I SNews about nformation systems throughout M I T

V o l u m e 1 5 • N u m b e r 5 M a y / J u n e 2 0 0 0

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

. continued on page 2

EMCC Offers Web-BasedCourse on the Java Revolution . . . . . . 2

Software SpotlightIS Recommends VirusScan 4.5for Windows NT and 2000 . . . . . . . . . . 3

Network NotesCreating and Managing MailingLists on Athena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Computer Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MCC/Bits and BytesA Quick Look at ComputerMedia Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

OS ObserverWindows 2000 Professional: Don’t Rush to Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Telecom TalkNew Service Connects Callers to Departments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Name Change: CWIS BecomesWeb Communications Services . . . . . . 7

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Surf Sites: Marking Time . . . . . . . . . . 8

Online Events Calendar Shows What’s Going On at MIT

• Denise Brehm and Mary Ellen Bushnell

ou have friends coming to town and want to scout out some

activities to enjoy with them. Why not start by seeing what’s happening at MIT? The new Events Calendar at http://events.mit.edu/

lists just about every sort of event an MIT group might want to publicize: lectures, concerts, readings, exhibits, sports events, and so on.

The calendar offers an attractive user interface and flexible searching. You can look at all the events for a day or click on one of the icons to get a chronological listing of events in that category for the next 30 days.

Origins The MIT Events Calendar is based

on the pioneering TechCalendar. The first calendar was created by two MIT undergraduates: Doug Heimburger (’00) and Boris Zbarsky (’01). The student-run TechCalendar went on line in August 1998 and met with immediate success.

Recognizing its usefulness, MIT negotiated an agreement with the stu- dents through the Intellectual Property Office. Under the sponsorship of MIT Vice President Kathryn Willmore, In- formation Systems took over develop-ment of the calendar in Fall 1999.

Throughout the planning and pro-gramming phase for the new calendar,

Y

the IS team met with many people in the MIT community to discuss questions of policy, design, and structure. The Publishing Services Bureau consulted on the design of the graphical interface.

Key FeaturesThe Events Calendar offers several

improvements over its predecessor. The Search option in the black menu bar takes you to the full search page, where you can refine a search by cate- gory, date, and sponsor. The quick search button lets you enter keywords or phrases, and choose to search today, the next seven days, or the next 30 days.

If you want to use the events data elsewhere, you can export it in several different formats. For instance, you could search for a semester’s worth of seminars and download them in HTML to a Web page or in plain text to a word processing document.

Individuals who provide informa-tion to the calendar will notice a more stable and intuitive data entry process. For offices and organizations that maintain calendar information in their own databases, an import function supports easy transfer of a local file into the Events Calendar. For instructions on posting events, see the Provider’s Guide at http://web.mit.edu/is/help/events/userguide.html

The calendar will also serve as an archive of Institute events. Users will be able to search for past events as far back as there are events in the database.

• May / June 2000 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/2. . . .

i/s

Managing EditorRobyn Fizz

Writer/EditorLee Ridgway

i/s is published six times a year. MIT faculty and staff receive copies through campus mail; i/s is also available in lobbies around campus. Individuals at MIT may subscribe by contacting the managing editor.

Send comments or subscription requests to:MIT Room N42-290b, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307Phone: (617) 253-0540Electronic mail: <fizz@mit.edu>

i/s is also published online athttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/

A companion Web site, i/s NewsLink, offers frequent news updates. It’s located athttp://web.mit.edu/is/newslink/

All products names are trademarks of their manufacturers.

© 2000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT EVENTS CALENDAR

continued from page 1

EMCC Offers Web-Based Course on the Java Revolution

MIT’s Educational Media Creation Center (EMCC) designs and distributes courses via PBS The Business and Technology Network. In recent years, a variety of programs have been pro-duced on campus and delivered to students around the world.

Currently featured is The Java Revo-lution: Language, Tools, and Environment, a 12-hour, hands-on introduction to Java programming taught by MIT Pro-fessor Steven Lerman and Principal Research Scientist Judson Harward. The course gives an introduction to the Java programming language and its object-oriented architecture. The course stresses the use of the Java class libraries as much as the language itself, and explores the settings in which Java provides more leverage than other programming environments.

