According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, privacy is (a) the quality or state of being apart from company or observation; (b) freedom from unauthorized intrusion. Privacy is also an important part of United States culture and law.
Unfortunately, the Internet makes it easy to violate individual privacy. Every packet transferred through the Internet contains source and destination IP numbers that could be used to determine the users identity and what they are doing. Additionally, since all Internet requests must travel through the user's ISP (Internet service provider), it is quite easy to monitor user behavior at the ISP level.
This article series will examine the issues and technologies surrounding the problem of personal privacy on the Internet. Resources and tips will be included to assist users in managing their privacy risk.
A cookie is a short text string that is written onto your computer whenever you visit a web site. The cookie can contain information about your previous visit to the web site, including any options you have selected or information you have entered.
Cookies were originally intended to provide some form of memory to stateless web connections. A traditional web connection is called 'stateless' because there is no memory of previous visits. By leaving a cookie on the users system, a web site will know that a user has been there before. Cookies can be coded to contain user preferences, logon ID's and passwords, and other information intended to improve user convenience.
This convenience factor is most obvious with online shopping. Amazon Books developed a method where items could be added to a users virtual 'shopping cart.' This cart (using cookies) would remember items that the user indicated for purchase, allowing the user to continue browsing through the online storefront. At 'checkout' time, the information from the cookies would allow very convenient purchase of the selected items.
However, there are potential problems with cookies that may violate the users privacy. One major example comes as a result of companies who provide targeted banner ad service. A 'banner ad' is a small graphic advertisement that is displayed on a web page. The economic benefit of banner ads is maximized when they are targeted to the consumer preferences of the user. However, doing this requires information about a user's browsing habits.
This information is gathered by placing cookies on the user's system. The banner ad provider examines the cookies on the user's system to determine if there are trends that may be exploited. For example, a person who frequents sports web sites may begin receiving banner ads about sports products or services.
This is all fine for business usehowever the user seldom realizes that this information is being gathered about them. Further, all it takes is for the user to indicate their e-mail address or real name on a single site, for that information to be linked to all of the cookies. Thus, providing private information to one site could potentially provide it to other sites without the user being aware.
To avoid problems related to cookies, the following suggestions are offered:
The cookie problem is exacerbated by the large number of databases containing user information. This information is often provided voluntarily, as sites ask for personal information in order to provide free access to their services. The major problem with this is that the companies are not obliged to keep this information private. In fact, there is a booming business in user data, and techniques such as 'data mining' are employed to develop trends and other information from these databases.
In addition to cookies and user information offered voluntarily, server logs gather a tremendous amount of information about every visitor to their site. This information, which typically includes IP address and referring page, can be aggregated and combined with logs from other sites, or with cookie data, to specifically identify and track users. This is fine when the user knows it is being done and gives their permission. Seldom do users have a clue when it is happening.
To allay user fears, some sites are 'certified' by organizations that claim to evaluate their privacy policies and behaviors with user data. One such organization is Trust-E (http://www.truste.org/), which certifies the privacy policies of other web sites. Of course, this requires a certain amount of trust in the certifying organization. In the absence of legal protection, the best approach may still be 'Caveat Emptor' (let the buyer beware).
To avoid problems related to online databases, the following suggestions are offered:
These services scramble your information as you pass through their portal and surf other locations. One example is the Anonymizer (see https://www.anonymizer.com/ on the Web).
However, it is important to note that true anonymous surfing is not possible--at very least the scrambler ISP knows your identity.
Electronic commerce on the Internet often requires the use of a credit card. However, the potential exists for a user's credit card information to be stolen and misused. Unless encryption has been enabled, the information flow between the user's browser and the web site is available to anyone with the software or hardware to examine the packet stream. This is a real threat, and can result in 'identity theft'--wherein a thief uses your personal information to open new accounts, obtain new credit cards, etc.
As a result, many servers offer secure connections that encrypt information before transferring it from browser to server and vice versa. In Netscape, a secure connection is indicated by a closed lock in the lower left-hand corner of the browser window. When this lock is open the connection is insecure.
To avoid problems related to online purchases, the following suggestions are offered:
Carnivore is a system, developed for the FBI, for monitoring electronic mail and web access at the ISP level. The Carnivore system is installed on an ISP's main system and controlled remotely by the FBI. Carnivore is still very controversial, and is under investigation by the U.S. Congress. Part of the problem is that the system contains no checks and balances to guarantee that it will not be misused. This fear is magnified by the Justice Department's apparent unwillingness to publish details about the operation and design of the system, as ordered by the courts.
You can learn more about Carnivore from the FBI's web site (at http://www.fbi.gov/programs/carnivore/carnivore.htm ).
Comments regarding Carnivore should be directed toward your local Congressional representative.
The only true way to ensure privacy of communication and computer files is to employ encryption technology. When you do this, the bits in the files (or e-mail) are scrambled so that they will not make sense to anyone who obtains them. The encryption will be done with a 'key' that may be used by the owner (or recipient) to decrypt the file to its original form.
One problem with encryption is that the programs that provide for it are fairly complicated, and thus beyond the reach of the average user. Some online services (such as secure servers) may employ encryption in their service. At least one public e-mail service (Yahoo) is planning encrypted e-mail in the coming year.
However, encryption is a touchy issue as far as public policy is concerned. Federal law still makes it a crime to export programs containing encryption algorithms. This reflects the fact that the Allies breaking of the German and Japanese encryption codes was important to the outcome of World War II.
Users with network connections have a special problem. This includes users on cable modems, ISDN and DSL lines. The problem is that their system, by virtue of being network connected, may be accessed by others without their knowledge. Hackers are known to exploit open TCP/IP ports on networked systems. Some software, such as many IRC clients, provide security holes that a knowledgeable hacker can access.
Unfortunately, with current multitasking operating systems, it is impossible to detect such activity by noting that the system appears to be running a program on its own. Such activity could be routine system maintenance or a program (such as a virus scanner) that is scheduled to run during system idle time.
The only way to protect your privacy in this case is by obtaining and installing a firewall. This is a program that acts as a filter, allowing access only to those domains and/or IP addresses that you specify. The firewall may also record information about attempted access, alerting you when someone is trying to snoop into your system.
