This will be the last IT News & Updates blog post until June. I will be out on leave until then. Here’s what to do about IT/AMS issues during that time:
- WIFI issues in the back hallway – The most common cause of dropped wifi signal in the back hallway is the device itself. Sometimes it just needs to be rebooted. Unplug the ethernet cable from the back of the device (located on the small shelf near the ceiling outside David’s office), count to 10, and replug the cable. This should cause the device to be re-recognized by the system and restore signal. This could also be the problem with the wifi in the Annex. However, that unit is much older and may actually need to be replaced. Jerry confirmed at faculty meeting that it does need to be replaced.
- Who to contact for in-house IT problems – You can try asking Jerry Moreland for assistance or a recommendation. Things he could probably help you with would be needing your ethernet wall plug fixed, phone issues, etc. But don’t forget that we still have a contract with LocalTel. If you are having issues with connecting a printer to your computer or other peripherals, they should be able to help. If it is a bigger problem that affects more than a single person for a small problem then go to the next item on this list.
- Phone issues: People have reported problems with our phone system: everything from not being able to call campus or other centers or extension offices to not being able to receive calls from campus or outside locations. You or someone trying to reach you has experienced phone issues, please report the problem to Megan (front desk). Let her know the relevant details about the problem so she can compile a list of complaints that Jerry can tackle. At this point, we don’t know if the problem is our dated phone system, the firewall with campus or LocalTel related. Documenting the problems is the first step to solving the problem.
- Who to contact for other IT issues – For most problems, you will need to contact CAHNRS IT either via email (cit.support@wsu.edu) or using their online help form (https://support.it.cahnrs.wsu.edu).
- AMS issues – Megan should be able to assist you with basic problems; for more complex issues, she may need to contact AMS. The best way to avoid problems with non-class meetings is to check out the room and equipment prior to your meeting time – preferably days ahead – when you will have time to troubleshoot and come up with solutions. Most common problems: not having the correct adapter; the projector is turned off; not having the correct meeting number; the power on the soundbar is off (Stockwell). These are relatively easy fixes. More complex issues may include: power outage causing the tablet and/or the system to be offline (may require being unplugged and replugged after 10 sec wait); software updates causing delays (either on your laptop or the AMS system); someone has turned something off or unplugged something by mistake, and the unit needs to be resynced to AMS (mostly applies to older Polycom units). Most of these issues will require contacting the video conferencing people.
Other things to be mindful of: be gentle with the equipment, especially the cords. Do not yank on the cords because it could cause the equipment to pull out of its place and inadvertently cause something else to become dislodged or unplugged. Also, do not force connectors as it could damage either the cord or the device outlet. And, don’t forget to gently recoil cords and place back to their resting location. This will help to prevent problems for others.
Campus IT Maintenance Schedule
myWSU/Oracle – Maintenance is currently scheduled for this Saturday from 7:00 pm to Sunday at 3:00 am. The work to be performed will in part incorporate the various “enhancements” to the myWSU user interface. This could cause intermittent outages or slowdowns. Tianna reported at the faculty meeting that according to CAHNRS IT, myWSU is also being reconfigured to block access to some of your personal identifiers, such as SS#. It is unclear if that task is included in this weekend’s scheduled maintenance.
Service Desk emergency maintenance – April 17, 11:08 am – The JIRA system was experiencing “latency issues”, translation: various online Apps such as the E-forms, TEV’s, etc., weren’t working. The system had to be taken offline to rebuild the database indexes. The system came back online at 12:30 pm and was reportedly functioning ‘normally’. However, Darla reported that the e-forms (webapps) still could not be accessed. Part of the problem appears to be related to the relocation of the webapps systems to a more secure server without changing all the links directing users to the new location.
Skype for Business (SFB) – April 19, 8-9 pm – Pending approval, there will be changes to the configuration to remove the requirement of the PIN to begin phone-only conferences. Regular meetings will still require the WSU PIN.
Border Firewall upgrades – April 25, 5-6 am – Due to reoccurring memory leakage at the border firewall, an upgrade will be performed. This will result in intermittent network outages to all services utilizing WSU internet resources during the maintenance process.
Network Policy Server – April 18, 8-9 pm – ITS will add additional RADIUS clients to the NPS service for WSU Extension sites. These are the first of many clients that will be added as part of the CAHNRS IT project for the WSU Extension network.
Relocating CAHNRS websites – ongoing – This is related to the item above. CAHNRS Communications is in the process of moving websites off of their server and on to servers at Central IT. The reason I’ve been given for this is twofold. First, Central IT servers have more capacity to house the increasing number of websites. Second, CAHNRS Communications has been losing IT positions and no longer have the manpower to maintain the servers, their security issues, and the back-end administration required to keep the sites running. The upside of this is that the server environment should be more secure and stable. The downside is that some functionality may be lost. I’ve been told that some special functions such as using iframes to embed content (like slideshows or other items that originate from an outside hosting website) may no longer be supported due to security concerns. If you find that your program website loses content or functions, contact CAHNRS IT to see if the problem can be resolved. Apparently, there are some “workarounds” or exceptions that can be used to regain functions on a case-by-case basis. You may also see a temporary loss of site content while the move is in progress. If the content doesn’t return in a reasonable amount of time, you may need to contact them to restore the missing items.
TFREC Phones Upgrades & Network Reconfigurations
Jerry has submitted the information requested by campus (number and location of phones and ethernet ports). The next item on the task list is for them to determine what items need to be purchased then figure out the cost.
Reminder about Scams & Phishing
- The incidence of phishing emails seems to have lessened somewhat, but I’m still getting a few each week (down from nearly a dozen a day!). Stay vigilant and forward them to abuse@wsu.edu. If they are from outside WSU, use your spam/junk filters to keep them out of your inbox.
- Also, I’ve been receiving phone calls from people claiming to be with the IRS demanding immediate action to prevent arrest. If you get such a call, it is a scam. The IRS will not call you out of the blue and threaten you. They will send you a registered letter to whatever address is on your tax record.
- Another scam phone call I received recently was supposed to be from a computer service company. They called my cell and in a heavy accent stated they were ‘Mia’ from ‘web computer service’ and asked if I was the owner of The Computer. She said a problem was detected… at which point I asked her who she was again. She was very indignant and repeated that she was Mia with the M..soft (unintelligible) computer service calling to help. That’s when I hung up. We don’t have an out-sourced computer service that would call us up (especially on your cell phone) to tell you that you have a computer problem. Its a total scam. They are hoping they can get you to give them remote access to your computer – and all that is stored there. Just hang up.
Another example of a phishing email claiming to be from myWSU
