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April 15, 2008
Issue No. 77

Table of Contents

• Computing News
  • Technology Training for Spring
    
  • BATCHe Conference at Meyer
    
  • Students FaceBook App Contest
    
  • Apple at SU-What's New
    
  • Essential SU Software Updates
    
  • Modem Pool Service Ends
    
  • PC-Leland, MacLeland Retire
    
  • SU Bookstore Computer News
    

IT Services Technology Training provides a variety of training opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. See our sortable list of Current Courses for the quarter.

Training-by-Appointment

In addition to our regularly scheduled classes on a variety of topics, we have Training-by-Appointment, a great program that can help you as an individual learner.

This is our most well-received service. I'll let our clients speak on behalf of the program:

• "This is hands-down the best training I have ever had. We were able to rapidly plow through a ton of "how do you" questions saving me hours and hours and hours of web research. A truly top-notch resource."
• "The instructor answered all of my questions and even some I didn't know to ask."
• "Thank you very, very much for the help. The time and aggravation he's saved me was well worth the price - he can charge me more next session, no kidding."
• "Really helpful to have the one-on-one training in my work environment, on my computer!"
• "Wow! The instructor is just terrific. He had listened to all of my comments in advance of our session and had a perfect training session set up exactly for my project and needs. Would enthusiastically recommend this to anyone!"

See the Training-by-Appointment Web site to get started developing your personalized training plan. Technology Training can help!

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On Friday, March 21, approximately 25 attendees gathered in Meyer Library for the third Bay Area Technology and Computing in Higher Education conference, which was sponsored by Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources' (SULAIR) Academic Computing group.

The participants at this year's BATCHe represented several Stanford departments, including Information Technology Services, the School of Medicine, Student Affairs, and the School of Education. Participating SULAIR units included Cubberley Library, the Information Center in Green Library, and, of course, Academic Computing. Representatives from Holy Names University, the University of California at San Francisco, California College of the Arts, and Santa Clara University were also present.

Strategies for Software Updates and Security Patches

The proceedings got underway at 9:00 a.m., when participants were welcomed with a continental breakfast. The morning session of the conference, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., was devoted to a discussion of strategies for keeping large numbers of computers up-to-date with the latest software updates and security patches. Patrick Lee from CCA, John McWalter from UCSF, and Allan Chen from Santa Clara each had presentations on their respective schools' approaches to this issue.

After a roundtable when representatives from the other participating departments and institutions briefly described their practices in this regard, Karl Kuehn and Dustin King from Academic Computing gave an overview of that department's method for updating and patching cluster and kiosk computers in the student residences and the Libraries. Each group also discussed the difficulties and problems involved in ensuring that computers are updated reliably and in a timely fashion. The different strategies and solutions presented gave participants many ideas for retooling their own practices.

Moving from Static to Dynamic Web Pages

Over the catered lunch, participants continued informally to exchange ideas and discuss possible collaborations. At 1:30 p.m., the afternoon session began with a presentation by John Bickar of Cubberley Library and Ronnie Fields of Green Library's Information Center on moving from static to dynamic Web pages. Both Library units have recently completed a transition from static HTML pages to dynamic sites that use Drupal as a content management system. John and Ronnie summarized the planning, training, and implementation involved in this transition. Their presentation was well-received, generating many questions from the attendees.

Data Protection Strategies

The final formal presentation of the day was by Elena Olkhoskaya and Emerson Whatley of Holy Names University. They spoke on data protection strategies. Now that Web sites, email servers, and other online resources are expected to have 24/7 uptime, what strategies are required to ensure this uptime? How should IT staff protect these resources against catastrophic occurrences such as earthquakes or fires? How can access to these resources be restored quickly after such occurrences? The ensuing discussion was lively and thought-provoking, with useful suggestions regarding funding for backup services, offsite storage of critical data, and redundancy planning.

Suggestions for Next BATCHe

Coffee and cookies brought the conference to a close. Over the refreshments, attendees suggested topics for the next BATCHe: for example, dual-boot machines, supporting multimedia production, or network management. Both Holy Names University and Santa Clara University expressed interest in hosting the next BATCHe. The commonly held sentiment appeared to be that this particular symposium was both useful and enjoyable; the general desire to keep the conversation going via future meetings was an indicator of the conference's success.