To avoid problems related to network connection, the following suggestions are offered:
Internet privacy issues are covered in more depth in a paper presented by Dr. Santoro at the 2000 convention of the Speech Communication Association of Pennsylvania. This paper is located at the following URL: http://www.ist.psu.edu/faculty_pages/santoro/papers/internet-privacy.doc
Anonymity and Privacy on the Internet
http://www.stack.nl/%7Egalactus/remailers/
Cryptography policy
http://www.epic.org/crypto/
Privacy Alliance
http://www.privacyalliance.org/
Online Privacy Alliance
http://www.privacyalliance.org/
Internet Privacy Law
http://www.netatty.com/privacy/privacy.html
Surfer Beware -- Personal Privacy and the Internet
http://www.epic.org/reports/surfer-beware.html
EPIC Privacy Archive
http://www.epic.org/privacy/
Privacy Analysis of your Internet Connection
http://www.privacy.net/analyze/
Privacy-related Software
http://www.privacy.net/software/
The Privacy Page
http://www.privacy.org/
StopCarnivore.org
http://www.stopcarnivore.org/
Internet Privacy Home Page - OSU
http://www.osu.edu/units/law/swire1/pspriv.htm
The Web has emerged as a powerful medium of communication. The challenge we face is to adapt to users with different interests, skill sets, and backgrounds.
We are all faced with one task--getting our message to our audience. I'd like to share some tips and techniques that have helped me as I started publishing on the Web. You should be able to use the same ideas and resources without changing your basic strategies or methods. I'm going to touch on just a few issues that are important to writers and editors.
Although it's fairly easy to convert printed publications to the Web, we need to consider alternate methods of presenting the same information. A reader will accept a lengthy printed publication, but a lengthy text-filled Web window turns most readers off. Visitors prefer bite-sized chunks of information on the Web.
One method that works well for us is the FAQ, or list of frequently asked questions and answers. It's not glamorous, but it presents chunks of information and gets the job done. Another way we handle the problem of sheer volume is to write as concisely as possible, try to avoid redundancy, and organize the information in easy-to-manage pieces.
There are several critical areas to consider when planning to write for the Web.
I. Define your audience.
This is the easy part. You have probably already done this in your printed literature. This definition comes from your manager, director, or administrator. Sometimes definitions, responsibilities, and politics change, so you need to be in touch with your management on a regular basis, and give them the opportunity to provide feedback or approvals of the information you have published. What messages are most important to your organization?
Remember, Web surfers are selfish. They want information that's helpful, reliable, and up-to-date. They want the pages to download fast, and they don't want to be stopped in their tracks by a Java applet or unwieldy multimedia presentation that forces them to watch something they aren't interested in and perhaps even makes their machine crash. This can create bad publicity and cause the visitor to avoid your site. One way to avoid this is to test your site thoroughly before making it public. Even then, if it is an experimental or cutting edge presentation, provide basic information on the main page, but invite visitors to go off to your multimedia presentation if they would like to try it for fun.
II. Research
As writers and editors, we've all conducted research. But we've all become so busy that sometimes we don't have time to do the in-depth research that we would like to do. However, somehow you must find the time to research the Web to identify sites that work well and don't work well. You can get many good ideas by visiting other universities and seeing how they handle the information. At least check out the other Big Ten universities, as managers like to know where we are compared to them.
When you do your research, examine the way good, easy-to-use sites present information. In many cases, they present an abstract or summary. Visitors can click to the complete article or more details if they wish.
III. Content
Content is the focus of the Web user's attention. It is the reason that they come to your site. They will ask "what's in it for me" and "How does this help me to solve my problem?"
Good, clear, concise content is the most important component of your Web site. The design and programming should complement and enhance the content. You've probably visited sites where the content was lost amid the graphics, gimmicks, or lost in a hard-to-use database interface. Your goal should be to enable visitors to quickly find the information.
It's just as important to provide the opportunity to contact you if visitors are unable to find information or have a comment. Always include contact information on every Web page (even though this results in additional e-mail).
Summary
In summary, I'd like to encourage you to try one of these ideas this week:
Here are some references that may be helpful to you. Good luck with your site.
Penn State Web Style Guide:
http://www.psu.edu/ur/webstyleguide/
Yale Web Style Guide:
http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/
Information Architecture Tutorial:
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/design/site_building/tutorials/tutorial1.html
Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians:
http://bones.med.ohio-state.edu/eric/papers/primer/toc.html
Writing for the Web:
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
Penn State doctoral students are able to prepare and submit their dissertations in digital format via the Web making the documents accessible to researchers around the world. In September, the University launched an initiative known as electronic Theses and Dissertations (eTD) that enables graduate students to convert their dissertations into Web-based documents and submit them electronically. Using special software, students have the option to add sound, video, and image links to the dissertations, before uploading them to the Web. Faculty members, researchers, and potential employers will be able to view the Penn State dissertations from any location, by searching the University's eTD archives located at: http://www.etda.libraries.psu.edu/
According to Tom Peters, director for Library Initiatives at the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), Penn State is one of the first among the twelve CIC institutions to develop a university-wide eTD option--though others are planning to do this soon. "Penn State and Ohio State are launching full-scale eTD initiatives this fall," Peters noted, "and Michigan State and Iowa will offer the option by early next year."
A committee made up of representatives from the Graduate School, University Libraries, Library Computing Services (LCS), Center for Academic Computing (CAC), University Press, and Graduate Student Association worked together over the last two years to make the option available this fall. The Committee selected doctoral students to participate in a pilot study that commenced in the spring of 1999 and continued through this summer. As part of this pilot, the University installed an eTD server, created a Web site, and offered training and information sessions to students and faculty advisors. With the official launch of the initiative, doctoral students University-wide will be invited to submit an electronic dissertation (although the option of submitting paper copies will continue to be available).
"Many students say they see the World Wide Web as the future," said Thomas Minsker, a research assistant at the Center for Academic Computing who has been helping students learn to use the software. "We wanted to give them all the tools they would need to truly excel with this medium." Working with digital capabilities such as hyperlinks, video clips, three-dimensional images, as well as a whole spectrum of colors "enlivens the creation process for doctoral students--and makes reading more interesting for faculty members," he added.
