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2005 Technology Update Schedule
A schedule of known infrastructure changes is cataloged here for use by information technology consultants on campus. The current technology update schedule can be found at www.princeton.edu/techupdates.
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December 2005: LISTSERVE administrator Web interface
enhancement
On Wednesday, December 21, the LISTSERV system was upgraded to version 14.4. For list owners, the new LISTSERV looks different and offers new features through its web interface that make list administration easier and the e-mail messages sent through LISTSERV more robust. The new features to note include: Address line personalization, List header control, Paragraph and character formatting, Easy file attachment, and Sub-listing authority. For more information, see: kb.princeton.edu/9153. -
November 2005: Windows XP SP2 enabled on University Software
Update Server
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) was enabled on Princeton's software update server on Sunday, November 27 (the Sunday of Thanksgiving break). This means that any Windows XP machine not running SP2 that receives its critical updates and patches from Princeton's update server received the SP2 installer. In order to prevent potential software conflicts, OIT strongly encouraged the upgrade of any machine that fell into this category before the automatic distribution was turned on. Students were actively encouraged to install the upgrade using OIT resources detailed at kb.princeton.edu/9768. -
November 2005: Upgrade to Visitor Wireless to
begin November 28
Beginning Monday, November 28, and continuing thought Friday, December 2, early morning outages of the wireless network occured in campus buildings as OIT upgraded the operating system and configuration of the wireless infrastructure. These upgrades were tested at 87 Prospect and Frist during the prior couple of weeks. The upgraded firmware, in addition to fixes, provides enhanced functionality which will allow the improvement of the Visitor Wireless service. For details regarding this upgrade and a schedule of the buildings and the dates they were upgraded, please see kb.princeton.edu/9788. -
November 2005: Upgrade of disk storage systems under
way
Work has begun to upgrade the high performance disk storage systems that support OIT's standard IMAP mail service and the University's databases for many administrative systems. The new disk storage system (also known as a "storage area network" or SAN) is significantly faster and more expandable than the disk system that has been in use for the past 4 + years. The upgrade project is planned in three phases. First, new hardware will be installed; on November 19, OIT will be putting the last required hardware into the servers to complete this first phase. Second, existing data files from the standard IMAP service and University administrative databases will be migrated from the old SAN to the new SAN; it is estimated this migration will occur in December of 2005. Finally, the new SAN opens the way for providing "carrier grade" disk storage to other OIT services including academic applications and image, audio, and video storage needs. In addition, the new SAN, which will span both the main machine room in 87 Prospect and a secondary machine room across campus, will be a key component to the disaster recovery planning efforts under way in OIT. The cutover to the new SAN is planned to be complete by 12/21. -
October 2005: NTFILESHARE file migration to the
FILES central file server
On Saturday October 29th, from 6 a.m. until noon, all files and folders stored on the file server named NTFILESHARE were moved to the Central File Services equipment. During this migration, all NTFILESHARE folders and files were unavailable, as well as DBtoolbox applications housed on the server. The server name of NTFILESHARE will continue to work after the completion of the data migration, and will be supported through January 2007. This data migration completes the remainder of the work to move key file services to FILES, the Central File Service storage system. This migration was invisible to the end user as all folder structures remain the same. After the migration, OS 9 Macintosh users are no longer able to access NTFILESHARE. -
October 2005: Novell server names retired
On October 18, 2005, the following server names became unavailable: arachne, aragon, arelia, ariel, arundel. Please use the Central File Server name of FILES to access your departmental files and folders. These servers were retired in June 2003 and the names were temporarily carried forward until this date. -
August 2005: Wireless installed in dorms, upgraded
in all OIT wireless areas