The course is offered in six streaming video modules, available on demand via the Web. Students learn:

• What Java does well, and when to combine Java with other tools

• How to use Java development environments to produce well-designed software applications

• How Java shares the characteristics of a language (like C++), a user interface (like Motif), and an operating system (like Windows)

• The difference between developing Java applications for browsers and for stand-alone environments

• How to use Java to knit together standard preexisting classes to speed development and reduce debugging time

Interested?A few places in the course are

being offered to the MIT community at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested MIT staff should con-tact Carol Sardo <csardo@mit.edu> for more information. Students will have through August 22, 2000 to complete all six modules. ø

Events AdministrationThe Events Calendar Coordinators

– administrators from the Residential Life and Student Life Programs, the Events and Information Center, and the Sports Information Office – act as community liaisons for the calendar. These offices are the only ones that can create a calendar “group.” They also can edit groups, provide basic support, and post events. As super users, the Coor- dinators have the privileges of any authorized user, but for all the groups.

Once a group has been created, authorized members can post events for that group. Most individuals who were authorized to post events to TechCalendar can automatically post events to the Events Calendar. Others who meet the following criteria can be authorized within a group:• Staff who are generally responsible

for departmental communications and publicity, or their designees.

• Officers and designees of ASA-recognized student groups; of fraternities, sororities, independent living groups, and residence halls; and of varsity and club sports.

Anyone who is an authorized mem- ber of a group can add other qualified individuals to that group by clicking on Manage Groups in the black menu bar at the top of the calendar page.

Those who do not meet the criteria or do not have an MIT personal Web certificate may submit postings to the appropriate Calendar Coordinator, who will post the event for them. For specifics, go to the Calendar’s online help page and select the “How can I post an event?” link.

While the success of the Events Calendar depends on regular postings by authorized providers, some items are not eligible for posting. These in- clude personal events and events that are scheduled to occur on campus, but whose sponsor is not a member of the MIT community.

Getting HelpOnline help provides links to an

overview of the calendar and its poli-cies, tips for searching, and provider instructions. There are also links to other Institute calendars.

If online help doesn’t address your question or problem, you can contact the Computing Help Desk at x3-1101 (Macintosh) or x3-1102 (Windows), or send e-mail to <casetracker@mit.edu>.

Interface with Tech TalkMIT Tech Talk, which helped the

TechCalendar designers prepare the Seminars and Lectures section of the original online calendar, has down-loaded seminars and lectures from TechCalendar since January 1999.

Tech Talk will now use the Events Calendar to obtain those listings for its printed calendar. In the future, Tech Talk may begin to take other events, such as meetings and social events, from the Events Calendar as well.

To have listings printed in Tech Talk, users must post their events on line before the regular Tech Talk deadline of noon on the Friday before publication. New users of the Events Calendar are urged to register their groups and enter their events several days in advance of that deadline to avoid being excluded from the printed calendar.

Future DevelopmentThroughout the summer, the IS

team will continue to fine-tune the calendar based on feedback from the community. An updated version will probably go on line later this year. Added functionality is planned for future releases, such as the ability to receive e-mail notification about new postings according to “subscription” parameters that you set. ø

3. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • May / June 2000 •

S o f t w a r e S p o t l i g h t

IS Recommends VirusScan 4.5 for Windows NT and 2000• Janet Littell

omputer users at MIT need to take measures to protect against

computer viruses. Viruses can damage not just your computer but all com-puters on your server or network, or – as in the case of the LoveLetter and NewLove viruses – computers belonging to recipients in your e-mail address book. As prime targets, network and server administrators need to be especially vigilant.

The recommended anti-virus program for Windows users at MIT is McAfee VirusScan. Version 4.5 was released in April as a consolidated virus protection package for Windows NT and 2000 Professional. It should soon be the recommended version for Windows 95/98 as well (at press time, Windows 95/98 worked only with VirusScan 4.0.3). For the latest infor-mation, check the Computer Virus Protection at MIT page athttp://web.mit.edu/security/www/isovirus.htm

Note: After a series of mergers, Network Associates, Inc. (NAI) is the umbrella organization for McAfee, AVERTLabs, and Dr. Solomon’s anti-virus products.

