Welcome Back! Spring Semester IT Services Announcements

Happy New Year! We would like to welcome everyone back to campus and trust everyone had a relaxing and restorative winter break.

ITS Winter Updates

Client Services and Operations had a very productive winter break by working hard to stay on top of all maintenance and support of technology for staff and students during the intersession. We are grateful for all the hard work they do year round! 

Training Request Reminder

ITS would like to take the time to remind you that you may utilize the Training Department as a resource by requesting trainings. If you would like to request a training you can do so by emailing its@manhattan.edu or requesting a training through the MC Service Catalog by selecting "IT Training Services" under categories. 

We hope you have a great semester and make sure to be on the lookout for helpful tips and tricks in our upcoming blog posts! 

ITS STARS Update:

A Student Technology And Resource Specialist (STARS) is a Manhattan College student who exemplifies Lasallian values by utilizing their unique skill set to assist members of the Manhattan College community. A STAR has a combination of excellent interpersonal communication skills and technology knowledge. STARS show compassion when working with members of the community who are having technical difficulties. STARS have been going through ongoing training this Fall and upgrading their technical skills in order to offer even stronger support to the Manhattan College community. Managers are organizing training and a student management hierarchy with the continued goal of a 90% student run Client Services department in the upcoming Spring 2021 semester.

Reminders

Have a question? Check out our Knowledge Base first.

The ITS Service Catalog is a great resource!

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) 

Email and voicemail for this line go to our ticketing system so we encourage you to leave a message.

Note: 

• The RLC and Jasper ITS offices are open but are closed for drop in's, appointments only. 
• If you have an appointment please remember to wear a mask or you will not be allowed to enter the office. 
• ITS representatives will still be going into to classrooms to respond to classroom issues. 

Please follow these instructions to update your personal email address:

How to Update Your Personal Email.

Remember that IT Services will never ask you for your password.

We encourage you all to please reset your computer password 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 we 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. For more details about best practices for keeping your information secure at Manhattan College click this Cyber Safety link found on the ITS website.

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.

Client Services currently has 2 convenient locations: Jasper Hall, Ground Floor, North Side & RLC 103C. Please stop by the location closest to you. As a reminder at this time the offices are only open by appointment. Please wear a mask once you have received confirmation of an appointment from a member of the ITS team. 

Client Services Hours of Operations can be found here.

Computer Lab Hours can be found here. Please note that ITS encourages you to use Remotely.

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, clients 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: Tell ITS

Don't forget to add us to your Google+ circles +ITS.  Follow us on Twitter @MC_ITS and Instagram mc_ITS.

Check out our Manhattan College ITS Blog.

Thanks and wishing everyone a productive semester on behalf of the ITS team!

Major Google Outage

Final Update from MC ITS January 26, 2021 4:15PM:

The outage was caused by a Fiber line being cut in Brooklyn, it affected multiple services including Google.  All is now resolved.

Latest update from Google:

At 2021-01-26 2:44PM:

We understand that you're affected by the issue: [Communication Update] Access Issues with Google services. This issue was recently resolved by our Product Engineering Team. Please read below for updates on the status of your issue:

Status:
Fully Resolved

Description:
[Communication Update] Access Issues with Google services

Latest update:
At 2021-01-26 11:44 US/Pacific:
The issue with access to Google services is believed to be resolved for the majority of users.

If you have questions or are continuing to see impact, please open a case with the Support Team and we will work with you until this issue is resolved.

We thank you for your patience while this issue was resolved.

At 2021-01-26 1:36PM:
We now have confirmation that the service access degradation in the NA-EAST is due to an ISP outage.

We are seeing access improvement and are continuing to monitor service health.

We will provide an update by Tuesday, 2021-01-26 11:30 US/Pacific with current details.

At 2021-01-26 12:54PM:
We are experiencing intermittent issues with service access across multiple products.

We are currently working to confirm the source of the service degradation. It's suspected the issue is due to an ISP fiber cut in Brooklyn, NY.

We will provide an update by Tuesday, 2021-01-26 10:30 US/Pacific with current details.

We apologize to all who are affected by the disruption.

Initial Message from MC ITS 12:37PM January 26, 2021:

 ITS became aware of issues with Google Chat messages being delayed and Google Meet sessions being garbled and delayed.  The issue was reported to Google Support at approximately 12:30PM, soon after initially noticed.  Google informed us that this is a Major Outage that they are working to resolve ASAP.  There is currently no information on the Google Workplace Status Dashboard, but we expect it will be updated as more information becomes available.

