2004 Fall Update

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As usual, the ITS team has worked on a variety of new projects since last year’s report. I encourage you to join me in thanking ‘your favorite ITSers’ for the many long hours of very creative work, often well beyond 40 hours/week, required to accomplish not only the updates highlighted below but also the many transparent tasks necessary to keep systems operational.

Information Commons
The Information Commons, centered in the Bethel University Library, is a joint effort of ITS and the University Library. The concept of the information commons is to have a one-stop place for faculty, students, and staff who have questions about the use and application of technology. The three current components of the Information Commons are the Reference Center, a combination Electronic Services/Instructional Technology Center, and the Writing Center. New Instructional Technology components include the addition of five technology assistants that can help faculty and staff members learn how to use technology in the teaching/learning/work process and the addition of two multimedia workstations, one for faculty use and one for student use. Bob Kistler and Lucie Johnson, faculty instructional technology consultants, will coordinate the technology components of the Information Commons in concert with Library technology staff. Thanks especially to Bob and Carole Cragg for their vision and leadership in making this exciting support environment a reality.

Upgrading our servers
Updated (NAS) file storage: In the past, employee and student files have been stored on multiple "fileservers" (which were typically desktop-class hardware with added redundancy elements). This summer, with the purchase of new Network-Attached Storage (NAS) equipment, we have begun a move toward server-class hardware designed specifically for the storage application. Among the many benefits are increased reliability (with professional on-site support when needed), increased performance, and greatly increased storage capacity (with the ability to add additional storage without the need to schedule a user-impacting outage). We have similarly consolidated our Windows domain servers, updating them to the latest operating system version and re-hosting them on newer server-class hardware. We are greatly indebted to Jeremy Mooney and Mike Spande for their work and technical competence in implementing this technology.

Our Open IMAP and Webmail servers: With these servers we have had even greater challenges this past year in reliability, performance, and storage capacity. Using a similar strategy, we have re-hosted those services onto brand new, server-class hardware (in this case a dedicated hardware RAID controller rather than NAS). Coupled with consolidation and modernization of our directory (LDAP) servers, we have greatly simplified our email infrastructure and eliminated some problematic legacy hardware (leading to greater reliability), and greatly increased our storage capacity. Some noticeable performance improvements in Open IMAP and Webmail have also resulted, with additional performance improvements planned for the coming year. Thanks to Brent Nordquist for his continued leadership and vision in providing the broad range of email services upon which we all depend.

Our web servers: Substantial work was done in our web environment, in conjunction with the Bethel University transition. This included implementation of the new Internet and bethelnet (in accordance with the university-branded web design provided by Communications and Marketing). Thanks to Jeremy Raadt who contributed many hours of creative work required to implement the changes.

Internet Bandwidth
Bethel’s Internet connection, previously rated at six Megabits per second (Mbps), was increased in mid August by 50% to 9 Mbps. We will increase our bandwidth to 12 Mbps later in the semester (see Internet 2 below). To allocate this bandwidth, we have divided the St. Paul network into two segments: (1) residential, comprising all residence halls and (2) everything else (offices, classrooms, and other academic spaces). During the academic day, each category will receive an allocation of half the total bandwidth (last year the allocation was 3.5 and 2.5 to categories 2 and 1 respectively). We will monitor usage to make sure that Category 2 locations have access to that percentage of 9 Mbps required to accomplish academic missions. In the evenings at 7 pm and then again at 11 pm, we allocate increasing amounts of bandwidth to the residence halls since the need progressively decreases in category 2 locations. This prioritized allocation strategy provides good stewardship of an expensive resource.

Internet 2
Bethel and other interested private colleges in Minnesota have collaboratively signed an agreement with our sponsor, the University of Minnesota, for access to Internet 2. Internet 2 (the Abilene project) is a relatively new, high-speed network for education and research only, designed to provide guaranteed quality of service (throughput) for researchers and educators. Traffic between Internet 2 members will automatically and transparently be routed via Internet 2. The gain will be two fold: researchers will have the quality of service required to support their projects and video conferencing costs will be greatly reduced between Internet 2 sites. A serendipitous outcome benefits CLIC: since all CLIC members plan to participate, all CLIC traffic will traverse this new, very fast connection.

An additional side benefit of this initiative is a greatly reduced cost per Mbit for commercial Internet access. We will take advantage of this benefit by increasing our commercial Internet bandwidth to 12 Mbs when our connection to Internet 2 is complete. We expect to go live sometime in November, after installation of a fiber connection from Bethel to the 511 Building, a telecommunications hub across the street from the Metrodome, has been completed.

