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Office of Information Technology

Princeton Technology 2007 Update Schedule

2007 Technology Update Schedule

A schedule of known infrastructure changes is cataloged here for use by information technology consultants on campus.
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007

February 2007
             
January 2007

Details

  • December 2007: Office 2007 Test Drive Day; December 4
    Starting in January 2008, Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 will begin arriving on campus desktop computers. For those who would like a preview of the many new Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook features, OIT will offer an opportunity to try the updated versions while OIT staff are on hand to lend assistance and answer questions. There will be a continuous and open format presentation of the new features in these programs. After hearing about Office 2007, you can have a seat at one of our laptops and try it out. A pit crew will be on hand to assist you if needed. Stop by anytime and take Outlook 2007 for a test drive! Date: December 4, 2007 - Location: Friend Center Convocation Room - Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

  • November 2007: OIT accounts of 2007 graduate students closed November 1
    OIT accounts of graduate students from class of 2007 were closed as of Thursday, November 1.

  • November 2007: Web-based desktop conferencing service from OIT now available
    Seeing is believing! Now you can show colleagues your digital presentations, artwork, spreadsheets and data sets right from your computer while they watch and engage from their own desktops. Software called WebEx has been licensed by the University so that you can conduct and participate in this type of web-based desktop conferencing, commonly referred to as “webinars.” WebEx allows a meeting host to invite an unlimited number of attendees to take part in a conference and share any application or content on the attendee workstation computers. In order to schedule your first meeting, you must register for a WebEx account. There is no charge for the service but conference hosts must provide a project grant number. Please see www.princeton.edu/conferencing to learn more about the web-based desktop conferencing service and to register. You will also find information about the University's voice and video conferencing services, which can complement and add additional interactivity to your conferencing options.

  • October 2007: OIT computing cluster upgrades scheduled for weeks of 10/22 and 10/29
    During the weeks of October 22 and October 29, several OIT computing clusters will be upgraded. At this time specific dates and times are to be determined; when more information is available it will be posted here. Below is a tentative schedule:
    Week of 10/22 Whitman Library cluster - additional computers added
    Week of 10/29 Forbes, New Grad College, Hibben, Lawrence 14, and Frist 200 - computers upgraded.

  • October 2007: OIT accounts of 2007 undergraduate students closed October 18
    After a three-day grace period to permit retrieval of files requested by Oct. 15 with the Suitcase program, the OIT accounts of undergraduate Class of 2007 students were closed on Oct. 18.

  • September 2007: Wireless connectivity enabled at 27/29 Edwards Place
    OIT is pleased to announce that wireless Internet access has been enabled at 27/29 Edwards Place. The University recognizes the value of wireless computing; the work now completed at Edwards Place is part of a year-long project to complete a wireless infrastructure across the entire campus. Internet access will also continue to be provided through hard-wired wall box connections in the apartments; in fact, hard-wired access is recommended for intensive computing across the network. See www.princeton.edu/wireless for more information and frequently asked questions about wireless connectivity, as well as a wireless coverage map of campus and instructions for configuring your computer.

  • August 2007: IE 7 to be distributed to University Windows computers Aug. 6
    Internet Explorer 7 will be deployed to University Windows computers on the evening of August 6, 2007. Internet Explorer 7 has a different interface than Internet Explorer 6 and you will notice the changes immediately. The OIT Computer clusters will be migrated to Internet Explorer 7, along with Windows Vista and Office 2007, throughout the month of August. Additionally, some Facilities computers may be excluded from this IE 7 distribution due to application incompatibilities that will be resolved in the future. For those interested, a brief summary of features, as well as Princeton specific configurations that are being explored, can be found online at: kb.princeton.edu/9851.

  • July 2007: IE 7 Test Drive Day at Frist on August 1
    To familiarize the campus with Microsoft’s new browser, OIT will offer an opportunity for the community to try IE 7 while OIT staff are on hand to lend assistance and answer questions. There will be a continuous and open format presentation of the new features in Internet Explorer 7. After hearing about IE 7, you can have a seat at one of our laptops and take it for a test drive. A pit crew will be on hand to assist you if needed. Stop by anytime and take IE 7 for a test drive! Date: August 1, 2007 - Location: Frist Multipurpose Room B - Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

  • July 2007: OIT Help Desk Instant Messaging Service enhanced
    Due to the positive response from the University computing community, the OIT Help Desk has expanded the hours of Help Desk instant messaging support. The new version of the service is more user-friendly and can be accessed from any browser window without the need for a separate IM client. OIT Help Desk instant messaging support is now available from www.princeton.edu/oit during the following hours:
    • Sunday: 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
    • Monday - Thursday: 1 p.m. - 10 p.m.
    • Friday: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

  • June 2007: More spam protection: Proofpoint upgraded to version 4.0
    On the evening of Tuesday, June 19, OIT upgraded the Proofpoint anti-spam software from version 3 to version 4. Proofpoint's functionality and interface was not changed in any way so this update was invisible. Version 4 offers more powerful and flexible administration tools, and promises significant performance gains. See www.princeton.edu/spam for more information.
  • May 2007: Digital Student Suitcase: Tools to help graduating students pack their files and prepare for leaving campus
    A suite of online tools is available to help graduating students pack their IT property (such as e-mail messages, H: drive files, and blog entries) to take home. Also included is a tool to remove Windows computers from the Princeton domain. For details, see www.princeton.edu/suitcase.

