CSSD News and Announcements

Reminder: Check the Permissions on Your AFS Directories

20091119T00:00:00

If you store files on the Andrew File System (AFS), remember to check the permissions on your directories to ensure that you have restricted the permissions on all directories that you want to keep private.

Listen to Your Voice Mail from Your Email!

20091108T00:00:00

With the Voice Mail to Email service, faculty and staff at the Pittsburgh campus can have their voice mail messages delivered right to their University email Inbox. You can request the service online.

Microsoft Windows 7 Now Available Through University Licensing Programs

20091110T00:00:00

CSSD has completed testing of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system to determine its compatibility with University software products, enterprise services, and enterprise systems. Windows 7 is now available through Software Licensing Services.

Follow CSSD on Twitter!

20090823T23:00:00

Want to get the latest IT news and announcements along with helpful tech tips and tricks? Follow PittCSSD on Twitter!

Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Now Available Through University Licensing Programs

20091110T00:00:00

CSSD has completed testing of Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) operating system to determine its compatibility with University software products, enterprise services, and enterprise systems. Snow Leopard is now available through Software Licensing Services.

Voice Mail Replacement for 4-0001 and 4-0002 Users Scheduled for November 7, 2009

20091027T23:00:00

The University is replacing the 4-0001 and 4-0002 voice mail systems at the Pittsburgh campus on Saturday, November 7, 2009 with state-of-the-art technology that will enable some powerful new messaging features in the near future.

Web Conferencing is Here!

20090920T23:00:00

Web conferencing is the newest, easiest, most convenient, and cost-effective way for faculty and staff to hold meetings at Pitt.

Update Your IMAP Email Client by November 1, 2009

20090922T23:00:00

In June, CSSD announced the implementation of Authenticated SMTP to provide enhanced security and make it easier to send IMAP email messages from off-campus locations. IMAP users who have not begun using this service, must update their email client settings by November 1, 2009. Please refer to the help sheet Configure IMAP Email Clients to Enable SMTP Authentication for instructions on updating your email client settings. Note: This action will also remove the plus sign (+) that is automatically appended to your email address when you send a message. This is important if you post to restricted mailing lists or use digital certificates-see information below.

Emergency Notification Service

20090920T23:00:00

Our Emergency Notification Service sends out voice and text messages as deemed appropriate in the event of an emergency.

Emergency Voice Mail Replacement for 3-1300 Users Scheduled for October 24, 2009

20091020T23:00:00

An emergency voice mail replacement for 3-1300 users is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2009. The replacement was originally planned for November 8, but unfortunately escalating problems and failures of the existing system require that we upgrade immediately.

Postini Service Problems Cause of University Email Delivery Delays

20090922T23:00:00

Postini, the service provider for the University's Email Spam and Virus Service, announced on October 14 that problems with its service were the cause of delayed delivery of email messages to its U.S. customers, including the University. These problems were intermittent in nature, but led to a backlog in the delivery of email messages for up to several hours.

See What’s New at my.pitt.edu!

20090823T23:00:00

We listened to your feedback and used your suggestions to make my.pitt.edu even better. Now it's easier than ever to use Webmail and access the information you use most at Pitt.

VMS Timesharing Service to be Retired on December 31, 2009

20090805T23:00:00

CSSD will retire the University's VMS Timesharing Service (vms.cis.pitt.edu) on December 31, 2009. Extremely low utilization, readily available alternatives, and the age of the hardware and software have led to the retirement of this service.

CSSD Technology Solutions Earn Computerworld Honors

20081208T00:00:00

Two information technology solutions developed by CSSD- the Emergency Notification System (ENS) and the Application Virtualization for Effective Software Delivery project-have been awarded 2009 Laureates from the Computerworld Honors Program.

Update Your Email Client Settings to Use New IMAP Enhancements

20081208T00:00:00

You can now send messages from off-campus locations with email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird without using the Secure Remote Access service. Update your settings today!

Print to the Labs from Anywhere!

20081208T00:00:00

Students can send print jobs to self-service print stations located in five campus computing labs: Cathedral of Learning, David Lawrence Hall, Hillman Library, Posvar Hall, and Sutherland Hall.

Secure Your Data

20081208T00:00:00

The Secure Your Data community at my.pitt.edu provides faculty, staff, and University units with the necessary security controls to protect their computing resources and sensitive information.

Check Computing Lab Availability by Phone

20080723T17:37:00

How busy are the computing labs right now? Find out with Lab Line. Call 412-383-LABS [5227] to get real-time info on how many Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris computers are available in each lab.

Explore Our New Web Site

20081211T00:00:00

CSSD's new Information Technology Web site makes it easier than ever to find the answers to your technology-related questions. Learn more about some of the site's great new features.