Over 100 students volunteered to participate in the eTD pilot study, many reporting that their experiences have been positive and are leading to some unique opportunities.
Alan Bilansky, who expects to receive his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Democracy this fall, remarked, "I see doing this as an effective way to communicate with colleagues and potential employers. Instead of shipping-off my dissertation to them in the mail, I can just provide a Web address."
"Penn State is preparing its students for a future where success, in most likely all disciplines, will be incumbent upon knowing how to use multiple digital resources to communicate research and prepare publications," agrees Bonnie MacEwan, assistant dean for collections at the University Libraries. She's quick to point out, however, that in addition to meeting student needs, the University will also use the project to help advance its digital library technology interests--since the eTD database will provide a significant body of material that can be used to examine preservation and accessibility issues, and search strategies.
Toward this end, the new database will soon be linked to the University Libraries' on-line suite of digital services, LIAS on the Web, in addition to Penn State's eTD Web site. The database will also be joined to the electronic archives catalogued by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), an international federation of universities and institutions founded by Virginia Tech, that is currently leading the eTD movement.
Today's eTD initiatives are revolutionizing access to graduate work, according to the NDLTD, whose membership has more than quadrupled since 1997. A statistical report at the organization's Web site observes that one particular Virginia Tech dissertation was accessed more than 75,000 times in 1998 alone (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/). The report further states that many other digital dissertations have received thousands of "hits" per year and numerous countries from around the world regularly access the NDLTD archives.
Some challenges remain, however. eTD files are primarily created in a Web convertible format known as PDF (Portable Document Format). The format makes it possible to quickly transfer files to UMI Dissertation Services, a Web-based service of Bell & Howell Information and Learning that currently serves as the national archive and distribution point for dissertations. UMI has recently requested that all of its university clients use the PDF format. Yet, some students and faculty members have expressed concerns about what will happen to the eTD files as technology changes. In addition, copyright has become an increasingly important issue, since certain publishers won't reprint information that has appeared on the World Wide Web.
To address these concerns, "Penn State, UMI Dissertation Services, and other participating institutions are making a strong commitment to keeping the dissertations accessible as technology undergoes change," said Lynne Goodstein, who served as associate dean of the Graduate School while the project was taking shape. "We have also made it possible for students to set up specific restriction levels to address copyright issues." The University currently offers three levels of restriction (open access, Penn State accessible, and total restricted access) that can be changed according to the student's publishing needs.
Resolving these issues will help facilitate expansion efforts already in the works for the initiative, since immediate goals include giving students the option to turn in electronic masters and honors theses.
"Being comfortable with electronic publication will be an asset for any student," added Goodstein. "These individuals will be leaving the University with a skill greatly valued by employers and scholars alike."
For more information, visit the eTD Web site at: http://www.etd.psu.edu/ or send e-mail to gradthesis@psu.edu.
Java is a platform-independent, object oriented programming language that was developed for the Internet by Sun Microsystems. Since its inception in the fall of 1995, Java has indeed made the theme "Write Once, Run Everywhere" a true reality. This reality has prompted many companies, including International Business Machines (IBM), to re-evaluate their strategies in developing software for the end user. Java's uses include but are not limited to:
The platform-independent or "write once and run everywhere" breakthrough was achieved via the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The JVM is a system program that translates the byte code into machine-language instructions for a given platform. Each one of these machine-language instructions is translated and executed using the interpreter. The following figure shows a schematic presentation of the Java Virtual Machine for the IBM-PC.
Java is programmed using the Java Development Kit (JDK). The first release of JDK 1.0 was in the fall of 1995. JDK 1.1 was released in the fall of 1997 after an improvement to the handling event was made. In December of 1998, JDK 1.2 was released, which enabled Java3D to be used.
The development of a Java program (applets and/or stand-alone applications) begins with a JDK that is suitable for your system. The web site http://www.sun.com/java may be visited to download the JDK that is appropriate for your system. The most frequently used JDK components are listed below:
There are many visual tools to assist a Java programmer and cut down on development time. The seven Java visual tools listed in the table below have proven to be widely used in the Java industry and educational community for developing Java programs.
At the present time, many software developers have either written an interface to their packages, as is the case with MATLAB and MATHEMATICA, or they are using Java to develop the new routines that are attached to their software. For example MathWorks and the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) developed JAMA to solve problems in linear algebra.
In the near future, Jini technology, which is based on Java, will be widely used by network engineers and system administrators. Jini extends the power of Java by bringing simplicity and mobility to network computing. It enables devices to communicate with one another anywhere, anytime. A Jini-enabled device or software service will create a spontaneous network with other Jini-enabled devices or software services.
There is no wasted time learning the Java language: a programming language that is simple, secure, multithreaded, dynamic, small, standard and most importantly is platform independent. As time goes by, more and more educational institutes are embracing Java in teaching and research. In 1998, David B. Lection, an IBM software developer, stated the following:
"Java will be, by the year 2001, the dominant languageboth in number of programmers and number of projects."
If you would like to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of Java or get started on Java programming, the Visualization Group conducts a series of Java seminars each semester. For seminar descriptions, schedule, and registration, see http://cac.psu.edu/training on the Web.
Another valuable resource at Penn State is the Java User Group (JUG). JUG was founded to help the community at Penn State to learn more about Java and share ideas. If you are interested in joining the JUG, please send e-mail to vizgroup@cac.psu.edu
For additional information, refer to the following Sun Microsystems pages on the Web:
http://java.sun.com/
The Java Software web site, with the latest information
on Java technology, product information, news, and features.
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/
Java 2 SDK Product and Download Page
http://java.sun.com/docs/
Java Platform Documentation provides access to
white papers, the Java Tutorial and other documents.
http://developer.java.sun.com/
The Java Developer Connection web site. Additional technical information,
news, and features; user forums; support information, and
much more
http://java.sun.com/products/
Java Technology Products & API
| NAME | Producer | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visual Cafe for Java | Symantec | http://www.symantec.com |
| 2 | Visual Age for Java | IBM | http://www.ibm.com/developer/java |
| 3 | Jpad | Model works | http://www.modelworks.com |
| 4 | PowerJ | Sybase | http://www.sybase.com/products/internetappdevttools/powerj |
| 5 | Forte | Sun | http://www.sun.com/forte/ffj |
| 6 | JBuilder | Borland | http://www.borland.com/jbuilder | 7 | Code Warrior | Metrowerks | http://www.metrowerks.com/ |
Listen to us now! (this link is active only during live broadcasts on Wednesday mornings, 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.). Check the schedule for this week's topic! Can't listen to us live? All broadcasts are available in the archive.