ITS PRIORITIZED SUPPORT JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 10, 2021

 ITS Client Services will be providing priority support to classroom and network support requests from Wednesday, January 27 - Wednesday, February 10, 2021.  Response times for all other requests will be slower than normal.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Spring 2021 ITS Reminders

 As we approach the beginning of the semester, ITS would like to offer a few gentle reminders. 

1. If possible, check the room(s) that you will be teaching in, on 25livePro.
   

1. Here you can see the COVID capacity as well as the features in the room, which includes the types of technology in the classroom. This may be helpful if the room is unfamiliar to you.
    

2. For further assistance with navigating 25livePro please refer to this link. 

2. Review the following knowledge base articles on the technology used in the classroom for Flexible Learning
   
   

1. Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Demo (Video)
   
   

2. Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Instructions

3. If you would like to sign up for training on the Flexible Learning Classroom technology this week or next week, please use this link.

Sign Up: Spring 2021 Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Demo

In preparation for the Spring 2021 semester, ITS will be hosting another round of Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Demo sessions. 

We encourage you to review this Flexible Learning Classroom Technology demo video prior to attending the session.

The Dates:

• January 19th-22nd (Tuesday-Friday
• January 25th and 26th (Monday and Tuesday)

During the session you will be able to see a demonstration of the technologies that will be provided in the classrooms for flexible learning purposes as well as the opportunity and space to test it out on your own. These technologies include an IPEVO Document Camera, a Google speakermic, and a USB web cam. These sessions will be by appointment only on a first come, first serve basis.

We are encouraging members of the community who use their own devices during teaching to bring them and test them out with the tech independently, after the training. A set of rooms have been reserved for faculty to use after their workshop. This allows you to see how the technology will work with your device before classes begin. Should you choose to bring your own device please make sure that you have downloaded the free software that accompanies the Document Camera: IPEVO Visualizer Software. We recommend that you select the Windows 7 and above download option. 


Sign Up For A Session

Please use this link to schedule your time. Please make sure to bring a mask. If you do not have one please let us know so we can provide one for you. If you have any conflicts or questions please reach out to sleavey01@manhattan.edu. 

We look forward to meeting with you soon!

25Live Mobile to Transition To 25Live Pro: 1/19/21

Collegenet has announced that they will be retiring 25Live Mobile AKA Scheduling. This is the version of 25Live most are familiar with as it is the one linked from inside.manhattan.edu. As of Tuesday, January 19th, 2021, we will be transitioning the inside.manhattan.edu link (quicklinks) to 25live Pro. 

This means that if you use the quicklinks to access 25live, it will take you to 25Live Pro beginning January 19, 2021. You can currently access 25Live Pro and we encourage you to do so before the official transition date. You are encouraged to bookmark this direct link to 25Live Pro: https://25live.collegenet.com/pro/manhattan#!/home/dash

For more direction on how to navigate 25livePro please reference this link. 

Sign Up: Spring 2021 Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Demo

In preparation for the Spring 2021 semester, ITS will be hosting another round of Flexible Learning Classroom Technology Demo sessions. 

We encourage you to review this Flexible Learning Classroom Technology demo video prior to attending the session.

The Dates:

• January 19th-22nd (Tuesday-Friday
• January 25th and 26th (Monday and Tuesday)

During the session you will be able to see a demonstration of the technologies that will be provided in the classrooms for flexible learning purposes as well as the opportunity and space to test it out on your own. These technologies include an IPEVO Document Camera, a Google speakermic, and a USB web cam. These sessions will be by appointment only on a first come, first serve basis.

We are encouraging members of the community who use their own devices during teaching to bring them and test them out with the tech independently, after the training. A set of rooms have been reserved for faculty to use after their workshop. This allows you to see how the technology will work with your device before classes begin. Should you choose to bring your own device please make sure that you have downloaded the free software that accompanies the Document Camera: IPEVO Visualizer Software. We recommend that you select the Windows 7 and above download option.


Sign Up For A Session

Please use this link to schedule your time. Please make sure to bring a mask. If you do not have one please let us know so we can provide one for you. If you have any conflicts or questions please reach out to sleavey01@manhattan.edu.