How VirusScan WorksVirusScan 4.5 uses the VShield scan

engine to search for viruses or virus-like behaviors. You can set up this engine to scan files on your hard drive, e-mail, and downloaded files. It can even scan Internet sites for hostile Java applets and ActiveX controls. To do these scans, the VShield scan engine relies on a dat file – a collection of all known virus definitions or signatures.

McAfee releases a weekly update to its dat file. When a virulent new virus emerges, McAfee may release an “extra” dat file specifically targeted to protect against that virus.

For full protection, you must keep your dat and “extra” dat files up to date. For pointers on automating this process and other settings, see the Configuration Options section later in this article.

New Features of VirusScan 4.5VirusScan 4.5 can track polymorphic

viruses – viruses that change their code

signature each time they replicate. The scan engine also looks for covert file modifications, background calls, or invocations of e-mail clients.

Downloading dat file updates is speedier with the new release: The files are incremental and so require less bandwidth. This is especially helpful for home machines not on cable modems.

Downloading upgrades to the Virus- Scan program itself is easier because the files self-expand automatically.

Configuration OptionsVirusScan 4.5 has an improved Console for configuring all components. Some options you may want to consider are outlined below.

While you can run scans yourself at any time, you may prefer to have VirusScan do its work in the back- ground, whenever your computer is on. You can select what to include and exclude from background scans, and can set the ScreenScan utility to continue scanning even behind a screen saver.

You can configure the scan engine to clean the virus from an infected file, to delete the file, or to move it to a quar-antine folder. A SendVirus wizard can help you send suspect files to McAfee for examination.

You can set up VirusScan to auto-matically obtain dat files using the AutoUpdate feature. McAfee releases an updated dat file each Thursday, so you might want to do AutoUpdates on Fridays. Note that it’s not a good idea to set the AutoUpdate to run at startup.

To download an interim “extra” dat file or a VShield scan engine upgrade, called a “superdat” file, go to the Computer Virus Protection at MIT page mentioned earlier.

Even when you are far from MIT, you can get these updates as long as you have a network connection. If you are travelling and need to download a new version of the entire VirusScan application or install VirusScan for the

first time, you will also need an MIT personal Web certificate.

New for Network AdministratorsA single download of VirusScan 4.5

can be distributed to Windows NT and 2000 Professional desktops. At some point in the future this download will also work for Windows 95/98 machines.

The new Maximum Security instal-lation mode in VirusScan 4.5 lets you prevent any user without administra-tor privileges from changing the scan, repair, and update configurations.

More Virus Protection TipsIn addition to keeping your anti-

virus software up to date, safeguard your computer by following these tips:• Configure VirusScan so that it scans

all file types, including e-mail and compressed files.

• Do not open unexpected e-mail attachments from unknown sources.

• Do not open e-mail attachments with a .vbs extension unless you are confident of the source and content.

• If you are not using Windows Scripting Host (WSH), disable it as described at http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/u-vbs/

It’s also important to stay informed about virus-related developments. One good resource is the MITVIRUS e-mail notification list. Among other things, it sends out alerts about “extra” dat file updates. For details about subscribing to the list, seehttp://web.mit.edu/security/www/isovirus.htm#mail-list

Network administrators who install and update anti-virus software can keep current on tools and resources by subscribing to a new administrator’s alert list. Send e-mail to Jerry Isaacson at <gii@mit.edu>. Include your address, organization, and phone number.

Getting HelpThe PDF version of the VirusScan

User Guide makes it easy to find full details about a topic. You can down-load this guide from the Computer Virus Protection at MIT page.

If you need help installing or con-figuring VirusScan, contact the Com-puting Help Desk at x3-1102 or send e-mail to <casetracker@mit.edu>. ø

C

• May / June 2000 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/4. . . .

i/s

N e t w o r k N o t e s C o m p u t e r C o r n e r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I run Mac OS 9 on my machine and have heard that there’s an update

for it. I’ve also heard that Apple has released an Ethernet update. Do I need to get either of these?