Residential network upgrade
This summer Network Services made the following changes:

All of the residences now have ethernet switches. All hubs have been replaced. Switches are more efficient and more secure at passing network traffic.
Reliability is much improved. No further instances of computers ending up in the wrong VLAN should occur. Also, there should be few problems getting an address on the network.
The new network infrastructure in ResNet offers improved capability to respond to problems such as virus outbreaks.
Thanks to Doug Olson for his creative work in mastering a large, complicated software package that forms the basis for most of this improvement. The advantages of the new system are already apparent as nearly 2000 student computers were connected to the network before the end of the first week of classes, a record in terms of numbers and speed and ease of connection. Thanks also to Joe Herter and his team of students and staff who expertly manage the resnet program.

Web Cam for Residence Hall Construction Progress
This camera was installed to enable interested persons to keep in touch with the construction of the new residence hall. A link to the camera is available on Bethel’s home page (www.bethel.edu). Thanks to Nick Anderson and Bill Buchanan for installing this device. To have a little fun, ask them how they were able to place the camera so high up on a tree.

Update on our CARS Replacement Project
Bethel, Macalester, Northwestern, and St. Catherine are continuing collaboration on this project. In April the Presidents of the four institutions charged us to secure updated bids on two vendors, PeopleSoft and SCT. The bids are in and office staff members from the four institutions have determined that either product will work and provide significant improvement over CARS. We are now engaged in a process of identifying a preferred vendor. We are looking at a host of variables including functionality, vendor viability, vendor support structures, underlying technology, and ten-year total cost of ownership. We anticipate a decision from the four presidents by November 1, and should the decision be to proceed, expect to begin the project during the first six months of 2005.

This project will impact all of us. However, administrative offices will bear most of the load, spending considerable effort to implement the new system while continuing to maintain CARS. While the inevitable necessary changes in business processes will require patience and commitment, the ultimate efficiency gains resulting from a stable, current, fully web-based system will make the change very beneficial. Everyone will enjoy all of the current functionality plus additional capability including additional self-service features. However, we will have to learn to navigate web pages that are organized differently, and will have to perform current on-line processes differently. For example, registration will continue to be web-based, but will likely require a different sequence of steps (mouse clicks) and perhaps different logic. But improved stability of product and company, expanded functionality, and better integration with other applications will make the changes beneficial to all of us.

We continue to appreciate Mary Holmes for the leadership, talent, and wisdom she contributes to this project.

Information Systems Enhancements
Often working with the CARS experts in various administrative offices, we have successfully completed several projects that improve the operation of the institution. First, we welcomed Wayne Anthenat to our team, joining us from the CAS Registrar's office. He will continue to provide information support for Bethel University registration & records systems. Also, he publishes the Bethel Databook each summer, verifies student eligibility for various programs, and troubleshoots all registration & records information issues, among many other projects.

Our developmental efforts addressed many areas:

Security: We moved CARS web services to an https secure connection that encrypts data, better protecting student transcript and employee payroll information. Along with committee members from HR and Health Services, we also met the April, 2004, deadline for confidentiality mandated by the Health Information Portability Act (HIPAA). How to meet a substantial set of HIPAA security requirements must now be determined and documented by April, 2006.

Data integrity: We automated record changes for deceased people, alerted users to implications of incorrect relationship address maintenance, and identified records with phone or address marked invalid, providing those records to Harris directory services, bringing the returned data corrections into the database (a Development Office project). Thanks to Sandy Gritzmacher and Gary Seaberg for these improvements.

ID-card project: Jay Swisher provided information support for the project to create new Bethel University ID cards for all community members. His expertise in CARS customizations was essential in the completion of this project.

CARS performance enhancements: A big win for the university was achieved by Dave Holter who identified a substantial performance bottleneck that made CARS performance intolerable when certain tables were accessed. Identifying what seems like an obvious but not well documented solution, Dave was able to put heavily accessed tables on different physical disk drives, greatly improving performance. The impact of relatively slow disk drive speed was greatly reduced.

Web application development: Gregg Owens provided on-line time reporting for all employees, and on-line paycheck information for employees, particularly those who use direct deposit. He also provided to the Post Office an on-line, summer-address update system through which all students inform the school of their summer addresses. The system will also work for students studying off-campus for one or more terms.

Seminary of the East data: A task force is preparing a recommendation for incorporating this data into the CARS institutional database. While much work remains to be done, we are grateful that data on Seminary of the East alumni have already been integrated.

