GroupWise 2012 is here!

On March 22, 2012, CIT upgraded the GroupWise WebAccess client and other Groupwise servers to 2012.  If you use WebAcess, you’ve already experienced the new look and feel as well as the increased functionality outlined below. 

CIT has now made the Groupwise 2012 client available for Calvin PC/Windows computers.  The Groupwise “client” is the software installed on your desktop or laptop computer that communicates with the Groupwise servers where your e-mail, calendar, etc are stored.  The Groupwise 2012 client will be automatically “pushed” to Calvin computers after the completion of the spring semester, but if you would like to upgrade now, you may “pull” the new Groupwise client using Delivered Applications > Installers > Groupwise 12.0.0 (click here for more information on using Delivered Applications to install software).  We recommend reading through the list of new features and known bugs below before upgrading.

The Groupwise client for Apple/Mac computers remains the same.

• The default Groupwise quota has been increased from 300MB to 500MB.  This increase was implemented in December 2011 (no need to make a request) and is now being reflected in the Mailbox Size tool.
  
  
• CIT is now offering GWSync as an option for faculty and staff who wish to connect to Groupwise via a mobile device.  Unlike other third party e-mail clients, GWSync allows you to use your GroupWise calendar. Please click here for more information on GWSync.
  

Groupwise PC Client Enhancements

• When you modify existing appointments by changing the subject, body text, attachments, and so on, changes display automatically in recipients’ Calendars. However, when you modify the date, time, or place, recipients have the opportunity to re-accept the appointment. Appointment modifications also carry through to delegated appointments.
• The Multi-User Calendar now includes week, month, and year views, with adjustable columns. Scheduling recurring appointments is much easier, as is editing attached documents.
• Those who share folders can enjoy sharing an entire folder tree in a single operation.
• Name completion remembers who you selected last time and displays the most relevant users first.
• Speller technology has been upgraded to provide higher quality for all supported languages.

WebAccess Enhancements

• The Messages list can be sorted by any column, in ascending or descending order.
• Addressing messages is easier with the new Address Selector, rather than going into the Address Book.
• Photos can be added to contacts in your personal address books.
• You can schedule recurring appointments.
• You can create HTML and plain text signatures, and the same signatures are available in WebAccess and in the Windows client.
• The Busy Search interface has been substantially improved.

WebAccess Mobile (New)

• GroupWise 2012 includes a new WebAccess interface designed for use on the Apple iPad. It enables you to access your GroupWise mailbox from your iPad with the standard iPad look and feel.
• You can compose, retract, read, reply to, and forward email messages, as well as check the status of sent items. You can schedule appointments for yourself and others, as well as accept, decline, and delegate appointments.
• You can create tasks for yourself and others, and view the Tasklist folder.
• Robust search capabilities are available.

• The calendar scrolling issue is still present.  Sometimes when scrolling vertically within the calendar, the blocks of time get jumbled and repeated.  To correct this, click somewhere out of your calendar and then go back into the calendar.
  
  
• When proxying into another account and viewing a multi-user calendar it does not display events on your own calendar but duplicates the account you’ve proxied into.  For example, when Jane Doe is in her own Jane Doe account viewing the multi-user calendar, she sees her appointments in her Jane Doe column of the multi-user calendar as well as John Doe’s appointments in his column and Department’s appointments in the Department column.  If Jane Doe proxies into the Department account and view the calendar, she now sees Department’s appointments in Department’s column and duplicated in her Jane Doe column.
  
  
• When using WebAccess, the web browser must be capable of TLS 1.0 encryption protocol.  If this is disabled or unavailable, the WebAccess login will return a security error.  To enable TLS, in FireFox 10.x go to Options > Advanced > Encryption tab > check the “Use SLL 3.0” and “Use TLS 1.0” boxes > click OK; in Internet Explorer 9.x go to Internet Options > Advanced tab > scroll down to the Security options (very bottom) > check the “Use SSL 3.0” and “Use TLS 1.0” boxes > click OK.