IS recommends that anyone running Mac OS 9.0, 9.01, or 9.02

upgrade to 9.0.4. According to Apple, Mac OS 9.0.4 “provides additional FireWire and USB support, enhances networking and power management, and improves audio, video, and graph- ics functionality.” Improvements to Open Transport, the network software component in the Mac OS, include fixes for denial of service attacks and better Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) functionality.

As with any operating system up- date, you may need to upgrade existing software to avoid compatibility issues. For example, Palm Pilot users who run Palm Desktop for Macintosh 2.5 will need to upgrade to version 2.6.1. You can read the full text of Palm’s support statement at http://www.palm.com/support/macintosh/macos904.html

To find out if an application is compatible with Mac OS 9.0.4, check the vendor’s Web page.

The Ethernet Update 1.0 is impor-tant only for a small subset of users. It provides stability for Power Macin-tosh G4s that “drop off the network,” a condition most commonly exhibited by a Finder message stating “Access to your AppleTalk network has been interrupted.” It is not necessary to install this update unless you are ex-periencing reliability issues with your Ethernet networking configuration.

You can use the Software Update control panel to download and install the 9.0.4 update and, if you need it, the Ethernet update. Alternatively, you can download the updates from the Apple Software Updates page at http://asu.info.apple.com/

Since Apple releases updates frequently, you may want to bookmark this Web page and check it regularly. ø

Creating and Managing Mailing Lists on Athena• Joanne Costello

mailing list is an efficient way to distribute e-mail messages

to multiple recipients. Even if you have never signed up for a mailing list, you are probably on a few – such as a mailing list for your department.

Any current member of the MIT community with an active Athena ac- count may submit a request to create a mailing list. (In most cases, if you have a standard MIT e-mail account, you have an active Athena account.)

You can find the request form for creating a mailing list at http://web.mit.edu/accounts/www/

list.html

This form lets you name a list, indicate initial members, and assign administrative privileges to individuals. You can also specify the characteristics of a list – whether it is public or private, visible or hidden. For definitions of list characteristics, see the request form.

Managing Mailing ListsWhile the online form for creating

mailing lists has been available for some time, in the past you needed to log into Athena and use the listmaint or blanche command to do basic list management tasks. Now there is an easy-to-use Web interface for managing e-mail lists, available fromhttp://web.mit.edu/moira/

The “moira” in the URL refers to the Athena database that stores e-mail names and lists.

This new interface lets you view members and characteristics of a list and add or remove yourself from a list. List administrators may update list characteristics, as well as add and remove members.

To use this system you need an MIT personal Web certificate. For information about certificates, see http://web.mit.edu/is/help/cert/

Power users who manage many e-mail lists or who do extensive main-tenance still need to use the blanche command on Athena. Likewise, the new Web interface for moira does not have the advanced features that let

users view all public lists or see all mailing lists to which they belong.

For more information on mailing lists, seehttp://web.mit.edu/answers/accounts/accounts_listmaint.html

ResponsibilitiesBeing a list administrator comes

with certain responsibilities. It is your job to handle whatever problems arise with your subscribers. This may mean helping people join or leave the list, fixing e-mail address problems, deal- ing with undeliverable messages, or simply serving as a general resource for using the list.

Using Mailing Lists EffectivelyNow that managing e-mail lists

is easier, it’s also easier to abuse the e-mail system. Even if abuse isn’t an issue, recipients can get weary of receiving too much mail. If you main-tain large e-mail lists, consider the following guidelines.• Create a policy for use of your list.

State the purpose of the list in the brief description you provide when creating the list. You may also want to send occasional reminders telling subscribers what is and is not an appropriate posting to the list.

• Aggregate and format composite mes- sages. Composite messages pull together many postings of shorter messages. While they are longer than a typical message, they cut down on volume and also serve as a useful summary.

• Send your e-mail at off-peak times. This way, the message is less likely to get lost in the daily stream of incoming mail.

• Use alternative forms of communi-cation. Examples of other venues include the newly released Events Calendar and department or group Web pages.

