LionShare Development Team Launches Globally interactive Web Site (12/18/03)
Staff members in Penn State's Information Technology Services organization (ITS) have been very busy this December-and it's not just because the holidays are approaching. Institutions and groups from around the world have been contacting them about Penn State's recent promotion of LionShare, a technology that enables legitimate file-sharing of academic materials via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. The notion of using authenticated P2P technology to securely exchange academic data has been so compelling to scholars that ITS staff are fielding questions and suggestions for collaboration on a daily basis. As interest grows, LionShare's development team has designed a Web site at http://lionshare.its.psu.edu/main that will use a variety of tools to manage the project's communication interests. The site, which went live on Dec. 1, features discussion forums for visitors who have questions about the technology; listservs for keeping track of the latest developments; and a discussion area known as a "wiki" for LionShare's current development partners (Penn State, MIT, Simon Fraser University in Canada and Internet2) to converse about ongoing project needs. Read the full story at http://live.psu.edu/story/4999

Version 1.7 of PsuThesi was released on December 15 (12/18/03)
Major enhancements include: Menu support and toolbar functions for those using the EndNote Bibliographic Software, particularly the direct "Cite While You Write" function from Microsoft Word. A new menu is now used for the thesis font setup to circumvent PsuThesi problems introduced by the Microsoft Office Extended Language features. A new Browser function has been added to ease searching, forward or backward, for generated PsuThesi fields related to numbered headings, figures, tables, equations, and citations. For more information, see http://css.its.psu.edu/theses/psuthesi

Hot Off the Wire: (11/17/03)
Using Windows XP as an example, the author describes setting up a wireless network at home. The techniques can also used in Linux or Mac OS. more...

Penn State and Napster team up to make legal tunes available to students (11/11/03)

New Version 1.5 of PsuThesi Thesis Package: (10/22/03)
Version 1.5 of PsuThesi has several new features incorporating changes made by the Graduate School regarding a new signature page and new committee page. Other new features include cross-file referencing to figure, able and equation caption numbers and cross-references to numbered headings, along with better support for converting numbered headings. Documentation, subscriber service and the PsuThesi software can all be found at the website http://css.its.psu.edu/theses/psuthesi.

Firewall Service: (10/10/03)
ITS now offers a mechanism to centrally protect your local area network by filtering incoming traffic, according to a set of rules, hide University workstations from would-be attackers, and prevent internal users from University network misuse. more...

Free CD-ROM available to combat recent computer virus outbreak (9/5/03)
In light of several major computer virus outbreaks recently which have affected users on Penn State's computing network, the University is taking steps to help students, faculty and staff protect their personal and office computing equipment. Users should be advised that only Windows PCs are vulnerable to infection. Macintosh and Linux users are not affected. Those who use the Penn State network should take preventative steps to protect their computer before connecting to the network. A CD-ROM, labeled 'Disinfect before you Connect,' contains the appropriate virus removal tools and security patch, and is available for free to all members of the University community. Windows PCs that connect to the network without the security patch could be infected within minutes.

For a copy of the CD-ROM, students should contact their resident assistant or computing assistant, or visit a computing help desk in any of the residence hall commons on the University Park campus. Faculty can obtain the CD-ROM at the campus computer store, or at 12 Willard Building or 215 Computer Building on the University Park campus.

There are consequences for connecting an infected computer to the network. Infected student computers may be flagged for excessive bandwidth consumption due to traffic generated by the virus. All infected computers will be immediately disconnected from the network, and may face a delay in servicing for re-connection to the network.

Google Search Appliance Replaces Current Penn State Search Engine: (7/28/03)
In an effort to improve the current Penn State search engine, Ultraseek, Academic Services and Emerging Technologies (ASET), a unit of Information Technology Services (ITS), will transition to the Google Search Appliance on August 11. more...

Blocking of Ports at Campus Border May Cause Change in Access to Penn State Network: (7/21/03)
This notice is important to those who use a non-Penn State network connection to access Windows and Windows-like file services at Penn State, including the PASS space via the PASS gateway, the UDrive, and shared folders on college, departmental, and private computers. Beginning on July 28, users will need to install and use software (a Virtual Private Network, "VPN" client) to access these services. No other applications will be impacted by this change, such as web servers, mail, remote desktop, FTP, SSH, etc. more...