IMAP Hardware and Software Upgrade Scheduled May 29 to June 1, 2009

20090518T23:00:00

The hardware and software for the University's IMAP email system is being upgraded to enhance performance and ensure the continued reliability of the system. The upgrade will begin at 6:00 PM on Friday, May 29, and will be complete by 7:00 AM on Monday, June 1.

UNIX Timesharing Service Security Enhancement

20090307T00:00:00

CSSD is enhancing the security of the University's UNIX Timesharing Service on April 5, 2009. As of this date, all UNIX Timesharing Service must connect to the service with SSH (secure shell) or SFTP (secure file transfer protocol).

Love Your Computer

20090213T00:00:00

It will love you back. The 4th Annual Love Your Computer event during February 2009 at the Pittsburgh campus is a mix of fun and informative activities that will help students get the most out of computing at Pitt. Love Your Computer events qualify for OCC credit!

Electrical Power Outage Cause of Network Service Interruption in Victoria Hall

20081204T00:00:00

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 10:15 a.m

An electrical power outage in Victoria Hall has resulted in a network service interruption to users on the third and fourth floors of the building. Facilities Management is unable to provide a time frame for restoration of electrical service at this time. CSSD network engineers will restore service to the affected areas as soon as Facilities Management restores power to the area.

Maintenance Scheduled for AFS File System - Access to Personal and Some Departmental Websites and UNIX Timesharing Service to be Affected

20081029T23:00:00

11:00 p.m. Saturday, November 29 to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, November 30

CSSD has scheduled routine maintenance for the AFS file system during the normal system maintenance period (11:00 p.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Sunday) on November 29-30. During this time users may not be able to access allocated disk space on the UNIX Timesharing System.

Sprint Network Problem Affecting Access to Internet Sites Resolved

20081125T00:00:00

Monday, November 24, 2008 7:30 p.m.

Sprint has confirmed that the problem on its network affecting the ability of University users to access some Internet sites has been resolved.

Problem on Sprint Network Affecting Access to Some Internet Sites

20081125T00:00:00

Monday, November 24, 2008 4:20 p.m.

A problem with the Sprint telecommunications network is affecting the ability of users to access some Internet sites. No time frame for restoration of service is currently available. CSSD is working with the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center and Sprint to identify the cause of the problem and restore full service as quickly as possible.

Extended Maintenance Period Scheduled for PeopleSoft Student Information System

20081123T00:00:00

9:00 p.m. Saturday, November 22, 2008 to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, November 23

An extended outage has been scheduled for the Student Information (PeopleSoft) System. The Student Information System will be unavailable beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 22 through 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23. This upgrade is necessary to maintain the stability and reliability of the Student Information System. The system will be made available as soon as all work has been completed.

Problem with Access to AFS File Storage Space Resolved

20081119T00:00:00

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 5:10 p.m.

A problem that occurred at 3:20 p.m. today with the University’s AFS file storage space has been resolved. This problem caused delays logging into the UNIX Timesharing Service and also affected the ability of users to access some departmental and individual websites located in AFS storage space. The problem was resolved when the affected AFS file servers were restarted.

Network Service Restored to Victoria Hall

20081118T00:00:00

Monday, November 17, 2008 12:00 p.m.

Network service to the third and fourth floors of Victoria Hall was interrupted by an electrical power outage that occurred at 10:45 a.m. today. Facilities management resolved the electrical power outage and network service has been restored.

CSSD to Apply Critical Security Patches to Windows Enterprise Servers

20081023T23:00:00

Thursday, October 23, 2008

CSSD is taking immediate steps to apply critical Windows security patches released by Microsoft today to servers supporting University enterprise services. CSSD staff will be applying these patches throughout the evening and nighttime hours. Some brief service interruptions may occur as the patches are applied and servers are restarted. CSSD generally applies software updates during the normal system maintenance period, but is taking this action in response to advice received from Microsoft to apply the new security patches as quickly as possible on all affected Windows servers.

Spam Filtering Activated for All University Email Addresses

20081010T23:00:00

Friday, October 10, 2008

Effective October 12, 2008, the Spam and Virus Filtering Service will be activated for all University email addresses for which spam filtering was not previously activated.

Problem Affecting Centrex Voice Mail Resolved

20080927T23:00:00

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008

The problem with Verizon telephone lines connecting to the Centrex voice mail system has been resolved. On-campus University voice mail system users were not affected by this problem.

System Alert: Problem Affects Centrex Voice Mail

20080925T23:00:00

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A problem with Verizon telephone lines connecting to the Centrex voice mail system is being resolved, however some lines are still affected. For those users still experiencing problems, the following steps are workarounds until the problem is resolved.