Another Option: LISTSERVWhile this article has focused on

Athena-based mailing lists, Information Systems also supports LISTSERV mail- ing lists. For more information about LISTSERV, including an overview of features, seehttp://mitvma.mit.edu/system/ listserv.html ø

A

This column presents news and tips from the consultants who staff the Computing Help Desk. Check out their Web site athttp://web.mit.edu/helpdesk/

5. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • May / June 2000 •

M C C / B i t s a n d B y t e s

I

A Quick Look at Computer Media Options • Kathleen Moriarty

f you’re deciding on configuration options for a new computer or

looking for a peripheral for backup, you will discover that there are many choices when it comes to media devices. Options include the standard diskette (floppy) drive, cartridge drives, and optical devices (such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM), among others.

Common uses for media devices include installing software, backing up data and programs, moving files between computers, and archiving large files, like graphics.

Your primary use of the device will determine which criteria are most im- portant to you. Beyond the cost of the device and the media, factor in capac-ity, speed, and reliability.

In the Beginning Disk(ette) drives have been standard

on personal computers almost since their introduction. Diskette capacities have increased from 240 kilobytes to today’s 1.44 megabytes (MB).

With the exception of newer Apple Macintosh systems, most desktop PCs still have disk drives built in. Diskettes are cheap – usually about $5 for a box of 10. Diskettes have an average access time of 95 milliseconds (ms), making them significantly slower than internal hard drives (10 ms). The small capacity of diskettes limits their func-tion to moving data files between com-puters and backing up smaller files. A need for devices with larger capacities led to an explosion in the number of cartridge-type drives on the market.

Cartridge DrivesCartridge drives permit unlimited

storage – just use as many cartridges as you need for the task at hand. These cartridges have fixed capacities, rang- ing from 100MB at the low end up to 2 gigabytes (GB). Cartridges are ideal for transporting files and programs between computers, limited backup, and archiving large files like graphics.

One example of a cartridge drive is the SuperDrive or LS 120. This device can read standard PC- or Macintosh- formatted diskettes as well as special 120MB cartridges called Superdisks.

Many computer manufacturers, like Dell, offer factory-installed LS drives. More commonly, they are external and connect to a USB port.

LS 120 disks have an average access time of 70 ms. External drives sell for about $135, and cartridges cost about $9 apiece.

Another type of cartridge drive is the Zip drive from Iomega. Zip drives are similar to SuperDrives but cannot read diskettes. Zip drives come in two sizes: 100MB or 250MB. The 250MB drive can read and format 100MB disks, but the reverse is not true.

Average access time for a Zip 100 or 250 is less than 50 ms.

A 100MB Zip drive costs about $130; cartridges run about $9 each. You can get a 250MB Zip drive for about $150, with cartridges costing $17 a piece.

Many manufacturers offer an inter-nal Zip drive as a factory-installed option. You can also buy external Zip drives; these can connect to a USB, SCSI, or parallel port.

While Zip cartridges and Super-Disks are similar, they are not inter-changeable.

Iomega also makes the Jazz drive. Jazz cartridges hold more data than Zip cartridges, usually 1 to 2GB. This makes them a good choice for backing up hard drives of this size.

Jazz drives are primarily external devices, typically connected to a SCSI port. A Jazz drive costs around $300; a 2GB cartridge costs about $90.

Access time for data on a Jazz drive is approximately 10 ms, roughly the same as an internal hard drive.

Optical DevicesOptical media devices include

CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM and DVD-RAM. These devices typi-cally hold more data than cartridges, ranging from 725MB to 6GB. Optical media also have the advantage of being very durable. While diskettes and cartridges have a life expectancy of two to five years, CDs can last indefinitely.

Most computers today include a CD- ROM drive. These read-only devices are used to transfer data into the computer. CDs are frequently used for large files; for example, most software is sold on CD. Typical capacity for CD media is greater than 700MB.

CD performance can vary, but cur-rent devices boast speeds of up to 48x. This means that the platter can spin up to 48 times per minute. CDs provide access times of 100 ms.

Another read-only optical device, DVD-ROM, takes disks that hold up to 2GB. This makes them suitable for very large files, such as movies. DVD-ROM drives can function as CD-ROM drives for inputting data. They are slower than CDs with a typical spin speed of 40x for CDs and 10x for DVDs. DVD-ROM drives can be internal or external and are priced at about $200.