Wireless Computing now Available at the HUB: (6/25/03)
Secure and high speed wireless networking access, known as ITS Wireless SecureNet, is now available at the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) on the University Park campus. Using wireless connections enables laptops to remain portable without sacrificing the advantages that come with being connected to a network. Although wireless networks can't substitute for the traditional higher-speed wired connections on campus, they offer a great deal of convenience for simple applications like e-mail exchanges, Web browsing, presentations, and file sharing.To begin enjoying the mobility and convenience of wireless computing at the HUB, members of the Penn State community will need: a wireless-capable laptop, a wireless adapter card, and the Virtual Private Network (VPN) software available at https://www.work.psu.edu/access/vpn/ (which provides a secure network connection between individual laptops and Penn State networking resources).To learn more about Penn State's wireless service, please go to: http://its.psu.edu/wireless/

Why you may wish to use Penn State WebMail: (5/13/03)
Penn State WebMail is a Web-based e-mail client, similar to Yahoo! Mail, that provides you with anytime, anywhere access to your Penn State e-mail via a Web browser. Authentication to and e-mail storage in WebMail are made possible via your Access Account userid and password. Your email is stored in your home directory. The easy-to-use interface lets you check and send mail via a secure connection, create and organize mailboxes, access directory services, create and add personalized signatures, and change settings. New features continue to be developed and added.To use WebMail, go to https://webmail.psu.edu/ and click on the "Click To Enter" link. Authenticate with your Access Account userid and password. Instructions for use are available on-line via the WebMail interface. Inquiries can be directed to webmail@psu.edu.

Friends of Penn State Account Connects the World to University Services: (4/29/03)
A new digital account system, known as Friends of Penn State (FPS), has recently been developed to help provide a variety of University services to potential students, alumni and e-commerce customers via the Web. A joint project between several ITS organizations, the FPS account management system has been designed to enable the development of Web-based information resources to serve individuals outside the University in a more efficient streamlined way. FPS is also part of the University's initiative to create a long-term relationship with the many individuals that use Penn State services, such as library technologies, e-stores, World Campus, the Registrar's Office, Undergraduate Admissions and more. According to Steven Kellogg, director of Advanced Information Technologies (AIT), a number of University organizations are developing Web sites to make their services available to FPS account users. Anyone, at this time, who does not have a Penn State Access Account, but who wants to electronically visit the University Web locations mentioned above is encouraged to learn about the option to acquire the Friends of Penn State status. AIT is a department within ITS-Academic Services and Emerging Technologies. To learn more about the Friends of Penn State initiative, go to http://aset.its.psu.edu/fpsproject/.

Enhancements Made to Penn State Signature Stations (5/16/03)
Faculty, staff and students new to the Penn State community will have the opportunity to activate their Penn State Access Accounts via the new and improved Access Account signature stations. The signature stations, which new Access Account holders must visit in order to activate their respective Access Account, have been upgraded and redesigned by Advanced Information Technologies (AIT) and the Accounts Services office, units of Academic Services and Emerging Technologies (ASET), to increase the performance, reliability and security of the former PC-based signature stations. The new signature stations and their software were upgraded to Apple eMacs, which run the OS 10.2 operating system and use Java 1.4.1. The new software takes advantage of the Macintosh's higher graphics resolutions. In addition to new software and hardware, USB graphics tablets and card readers also were added to complete the upgrade. Non-essential system preferences such as the finder and dock were disabled to enhance the signature stations' security.To gain access to a signature station, a user must swipe their Penn State ID+ card through the card reader and apply their signature by using the graphics tablet to agree to Access Account policies as well as elect to subscribe to a variety of Penn State Newswires. Signature stations also provide for existing users a means by which they can obtain their original password should they forget their current password or need to reset their password.The new signature stations are deployed at University Park and at other Penn State locations. For more information and a list of signature station locations, please visit http://css.its.psu.edu/accounts/sigstations.html.

Penn State is now offering a site license for UsableNet's LIFT NN/g Pro Suite software. (4/29/03)
This comprehensive suite of software works in conjunction with Dreamweaver (on both MAC and PC platforms) and evaluates both the 508 Section Web Page Accessibility standards of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 and the W3C, World Wide Web Consortium guidelines. In addition, the software can monitor entire Web sites for standards compliance; schedule automatic tests; monitor and fix Web sites as they are developed; and generate customized executive summaries plus detailed reports to verify compliance. University Web developers will find the software makes it possible to provide more useable Web pages for individuals with physical limitations. Copies of this software may be ordered online through the Penn State Computer Store (http://www.ComputerStore.psu.edu) for $5.00.