Logon and listen to the Center for Academic Computing (CAC) segment of the Morning Rush Hour radio show on Penn State's student radio station, The Lion @ 90.7! This segment of the show gives you the opportunity to ask technical questions about a variety of computing topics. Send your question(s) via e-mail to wkps-cac@psu.edu or to lion-rush-hour@psu.edu the day before the show is scheduled to air. If we read your question(s) on the air, you will be eligible for a free giveaway prize!
You can also communicate with the Morning Rush Hour show, including Logon and Listen, via AOL Instant Messenger. Just add psurushhour (formerly RushHour907) to your buddy list to send in your questions.
WHAT IS THE TOPIC?: Topics for each show will feature a variety of computing topics and CAC services. Importantly, the questions that you send to us will help to form the show! Please see the schedule for topics and resources.
Pilot shows which aired during the latter part of the spring 2000 semester. Please see the archive to access the pilot shows and show resources.
WHERE?: Here on the Web (click on the "Listen to us now!" link above) and on the radio at The Lion @ 90.7-FM/State College. You can listen to the show from any of the CAC Computer labs, your dorm room, your apartment, or your office...anywhere! You can also tune into the show on WebRadio via The Lion @ 90.7 Web site at http://www.clubs.psu.edu/wkps/.
HOW?: The audio portion of the show will be available on a first-come, first-served basis using RealAudio sound technology. To listen you need a 28.8 modem or better. The special sound software, RealPlayer, which is required to listen to the broadcast, can be downloaded from the RealNetworks Web site at http://www.realnetworks.com/. An active link will be in place a few minutes prior to the broadcast. If you log in early, you'll be able to listen to the on-air broadcast of the Morning Rush Hour show as a way of testing your connection.
WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY QUESTIONS?: Send your question(s) via e-mail to
wkps-cac@psu.edu or to
lion-rush-hour@psu.edu the day before each show is scheduled to air. If we
read your question(s) on the air, you will be eligible for a free giveaway prize!
NOTE: Calls will not be taken during the CAC portion of this program. Please send all questions regarding the CAC segment of the Morning
Rush Hour show to wkps-cac@psu.edu or to
lion-rush-hour@psu.edu.
WHAT IF I MISS THE SHOW?: Broadcasts are available in the archive.
WHAT IF I EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS?: Please send e-mail to wkps-cac@psu.edu.
The University has contracted Adelphia Business Solutions to provide higher capacity communication circuits to serve Penn State campuses. The change will help the University to meet the increasing demand for telecommunications service from its campuses. Students from these areas will be able search Web resources more quickly for papers and reports, and faculty members will be able to use the network to more rapidly transmit large volumes of data, including video and three-dimensional images, to colleagues throughout the world.
The project, which will provide 45 Mbps service to each of the University's 24 locations, will yield an approximately 10-fold increase in the effective bandwidth available at each campus, compared to that presently available, with only a modest increase in cost. The first set of circuits to serve campuses at Hershey, Harrisburg, and Penn State Erie are already installed. Additional circuits to serve the remaining Penn State campus locations will be installed over the next five months.
According to Gary Augustson, vice provost for information technology, the need for higher bandwidth at these locations has expanded dramatically, due to the increase in student, faculty and staff Internet use.
"The upgrade addresses needs that have evolved with the electronic transformation of our community," Augustson said. "It will make it possible for students to download large files more quicklyand it will enable the University to have higher quality and significantly more cost-effective videoconferencing capabilities."
While evolution of the Penn State network has been ongoing, change of this magnitude was only recently financially feasible.
The change was enabled by increased competition in the telecommunications marketplace, nurtured by the efforts of Penn State. Increased competition for telecommunication services has been encouraged by Penn State for years and was strongly endorsed earlier this year when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded a bid for statewide service to a competitive local exchange service provider.
Although the upgrade will use the same general network design that has proven to be cost-effective in the past, all of the campuses above will now be directly connected to University Park. Upgrades to other campuses will be accomplished during the 2000-2001 academic year.
The Center for Academic Computing now provides an
Open Source Software (OSS) mirror site at
ftp://mirror.cac.psu.edu and
http://mirror.cac.psu.edu. A mirror site is a Web site
that monitors one or more main software distribution sites
and keeps copies of their data locally. Having a local mirror site
enables Penn State students, faculty, and staff to access the hosted
software quickly and reliably, because it provides computer users with
local access to software, as opposed to remote access.
Since the mirror site went public on June 1 it has received over 1.3 million hits by over 20,000 unique sites for over 10.5 terabytes of data (this is the equivalent to the transmission of over 10 million reams of single-spaced typed pages). In August alone, 3.5 terabytes of data were delivered by the mirror site. Forty gigabytes of this number were delivered to Penn State, while 390 gigabytes were delivered to other educational organizations.
The mirror site acts as a repository for a wide range of Open Source Software. While the GNU/Linux operating system has recently experienced an explosion of popularity and extensive media coverage, it is only one of many important Open Source projects.
The Berkeley-based Unix distributions (such as FreeBSD and OpenBSD), the Apache Web server, and the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) are just a few of the Open Source resources used extensively in critical applications. For example, the popular web-based e-mail service Hotmail runs off of FreeBSD and the Apache Web server is the most widely used Web server in the world. In addition, the mirror site also houses several GNU/Linux distributions such as RedHat, Mandrake, Debian, and LinuxPPC, the Linux Kernel Archives, the Comprehensive Tex Archive Network (CTAN), and the Free Software Foundation's GNU FTP archives. Plans are underway to make more software available from the mirror site.
Please direct any requests, questions, or comments to ftpkeeper@carroll.cac.psu.edu.