Miscellaneous: The institution’s name change had a major impact on the data stored centrally. The name change had to be enabled for installed reports, data screens, and a host of web pages. Thanks to Andy Altepeter, Dave Holter, Jeremy Raadt, and Jay Swisher for major efforts to accomplish these behind the scenes changes in a timely manner.

Web Applications Development
The use of secure, self-service web pages has become the preferred way to complete many processes. A growing number of Bethel offices are requesting support for on-line registration and payment for events. Andy Altepeter, our web-applications developer, is in the process of enabling several instances of this capability. CAS admissions events have already been enabled. Registration and payment for alumni events will be launched this fall, and he will develop capability for other offices this fall as well. He also created a web application to facilitate ordering of Bethel University stationary and business cards. Additional enabling web applications will be developed going forward, most of which will help us accomplish our work more easily and more conveniently.

Enhancements to our Printing Environment
Significant work was done to improve the reliability of and output from our printing systems. Most of our print servers were upgraded to the latest software versions; newer, faster hardware was installed; and extensive testing was done to eliminate several known classes of printing problems. Also, progress was made toward clustering our print servers, a strategy that provides greater reliability as one server takes over when another has problems. Clustering is an ongoing ITS initiative for all our servers. Thanks to David Schlenk for doing the very challenging research and testing required to complete this upgrade.

Desktop Services Activities
This summer the desktop team replaced over 375 systems, including installing 95 additional systems. The total represents an increase of 25% from last summer. Included among the additional resources are systems for new employees, eight instructor stations in new technology-equipped classrooms, 3 new video-editing public stations, additional computers in the college library, and a new instructional-technology TA workstation. Thanks to Ross Buchanan for providing the excellent leadership necessary to complete successfully this large number of installations.

While virus and worm attacks were relatively low compared to the summer of 2003, we are seeing a rapid increase in the amount of spyware on Bethel’s systems. Microsoft’s last minute distribution of its major release Service Pack 2 (SP2) created somewhat of a scramble for us. The upside is that SP2 will make desktop systems more secure and will prevent some of the most common spyware and worm attacks. We are in the process of testing SP2 for deployment on Bethel-owned systems and will inform the community of our findings when testing is complete.

Student Services Activities
In response to the virus and worm attacks that hampered our student network last year, Student Services has devised a pro-active Smart-Computing initiative to educate and provide resources to students. The initiative’s purpose is to simplify for our students the overwhelming challenge of protecting their systems against computer viruses and other security threats. As part of this program, antivirus software and Windows XP SP2 CDs were made available through Residence Life to help students protect their personal systems. More information on this Smart Computing initiative is at:
http://helpdesk.its.bethel.edu/students/security/security.jsp

We also improved training for our student workers by creating a new, concise, Computer TA’s training manual. The manual and the supporting knowledgebase articles function as concise resources for our student workers. Surprisingly, in this age of electronics and digitalization, our student workers asked for a paper manual. Responding to this, we designed the manual as a printable document while keeping the knowledgebase articles online. The project was completed in time for training before the start of school. We feel that this project is a step in the right direction and a foundation upon which we can continue to build. A copy of this manual is available by contacting Joe Herter (638-6510), our Student Services Manager.

Eight additional classrooms with LCD projectors
We have added video/data projectors and permanent computers to the following classrooms: AC240, AC321, AC337, CC326, RC102, RC102, RC103 and RC104. This brings the count of technology enhanced classrooms in the main academic complex to 37. The carts in each of these eight additional rooms contain a windows PC, a CD/DVD/VHS combo-player, amplifier, and speaker as well as video, audio, and Ethernet connections for a notebook computer. Thanks to Frank Schiffer for his continued efforts to enable reliable and easy access to these classroom technologies. A list of all classrooms with LCD projectors is available at:
http://www.bethel.edu/its/Resources/EquipClassrooms.html

Microsoft Licensing Agreement
This academic year will be our third in the program. The program provides a site license for Microsoft Office, the Windows client operating system, and licenses required to access Windows file servers. This agreement enables us to install the latest versions of these Microsoft offerings on all institutionally-owned computers. The program also authorizes qualified employees to purchase for use at home (educational use only) a copy of Office for $25 (plus postage for those on the coasts). Eligibility to participate in the program is limited to full-time administrators; full-time, associated, or extended faculty; and full-time staff who use a personally-owned computer to do Bethel work at home on a regular basis. If you qualify and are interested, contact Computer Village (638-6493) to sign Microsoft’s required agreement and to make a purchase.

VP for ITS
Sept. 9, 2004