Summer 2008

Goodbye Patch-Link

Information Technology has upgraded our existing patch management solution (PatchLink) with a new, cost effective and highly manageable solution called Windows Server Update Service (WSUS). With the increase of worms and viruses on the Internet, operating system updates are now a part of daily life. In order to reduce the amount of time individuals need to spend managing the security of their systems, and to improve the overall security posture at the College, Information Technology employs a layered defense to security, including a network firewall, system patch management and centrally updated anti-virus solutions.The capabilities of WSUS allow Information Technology to efficiently update operating systems by applying critical patches released by Microsoft.

Whenever possible, patches will be distributed on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 5AM. This time and day was chosen in order to minimize the impact of this process on academic activities (Microsoft publishes it's patches on the second Tuesday).  IT will test these patches that Microsoft publishes on a small group of users. If there are no issues with the patches, we will distribute them campus wide on the 4th Wednesday. This makes it easier for campus community members to anticipate the patch process and minimizes the chances of disruption from the patch process.

As part of this update process, you may be asked to reboot your machine for the patch to take effect. Rebooting your computer, or the classroom computer, is an important step in applying these patches.

Introducing Zimbra 5.0

You may have noticed some changes in Zimbra. We're pleased to announce that as of July 1st we've upgraded to Zimbra version 5.0. Here's a list of some of the new features:

In Email:

* Auto save option so that email is saved periodically as you compose
* Add a checkmark to select all email on a page
* Set an auto reply with start & end dates
* Send email as High, Normal or Low priority
* Email search includes Trash & Junk folders

In Calendaring:

* View accepted/declined responses to appointments
* Mark appointments with colored tags
* Schedule & change appointments between calendars
* Calendar search includes appointments
* Improved printing features
* Add private appointments to the main calendar

New Email Filtering Options

Tired of dealing with all of the spam and other junk email you get? Of course you are. Who isn't? Well the Information Technology folks have come up with some customized filters that may be of assistance to you.

The first is a powerful spam filter that works with the SpamAssassin system to keep emails it judges are spam from ever even showing up you your inbox. The second helps shield you from those pesky emails that tell you an email you sent has bounced back (even when you didn't send an email). The third helps protect you from so-called Calendar Spam, where random meetings and events get added to their calendars.

Visit the Help Desk's Zimbra Spam Filters page to learn how to set these filters up on your account, or how to create your own custom filters.

Campus Holiday Calendar

The Information Technology department would like to announce the creation of a Zimbra calendar specifically designed to list campus holidays, and energy days. If you want to subscribe to this calendar, so that you can see it in your Zimbra account, follow these simple steps:

1. Log into your Zimbra account
2. Switch to the Calendar tab
3. Right-click on the banner that says "Calendars" (note, that's the plural, not the singular. Be careful: both exist)
4. Choose "Link to Shared Calendar"
5. Next to Email, enter "calendar@tcnj.edu" (minus the quotes)
6. Next to Path, enter "/Calendar" (this is case sensitive) (minus the quotes)
7. Next to Name, enter "Global Campus Calendar" (or whatever you'd like to call this calendar in your account)
8. For Color, choose any color you'd like

The calendar will now be visible on your calendar list. If you choose not to view the items in the Global Calendar, simply uncheck the box next to the calendar's name. The calendar will still be accessible at any time by rechecking toe box.

For your convenience, we've added a key to some of the days on the calendar:

• Any dates marked with an H mean that the day is an observed holiday, and TCNJ is closed.
• Any dates marked with an E mean that the day is an Energy day: TCNJ is open, but if you work that day you earn energy time.
• Any Energy Days marked with an F mean that in order to have this day off, you must work extended hours the rest of the week to earn the time.

New Zimbra Tutorials

A whole new line of tutorial videos to assist you with using the Zimbra system have been added to the Help Desk website. They cover everything from composing email to deleting calendar appointments, to adding contacts to your address book, and everything in between. Feel free to check them out, and if there's a subject you'd like us to add, just let us know.