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Congratulations to the winners of the Facebook App Contest, sponsored by Student Computing: Nathan Sakunkoo and Patty Sakunkoo, who developed the Stanford Event Map app.

The contest was launched this past fall to encourage students to develop applications to promote student life (especially at Stanford) using Facebook's Application platform. Hopefully, these applications will further highlight how Web 2.0 and social networking technologies like Facebook can empower students and others within the Stanford community to collaborate, share, and build communities.

Judges commented that the winning app's usefulness and specificity to Stanford helped it rise to the top. Many said that not only would they find the Stanford Event Map app useful for themselves, but also that it has great potential for the Stanford community at large and would even recommend it to campus visitors. For more information on the app, visit:

http://apps.facebook.com/stanfordevents

Thanks to all of the teams for participating in the contest and developing some great apps. Thanks also to Facebook and the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab (especially through last quarter's famous Stanford Facebook Class for working with us.

For more information on the contest, as well as the list of the other entries, visit:

http://stucomp.stanford.edu/facebook

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All things Apple at Stanford got easier to find this year with the advent of the Apple at Stanford Web site and the Mac OS X SIG (Special Interest Group) blog.

Apple at Stanford Web Site

Apple at Stanford is a Web site where Stanford students, faculty, and staff can find links to purchasing deals, hardware/software information, system and security news, and support resources and documents.

Representatives from IT Services, Residential Computing, the Purchasing Office, the Stanford Bookstore, and Apple itself worked together to create a usable overview and easy access to "all things Apple." IT Services, which had been maintaining a page on just the "Stanford-Apple Purchasing Program" at the same address, will maintain the new Apple at Stanford site and welcomes suggestions from the community for improvements, including news items and additional links.

Mac OS X SIG Blog

The Mac OS X SIG blog complements Stanford's Mac OS X Special Interest Group email list. The blog is community supported, which means it is not the official voice of any department or school on campus. Content is heavily skewed toward the Stanford environment and is edited by Stanford affiliates, but the whole site is publicly accessible and searchable via Google. The Mailman email list group archives are public, as well.

The purpose of the blog and the Mac OS X SIG is to build and support the Mac-using community here at Stanford and to make that community's knowledge available to all users on the Web.

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For readers new to Stanford, Essential Stanford Software (ESS) is a collection of applications -- some free, others licensed by the University -- that help faculty, staff and students accomplish day-to-day tasks and keep their computers secure.

http://ess.stanford.edu/

Recent changes to the collection are described below.

BigFix Client for Mac OS X: BigFix is a centralized, patch management service that has been in use at Stanford for several years, but was only available for Windows machines. Due in Spring Quarter, the BigFix client for Mac OS X will allow both local and central technical support staff to deploy critical security patches to OS X machines across campus. See related article for further information (link will be live in published version).

SecureCRT 6.0 and SecureFX 6.0: Available for Windows XP and Vista, SecureCRT and SecureFX together offer secure terminal emulation and file transfer. The latest versions of these packages are combined for the first time in a single installer, simplifying the integration between the two applications.

StuffIt Standard: StuffIt Standard for both OS X and Windows has been removed from ESS. With both operating systems now offering native support for expanding and compressing the most commonly used archive formats, IT Services chose not to renew our license for StuffIt standard.

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After its long and loyal service, the Stanford Modem Pool will retire on August 31. Peak service has now dwindled to about 23 simultaneous users, too few to warrant the high cost of its maintenance.

To make current dial-in users' transition to alternative connections as painless (and inexpensive) as possible, IT Services began an outreach program to the Stanford community in early 2007. You can find a compilation of service providers and pointers on setting them up at the Connection Options Web site.

If you have questions or need help, please submit a HelpSU request, and the Stanford IT HelpDesk will be happy to answer your questions.