Most users of Microsoft operating systems such as Windows 95/98 and Windows NT Version 4 are aware that something called Windows 2000 was released early this spring. Many casual users are inclined to think based on its ambiguous name that Windows 2000 is just the latest upgrade to the Windows 95 family. But in fact, it's the latest release of NT (Windows NT Version 5, if you will), and represents a new level of functionality and complexity over its predecessors.
Windows NT Workstation has been renamed "Windows 2000 Professional," and the good news is that there are few significant differences which are visible to the user. The interface is the same one we've gotten used to with NT4, and most things are in their familiar places, though sometimes with new names or vice versa. As an example, the "Administrative Tools" menu is now to be found in the Control Panel, though it can be added to the Programs menu if desired. Users will also encounter differences in the way network settings are configured, and the way dialup modem connections are set up. But these changes are mostly cosmetic in nature, and aren't conceptually different from what has gone before. If you're the manager of an existing NT4 domain, you can upgrade your users from NT4 Workstation to Windows 2000 Pro, secure in the knowledge that they will still be in familiar territory. And Windows 2000 workstations drop without protest into NT4 domains (I ran my own 2000 Pro workstation in an NT4 domain for over five months).
An NT4 workstation can be upgraded to Windows 2000 Pro, but you might want to seriously consider a full reinstallation. I did so with my own workstations, and I'm glad I did, in spite of the nuisance of application software reinstallation. Microsoft has done a good job of making the upgrade process as smooth as possible, but you're still likely to be better off leaving all traces of the NT4 installation behind and starting afresh. And check in advance to make sure that your hardware and software is supported under Windows 2000. In my own case, an old ISA Qlogic SCSI-1 card was the only unsupported hardware device, and I had no trouble at all with any of my software. But check Microsoft's website and the software/hardware vendors' websites first. You don't want to find out in the middle of an operating system installation that one of your devices doesn't work any more.
Okay, so much for Windows 2000 Pro. Going to Windows 2000 Server must be just as straightforward, right?
Wrong. The basis for a Windows 2000 domain is qualitatively different from that of NT4, and should be approached carefully by any NT4 domain administrators. Be warned that this is not a casual upgrade.
Under NT4, information about users in the domain was held in the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. The master copy of the SAM database was kept on the Primary Domain Controller (PDC), and copied to the domain's Backup Domain Controllers (BDC) at BDC setup time. Afterward, changes to the SAM were replicated among the various domain controllers at predetermined intervals. Functionally, the size of the SAM database was limited to about 45,000 users.
Windows 2000 takes another approach entirely. Information on all objects in the domain (not just users) is stored in the Active Directory, and replicated among all domain controllers as quickly as your network can pass the packets. (Note that I said "domain controllers," not primary or backup domain controllers. There is no hierarchy of domain controllers under Windows 2000; all DCs are created equal.) This distributed database is dynamically maintained using the LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) protocol.
Obviously, the Active Directory is central to the proper functioning of a Windows 2000 domain. And underpinning the Active Directory is something new to the NT world: integrated DNS (Domain Name Service). DNS has been around for ages, of course, and since TCP/IP has always been a part of NT, many readers will now be shaking their heads and muttering "so what else is new?" What's new is the integrated part of integrated DNS.
In the past, Windows NT has relied upon NBT (NetBIOS over TCP/IP) naming conventions for locating objects within a domain. Thus, a machine might be named DIANA or MANAGER, a legacy from the days when the NetBEUI protocol was the only way PCs communicated over LANs. As Windows evolved, an IP address could be associated with these single-level machine names using LMHOSTS files or the slightly more sophisticated WINS service, but the model was still the same: A single-level NBT-style machine name matched with a network address.
One of the many drawbacks of this system was that NBT provided only a flat namespace; that is, a list of one-word machine names that could not easily be differentiated from each other. Nor was there necessarily any correlation between a machine's NBT name and its TCP/IP name.
Windows 2000 has finally eliminated this clumsiness by replacing the old NBT naming conventions with the DNS-based FQDNs (Fully-Qualified Domain Names) that the rest of the TCP/IP world uses. Both domains and machines are now associated with FQDN qualifying extensions. A Windows 2000 domain, for example, might be WIN.PSU.EDU, and one of its machines HESTIA.WIN.PSU.EDU. As you can see, the TCP/IP name and the Windows 2000 name for the machine are now one and the same. WINS and NetBEUI are still available in Windows 2000, but they're there solely for compatibility with downlevel NT4 domains. Windows 2000's native addressing model is now DNS. (Unix fans will be muttering "And about time, too." They're right.)
This brief overview of Windows 2000's DNS-based domain structure (and believe me, it is brief and superficial) has been to demonstrate the great importance of DNS to the Windows 2000 domain. And in order to keep your domain's DNS in good order, any Windows 2000 DC now has the ability to be a DNS server.
This server may be authoritative for its own domain, or it may get its information from another outside DNS server (which doesn't have to be a Windows 2000 DNS server). It can use the traditional database files for its DNS information, or it can use Active Directory-Integrated DNS, which will make changes to the database dynamically, within the security constraints imposed by the domain (though it is not meant to update non-Microsoft DNS servers, and must not be configured to try and do so). The permutations are many and subtle, and if they don't work properly, neither will the Active Directory. And as the Active Directory goes, so goes the domain.
The bottom line is that if you don't have a thorough understanding of how DNS works now, you need to get one before attempting to put together a production Windows 2000 domain. Unlike the NT4 world, a casual understanding of TCP is not going to be sufficient this time. Think of a Windows 2000 domain as an inverted pyramid, with users, files, machines, and all the other components of the domain balancing on the sharp point of Active Directory and DNS. To support its load, that point needs to be made as strong as it can possibly be.
Administration of a Windows 2000 domain is now done mostly through Microsoft Management Consoles (MMCs) rather than menu items or Control Panel applets. MMCs look much like Explorer file-navigation windows, and in fact have a similar operational mode and "feel." They take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of them, they really are a better way of doing things.
