MMM Minutes 8/6/98

Minutes of Smathers
Middle Manager's Meeting
August 6, 1998

Present: Rich Bennett, Robena Cornwell, Michelle Crump, John Ingram, Barry Hartigan, Erich Kesse, Tom Minton, Carla Summers, Jan Swanbeck, Carol Turner

Network Outages
  1. The password signon for public access computers was shutout today. Could have been caused by the password being tried too many times - this will cause a lock-out until the administrator resets it. We may want to remove this detection if lockouts continually occur, but passwords will have to be longer - with more restrictions.
  2. Network browsing errors are still occurring. Microsoft tech support has been disappointing. We have figured out a walk around to the servers - setting up a shortcut on the desktop for signon seems to work fairly well. Bill notes that unsecured folders on the server are just that - unsecured. They are not good for storing items that you need to keep. It is a quick way to move items, and that's about it.
  3. Network overall - hazing incidents on the rise - CIS student caught with a box in the ceiling. He is under investigation by 2 federal agencies as well as local authorities. This incident may be more serious than it is being reported. Overall, hacking jobs have been inside jobs, usually intended to shut down a department - what amounts to computer vandalism. We have some vulnerability with our MS Exchange server. The pile up of messages in the Outbox may mean we've experienced some hacking here - the symptoms are similar. We have applied the patches that Microsoft suggested, hopefully this will help. NERDC reported at a recent NTAC meeting that computer attacks are becoming increasingly malicious. UF has become both a target & a launching pad of illegal activity.
UF Authentication Effort
  1. Two or three dedicated fiber loops are going to be put in room 100 & the Reitz Union for walk-up access.
  2. There will be public walk-ups, with or without authentication.
Internet 2
  1. The infrastructure is in place, but massive experiments have not yet started.
  2. Internet 2 will be restricted to research only.
  3. The plans are proceeding right along.
Preservation
  1. The automatic binding division has been experiencing some hacker-type attacks. Data has been altered, one specific individual seems to be the target.
  2. Erich encourages logging off of work stations when you leave them for any length of time.
Accessing Email from Home
  1. Accessing email from home with a POP client does not work.
  2. There is an alternative - accessing through a web browser.
  3. Point browsers to NT2.uflib.ufl.edu/exchange. The browser will come up & show your mail.
  4. It doesn't look like Outlook, but allows you to read your email with the browser.
  5. It asks for your id & password then gives you the screen to read your mail.
  6. Next week Systems will be upgrading to the 5.5 mail server - should give POP clients & be less susceptible to problems.
Barcode Scanners
  1. Daniel Cromwell is asking that departments that have PC's replacing dumb terminals & now need the proper barcode scanner to go with the PC to send him a list of what their departmental needs are.
  2. Resource Services acquired this responsibility quite awhile ago, FCLA no longer purchases them.
  3. The question arises as to what to order to allow for the use of scanners with Cows: terminal, PS2 or APT adapters.
  4. Scanner technology becomes obsolete quickly. People using them need to develop more expertise - as the scanners become more varied & specialized - more diverse & diffuse expertise is required.

Back to the Systems Homepage
Last updated February 18, 2000
by Debra Harris
debharr@mail.uflib.ufl.edu