  • May 2007: Full support expected this summer for Microsoft Vista/Office 2007
    OIT continues to recommend that departments wait until later in the year to upgrade their departmental computers to Vista, until all application compatibility testing is scheduled to be completed (fourth quarter). For details regarding OIT areas of full support for Vista as well as imaging tools on specific hardware, please see: http://kb.princeton.edu/9883. Please contact the OIT Migration and Implementation team at vista@princeton.edu if you have any questions.

  • April 2007: Mobile technology loaner services available for University business travelers
    OIT is pleased to offer two mobile computing solutions to faculty and staff traveling on University business. The BlackBerry Device Loaner Program offers a portable wireless e-mail solution for Exchange e-mail customers while on the road. For more information regarding the program see: http://www.princeton.edu/telecom/blackberryloan.html. Also available on loan are wireless broadband data cards. Wireless broadband is a technology that makes high-speed Internet access possible over a wireless network, which is equivalent to your cellular phone. For more information regarding the program see: http://www.princeton.edu/telecom/DataCard.html.

  • Enabled Voice Mail (EVM) available to all faculty and staff
    Enabled Voice Mail (EVM) is now available to all faculty and staff free of charge. EVM converts voice mail messages into audio files and sends them to your Inbox as e-mail attachments. You can then listen to the messages, delete them, forward them, archive them -- as you would with any e-mail. Anyone who would like to have EVM activated should send e-mail to oitevm@princeton.edu. For more information about EVM and its benefits, please see: http://www.princeton.edu/telecom/EVMfacstaff.html

  • April 2006: Cell Phone Coverage on campus extends to Frist lower level
    OIT is pleased to announce that further steps have been taken to improve cell phone coverage and quality of service on campus.  In January of 2006, OIT completed Phase 1 of this multi-phased project, which was to improve cell phone reception on campus by installing a new Verizon tower on the rooftop of the New South building. Most recently, Phase 2 has begun, with the goal of improving penetration of reception to indoor locations such the lower levels of buildings on central campus.  Last month OIT used technology to "push" Verizon cell phone service via the campus fiber optic cable system to the B level of the Frist Campus Center. Test results indicate that coverage has been vastly improved throughout the Frist B level as a result of this "targeted" deployment initiative. In the future, OIT will be exploring this technology in other locations. The next phase of the project is to establish new cell towers on campus, including Cingular, Sprint, and T-Mobile by the end of the summer of 2007, as well as improve cellular coverage in other hard to reach locations. This OIT project has proven to be very popular with cell phone users on campus and the response has been very positive.

  • March 2007: OIT Help Desk introduces Instant Messaging service
    The OIT Help Desk has added Instant Messaging as yet another way for the University community to reach Help Desk support staff. The pilot service is available Sunday through Thursday evenings, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. To use the service, message PU8HELP from AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or Yahoo Messenger. Please give it a try!

  • March 2007: Daylight Saving Time (DST) correction procedure applied to Exchange calendars
    On Sunday, March 4, all Exchange calendars were automatically updated using the Microsoft recommended Daylight Saving Time (DST) correction procedure. For complete information, see kb.princeton.edu/9856.

  • OIT dial-in remote access services to be discontinued July 1, 2007
    The OIT dial-in remote access services will be discontinued on July 1, 2007. The services were initiated at a time when few alternatives were available. Today, with a wide variety of services being offered both in residences and for travelers, most members of the University community have chosen to use other faster, more inclusive and economical services; it is no longer cost-effective to maintain the OIT dial-in services. All three dial-in services (charged, 806-1000; charged low-speed, 258-0043; and non-charged, 258-0430) will be discontinued. For information about service providers, both high-speed and dial-up, please see www.princeton.edu/remote. For those who use remote access only occasionally, especially while traveling or on vacation, the least expensive dial-up plans may be most useful. The wireless broadband access card provided by vendors such as Verizon may be a good choice in many areas. For a summary of services for travelers, please see http://kb.princeton.edu/9857. Departmental and OIT computing support staff will be contacting current OIT remote access users to assist in making the transition. OIT will work to identify the best solution for any specific need. If you have any questions, please contact the OIT Help Desk, helpdesk@princeton.edu, 8-HELP (4357).