We look forward to meeting with you soon!

25Live Mobile to Transition To 25Live Pro: 1/19/21

Collegenet has announced that they will be retiring 25Live Mobile AKA Scheduling. This is the version of 25Live most are familiar with as it is the one linked from inside.manhattan.edu. As of Tuesday, January 19th, 2021, we will be transitioning the inside.manhattan.edu link (quicklinks) to 25live Pro. 

This means that if you use the quicklinks to access 25live, it will take you to 25Live Pro beginning January 19, 2021. You can currently access 25Live Pro and we encourage you to do so before the official transition date. You are encouraged to bookmark this direct link to 25Live Pro: https://25live.collegenet.com/pro/manhattan#!/home/dash

For more direction on how to navigate 25livePro please reference this link. 

COMPLETE: Lee/Horan Hall - Brief Network Outage - 1/11 at 930am

This maintenance was completed successfully.

______________________________________

Physical Plant will be conducting a generator test in Lee Hall and Horan Hall on Monday, January 11, 2021. The generator test will commence in Horan Hall first at 930am, followed by Lee Hall at 10am.

There will be two brief outages, one while switching to generator power, the other while switching back to main power. Both wired and wireless will be affected during this generator test.

Only Lee and Horan Halls will be affected during this generator test. This will not affect the rest of campus.

If you have any questions, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu. We apologize for this inconvenience.

COMPLETED: Campus Wide Network Maintenance - January 17, from 7am-830am

UPDATE: As of 8:11am, this scheduled maintenance has been completed successfully. All services and resources are back online. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu or calling 718-862-7379.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

ITS will be conducting network maintenance on some critical core equipment on Sunday, January 17, 2021 from 7am to 8:30am.

In order to keep all critical network equipment secure and reliable, firmware upgrades are necessary throughout the year. While conducting these firmware upgrades, reboots are required, which will cause both of the wired and wireless networks to go down across the entire campus. The network may go down multiple times throughout the maintenance period; this is normal.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu or calling 718-862-7379.

System Maintenance Scheduled - Banner Downtime Required

 Dear Colleagues,

Information Technology Services will be conducting scheduled maintenance to our Banner environment this coming Friday night (January 8, 2020). This will require downtime for Banner, Self-Service and other related systems.  We expect this downtime to be between 7:00pm - 11:00pm.

Thank you for your patience.

Information Technology Services

COMPLETE: Moodle Scheduled Maintenance on Friday 1/8/2021 7:00AM-8:00AM

UPDATE: As of 7:20AM Friday 1/8/2021, the Moodle scheduled maintenance has been completed. Moodle is now AVAILABLE. 

The Manhattan College Moodle system will be undergoing system maintenance starting at 7:00AM on Friday 1/8/2021 to implement important system updates. We anticipate that the maintenance will be completed between 7:00AM - 8:00AM during which time the Moodle system may be UNAVAILABLE.

COMPLETE: Network Maintenance - Wednesday January 6, 8am-10am

As of 9:45am, this maintenance has been completed successfully.

____________________________________________________________________________________

ITS will be conducting maintenance on both of the wired and wireless networks in a select few buildings throughout campus on Wednesday, January 6, 2020 from 8am-10am.

In order to improve the wired and wireless networks on campus, as well as increase stability and security of the networks, ITS will be working on both the wired and wireless networks on campus. This maintenance will cause roaming outages in the following buildings:

• Wired network maintenance in:
• RLC
• Lee Hall
• Horan Hall
• Jasper Hall
• Chrysostom Hall
• Overlook Manor.
• Wireless network maintenance in:
• Draddy Gymnasium/Alumni Hall
• Physical Plant

You may see either the wired or wireless network go down briefly throughout the maintenance period while we make changes. This maintenance should be complete by 10am. 

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu or calling 718-862-7973. 

Chrome Actions: A New Way To Utilize Chrome!

Google Chrome now has the ability for users to complete command actions using the URL bar.

This means that you can type the command you are trying to complete into the URL bar instead of going into your Chrome Settings and navigating through different menus.

Example of some of the commands you can type are: 

• Clear cache/browsing data 

• Manage passwords

• Open Incognito Window

• Update Chrome

• Translate page

For directions on how to use Chrome Actions please check out these instructions.

While this can be a quicker way to access your settings, it is not mandatory and you can still complete these actions by going through your browsers settings.