Writable Optical DevicesWritable optical devices include

CD-R and CD-RW. These devices write to special optical media with very large capacities. This makes them ideal for backup or archiving purposes. Most writable optical devices can read stan-dard CD formats, so they can take the place of a CD-ROM drive.

CD-R lets users write to special CD media, but only a single time. Pricing on CD-R drives runs between $200 and $400, and a write-once CD costs about a dollar. CD-R write speed is 8x and read speed is 24x.

The CD-RW drive is more versatile than CD-R. This device lets users write to special media multiple times. A CD- RW drive can function as a CD-R and use the less expensive write-once disks, as well as read standard CDs. One note of caution with CD-RW is that not all CD-ROMs can read CDs created in these devices.

CD-RW drives cost between $300 and $500. You can get multiple-write CDs for about $8 each.

More InformationFor advice on these or other media

options, contact an MCC consultant at x3-7686 or <mcc@mit.edu>.

You may also want to look at the guide How to Buy CD-ROM/DVD-ROM Drives on ZDNet’s ComputerShopper site athttp://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/ ø

• May / June 2000 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/6. . . .

i/s

O S O b s e r v e r

W

Windows 2000 Professional: Don’t Rush to Upgrade• Mary Ellen Bushnell and Jonathan Hunt

indows 2000 Professional, released in February, is a large

and complicated operating system. Microsoft has already posted several security-related patches, and the first Service Pack is scheduled for June 2000.

After extensive testing, Information Systems announced full support for Windows 2000 Professional effective May 1. Full support, however, is not the same as a recommendation: NT remains the recommended version of Windows for administrative computing at MIT.

Read on for an overview of Windows 2000, along with reasons why you may want to wait before installing this new operating system.

Key FeaturesThe Windows 2000 interface is sig-

nificantly different than Windows NT. So too is the way machines are admin-istered. During testing, experienced NT 4.0 system administrators took over an hour to complete a task that they could do in less than 10 minutes under NT 4.0.

Key new features include:• Plug and Play that works. The oper-

ating system automatically adapts when users add or remove devices, detecting the changes and dealing with the relevant drivers.

• Support for USB devices and legacy implementations such as PS/2-type connections for input devices. USB is the recommended connection for input devices on new systems.

• Advanced Power Management (APM) for laptops. APM masks the details of the hardware, allowing higher-level software to use APM without specific knowledge of the hardware interface.

• More security and greater flexibility, efficiency, and performance. New storage features, such as content in- dexing and disk optimization, pro- vide quicker access to data. Many subtle improvements in the operat-ing system’s performance are due to an extensive makeover of its storage subsystems and enhancements to NTFS 5, the new version of the pri- mary file system. For details, see

http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/win2000/bestperf.asp

System RequirementsAccording to Microsoft, minimum

system requirements for Windows 2000 Professional are a 133MHz or higher Pentium-compatible CPU, 64MB of RAM, and a 2GB hard disk with 650MB of free space. However, MIT recommends a 200MHz Pentium processor and 128MB of RAM for administrative computers running Windows 2000.

Compatibility IssuesMicrosoft has posted a Web page

that discusses Windows 2000 compat-ibility issues athttp://www.microsoft.com/ windows2000/upgrade/compat/default.asp

In addition, there are compatibility issues specific to MIT.

SAP has not announced support for SAPgui v4.5B under Windows 2000. Although initial testing does not dem- onstrate any problems with transactions completing properly, it has identified a problem with variable font sizes on certain buttons. IS will continue to test and monitor SAP’s testing with an updated recommendation by June 30.

ADSM 3.1.0.7 is not supported under Windows 2000. The next version of ADSM, called TSM 3.7, is fully com-patible. IS intends to make TSM 3.7 available by June 30.