OIT has installed wireless technology in the dormitories. On September 6, OIT will activate the wireless connectivity, and students will be able to send e-mail and surf the Internet from their rooms and residential common areas without the wires. The summer project to install an 802.11g wireless service included all undergraduate dormitories, old Graduate College, new Graduate College, and the annex buildings on Dickinson Street, Edwards Place, and University Place. Most laptops, including SCI computers purchased since 2002, are pre-configured for wireless connectivity so a majority of students will benefit from this enhancement. Internet access will continue to be provided through hard-wired wall box connections for intensive computing across the network. As well as installing the latest wireless technology in the dorms, OIT has upgraded the existing campus wireless equipment from 802.11b (11Mbs) to 802.11g (54Mbs). The end result is a significant enhancement to the IT infrastructure within the student living areas as well as across campus. (Details..) -
August 29, 2005: Samba server aliases migrate to FILES
central file server
The aliases smbserve and smbserver moved from the Samba server to the FILES central file server on August 29. For anyone whose drive mappings for their H: drive still point to smbserve or smbserver, the move of these aliases will be transparent. Whether users are accessing \\smbserve or \\files, the same services on the same server will be produced. In the future, when mapping the Central File Server, please use \\files. If necessary, the aliases \\files2 and \\files3 can also be used. The aliases tango and chacha will be decommissioned. -
August 2005: Account provisioning system migration to
ID-Synch
The OIT system used to create, change, and terminate University netIDs, as well as adjust disk quota allocations for a given netID, has been replaced by a commercial product called ID-Synch. The "Go Live" date of this new account provisioning system was August 22, 2005. -
August 19-21, 2005: WinFS departmental file migration
to the Files (NAS) central server
Over the weekend of August 19 - August 21, all files and folders stored on the file server named WINFS were moved to the Central File Services equipment. During this migration, all WINFS folders and files were unavailable. E-mail to all faculty and staff was sent that contained the following content: "All connections to WINFS need to be disconnected beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, August 19. The data migration will begin at 6:00 p.m. The data migration is expected to take between 24 and 36 hours. The server name of WINFS will continue to work after the completion of the data migration, and will be supported through January 2007. This data migration completes the major work to move key file services to FILES, the Central File Service storage system." This migration is invisible to the end user as all folder structures will remain the same. For more information, please see: kb.princeton.edu/9761. -
August 2005: AppleTalk protocol across subnets
discontinued
On August 5, 2005, OIT discontinued routing AppleTalk packets across subnets over the campus. Support and operation of printing, file sharing, and any third-party applications that depend on native AppleTalk protocol are also discontinued. Appletalk printers are no longer supported on NTPrintserver, and AppleTalk access to OIT central file services has been discontinued. Most Macintosh users on campus now use Mac OS X, which accesses printing and file services using protocols such as IP, SMB, or AFP, so it is unlikely end users who will notice this change. All OIT printing and file sharing services can be accessed and run using alternate and more modern protocols than AppleTalk. Although AppleTalk within subnets will still continue to function, and it may still be possible for two devices within a single subnet to communicate via AppleTalk, the AppleTalk address and AppleTalk zone that a device believes it is in will no longer be valid once the change is made. To learn more about AppleTalk, AppleShare, and how to adapt to this change, please see kb.princeton.edu/9747. -
July 2005: Registrar announces new student records
system
Beginning Tuesday, August 2, 2005, the legacy mainframe student records system will be replaced by the PeopleSoft Student Administration System. The Office of the Registrar and OIT have been working on the conversion of the mainframe to PeopleSoft for a number of years. The Course Information System and SCORE are two of the components already in production as a result of this transition, and the retiring of the mainframe completes the full conversion of the system over to PeopleSoft. New features of this final phase include web grading, which will be distributed to academic departments and faculty, a degree audit that is accessible to students and advisers, and a new, more robust Stuview, used by many departments and administrative offices to view students' records. (Details...) -
July 2005: Hats public linux servers upgraded to Linux
4 AS
