Help requests

PLEASE use the proper channels to lodge requests for TSU support!

Often TSU staff are stopped in the corridor with requests for urgent assistance: to aid in setups for presentations for example. The TSU has no staff specifically available for this type of support: requests for help should be logged with the helpdesk by phone or sent to the cehelpdesk email account.

Swipe card access

Swipe card access is being upgraded around the University.

The University has (finally!) begun the transition between the old Honeywell swipe card access system used in a number of places around the Division, to the new Cardax system. The first phase of the transition is expected to be completed by the beginning of Semester 2, when all existing Honeywell controllers managing access to Buildings 5 and 20, and rooms 5B38, 5C44a and b, and 5C56 will be replaced with Cardax controllers. Eventually out of hours access to all of the buildings on campus will be regulated by the system.

After the rollout the Division can request additional spaces be regulated by the system: suggestions for any spaces that might be regulated by the new system should be sent to the Division’s IT & Infrastructure Committee for discussion. The Division will have to pay for the installations requested.

Network issues

Leading-edge network services need a robust network.

Difficulties with the network continue to plague the Division’s capacity to support existing services and introduce new ones like the eMeeting system and streaming video. Network Services from ICT Services are being extremely helpful in this regard (a major issue with the live streaming of local television services was solved last month when a security setting on the main University router was identified as the culprit and reset), but problems continue with getting reliable services across subnets.

Current thinking is that we must replace ALL the older D-Link network switches with more modern managed switches: while this is necessary and it may solve some of the performance bottlenecks on the network, there may be other underlying configuration settings that will also need to be modified before full service from, for example, the eMeeting server is available. There are between 15 and 20 older switches in the Division that need replacing: at our own cost we have already replaced 5 and are waiting for them to be installed in key locations around the Division to see if performance improves. Another 10-15 switches will be required to completely update the network, and there may be some additional capacity required to allow them to be connected properly to the University network.

While the installation, maintenance, administration and upgrading of the network is the responsibility of ICT Services, in practice they don’t have the resources to solve these issues on their own immediately: the Division will need to contribute funds if the problems are to be addressed now.

New email server

The Division has had to move to a new email server.

The new Exchange email server, isaac.canberra.edu.au, is now operational and TSU staff are busy transitioning Divisional staff over to the new server. While not yet complete, the transfer to a new server has shown great promise in solving a number of the issues recently experienced with the old server, spirilium.

All staff should be migrated to the new server by the beginning of Semester 2. For some staff this may require a visit from TSU staff who will check the configuration of their email client to ensure they are using the correct setup for the new server. Staff who access their email from outside the campus via an email client may need to contact the helpdesk to help them apply the new setting required.

Staff can access the new email server via the web: once all accounts have been transferred to the new server instructions for accessing the service via the web will be posted on the TSU website at http://www.canberra.edu.au/divisions/comedu/tsu/home. In the meantime, staff who have been migrated already can visit http://isaac.canberra.edu.au/ to have a look at the new Web Access system (enter your staff number with the ‘s’, and the password is your normal proxy password: no domain required!).

Directory Service for the Division

More specialised needs for Division of Communication and Education students.

In order to overcome shortcomings with the ICT Services-supported Directory Services for students in the University, the Division has been investigating the development of a partial replication of the central student Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service to satisfy the Division’s own specialist needs for additional functionality.

The new Directory Service would provide support for, for example: the ePortfolio service, student access to Communication Learning Resource Centre (CLRC) resources, and Professional Experience teacher education students secure access to online registration of their placement preferences and information about their professional experience program. The Division is working with ICT Services and outside consultants to implement the augmented Directory: it is expected to be available for further testing within the next week or two.