 

• Groupwise At Home – New installation instructions for Groupwise 2012 client home use.
• Third-Party E-mail Clients – Configuration settings for using a third-party client to connect to your Groupwise e-mail.
• GroupWise 2012 Documentation – CIT has compiled links to Novells helpful User Guides and Quick Start documents.
• Groupwise FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions answered on CIT’s web site.
• GroupWise Demo Videos – Novell.com help/how-to demo videos for Groupwise 2012 (external link).
• Spam, Scams, and Phishing Attacks – What to do if you receive a suspicious message.

Dropbox, Google Drive and other clouds - are they secure?

You may have been hearing a lot lately about this thing called "the cloud" and how it will magically solve all of your problems, but what is it? Once you get past all of the marketing being thrown at you the concept is very simple: the cloud is another term for the internet and all of it's global network connections. There are many companies that offer services, software, and tools via the cloud to businesses and individuals. Some of these services and products are beneficial and fairly safe, while others are not. It can be difficult to navigate this cloud landscape and all it has to offer, so CIT is here to help you make good decisions. Keep reading for some guidance on cloud file storage products such as Dropbox.

This week Google announced Google Drive, their cloud for storing, syncing and sharing files. While this new product is getting media attention, it is another entry into an already crowded market of free or low cost consumer-grade online storage. Dropbox, iCloud, SugarSync, and SkyDrive are just a few other examples.

These products are simple to use and attractive for sharing files, either with other people or between computers or mobile devices. As with any pioneering technology, these services have risks - especially information security risks. A good rule to follow if you're using cloud-based storage is to post only information you're OK sharing with the world. It probably won't be shared, but it is possible.

Calvin's Acceptable Use Policy describes four categories of information: private, confidential, community, and public. Private or confidential information should never be stored on these consumer-grade services.

If you have questions about how you can get your work done and protect valuable college information, CIT is here to help. Contact the CIT HelpDesk (helpdesk@calvin.edu or x6-8555).

Matt Jeltema, CIT
Adam Vedra, Information Security Officer

Upgrading to the new Colleague UI

Many Datatel Colleague users have already made the switch to the new web-based Colleague UI, as the old Datatel UI will be going away soon. If you've already switched or are ready to go, please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) by FRIDAY, MARCH 23 to be included in a prize drawing.

Not sure which version you're using? If you click on a blue square 'Datatel' icon to login you're using the old version. If you click on blue circular 'Colleague' icon (or type in a web URL) you're using the new version.

If you haven't upgraded by March 23, CIT will work with you to upgrade by mid-April. Take a look at http://www.calvin.edu/it/administrative/colleague/ for help making this change, including instructions for running custom legacy programs in the new Colleague UI. As always, please contact the CIT HelpDesk if you have other questions.

Thanks,
Matt Jeltema, for the CIT information systems team

Some Calvin e-mail accounts compromised

Calvin community member,

Near the end of last week CIT discovered a handful of Calvin student and faculty / staff email accounts that were delivering spam email across the internet. As a result you may have noticed delayed email delivery or email that was being returned to you and designated as undeliverable. CIT was able to diligently contain over one million spam messages from reaching their intended destinations. Unfortunately enough spam messages were delivered from calvin.edu addresses such that other email services on the internet flagged the calvin.edu domain as suspect. As a result mail providers such as Comcast and AOL were not delivering calvin.edu email to their customers for a period of time. In addition due to the large volume of spam our mail delivery server was over loaded and legitimate email was not delivered in a timely fashion. CIT and Information Security are monitoring this situation closely and doing their best to limit damage and loss of productivity.

None of the Calvin email account holders were purposely delivering spam. Rather their accounts were being abused by someone else to propagate massive amounts of spam across the internet. One of the most common ways this happens is through email phishing in which passwords are acquired from the account holder.

Your Calvin passphrase unlocks all kinds of sensitive information. Such information includes private and confidential information, intellectual property, and College proprietary information. It is important that you always protect your Calvin passphrase, and never give it to anyone. Furthermore, Calvin employees will never ask you for your passphrase; especially in an email (see http://www.calvin.edu/it/policies/AUP.pdf).

If you suspect that your passphrase has been compromised or you willingly made it known to someone, it is your responsibility to change your passphrase immediately. It is easily done from the link on the Calvin College portal login page (https://www.calvin.edu/cgi-bin/chpass.pl). Although we enforce an annual passphrase change there is no harm in changing your passphrase more regularly as a good security measure. This is especially prudent after a security incident.

