Go Behind-the-Scenes with Network Support Services
Network Support Services (NSS) has an abundance of new technology ideas and improvement projects to report.  The NSS team's first and most important concern is with the computing safety of all members of our campus. 

One important security project is to insure that McAfee Virus scan 8.0i is installed on all computers running Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP.  The McAfee scanner has been set to auto update everyday, so all virus scanners on campus are running the latest virus definitions from network associates to help keep campus computers happy and healthy.  So what happens if a virus does slip onto our network?  Our network administrators will know about it quickly because our firewall reports any malicious files that try to sneak through.  After the virus is detected, NSS in conjunction with the Helpdesk and Desktop Support will track and clean any infected computers on the network as soon as possible. 

One more level of security was added with installation of the web proxy.  With all the new wireless technology and the amount of computer users on campus, the web proxy will help in the fight against viruses, hackers and will help increase the speed of the network by helping regulate and control bandwidth utilization.  The web proxy is an addition to the firewall that basically makes the University of Michigan - Flint network a faster, safer, and more secure place to compute. 

Our final advancement in security is the implementation of auto updates from Microsoft.  You no longer need to stress about staying on top of every security patch since ITS takes care of it for you.  When Microsoft finds a problem or “security hole” in their Windows 2000 or XP line, a patch is made available for download on their website.  Whenever Microsoft releases one of these patches or updates, the UM-Flint network is alerted, the patches and updates are downloaded, and then the network installs the patches or updates onto every computer running Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP. 

Are you sick and tired of all those pop-ups on your screen?  More often then not pop-ups are caused by software aptly named “spyware.”  Now Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware 6.0 is available for download on our network.  Spybot and Adaware scan your computer for “spyware” and in the event that either program finds this software, it will remove the current infection which can help prevent future problems. Need more help installing or using these programs?  The ITS Helpdesk now supports Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware 6.0 for all users on campus.  We recommend running both programs on your computer for a thorough cleaning to help your desktop become free and clear of pop-ups. 

Next on our list is the integrity and well being of your data.  If you have any important data you need to save, please save it on your departmental (I:\) drive, or your home (H:\) drive instead of your  hard drive (C:\).   Just remember that if your hard drive crashes your data may be lost, or it may cost thousands of dollars to recover it.  If you save your data to either of your network drives you can trust that your important data is safe with the implementation of shadow copy.  Any PC user on campus has access to use shadow copy and here is how it works.  You have a very important file saved to your home drive that you saved a change you didn’t mean to save and you need to have restored back, or you accidentally delete or render the file unusable.  We have set our servers to back up your data two times a day, and shadow copy will recover your data from these backups.  So chances are we would have a “previous version” of your data that is usable.  By saving to our network you can rest assured that we are working hard to keep your data safe and accessible.

Are you a Mac user?  All Macs in the ITS computer labs are now kept on a network image.  This will help prevent any problems and will keep the computers running more smoothly, so when you walk into any of the labs there is a smaller chance of a broken Mac preventing you from doing your work.

You are a Linux user?  NSS is currently testing Linux machines for setup in the 206 MSB computer lab in the near future.  If these tests succeed you will see a few PC's in the lab dedicated to the Penguin.
       
Finally. are you tired of typing those long addresses when you send to an email list?  All lists except Mail Digest (umf_students) and classifieds have been moved to list.umflint.edu instead of list.flint.umich.edu.  If you are a moderator to a list, please moderate it with the list.umflint.edu address, and also be aware that there is a new set of commands to use.  Please consult Quicknote #27 at http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/helpdesk/qnindex.htm for these new commands. 

Learn more about NSS and how they can assist you at http://ww2.umflint.edu/its/about.htm#nss.