Those who are doing backups on their NT4 domains may (or may not) have an unpleasant surprise in store for them. Windows 2000's NTBACKUP utility has been completely revamped. It's now media-pool oriented, rather than device oriented, as NT4 was, using a new service called Removable Storage Management. And of course, the syntax of NTBACKUP's command line has changed radically, so any existing script files that you're using for scheduled NT4 backups will no longer work. The new backup utility is aimed primarily at large domains, with large-scale and demanding backup needs, and these it addresses well. But administrators of smaller domains may well find it overcomplex, confusing, and far too large a cannon for their modest target. In passing, it might be noted that the same NTBACKUP and RSM found in Windows 2000 Server is also part of Windows 2000 Pro. In my opinion, this is a mistake, for most workstation users are likely to be unhappy with the complexity of this new backup paradigm, and have little need for its elaborate feature set. A simplified version for Windows 2000 Pro would seem advisable. Anyone listening at Microsoft?
Windows 2000 Server now comes in three delicious flavors: Server, Advanced Server, and the new DataCenter. A Server may be a fileserver, a domain controller, or both. An Advanced Server can also fill these roles, but has the additional capability to be made part of a two-node cluster. A Windows cluster, for the uninitiated, is a group of two or more machines (nodes) with a common IP address, providing a common filespace or service to the network. Should one of the nodes go down or be taken offline, the cluster resources will remain transparently available to users.
New to both Windows clustering and to the Server lineup is the DataCenter cluster. This option allows clustering of up to four nodes, though hardware requirements are much more stringent.
And of course, the cost of each version of Windows 2000 Server increases with its greater capabilities.
Will you need to upgrade your existing hardware base in order to have a Windows 2000 domain? It depends. I've successfully made a Windows 2000 domain controller of a 200MHz Pentium with 128M of memory and a 4G SCSI system disk. It ran acceptably well, but the processor tended to work very hard when Active Directory-intensive operations like adding large numbers of users in batch were going on. Under Windows 2000, with its distributed Active Directory, hardware requirements for DCs tend to increase with the number of objects in the domain.
My own experience has been that Windows 2000 Pro is quite comfortable on a properly-configured Pentium 200 machine with at least 128M RAM and a fast system disk of at least 2G. And for DCs, I've found that at least a 333MHz Pentium II and 256M RAM with a 4G system disk is a good minimum. But special needs (like running processor or memory-demanding CAD applications, for example) obviously could alter the workstation requirements upward, and a very large domain with a busy Active Directory might want more robust servers.
As you will have gathered from this very brief and incomplete overview, the transition from an NT4 domain to a Windows 2000 domain is not a small one. An incautious domain administrator who breezes into the office some Sunday afternoon expecting to upgrade the domain from NT4 to Windows 2000 for the start of Monday's work day is going to be very much sadder and wiser by the end of the week. All system upgrades are traumatic to one degree or another, but rest assured, the change from NT4 to Windows 2000 is a larger jump than most NT domain administrators are accustomed to making. Be prepared. Be very prepared!
For more information, see the useful resources section.
Online Presentations on Windows 2000:
Windows 2000 Backups:
Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List:
Personal Web page templates are now available to help faculty, staff, and students create a personal Web page. The templates are easy to use and come in a variety of styles which incorporate the official Penn State shield, Penn State photographs, Nittany Lion background, and other features.
The templates are available at http://cac.psu.edu/webtemplates on the web. Individuals can create their own Web page by simply entering their information into a form, saving the file, and uploading it to their personal Web space.
Instructions for using personal Web space are available at http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html on the Web.
Before you call, make sure that your computer is turned on and within reach of your phone, and have answers to the following questions:
Here are some interesting Pennsylvania Web sites to visit.
Fall in Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania.com:
Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau:
Thursday's Science+Technology section in The Daily Collegian:
PA Open For Business:
PA [web] Destination of the Day (updated weekly):
As computer viruses pose an increasing threat to scholarly and administrative activities today, technology experts urge that obtaining and using effective virus detection software is critical for members of the higher education community. To help ensure that anti-virus software is available and affordable for computer users at Penn State, the Center for Academic Computing (CAC) recently obtained permission for students, faculty, and staff to have free access to a virus detection/removal program produced by Computer Associates (CA). The software, called InoculateIT Personal Edition (IPE), can be downloaded from CA at http://antivirus.cai.com/ on the Web.
A leading electronic business software developer, CA is currently offering InoculateIT as "freeware," requiring only that individuals register for the program before they download it to their computers. The software is designed for Windows (TM) 9X/NT/2000 systems and contains a profile of current viruses (and other hostile code) that is updated twice a week free of charge by the company.
According to Jim Kerlin, deputy senior director, CAC, the concern about the damage viruses can inflict at Penn State is growing, as more and more students acquire and use computers for a range of activities including chatting with friends, submitting papers, and conducting research. "New viruses appear at the rate of about three to four each month," he noted, "so you can't rely on anti-virus software that isn't updated on a regular basis. We recommend that computer owners use InoculateIT, or another equally effective product, to perform frequent virus 'signature file' updates (monthly or more) in order to ensure they're protected."
CAC experts evaluated the CA software before the Penn State/CA agreement was made, added Kerlin, to make sure it offered easy installation, high-quality protection, and reliable technical support. At this time, the company does not provide a comparable version of the InoculateIT software for Macintosh users, but Mac owners are encouraged to obtain the leading detection products available at the Microcomputer Order Center (see http://moc.cac.psu.edu/ on the Web).
Another significant ability of InoculateIT is that it is able to check e-mail attachments, an essential capability to look for in all virus detection tools, according to Steve Pierce (manager of the Willard Help Desk), since viruses are increasingly network-based. In an article released in May this year, CNET reported that a substantial number of all e-mails that are received by businesses have infected attachments. The report also stated that the recent onslaught of attachment-based viruses and other hostile code has been extremely costly for institutions and businesses. For example, "Melissa" extracted a price tag of about 80 million, and damages inflicted by the highly publicized "Love Bug" were in the billions ( http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1814907.html?tag=st.ne.1005-203-2167152..ni).