Classroom and Lab Computing Introduce a New Web site: (4/29/03)
On March 25, 2003, Classroom and Lab Computing (CLC) launched its recently enhanced Web site at http://clc.its.psu.edu/classrooms/. The new site now includes detailed information for faculty about reserving and using technology classrooms, lists of software installed in CLC computing labs, links to instructional resources and a more easily navigable environment. The revised site also includes a "Help" section which gives faculty the opportunity to request equipment demonstrations, report hardware problems, and ask questions of the CLC staff. CLC is part of Teaching and Learning with Technology, a unit of Information Technology Services.

Penn State Provost Warns Students That They Could go to Prison for Illegal File SharingReport from the Chronicle of Higher Education: (4/9/03)
An administrator at Pennsylvania State University at University Park has sent a stem e-mail message to students, warning that sharing copyrighted material through the Internet could lead to fines and imprisonment underfederal law. Some students wondered whether Penn State was bending to pressure from the recording industry, but university officials denied that,saying the message was merely part of an educational campaign on filesharing. See http://chronicle.com/free/2003/04/2003040201t.htm.

Support System Makes Getting, Giving ANGEL Help Quick and Easy: (4/9/03)
Making Penn State's Course Management System (CMS), A New Global Environment for Learning (ANGEL) available to all faculty, staff, and students has been no small task. For users it has meant learning the interface and features of the new Web-based course software. For Information Technology Services staff it has meant first, assuring that the technology infrastructure is in place to support the CMS and second, creating an efficient way to work with faculty, staff, and students to resolve technical issues and answer questions as they learn to use the new tool. more...

Protecting Your Password: (3/24/03)
Each year, thousands of computers around the world are illegally accessed by unscrupulous individuals, known as hackers, who look for vulnerable systems that they can infiltrate. The results of these attacks can range widely from mildly inconvenient to debilitating for the hacker's victims. more...

ITS Donates Computers to FutureTruck Project: (3/24/03)
It's hard to do anything these days without a computer-even save the environment. When a group of Penn State engineering students were given the task of creating a more fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicle, they looked no further than Information Technology Services (ITS) for help. more...

Interested in Seeing a Snapshot of Your Sponsored Project Account? Try AIMS!: (3/24/03)
The Account Information Management System (AIMS) is a Web-based system designed to allow faculty members access to the financial status of their sponsored project accounts. It provides summary fiscal information regarding principal investigators' grants and contracts. more...

Patch It!: (3/24/03)
In the recent popular movie Spider-Man, the lead character quickly faces the overriding moral of his story: With great power comes great responsibility. The same moral applies to the current generation of personal computer. True to Moore's Law, the power of personal computers has been steadily growing while their price has been dropping. As a result, many home computers today have the processing power and bandwidth to host their own servers. Realizing the promise of the Internet, any user with a current personal computer and cable modem or DSL line can download free (or inexpensive) server software and publish Web-based services to their hearts content. more...

Using PGP To Encrypt and Sign Email Messages: The use of strong encryption to exchange private messages is now commonplace. One of the most popular working tools to enable private exchange of messages is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). The following may be helpful to people wanting or needing to exchange private email messages. (PGP implementations also enable computer files to be encrypted/decrypted. more...

PsuThesi (New Edition) Thesis Package now Available: A new edition of the formerPsuThesi thesis package has been released for public use. The New Edition, version 1.1, is a Penn State thesis package for Microsoft Word users. It includes Word templates, styles and programmed functions which help produce a dissertation, masters thesis or Schreyer honors thesis according to guidelines set forth by Penn State University. PsuThesi currently works with either the 2000 or 2002 versions of Microsoft Word for Windows. It is hoped that soon there will be an equivalent version for the Macintosh environment. The New Edition is a complete rewrite with significant changes making the package easier to use and transport as well as conforming to the current software standards for Microsoft Word. more...

Web-Based Training: New Features - Web-Based Training (WBT) has a new look and a streamlined interface for the fall semester. A service of Information Technology Services, WBT is a free service that gives members of the University community the opportunity to learn or improve technology and business/professional skills at their convenience, via the Web. The Web-based courses available through WBT can enhance career skills, enrich personal and professional knowledge, and supplement other training sources. WBT now offers a completely revamped Web site, equipped with an interface that allows users to log in, add and organize courses, work online and download courses for offline use. For more information about the new features of Web-Based Training, please see the full article at: http://wbt.psu.edu/newlook.asp. For additional information about WBT, or to start using WBT today, visit http://wbt.psu.edu/.