On July 25 and 26, 2005, the hats public linux servers (boater, fedora and fez) were upgraded from Redhat Enterprise Linux 3 AS to Redhat Enterprise Linux 4 AS. The upgrade provides new features and performance enhancements which are covered in some detail at www.redhat.com/software/rhel/features. Basic functionality of the hats remains the same after the upgrade. -
July 2005: WebMail upgrade from 6.1 to 6.2
On July 21st, the Sun messaging server upgrade of WebMail wasd done, taking it from version 6.1 to version 6.2. This upgrade is currently causing intermittent IMAP outages, see the Outage Information page for details. -
July 2005: DEMAND (Department Manager’s Desktop)
retired July 1
The Department Manager's Desktop application, also known as DEMAND, retired July 1, 2005. DEMAND's primary function was to simplify navigation to various administrative applications throughout the University. As users have become more comfortable with navigation across University applications, there has been less demand for the specialized interface. As a simple and easy alternative, it is recommended that users create "favorites" or "bookmarks" in their browser applications to track web pages for oft-visited administrative sites. -
June 2005: User controlled spam-filtering utility
(ProofPoint) to be launched
On June 7th, OIT launched a new spam filtering utility that provides robust new features to fight against the onslaught of unwanted e-mail. The new service provides enhanced features for user management of inbound unwanted mail and allows individuals to identify their own block-lists and their own safe-lists. Improvements include real time blocking of bad senders, content filtering (e.g. attachment removal), scanning for viruses, and anti-spam measures. (Details...) -
June 2005: Decommissioning of the IBM
Mainframe
As of June 30, 2005, access to the IBM mainframe has been disabled if you do not directly use or support the remaining student systems (Undergraduate admissions and student records) and/or the carproc and whale account provisioning systems. It is planned that the new student systems will launch on August 2 and the new account provisioning system will be implemented by August 15. Once the remaining systems are replaced, and final processes are run, the mainframe will be fully decommissioned on October 1. -
April 2005: Post office domain cleanup; old style e-mail
addresses retire
In an effort to complete some important e-mail system housekeeping and also reduce the number of e-mail addresses that spammers can use, OIT retired old e-mail address names that have accumulated over the years. On April 25, 2005, legacy post office domains became valid. (Details...) -
April 2005: Multiple TSM contacts enabling
In response to customer feedback, OIT is pleased to announce further improvements to the TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager) account management process. With the new features, you now have the option to change your own reporting options, to update the accounting information associated with your backup service, to change the e-mail address(es) to which reports are sent, and to designate multiple e-mail contacts for your TSM account. This improvement provides flexibility for department managers, administrators, and technical support staff. (Details...) -
March 2005: Technology Users Group Network (TUGN)
forms
OIT is sponsoring the Technology Users Group Network (TUGN). Most TUGN users groups (or SIGs - Special Interest Groups) are developed here on campus. Others are external to the University but may use its facilities for meetings, etc. All are welcome to take advantage of the support that OIT is offering in the form of coordination, publicity, and Web related endeavors. (Details...) -
March 2005: Student e-mail storage quota doubles to 40
megabytes
On March 10th, undergraduate student e-mail storage quotas were doubled to 40 megabytes. Graduate students, currently at 20 megabytes of default e-mail quota, will see an increase during the summer of '05. -
March 2005: OIT Copier Center opens
The OIT Copier Center oversees the installation and use of departmental copiers (those available to university employees in academic and administrative departments) as well as public access copiers (those located in libraries and other open areas and available for public use). For more information, see: www.princeton.edu/copiers. -
February 2005: Enhanced IMAP vacation message tool
released
The Vacation Message tool provided to IMAP e-mail account holders has been enhanced with a richer feature set including: customize your subject line, opt to send vacation messages only to Princeton addresses (useful for deterring Spammers), send differing responses to your recipients, based on thier address, and select the response interval for your recipients. The Vacation Message tool is available on the Account Management page. -
February 2005: OIT Web Hosting Service
established