Windows 2000 Domain Controllers are prohibited on MITnet because they can lead to a denial of service for other users of the network. IS is evaluating this issue and hopes to have more information on support plans in the near future. For the latest news, check http://web.mit.edu/is/help/win2000/nodc.html

Printing Windows 2000’s LPR printing capa-

bility can leverage the Athena printing infrastructure. IS is preparing a Kerber- ized LPR client for release to the MIT community. For more about printing from Windows 2000, see

http://web.mit.edu/is/help/win2000/ lpr.html

Upgrade Recommendations IS has been working with members of

the community to test Windows 2000 Professional in the MIT environment. Testing will continue over the next few months.

For now, IS is encouraging people to assess the suite of applications that are critical to their work. Before deciding to upgrade or buy a new machine with Windows 2000 Professional, review the testing results athttp://web.mit.edu/swrt/testing/

results.html

to see whether your critical applications will function properly with the new operating system. If critical applications are not in the test results, IS suggests that before moving to Windows 2000, you test them in a non-production envi- ronment. The IS Software Release Team <swrt@mit.edu> is collecting a compre- hensive list of MIT critical applications for future testing, and asks that you notify them if there are applications you use that are not listed in the test results.

How to Get Windows 2000If you are a good candidate for

upgrading, Windows 2000 is available on CD for Institute-owned machines. For ordering instructions, seehttp://web.mit.edu/is/products/

vsls/mitnt/

After doing the upgrade, be sure to complete it by applying the critical patches, available from the Windows Update feature in the Start Menu.

Training and Support Since the changes in Windows 2000

are significant, departments should plan for retraining before upgrading. IS is working with its Microsoft-certified training vendors to customize Windows 2000 courses for system administrators at MIT. Windows 2000 Quick Starts are being designed, with the first one scheduled for August 16.

If you have questions about Win- dows 2000 Professional, contact the Computing Help Desk at x3-1102 or <computing-help@mit.edu>. ø

7. . . .

i/shttp://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/ • May / June 2000 •

T e l e c o m T a l k

T

Name Change: CWIS Becomes Web Communications Services

For over six years, Campus Wide Information Systems (CWIS) has man- aged the MIT home page and helped MIT’s Web publishers make strategic use of the Web. With the rise of the Web as a key information source and its increasing importance to MIT’s communications strategy, CWIS has changed its name and reporting rela- tionship to better reflect its role. The team is now known as Web Commu-nications Services (WCS), and Suzana Lisanti, director of Web communica-tions and team leader, now reports jointly to Information Systems and to Public Relations Services (PRS).

WCS is responsible for publishing the official MIT Web site and integrating information across MIT Web sites. The team consults with MIT organizations on making strategic use of the Web, assists with Web design and informa-

tion architecture, and promotes guide- lines for accessibility and usability.

Communication and CollaborationConsistent communication across

media is enhanced through WCS’s partnership with the Publishing Ser- vices Bureau (PSB), headed by Bruce Bernstein. The offices have worked to- gether for over three years helping MIT publishers integrate their print and on- line materials, ensuring that audiences receive the same message no matter how they access the information.

The WCS and PSB match clients with graphic designers, writers, print-ers, and programmers who develop professional publications under con-tract or a time-and-materials basis. They also help people plan communications, whether single documents, Web sites, or integrated publication programs.

More Than Just Web SitesWCS also works with others in IS to

enhance MIT’s computing infrastruc- ture. With Network Operations, WCS

New Service Connects Callers to Departments • Lee Ridgway

he next time you need to call an MIT office, department, lab,

center, or residence hall and you don’t know its number, start by calling x2-4111. After the prompt, say the name of the department or dorm and you will be connected automatically.

At work is NameConnector, recently installed by IS Telephone Support Services. NameConnector is a voice-recognition-based telephone auto-attendant from Parlance, Inc. It was recommended by the Enhanced Voice Directory Services team, formed last fall to consider redesign options for MIT’s telephone operator services.

Team Findings The team – composed of staff from

Human Resources and IS, including operators – looked at how telephone directory services might be extended beyond normal operator working hours (8am to 6pm, weekdays). The team reviewed current processes, gathered

statistics about calls to the operators, and interviewed MIT staff. It became clear that the right solution needed to back up the operators during the day, as well as provide after-hours services.

