot always complete last minute requests.  You can reserve rooms here.

Client Services currently has 3 convenient locations: Jasper Basement, LIB 502/504, & RLC 103. Please stop by the location closest to you. We encourage you to call first to be sure that someone is available as we are constantly assisting the Manhattan College community.

Client Services Hours of Operations can be found here.

Computer Lab Hours can be found here.

Campus-owned computers are purchased with hardware support provided by the manufacturer. ITS will diagnose and determine whether manufacturer hardware support is needed. For the fastest service, users are also able to contact the manufacturer directly to access hardware support and replacement.

Your feedback helps us improve our service and should be sent to http://manhattan.edu/tellits

Don't forget to add us to your Google+ circles +ITS and follow us on Twitter @MC_ITS

Check out our Blog: http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/

Check out our known issues page: http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/p/known-issues.html

Thank you for your attention.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Move-In Weekend - Technology Support

ITS (Information Technology Services) will be providing technology assistance to new and returning students from 12:00Noon to 5PM on Saturday and Sunday during move-in weekend.

- Need help connecting to JasperNet WIFI?
- Need a network cable?
- Have questions about JasperNet services?
- Need to reset your JasperNet password?

Look for ITS staff in residence halls (we're wearing the bright green shirts with "ITS" on the back) or call the ITS Client Services office at x7973 or 718-862-7973.  Even better, email us at its@manhattan.edu

Calling after 5PM?  Leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.


Welcome back Jaspers!!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

RESOLVED: Sporatic mymc portal outage 8/27/2015

RESOLVED:  ITS is currently working to resolve an issue causing sporadic outages of the portal mymc.manhattan.edu.




Wednesday, August 26, 2015

WIFI Updates to Jasper Hall and Overlook Manor

New network devices to be installed in all resident rooms of Jasper Hall and Overlook Manor.

Students arriving to their dorm rooms will notice a new addition in the form of a JasperNet WIFI network device (shown to the right).  Each dorm room will be provided with the device to provide enhanced 802.11n WIFI connectivity to the room as well as additional wired network ports.

Jasper Hall has already received over 130 of these devices (1 per room) and work is already underway in Overlook Manor to install another 100.

More information detailing this device can be found in our knowledgebase:  

https://manhattan.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/KB/ArticleDet?ID=8610


Tuesday, August 25, 2015

25Live Training: Week of 8/24

25Live training TODAY 8/25 at 3:30PM in O'Malley Library 410

Access to 25Live is now available to all campus users via the college calendar website (http://manhattan.edu/calendar) by clicking on the green “Reserve a Room” button.

In person training sessions are available every Tuesday and Wednesday through September.  See the 25Live training schedule here.  No sign up is needed, just come to any scheduled session.

Additionally, see this website for written instructions on how to use 25Live.

Monday, August 24, 2015

WIFI Updates to Jasper Hall and Overlook Manor

Update:  WIFI updates to Jasper Hall are nearly complete.  ITS will be working in Overlook Manor
the week of 8/24 to install additional WIFI capacity.

Residents of Jasper Hall and Overlook Manor will be returning to campus later this week to find enhanced WIFI connectivity in their new home for the upcoming semester.  Significant upgrades in each building will bring faster and more reliable WIFI connectivity.  Additional coverage has also been added to Horan Hall.

Be on the lookout for more updates about JasperNet WIFI upgrades.

Client Services Prioritized Coverage August 17 - September 11

The Client Services offices will have prioritized coverage August 17 - September 11. We need to allocate resources to completing Summer projects in preparation for the Fall 2015 semester. Once the semester begins we need to allocate resources primarily to classroom and network issues. Response times for all other requests will be slower than normal.

Recap: August 21st Network Maintenance

On Friday August 21st, ITS conducted network hardware maintenance during a scheduled internet
outage window from 7am to 8am.  During this hour we successfully replaced the edge firewall, a key piece of network infrastructure, with a higher performance and hardware redundant system.  This enables more reliable internet connectivity and greater throughput while enabling us to perform maintenance with fewer network outages.

We did experience some lingering network issues until approximately 9:30 am while we tuned the new hardware to meet our specific network needs.  We have been monitoring network performance throughout the weekend and will continue to do so during the coming weeks.

Thank you for your patience while we constantly work to build a more reliable, high performance network infrastructure.

Reference:  August 21st Maintenance Notification:
http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/2015/08/internet-outage-friday-august-21-7am-to.html

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Windows Screen Blanking Issue

Earlier this morning there were reports of users being unable to login to their computers.  The symptom was a blank screen.  After some investigation we tracked the issue in our Home Server system.  The issue has since been resolved.  If you are still experiencing the screen blank, please reboot your computer.  If the issue, persists, please report the issue to its@manhattan.edu or 718-862-7973.

As per our prior announcements, the Home Server system is being retired.  If you have not already done so, please transition all files on Home Server to Drive.  Click here for more information about Drive.

Internet Outage Friday August 21 7am to 8am

There will be an internet outage Friday August 21 7am to 8am while we upgrade a critical piece of network infrastructure to enhance network performance and stability. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Monday, August 17, 2015

New college calendar and 25Live room reservations system

The new campus events calendar website, powered by the 25Live room reservations system, is available now at http://manhattan.edu/calendar. All room requests should now be made through 25Live.
Website Calendar & Event Promotion
As the new 25Live room reservations system rolls out, please take a look at the new campus events calendar website at http://manhattan.edu/calendar or by clicking “College Calendar” in Quick Links.