To ensure that you're adequately protected from
cyber pests like these (and others), the CAC offers a list of guidelines
for students, faculty and staff at:
http://cac.psu.edu/infotech/virus.html
Key recommendations include:
The following Web pages offer anti-virus software evaluation resources and reliable information about current computer and network virus attacks:
Penn State's Virus Information:
http://cac.psu.edu/infotech/virus.html
CERT--Software Engineering, Research, and Testing:
http://www.cert.org/advisories/
ICSA--Internet Security and Assurance:
http://www.icsa.net/html/communities/antivirus/lab/
NIST--National Institutes of Standards Technology:
http://www.metro.ch/avpve/
Virus Bulletin:
http://www.virusbtn.com/
For more details on how to download and use InoculateIT please see http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/ger/documents/virus.htm or contact the Center for Academic Computing Help Desks by calling (814) 863-1035 or by sending e-mail to helpdesk@psu.edu.
Penn State's Center for Academic Computing now offers over 650 Web Based Tutorials for faculty, staff and students on IT and office related skills. Our support staff can help you plan a development curricula using these Web Based Tutorials for your department and even for students in your class.
If your students need IT skills for class projects and assignments, Web Based Tutorials are a great solution. Students can acquire the skills anytime or anyplace they have access to a computer and you can concentrate on your course content in class.
Please see our web page at http://wbt.cac.psu.edu or contact April Sheninger at (814)863-7768 for more information.
The Center for Academic Computing (CAC) provides customized training services on computer-related topics to the Penn State community. The benefits of customized training are significant. Training costs are low, scheduling is flexible, training content is based on departmental needs, and staff time away from the office is kept at a minimum.
The CAC Training Group professional staff will work with you to develop a customized training program designed to improve your staff or student's computer skills and increase their productivity. There are fees associated with these services. The following services are available to your department:
Rentals
Instructor Scheduling
Send questions or requests to seminars@psu.edu.
This fall, the CAC is presenting Teaching with Technology, formerly known as the New Media Colloquia Series. This series highlights the benefits technology brings to the classroom. We extend this invitation to all Penn State faculty and staff, who are interested in seeing how others are making practical use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
A discussion of pedagogical and technical issues between attendees and IT staff from the CAC will follow half-hour presentations by faculty. This fall's presentations include the following:
The series will be held in 141 Computer Building, University Park from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch. Beverages will be provided.
To register, visit http://cac.psu.edu/training. After you enter your user ID and password and click on register, select "Technology in the Classroom" under Area, and "Lecture" under Platform.
For more information on the series, visit http://cac.psu.edu/fmc/teach or e-mail fmc@psu.edu.
To celebrate the innovative ways Penn State students and instructors are using the World Wide Web and to recognize undergraduate excellence in academic Web site design, the Center for Academic Computing, the Office of Undergraduate Education, and the Teaching and Learning Consortium proudly announce the University's first Undergraduate Web Fair.
The competition is open to any undergraduate student, or team of students, who created a Web site as part of an academic course taken in the fall semester, 2000.
Web sites will be judged by a panel of students, faculty, and information technology specialists based on how effectively they use the medium to present academic content. Criteria include ease of navigation, sensitivity to Web accessibility issues, and innovative use of sound, image and video.
Winning designers will be awarded laptop computers and other valuable prizes donated by some of Penn State's leading technology vendors such as Microsoft, Apple, Compaq, and Gateway. Prizes will be awarded in the spring, 2001.
Any faculty member or teaching assistant may
nominate a Web site between November 1 and December 15. To submit
a nomination, or for more information, visit
http://www.psu.edu/webfair on the Web. Questions can be
e-mailed to webfair@psu.edu.
The ability to visualize objects and situations in one's mind and to manipulate those images is a cognitive skill vital to many career fields, especially those that require work with graphical representations such as visual arts and engineering. With the advent of powerful computers and the resulting ability to program 3-D graphic visualizations of everything from works of art to chemical molecules to statistical trends in data, it is likely that these skills will become even more important.
Research on imagery has shown that spatial skills can be improved by training. This may be especially important for women who remain poorly represented in many technical fields.
During Fall 1997, Dawn Blasko, a cognitive psychologist, and Kathy Holliday-Darr, an instructor in engineering graphics, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, conducted research that examined the visualization skills of first year engineering majors. Results showed students with greater previous experience and better imagery skills had greater success in their first engineering courses. Based on this research, Blasko and Holliday-Darr envisioned a tool that could assess the visualization skills of students as, or even before, they arrive at Penn State Erie. In addition, the tool should provide training based on the skills in which the students are deficient.
As one of the 1999&-2000 Faculty Technology Initiative Projects, a prototype web-based tool to assess and provide training on spatial skills was developed. Staff of the Educational Technology Services group of the CAC (Carol Dwyer, Barbara Smith, Gretta Armstrong, David Stong, Kaspar Stromme, and Mike Tribone) provided instructional design, programming, and graphic design for the first stage of the project.
This involved setting up a website that runs Macromedia® AUTHORWARE® ATTAIN modules for testing on two spatial tasks: mental rotation
In addition, an interactive Microsoft® Access database was designed to collect and view the resulting data.
The next phase of the project will include development of a third test on spatial visualization, the ability to manipulate complex spatial information when several stages are needed to produce the correct solution. This will be an adaptation of the Paper Folding test [Figure 4]. Students will select which of the unfolded objects is equal to the folded object.
Based on user's scores on all of the tests, training will focus on improving skills. Blasko and Holliday-Darr want the training to be very interactive, motivating, and entertaining in order to meet preferences of today's student audience. Although existing computer games have been shown to be helpful in improving spatial skills, many of these games are violent and not suitable in an instructional program. Using a participatory design process, Blasko and Holliday-Darr worked with teams of psychology and engineering students to design learning activities. Thus, exercises and games will be developed that are interesting and appropriate for peers of the student designers.
Currently the first modules of the program are being used in the freshman graphics classes at Penn State Erie. The program is also being used by an engineering faculty member at Montana State University. Eventually the program will be made available to high schools and outreach programs to help prepare students interested in fields which require visualization skills.
With support from a Penn State Erie Undergraduate research grant, two Penn State Erie psychology majors, Amanda Ervin and Jessica Turos, have evaluated the first stages of the program. This semester they are conducting an experiment to determine the usability of the program as well as examine the effectiveness of on-campus versus at-home training. As time permits, students and faculty are developing training exercises.
For additional information, see http://viz.bd.psu.edu/viz/ on the Web.
