NOVEMBER, 2004

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Wireless network interference

Many people are taking advantage of the freedom and flexibility of wireless network connection, both at work and at home.  On campus every classroom building (plus Milne Library and Higgins Hall) has wireless network access.  At home you can use wireless routers attached to the RoadRunner or DSL services to provide wireless access throughout (and often outside) your house.

If you are seeing sporadic problems with your wireless network connection, it may be due to interference from other devices.  Many devices use the same unlicensed frequencies as wireless access points - this may cause degradation or complete loss of the network connection.  Devices capable of this type of radio frequency interference include 2.4GHz. cordless phones, microwave ovens, Bluetooth enabled devices and wireless speakers or headsets.

If you live in a densely populated area, you may even be getting leakage of interference from neighboring houses.  Usage of 2.4 GHz phones may be especially difficult to pin down, as the source of the interference moves around and only occurs for very short, infrequent periods.  Unless it is being used by a teenager, that is.

To preserve wireless network functionality, we need to learn to be good citizens in the 2.4GHz. band.  Choose a 900 MHz. cordless phone instead of a 2.4GHz. Don’t operate your wireless PC near an operating microwave oven. If you need to use your wireless headset or Bluetooth PDA keep the base antenna low and transmit at a low power setting if possible.

If you are experiencing trouble with wireless access on campus and suspect interference sources, call the Help Desk and a Telecommunications technician will troubleshoot the problem with you.

Change those Banner Passwords!

In order to enhance Banner security, a process has been implemented so that beginning in mid to late January, Banner users’ passwords will expire. Banner users will be required to change their password at that time, and every 90 days thereafter.

When your Banner password has expired, you will receive the following message as you log into Banner:

Then, you will immediately be prompted for a new password:

Guidelines For Choosing Your Banner Password

1. The Banner password must be at least 8 characters in length.

2. The Banner password must contain at least 1 alpha character and at least 1 numeric character.

3. The previous 5 Banner passwords cannot be reused.

4. The Banner password must be different from the username.

5. The Banner password must differ from the previous password by at least 3 characters.

There are many ways to create passwords that fulfill these conditions and are still memorable.  You can create a phrase like "i8aHotdog" or "2beorNot2be".  One of our favorites is the math problem model - something like "4Plus2=six".  This is easy to remember, and can be changed incrementally; after 90 days it could be altered to "5Plus3=eight".

Sophos Antivirus Automatic Updates

People who are using Sophos at home should make sure that auto-updates are occurring.  On the taskbar users will see a flower icon and if the icon has a circle and slash through it, then the antivirus application is not updating.  See this page for instructions on how to configure Sophos for automatic updates.

If your machine is configured as an Administrative Secure Desktop or an Academic ASCI Desktop, it will already be automatically updating Sophos antivirus.

Pre-enrollment Problems

Students who pre-enrolled the week of November 15th experienced problems with the process; these problems resulted in slowness for all Banner users.  After extensive investigation by Computer Center staff (in conjunction with our software support services) and several late nights, the problems were minimized.   A post-incident review by computer center staff revealed several possibilities that will be followed up on; work is continuing to discover the root causes of the malfunctions and prevent their recurrence. 

Secure Desktop Screensavers

In the past we were unable to allow access to the "Screensaver" setting on Secure Desktop PCs without giving complete access to the computer's display settings which created potential security risks. Recent updates and changes in Microsoft's software have now given us more control over these settings and allows us to grant access to the "ScreenSaver" tab on the Display Settings for Secure Desktop users. Secure Desktop users may now right-click on your computer's desktop and go to "properties" and change the screensaver to one of those from the drop down list that is provided. The "Windows Slideshow" was used in the past and pointed to a folder on your P: drive where you could put your own pictures, this option is still available. Downloading and installing 3rd party screensaver software is still disabled due to the possibility of malicious code and viruses being spread through them.

If you have a question for Computer and Telecommunication Services about:

Computer Problems or Related Issues - Call the Information Technology Help Desk at     436-4567

Telephone Service or Problems - Call the Office of Telecommunications at 436-2577

Directory Assistance - call 436-3500

Learn more about our automated NameConnector Service