  • February, 2007: Most central computing services unavailable, Sunday, Feb. 11, 12:01 a.m. - noon
    The Department of Facilities requires an electrical power outage at the main University data center to install new power cables from the data center to an electrical substation. This work is necessary to improve the electrical infrastructure and capacity at the data center. To minimize the impact on the University community, the electrical work has been scheduled for Sunday, February 11, from 12:01 a.m. to noon. Except as detailed below, the campus community should expect central computing services to be unavailable during that period. OIT and Facilities have worked together to configure resources to insure no interruption in several critical services throughout the period, including:
    -- the core University web site
    -- Exchange e-mail and calendaring/Outlook Web Access/Blackberry
    -- student IMAP/WebMail
    An IMAP/WebMail outage for faculty and staff will be limited to the early morning hours from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. All other central computing services will be unavailable from 12:01 a.m. Restoration of services will begin at 6 a.m. and all services will be restored by noon. Additionally, TigerTV service will be down from approximately 1:00 a.m. until approximately 4:00 a.m. OIT regrets any inconvenience this outage may cause. We have worked with the Facilities Department to find a time that will cause as little disruption as possible within the constraints we face. We apologize again for the short notice, and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

  • Princeton Software Repository update on public Linux and Solaris servers
    OIT has updated the software in the Princeton Software Repository (PSR), available from /usr/psr on OIT's public Linux and Solaris servers, on Thursday, February 1, 2007. The software now matches what was in the experimental area since August 2006. For details on PSR and the Open Source packages it provides, please visit https://psr.princeton.edu/public/home.do.

  • February 2007: Wireless connectivity enabled in the Butler Apartments
    OIT is pleased to announce that wireless Internet access has been enabled in the Butler Apartments. The University recognizes the value of wireless computing; the work now completed at Hibben-Magie is part of a year-long project to complete a wireless infrastructure across the entire campus. Internet access will also continue to be provided through hard-wired wall box connections in your apartments; in fact, hard-wired access is recommended for intensive computing across the network. If you have a non-SCI computer which is capable of using wireless, you need to register its wireless interface at: http://www.net.princeton.edu/hostmaster/dormnet.html. Now that University wireless is available in your apartment you should discontinue the use of any personal wireless access points or routers. See www.princeton.edu/wireless for more information and frequently asked questions about wireless connectivity, as well as a wireless coverage map of campus and instructions for configuring your computer.

  • January 2007: OIT continues testing Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 for use on campus
    In January of 2007, Microsoft will make available to consumers worldwide their new operating system called Vista, the successor to Windows XP. While this exciting new product will offer several enhancements and features to the Windows computing interface, at this time there are no systems or applications at Princeton that require the use of Vista. Until testing is completed, OIT does not recommend upgrading your Windows operating system to Vista. For more information, as well as OIT minimum hardware requirements for Vista, please see: kb.princeton.edu/9854.

  • January 2007: OIT continues testing of Internet Explorer 7 for use on campus
    Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7, which is available on the Web for download. At this time, OIT is actively exploring the implementation and integration of IE7 at Princeton. Users of non-DeSC Windows machines need to be aware that not all University business applications have been certified with IE7 and, in fact, a small subset of UBAs are known to have incompatibilities. OIT is working to resolve any compliance and performance issues in order to support IE7 in the near future. It is recommended that non-DeSC users NOT download this application until the UBA testing is sucessfully completed and IE7 is rolled out to DeSC computers. For faculty, staff, and students that would like to download Internet Explorer 7 and explore its many new features, you can find a brief summary of features and changes, as well as Princeton specific configurations that have been made at: kb.princeton.edu/9851.

  • January 2007: Older versions of Symantec require update due to vulvernability
    Early this year, there have been a number of attacks attempted on Microsoft Windows-based computers via the Internet, specifically directed toward computers that are running older versions of Symantec AntiVirus. Versions of SAV prior to 10.0.2.2021 can permit computer attackers to execute arbitrary malicious code on your computer. Once infected, your computer then becomes an automated "attack-system" looking for other computers to infect. OIT is taking measures to make sure that new attacks do not enter the University infrastructure from the outside on the network level. However, if an infected computer connects to the network, there is no method of preventing the attack from spreading to other computers. It is critical that all Microsoft Windows computers have at least version 10.0.2.2021 of Symantec AntiVirus software installed. (Note - the current version of Symantec AntiVirus is 10.1.5.5000.) The software is free to all University faculty, staff, and students, and is easily available for you to download and install using the instructions at http://kb.princeton.edu/9548.

Archived technology updates are also cataloged, beginning June, 2003.

Last Updated:Monday January 19 2009