Among the team’s key discoveries:• The MIT operators (four on a shift)

receive about 1000 calls per day;• Over 60 percent of those calls come

from within MIT;• Outside callers often seek informa-

tion other than phone numbers and connections;

• Departments are highly satisfied with the operators and the personal service they can render, and want live operators during business hours.

Using NameConnectorAfter you say the name of a depart-

ment or dorm, NameConnector replies with its match-up to your request. If NameConnector does not recognize your request correctly, press the star key (*) and say the name again.

When talking to NameConnector, speak clearly and naturally. You don’t need to insert pauses between words, over-enunciate, or speak louder than

usual. In situations with heavy back-ground noise, especially when using cellular phones or speaker phones, you may need to speak up or get closer to the phone.

To skip the prompt and go directly to the beep, press the star key (*). To report problems with unrecognized requests and incorrect connections, press the star key (*) and say “problem report line.” Leave a message with your name and phone number, and the department name in question.

For Now, Departments OnlyMIT’s NameConnector database –

called the registry – includes only the Offices & Programs administrative information (the “blue pages”) in MIT’s directories. This registry con- tains the official names of administra-tive units, as well as common alternate names and abbreviations. At this time, names of individuals aren’t included in the system.

For more details on NameConnector at MIT, including updating, go to http://web.mit.edu/is/tel/namecon.html ø

maintains the search engine, online campus map, and virtual tour. WCS and the PSB were also engaged in the design and production of the MIT Events Calendar (see lead article).

The team’s next major project is to re-evaluate the MIT Web site, with an eye towards redesigning the top-level pages. The project’s twin goals are to make MIT information easier to find and to promote the MIT identity by creating a more exciting user experi-ence. WCS will assess the site’s design, navigation, content, and capabilities by conducting interviews, surveys, and usability tests with individuals and groups inside and outside MIT.

Contact Information Web Communications Services is

located in N42-040 and in E28-100, where they share space with the PSB and the PRS Communications Office. MIT Web publishers can reach WCS through its help desk at x3-0101 or via e-mail at <web-help@mit.edu>. ø

• May / June 2000 • http://web.mit.edu/is/isnews/8. . . .

i/s

G e t t i n g H e l p

S u r f S i t e s : M a r k i n g T i m e

MIT Information Systems

i/s is printed with soy inks on recycled paper, and can be recycled in MIT’s “mixed paper” bins.

If you don’t know where to get help for your computer, network, or telephone problems, dial one of the help lines listed to the right.

If you prefer to use e-mail, you can send your questions to the cor-responding e-mail addresses on the far right. (When logged into Athena, you can also use the olc command to send questions to Athena’s online consultants.)

For a complete list of services offered by Information Systems, see the Web page athttp://web.mit.edu/is/services/

For help with… Dial… Or send a message to…

Administrative applications 2-1177 business-help@mit.eduAthena Computing Environment 3-4435 olc@mit.eduComputer and printer repairs 3-0815 hardserv@mit.eduComputer pre-sales consulting 3-7686 mcc@mit.eduDisabilities and computing 3-7808 atic@mit.eduMacintosh computers 3-1101 mac-help@mit.eduPC computers 3-1102 pc-help@mit.eduTelephone repairs 3-4357 5help@mit.eduUNIX/VMS (by subscription) 3-1103 unix-vms-help@mit.eduVoice mail 3-3677 vmail@mit.edu

Calendar History and Developmenthttp://www.greenheart.com/billh/linked.html

CalendarHome.comhttp://calendarhome.com/

CultureFinder Calendarhttp://www.culturefinder.com/calendar.htm

Penn Library–Reference Shelf/Calendarshttp://www.library.upenn.edu/resources/reference/general/calendars.html

This Day in Historyhttp://www.historychannel.com/today/

A Walk through Timehttp://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html

The World Clockhttp://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

The new MIT Events Calendar athttp://events.mit.edu/

lets you know what’s going on at the Institute. But this is just one of many useful calendars on the Web. You can find out about cultural events in Boston or the phases of the moon, or delve into the history of Mayan or Chinese cal- endars. There are also many sites that explore themes related to date and time.

A comprehensive site for this type of information is the Calendar Zone at http://www.calendarzone.com/

On the right are assorted sites that – in one way or another – have to do with marking time.