CATPrints for May 2003

Computer Security

Change those passwords!

If you think changing passwords is a needless exercise, consider that hackers from the outside world are constantly probing our network for weaknesses they can exploit, and the insecure password is one of the most common ways for them to gain access.

The password is the key to your computer; it provides access to your files, your mail, any resources other people have shared with you, and since your computer is part of a campus-wide network it could also give someone the means to exploit other people's computers.  This is why it is essential that you change your password on a regular basis; at least four times a year would be good.

Passwords should be at least eight characters long, and should also contain numbers.  They should not be made up of one ordinary word or something obvious like "password" or "oneonta".  Good examples of secure passwords would be "i8ahotdog4lunch" or "2beornot2b". 
Go to the password change page at www.oneonta.edu/useradmin to create a new one - the data you save may be your own!

Discounts for Time Warner's Road Runner Service

Time Warner's high speed Internet service, Road Runner, is available at discounted rates for faculty, staff and students. Open enrollment for this plan will run from April 21, 2003 through June 12, 2003. Telecommunications has arranged for a discount of existing subscriptions and an introductory offer for new subscribers. New subscribers will get their first six months of service for $29.95/mo. After the initial six months, the rate will be $40.95 per month. If you currently subscribe to Road Runner, you may transfer your service to the College at Oneonta plan and will be billed at the $40.95 per month rate. If you would like to subscribe to the College at Oneonta plan please phone x2577 or stop by the Telecommunications Office (Netzer 236). Telecommunications will place the order with Time Warner on your behalf. Time Warner will bill you directly and your payments will be sent to Time Warner. Time Warner will be the primary point of contact for service related issues.

Website Traffic

We have a very busy site!

The College web site gets a lot of visits on a daily basis. Subtracting all of the activity that is generated on campus and from our dialup internet access, we record an average of 7,200 visits per day. (A visit is defined as all activity from one user in a 30 minute period). During the last year we have recorded a little over one million visitors to our site!

The number one referrer to our site is Google's search engine at www.google.com, with over 120,000 referrals per year.

Outlook Tid-Bits

Importing College Holidays into the Outlook Calendar

The College Calendar contains lots of holidays, key dates and other days that are important to remember. These are available in various forms; on paper as well as on web pages here and there. A handy way to keep these dates close at hand is to import them directly into your Outlook Calendar. The College has assembled a file in the Outlook Public Folders that will allow you to insert reminders of key dates for the next two years.

To import the calendar, go to http://www.oneonta.edu/calendar.hol. If you choose to Open the attachment, you will be presented with a list of calendars for importation:

You can import any or all of these calendar categories. Over the summer we will also post calendar files containing key dates for different bargaining units (CSEA, UUP etc). Check for these from time to time; they will become available as the relevant dates are approved.

When you import these holidays, they will appear in the proper dates windows in your calendar. They can be used just like any other calendar entries - you can modify them, add notes to them, set reminder alarms for them, and so on.

If you wish to delete any of the holidays you have imported, you will have to go to each date individually and delete the items from your calendar. If you have imported a category of holidays, and then choose to go back and import another category later on you can certainly do that. If you inadvertently choose to import a category you already have, however, Outlook will warn you; if you import the same category of holiday twice, then each holiday will appear twice on the relevant day.

The College will publish these holiday files for importation from time to time as the dates become available, and will notify the campus community via email.

If you use Outlook Web Access exclusively, you will need some help importing the holiday file, since it must be done from within the Outlook 2002 application. You can call the Help Desk at 436-4567 for assistance with this.