The fall 2000 version of the CACPAC CD is now available. The CACPAC CD is a collection of software for Penn State faculty, staff and students that may be installed on personal and departmental computers to connect them to the Internet and access electronic mail, the Web and other network services. Supported systems are Macintosh and Windows (95, 98, NT, and 2000).
This material is available on a CD and on FTP (File Transfer Protocol) servers. The CD may be obtained from the CAC Help Desks in 2 Willard Building (814-863-1035) and 215 Computer Building (814-863-2494) at University Park, and at various locations at other campuses. Supplies are limited, so you may want to call first.
The CD contains commercial software licensed for use by Penn State students, faculty and staff. Do not give it to anyone who is not a registered student or employee of Penn State.
For more information and instructions on Internet access, see the CAC publication Internet Access Guide. The guide can be obtained at CAC Help Desks in 215 Computer Building or 2 Willard Building, or by calling (814) 865-4757 or by sending e-mail to docreq@psu.edu.
The CAC also offers walk-in, phone, and electronic consulting at two Help Desk locations at University Park. You can stop in, send questions by electronic mail to helpdesk@psu.edu, or fill out a request form at http://cac.psu.edu/consulting on the Web.
215 Computer Building
(814) 863-2494
Mon.-Fri. 9 am to 5 pm
Lab Consulting Services
In a number of CAC labs, student consultants can help with general questions about Access Accounts, lab equipment, software, and printing. However, they are not permitted to help students with course assignments. During the fall/spring semesters, lab consulting locations and hours are as follows:
15 Sparks, W113 Pattee Library, 2 Willard
Sun. noon-10:00 p.m.
Mon.-Thurs. 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri. 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
1 Beaver Hall, 317 Hammond,
1 Health & Human Development
Sun.-Fri. noon-4 pm
Sun.-Thu. 7 pm-11 pm
103, 111 Boucke, 101 Fisher,
112 Redifer, 108 Warnock
Sun.-Thu. noon-midnight
Fri. noon-4 pm
6 Findlay and 107 Waring
Sun.-Thu. noon-1 am
Fri. noon-4 pm
| Who/What | Find Information at this Web site | E-mail or Phone |
|---|---|---|
| CAC Help Desk | http://cac.psu.edu/consulting | helpdesk@psu.edu |
| http://cac.psu.edu/internet/email.html | postmaster@psu.edu | |
| FTP | http://cac.psu.edu/~santoro/cac/inex/ftp.guide.html | ftp@cac.psu.edu |
| CAC lab equipment | http://cac.psu.edu/labs | caclabs@psu.edu |
| Netnews (Usenet) | http://cac.psu.edu/~santoro/cac/inex/netnews.guide.html | news@psu.edu |
| Security | http://www.netsec.psu.edu/netsec/ | security@psu.edu |
| Student Activity Server | http://www.clubs.psu.edu/ | ActivityServer@psu.edu |
| UNIX | http://cac.psu.edu/unix_group/ | unixhelp@psu.edu |
| Viruses | http://cac.psu.edu/infotech/virus.html | helpdesk@psu.edu |
| Web | http://cac.psu.edu/internet/web.html | webmaster@psu.edu |
| Who | Web Site | E-mail Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Information Technologies | http://cac.psu.edu/ait/ | ait@cac.psu.edu | (814) 865-8208 |
| Computer Accounts Office | http://cac.psu.edu/accounts/ | accounts@psu.edu | (814) 865-4772 |
| Computer Training | http://cac.psu.edu/training/ | seminars@psu.edu | (814) 863-9522 |
| Distributed Systems Services | http://dsg.cac.psu.edu/ | alw@psu.edu | (814) 863-8764 |
| Education Technology Services | http://cac.psu.edu/ets/ | ets@psu.edu | (814) 863-1654 |
| Faculty Multimedia Center | http://cac.psu.edu/fmc/ | fmc@psu.edu | (814) 863-7051 |
| Graduate Education and Research Services (GEaRS) | http://cac.psu.edu/gears/ | kxm@psu.edu | (814) 865-0830 |
| Microcomputer Order Center (MOC) | http://moc.cac.psu.edu/ | moc@psu.edu | (814) 865-2100 or (800) 251-9281 in PA Fax: 863-7514 |
| Numerically Intensive Computing Group | http://cac.psu.edu/beatnic/ | beatnic@cac.psu.edu | (814) 865-0830 |
| UNIX Systems Group | http://cac.psu.edu/unix_group/ | unixhelp@psu.edu | (814) 865-8208 |
| User Services | http://cac.psu.edu/consulting/us.html | helpdesk@psu.edu | (814) 865-4757 |
| Visualization Group | http://cac.psu.edu/viz/ | vizgroup@cac.psu.edu | (814) 865-0830 |
| Wagner Computer Training Center | http://cac.psu.edu/training/wagner | Wagner-Lab@psu.edu | (814) 863-7491 |
This newsletter is published by The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Academic Computing (CAC), 214 Computer Building, University Park, PA 16802. The newsletter is also produced as a set of Web pages and Acrobat PDF files at http://cac.psu.edu/news/ on the World Wide Web. A printed version is mailed to full-time faculty and staff at all locations. A limited number of copies are available at CAC offices located in the Computer Building at University Park. To obtain copies by campus mail, contact Danette Yakymac at (814) 865-4757 or send e-mail to dxs8@psu.edu.
The Center for Academic Computing encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please call (814) 865-0800 in advance of your participation or visit.
This publication is available in alternative media upon request.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please contact the editor, Margaret Smith, 214 Computer Building, University Park; (814) 865-4757; e-mail mes8@psu.edu.
CAC Directors:
Russell Vaught, Senior
Director
Jim Kerlin, Senior Deputy Director
Steve Kellogg, Director,
Advanced Information Technologies
John Harwood, Director, Education
Technology Services
Kathy Mayberry, Director, User Services
Kevin
Morooney, Director, Graduate Education and Research Services
Al Williams,
Director, Distributed Systems Services
Editor:
Margaret Smith
Publications Assistant:
Danette Yakymac
Artists:
Denise Wagner, Graphic Designer
David Stong, Graphic Designer
Fall 2000
|
The Pennsylvania State
University ©2006. All rights
reserved.
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