CIT and Information Security have worked hard in the background to minimize the effects of this incident to you. Please continue to partner with us in maintaining a safe and secure computing environment here at Calvin.

For more information on phishing please read the following article: Cyber Security 2011: Phishing Attacks

Adam P. Vedra
Information Security Officer
Calvin College

"Reboot Required" - That pesky Novell Zenworks pop up explained...

Those of you with PCs at home are probably familiar with Windows Updates. Our Patch Management system (ZenWorks) functions in place of Windows Updates but works much the same way by analyzing the computer for missing patches, contacting a server, downloading and installing necessary patches, and calling for a reboot to finalize the installation. CIT tests each patch on campus before deploying the patch to campus PCs to ensure that the patch will not cause conflict with the way we have customized the Windows operating systems on campus. Our Apple computers running the Macintosh operating system also receive routine software and security updates via Absolute Manage.

In order to maintain the security and stability of our campus PCs, CIT routinely "delivers" Microsoft patches to Calvin PCs running Microsoft Windows operating systems. These patches are delivered to PCs one week after Microsoft releases them to the public. We have a Patch Management system (Novell ZenWorks) setup on our network and installed on PCs. This Patch Management system downloads patches from Microsoft and delivers them to Calvin PCs. Each patch has a designated status from Microsoft which determines how important/critical they are. Our Patch Management system uses the ZENworks Agent to scan each PC to detect what patches are already installed and what patches need to be installed. The scan is sent to our Patch Management system via a specific file and then it is analyzed by our system to determine what patches are needed.

Once we have the scans from all the PCs, we can see how many computers need a particular patch. CIT first tests the patches within CIT to see if any issues result from the installation. These patches are installed and tested over a 2 day period before they are sent out to the rest of campus. Once the patches are sent to campus PCs, each PC will perform a scan and download the necessary patches from our system. This number can range anywhere from 1 - 20, depending on how many patches Microsoft released and whether the PC is behind on patches. Once the patches are installed, you will receive the pop up box letting you know that patches have been installed and that a reboot is necessary. This pop up box is part of the ZenWorks application and unfortunately CIT is not able customize it as far as how often it appears and what is says. Because patches often involve critical system files, a reboot may be necessary between patches. It is always good practice to reboot a computer after any new installations or changes to system files.

Another function of our Patch Management system is "baselining" of Microsoft Patches. Baselining patches means that patches that were missed from a previous patch management release will automatically be downloaded and installed on the PC missing the patches. We baseline patches one month after they are released from Microsoft. The insures that all PCs on campus are keeping up with important/critical patches from Microsoft in order to maintain the stability and security of our systems at Calvin. If a computer has been off campus or shut down during a patch time frame, the baselining will take place when ZENworks refreshes the next time the computer is logged in on campus. Once the baselined patches are installed, you will receive the pop up box letting you know patches have been installed and that a reboot is necessary.

There has been an increase of pop up restart notifications due to patch installations. This is due to our recent upgrade to ZENworks 11.1. Many computers on campus had an outdated or faulty Patch Management Agent running on them which caused the computer to fall behind in installing critical patches. Once these computers were upgraded ZENworks 11.1, the Patch Management issues were resolved and old baselined patches started installing. This process can result in numerous restarts to be sure that the patches are installed properly and the computer is fully updated and secure. Because patches often involve critical system files, a reboot may be necessary between patches. It is always good practice to reboot a computer after any new installations or changes to system files.

In addition to the I.T. Connection, CIT also maintains several blogs that serve as notice regarding upcoming patches, upgrades, server maintenance, and network down-time:
Official CIT Communications

Wednesday SOPA/PIPA Protest: Web Site Blackouts

On Wednesday, January 18, several major web sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit will be down in protest of bills meant to stop illegal file sharing. Other sites said to be involved include Boing Boing, and Cheezburger network. Major sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, etc are unconfirmed. Sites participating in the protest will go offline for 24 hours from midnight Eastern Standard Time (05:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Please read the following ABC.com article for more information:

Wikipedia Blackout: Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA