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Infotech.News

Technology news for UMD faculty, staff and students

September 2011

Important ITSS Web Server Upgrade News: If you have web pages on our existing web server (www.d.umn.edu) that utilize CGI it is very important that you test them before October 31 to ensure that they will be functional on our new web server.
Active Directory Project Nears End of Phase 1: It is expected that the remaining Windows workstations will be moved to Active Directory in September. Once the last Novell data has been migrated, we will be decommissioning our Novell servers in October as planned.
New Google Apps and Features Available: New Google applications and enhancements are being released on a continuing basis.
September 30: UMCal to be Decommissioned: UMCal is scheduled to be decommissioned Friday, September 30 and will no longer be available. Google Calendar will become the University's official calendar effective October 1.
NetFiles Changes: NetFiles has been upgraded. It has a new URL and new features including easier file sharing and uploading.
Major and Minor Email Aliases: The Advisor Connect system will be providing major and minor email aliases for faculty starting this fall. The process for accessing the system and sending email is new.
University Systems Maintenance on October 1 and 2: The University of Minnesota plans a complete shut down of the primary data center on the Twin Cities campus on October 1 and 2. This will impact many enterprise systems on which we rely. Systems housed at UMD will not be impacted.
OIT Offers Microsoft Work-at-Home Option: Faculty and staff who use Microsoft Office products on university-owned computers may be interested in a new Work-at-Home agreement that offers an option to use a second copy of some products for work-related purposes.
WebVista, Moodle 1.9, Moodle 2.0...What CMS Should I Use This Academic Year?: Starting next academic year, Moodle 2.0 will become the sole Course Management System (CMS) within the UMN system.
New Projectors in a Third of the General Purpose Classrooms: ITSS has replaced the Hitachi projectors, some as old as 7 years, with new Epson models.
ITSS Computer Labs: ITSS continues to support a number of computer labs across campus for use by students and faculty. Software packages in labs have been upgraded where requested. For instance we are now providing Microsoft Office 2010.
Digital Signage Policy Update: The UMD campus has adopted a new policy on digital signage.

infotechNews is published monthly during the academic year by ITSS.
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