Safe and Secure

Keeping the campus network safe, as well as your workstation and data, is a continuously evolving process. The standard install for University machines allows a typical user access to all the SHSU programs. This install protects the machine from most spyware and adware. A default installation allows quicker responses and fixes from the Helpdesk when maintenance is required and protects the system settings. So for most all readers, you're good to go!

We recognize that some faculty/staff need the flexibility to perform unique technological functions. If you do require additional privileges for academic or job-related reasons, you may become a Power User for your PC/Macintosh workstation. This status will permit you to install most licensed software to your machine, and yet will not impact the system registry.

Local Administrator/Root privileges will be issued on a temporary basis to allow special local installations. Long-term administrator privileges will require additional approvals to ensure extra efforts are made to keep the campus secure. Contact the Helpdesk at 41950 or submit a Work Order if you need a status change.

Passphrases

Passphrases (passwords) for the Storm/Windows/e-mail system will now expire after one year. Don't get caught with it expiring when you have a critical deadline.

Change your passphrase today. Then choose your birthday, anniversary, or the first day of fall or spring classes as the reminder date to change it annually thereafter. On a PC on-campus, you may reset your passphrase with the CTRL-ALT-DEL option while logged in, choosing Change Password. This option simply requires you to know your current username and password.

On- or off-campus, from a PC or a Macintosh, you may reset your password through SamInfo with your username, social security number, and PIN. Since you do not have to be currently logged in your workstation to use this method, it is more restrictive to ensure that other people cannot change your passphrase.

Macintosh New OS

Still wondering when the newly released OS 10.4 will be rolled out? We're hoping to have it ready by the middle of July. We appreciate your patience.

Decentralizing Printing

Remember the olden days when green-bar printers were all SHSU had? Are you possibly old enough to recall how big a deal it was when you got an attached or departmental printer? With the advent of PDF printing, Nell, SamWeb, and SamMenu users can have immediate gratification by being able to print administrative reports directly.

Whether you are printing mailing labels or reports, your departmental laser printer can provide a high quality, professional, legible output for recipients and readers. If you still have a program that automatically prints to the old-style, low-quality line printer here, please do a Work Order requesting the change. A programmer/analyst will be glad to work with you on your printing projects.

Vendor Look-Up

Need a Vendor ID number for a purchase voucher or order? The SamMenu has the VNDR35R option allowing a Vendor look-up by name under the Financial System choices. The POST42RG Account Detail by Vendor also has the same functionality within the program.

Reach Out and Touch

Since SHSU is so close to the fourth largest city in the United States, we want to make it as simple as possible for Houstonians to communicate with us. We are establishing a new calling system which will permit a local Houston call directly to an SHSU office. Callers will not have to go through the University switchboard or a phone menu system. Students, prospects, fans, and parents can go straight to a human voice!

We have a limited number of direct phone numbers that can be publicized via University marketing efforts. This initial listing will be in this fall's Houston telephone directories. If you would like to have a Houston number for your department, please forward your request through your dean or vice president to the Helpdesk.

Blackboard

Summer I & II 2004 Blackboard courses will be removed on July 7, 2005 to make way for the 2005 courses.  So, if you need any material from those courses be sure to copy it into current courses or archive the course somewhere safe.  For instructions on copying course materials, visit the Blackboard software guides page  or you can ask the Blackboard team.

Blackboard Downtime
Blackboard will be unavailable on Sunday, July 3 from 8am - 6pm for hardware upgrades.

Expanding Your Skills

This month we will be offering two Blackboard Brush-up courses so that you can bring your Summer I courses up to speed and get a headstart on your Fall courses.  So bring any course materials you need and we will help get your courses tuned up and ready! 

Are you an on-campus advisor for a student organization?  We are offering a Web Page Building course for student organizations.  The course will be driven by the web needs of the organizations in attendance. So let your webmaster know so they can sign up. These and other training opportunities are available online via the Technology Training calendar.

Paper for You

This month's reward for reading the Update, AND changing your password, is a case of 8 1/2" X 11" paper for your department. You can print/copy 5,000 pages of syllabi, reports, or documents for free. Just reset your password, and then send in your e-mail requesting your paper reward. The first five requestors will receive a case of paper delivered to their offices.

What's Good, What's Not

The Helpdesk provides support for university equipment and software on the local area network. Each month's Update will now include the versions of software and minimum requirements for hardware with the new or changed information highlighted and bolded.

• Memory Sticks: Purchase (and encourage your students to buy) flash drives that are USB Mass Storage Compliant.
• Operating Systems: The supported version of Macintosh machines is OS X. The supported version of Microsoft's Operating System is Windows XP.
• Software Packages: The supported versions of Office suites are Microsoft's Office 2003 and WordPerfect Office 2000 for PC's and Microsoft Office 2004 for Macintoshes.
• Hardware Configurations: The minimum requirement for SHSU Local Area Network support for a PC is a 1Ghz processor, with 512mb RAM, and a 40GB disk. The minimum requirement for a Macintosh on the LAN is a 733 mhz processor, with 512mb RAM,and a 40GB disk.

Approved for campus-wide e-mail distribution by Associate Vice President Jim Stevens