All information in this online calendar is now coming from the 25Live system and we will be retiring the previous online calendar system, Localist. The iPhone app and user accounts associated with the old calendar will be discontinued.

The new online calendar includes features to add events to your Google calendar, receive event reminders by text message or email, and provides multiple ways to view the calendar data.

In addition to the online calendar, events from 25Live can also automatically appear on digital signage.

Training & Access
Access to 25Live is now available to all campus users via the college calendar website by  clicking on the green “Reserve a Room” button.

In person training sessions are available every Tuesday and Wednesday through September.  See the 25Live training schedule here.  No sign up is needed, just come to any scheduled session.

Additionally, see this website for written instructions on how to use 25Live.

Jasper Hall WIFI Upgrade

ITS will be upgrading WIFI coverage in Jasper Hall 8/17-8/21.  Work will be done 8:00AM-8:00PM and may be accompanied by noise and occasional WIFI disruptions in Jasper Hall.

JasperNet Services Outage Recap (was Banner Offline)

ITS responded to an event in the RLC Datacenter on Friday evening that affected a number of JasperNet services (including Banner).  Some JasperNet services (including Banner) were offline for a period of 1-2 hours on Friday evening from approximately 4:30PM-6:30PM EDT.

ITS was notified of the issue around 5:00PM and resources from various campus departments were on-site by 5:30PM.  While the underlying cause of the unplanned outage was resolved on Friday evening, there may be some lingering issues with JasperNet services as a result of the outage.  Users experiencing still issues with JasperNet services should report the problem to ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu or calling x7973.  #TellITS

Client Services Closures Wednesday 8/26/15 8AM - 9:30AM

All Client Services offices will be closed on Wednesday 8/26/15 from 8AM - 9:30AM for Orientation Support. Please plan accordingly.

Friday, August 14, 2015

RESOLVED: Banner System Is Offline

The Banner system is currently off line due to a database issue.
Our DBA's are working to rectify the issue.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Client Services Prioritized Coverage August 17 - September 11

The Client Services offices will have prioritized coverage August 17 - September 11. We need to allocate resources to completing Summer projects in preparation for the Fall 2015 semester. Once the semester begins we need to allocate resources primarily to classroom and network issues. Response times for all other requests will be slower than normal.

RESOLVED: 25Live UNAVAILABLE (was Scheduled Maintenance - Unresolved Issues)

The 25Live system is back ONLINE.  We are working with 25Live support for a detailed explanation of the unplanned outage and what can be done going forward to prevent similar issues.

25Live can NOW be accessed via the "Reserve a Room" link on the campus calendar:
https://manhattan.edu/college-calendar


UPDATE: 25Live UNAVAILABLE (was Scheduled Maintenance - Unresolved Issues)

We have been advised by 25Live support that they are aware of an issue with the 25Live authentication system and their database engineers are working to resolve the issue.  ITS is awaiting an update from 25Live support and is standing by to test the connection between our systems.


UPDATE to previous notification:
http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/2015/08/scheduled-maintenance-unresolved-issues.html

Scheduled Maintenance - Unresolved Issues (25Live)

ITS is aware of a small number of issues affecting some JasperNet services after the scheduled maintenance performed on Thursday AM (Maintenance Notification).  As a result, the 25Live system is currently unavailable due to an error with the affected authentication system.

We are working to address this issue and expect the affected services to be available shortly.

Monday, August 10, 2015

25LIVE Training - Tuesdays and Wednesdays


Training sessions for the 25LIVE system will be available starting Tuesday 8/11. Sessions will held in the O'Malley Library Electronic Classroom (410) each Tuesday 3:15PM-4:15PM and Wednesday 11:50AM-1:00PM for the next 6-weeks.



Topics for the training sessions will include:
- Introduction to 25LIVE
- Basic event and room request
- Approval workflow
- Promoting your event on the campus calendar and digital signage
- Advanced topics including recurring events
* Please note training sessions are targeted to new and returning faculty and staff.   Additional training specially tailored for student clubs will take place in September.


25LIVE is a new system to better manage room reservations, event planning, and event promotion and will replace the current online campus calendar and room reservation process.


Scheduled Sessions:  (O'Malley Library Room 410)
Tuesday 8/11 - 3:15PM -4:15PM
Wednesday 8/12 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM
Tuesday 8/18 - 3:15PM -4:15PM
Wednesday 8/19 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM
Tuesday 8/25 - 3:15PM -4:00PM
Wednesday 8/26 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM
Tuesday 9/1 - 3:15PM -4:15PM
Wednesday 9/2 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM
Tuesday 9/8 - 3:15PM -4:15PM
Wednesday 9/9 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM
Tuesday 9/15 - 3:15PM -4:15PM
Wednesday 9/16 - 11:40AM - 1:00PM

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Jaspernet services outage Thursday August 13th 7am - 8am

There will be a jaspernet services outage Thursday August 13th 7am - 8am while we perform critical network updates. All jaspernet services will experience roving outages during this time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Windows 10 Upgrade Scam Warning

According to this blog post and others like it.  There are malicious emails circulating masquerading as invitations to upgrade to Windows 10.  Please note that the safest way to upgrade to Windows 10 is through Windows Update.  We have not received reports of Manhattan College accounts receiving these emails.  We are proactively warning users to be cautious should they receive and email as described in this blog post.