Retrieving messages from Centex Voice Mail:

After dialing 3-1300, if you hear the greeting: "Your call is being answered by Audix. The person you called is not available...", you should press *R. This will take you to the normal greeting and permit you to retrieve your messages.

Leaving a Voice Mail Message for a Centrex User:

If you hear the message: "Your call is being answered by Audix. The person you called in not available. To leave a message use touchtone to re-enter the number you called....", you should enter the last 5 digits of the number followed by the # sign. You will then hear the normal pre-recorded personal greeting and be able to leave a message.

On-campus University voice mail system users are not affected by this problem. Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412 624-HELP [4357] for additional information, if needed.

Problem Affecting Access to CourseWeb Resolved

20080924T23:00:00

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The problem that affected the ability of users to log into the CourseWeb online learning system (courseweb.pitt.edu) has been resolved.

Verizon Problem Affects Centrex Voice Mail

20080924T23:00:00

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A problem has occurred with Verizon telephone lines connecting Pittsburgh Campus Centrex telephone service users to the Centrex voice mail system accessed by dialing 3-1300. Off-campus users with Centrex service are currently unable to access or receive voice mail messages. On-campus University voice mail system users are not affected by this problem. Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412 624-HELP [4357] for additional information, if needed.

Problem Affecting Access to CourseWeb Online Learning System

20080924T23:00:00

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A problem is occurring that is affecting the ability of users to log into the Courseweb online learning system (courseweb.pitt.edu) both directly and through the my.pitt.edu Web portal. CSSD is working to resolving the problem as quickly as possible. Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412 624-HELP [4357] for additional information, if needed.

Scheduled Telephone System Maintenance

20080918T23:00:00

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Maintenance on the University telephone system is scheduled for Sunday, Sept 21st. Campus phones in Oakland could be affected by intermittent service outages for a 10-15 minute period beginning at 4:30 AM. During that period the University Public Safety Building will not be affected and can be reached by cell phone or from any non-University phone by dialing 412.624.2121.

Problem Affecting Availability of Network Connection to Titusville Campus Resolved.

20080829T23:00:00

Friday, August 29, 2008, 4:20 p.m.

The problem that resulted in the unavailability of the network link providing connectivity to the Titusville Campus has been resolved.

Verizon Circuit Problem Results in Unavailability of Network Connection to Titusville Campus.

20080829T23:00:00

Friday, August 29, 2008, 11:30 a.m.

A problem with Verizon's circuit has resulted in the unavailability of the network link providing connectivity to the Titusville Campus. Verizon is investigating to determine the cause of the problem and restore service as quickly as possible.

Network Service Restored to Several Lower Campus Buildings

20080821T23:00:00

Thursday, August 21, 2008, 11:00 a.m.

Network service to the School of Information Science and Clapp, Crawford, Alumni, and Ruskin Halls was interrupted by an electrical power outage that occurred at 9:40 a.m. today. CSSD network engineers restored service as quickly as possible after the electrical service outage was resolved.

Update: Problem Affecting Access to PittPAY through my.pitt.edu Web portal Resolved

20080815T23:00:00

Friday, August 15, 2008, 11:55 a.m.

The problem with PittPAY has been resolved. Students and parents can now access PittPAY as usual.

Problem Affecting Access to PittPAY through my.pitt.edu Web portal

20080815T23:00:00

Friday, August 15, 2008, 8:55 a.m.

A problem is currently affecting access to PittPAY through the my.pitt.edu Web portal. CSSD is working to resolve the issue and restore access as quickly as possible.

Update: Verizon Network Service Outage Affecting Connectivity Between Greensburg and Pittsburgh Campuses Resolved

20080814T23:00:00

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The service outage affecting network connectivity to and from the Greensburg campus has been resolved.

Verizon Network Service Outage Affecting Connectivity Between Greensburg and Pittsburgh Campuses

20080814T23:00:00

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Verizon has confirmed an outage involving its data network circuits. This outage has resulted in loss of network connectivity to and from the Greensburg campus. Only communications to and from these campuses are affected. Verizon has confirmed that it is working to restore service, but has not given a time frame for restoration of service. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.

Scheduled Maintenance to Affect Accounts Management and Emergency Notification Systems During Upcoming Normal System Maintenance Period

20080809T23:00:00

11:00 p.m. Saturday, August 9 to 3:00 a.m. Sunday, August 10, 2008

Maintenance has been scheduled for the University Central Directory Service beginning at 11:00 p.m. Saturday, August 9. The Accounts Management (accounts.pitt.edu) and Panther Central ID systems will not be available during this time. Users will not be able to sign up for, or make changes to information in the Emergency Notification Service during this time as well. (Please note that the University will be able to deliver emergency notifications to registered users while the work takes place.)

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20081222T00:00:00