OIT, in response to departments’ request for a cost effective way to run their own web-based application, provides a fee-based shared “LAMP” (Linux, Apache, mysql, PHP) server. This shared server approach reduces the department’s cost for running and administering their own server substantially. (Details...) -
February 2005: Telnet disabled on OIT-managed Unix/Linux
systems
On February 1st, telnet was disabled on all OIT-managed Unix and Linux systems, such as the arizonas and the hats servers. OIT recommends using secure shell (SSH) instead of telnet, as with telnet all transmissions (including your password) are submitted in plain text across the network. Only SSH will allow you to open a secure terminal session on an OIT-managed server; to protect your netID and password please download a recommended SSH client to your computer. (Details...) -
January 2005: New 64-bit Linux server
available
As part of the Unix/Linux service upgrades announced last fall, a new 64-bit Redhat Enterprise Linux server called sixtyfour became available. This server joins the Sun Solaris server tombstone in providing service for those who run computationally intensive jobs using commercial software like Matlab, SAS, and Mathematica, open source software, or home-grown applications. Like tombstone, sixtyfour is a registered service dedicated to computationally intensive work. It does not provide e-mail client software and does not have access to the /usr/campuscgi file system. The arizona and hats servers continue to be available for general purpose work. (Details...) -
January 2005: Princeton class of '04 accounts close January
27
Class of 2004 OIT accounts closed on January 27th. Members of the class of '04 were e-mailed two week prior as a reminder. Before January 27th students should download their e-mail and H: drive files to their own computer or removeable storage device. (Details...) -
January 2005: New e-mail firewall servers in service to
block spam
Since December of '04, OIT has been implementing new e-mail firewall servers to reduce the amount of spam that you receive in your Inbox. These e-mail firewall servers constantly monitor known spammer lists and compare Princeton incoming mail to these lists. It is estimated that 70% of the mail that arrives at Princeton electronic post offices is known spam; these new mail servers will refuse to accept the spam and send it back to the post office it came from. A noticeable reduction in spam will be achieved. (Details...) -
January 2005: OIT deleted file retention period changed to
30 days
Effective January 31st, the retention period for deleted files on all OIT systems was reduced to 30 days. This limit applies to TSM, the Central File Server (H: drive), Unix accounts, WinFS directories, and IMAP and Exchange e-mail. The 30 day backup period applies only to those files and messages that people delete, not to active files and messages. In cases of accidental deletion, most people are usually aware immediately or very soon after an unintended deletion and request immediate restoration. Backups of all active files and messages (that is, files and messages that have not been deleted) are maintained indefinitely and can be restored at any time in case of computer problems. (Details...) -
January 2005: Princeton Software Repository
The Princeton Software Repository (PSR) is enhanced to incorporate an online web store where faculty, staff, and students is able to purchase licensed software packages for departmental and personal use. Starting on January 10th, 2005, visit www.princeton.edu/psr to complete all software purchases. (Details...) -
January 2005: Visitor Wireless Service
announced
OIT Visitor Wireless Service provides short-term Internet connectivity to wireless devices brought by visitors to Princeton University. The service is available in several dozen locations on campus. The service is intended to provide service to wireless devices belonging to short-term visitors. (Details...) -
January 2005: Blackboard Sectioning Tool
Introduced
The Blackboard Sectioning Tool is a new course management utility designed to help faculty and staff manage the assignment of students into course sections, including: precepts, drills, ear training and films.In addition to the sorting capabilities of the sectioning tool, its interface with Blackboard provides the means for instructors and administrative TAs to communicate with their respective section members via e-mail, as a single group. The sectioning tool is available through the Blackboard course management site. It is located in the Control Panel, among the Course Tools. (Details....) -
January 2005: DeSC Windows XP Migration
Project
The Desktop System Council has approved the distribution of Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 for the newer standard computers participating in the DeSC environment. (Details...)
Archived technology updates are also cataloged, beginning June, 2003.
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E-mail tech-updates@princeton.edu to have a change included in this list.
Last Updated:Friday January 05 2007