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It was a good run, but after more than 10 years as the authentication tools at Stanford, PC-Leland and MacLeland are finally retiring this month. They began as tools to allow authentication via Kerberos 4 to email and AFS (a distributed networked file system for file sharing) on computers across campus and grew from there to include authentication to additional systems via both Kerberos 4 and Kerberos 5. Since then, the stronger, more secure Kerberos 5 protocol has become the new standard and Kerberos 4 is no longer under development. When Kerberos 5 authentication became available for AFS in 2006, it was the beginning of the end for PC-Leland and MacLeland.

What is Kerberos?

Kerberos began at MIT as part of Project Athena. It is named after the three-headed dog of Greek mythology that guards the gates of Hades. Kerberos is used for authentication and encryption. It lets you log in once and get access across various systems based on your SUNet ID and password. PC-Leland and MacLeland were developed at Stanford to enable Kerberos authentication from desktop systems around campus.

Kerberos Expansion

In the years between its initial development and today, Kerberos authentication has moved beyond the university setting where it was born. Kerberos 5 has been a standard part of Macintosh OS X since version 10.2 and now only needs a little configuration to be ready to use at Stanford. For Windows, open source tools like Kerberos for Windows now serve the same purpose as PC-Leland. Custom-built software like PC-Leland or MacLeland is expensive to support. Minimally customized, standards-based, open source solutions are a better, less costly alternative for the University. Now, working with the open source community, work we do on the Kerberos project, Kerberos for Windows, or AFS benefits not only Stanford, but also users across the country. Stanford continues to be an active participant in Kerberos development.

Kerberos 5 and Stanford Desktop Tools

At the end of April, all systems and servers on campus will no longer use Kerberos 4. On May 15th, the last pieces of the Kerberos 4 infrastructure will be shut down. For the past year and a half, users across campus have been encouraged to adopt Stanford Desktop Tools and Kerberos for Windows or Macintosh Kerberos Configuration as a replacement for PC-Leland or MacLeland. (See The End Is Near: Upgrade to Stanford Desktop Tools in the January 2008 issue of this newsletter.) At this time, 99 percent of campus users have converted. The few remaining users are being contacted to help them move on.

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What good deals is the Computer Department offering this spring?

• Deep discounts on recently discontinued MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
• Save an additional $50 - $100 on an Apple Cinema Display when you purchase it with an Apple computer.

Stanford Bookstore's Computer Department is located on the second floor.

• We now carry several models of Sony Vaio computers. Buy any Vaio notebook computer at the Stanford Bookstore and receive a Sony DSC-S700 digital camera as a gift (a $149.95 value). While supplies last.
• We have a great price on Leopard, Apple's new operating system: $69.
• iLife '08 is only $39.
• iWork '08, also $39.
• Between January 22, 2008, and April 21, 2008 buy any Mac and the .Mac Retail Box or .Mac Family Pack Retail Box and save $30 on a .Mac annual membership.
• We have academic pricing on the new MacBook Air. We have both the hard drive version and SSD version in stock.
• We've reduced prices on our Dell Inspirons, while supplies last.
• iPod discounts are back. Save $5-$20 on many models.
• Please check our home page for current promos.

Who is eligible to buy computers at the Stanford Bookstore?

We sell computers to the Stanford community. Stanford students, faculty, and staff are all eligible to take advantage of our education discounts. Visiting scholars, Continuing Studies students, and Stanford conference and camp attendees are also eligible. Of course, Medical Center staff and SLAC employees are also always welcome to buy hardware.

Who is eligible to buy software at the Stanford Bookstore?

Most of our software is available for purchase to people who have a current academic ID.

What forms of payment do you accept?

Most credit cards, debit cards, AMEX, Discover, cash, or checks are accepted.

The Stanford Bookstore's is conveniently located near White Plaza and the Old Union.

How about payment for departmental purchases?

Campus departments must use an online Standard Purchase Requisition form, which should be forwarded to Procurement. Departmental orders totaling less than $2500 (including tax) can be purchased with a Stanford Purchasing Card (VISA/MasterCard) or Rapid Purchase Order (RPO), which can be faxed (650-325-3476), or brought into the store and used like cash.

Do I get a faculty, staff, or student discount?

As a member of the Stanford community, you are welcome to buy our merchandise at our academic prices, as marked. There is no additional discount.

What brands of computers do you sell?

Apple and IBM/Lenovo. Also, you can order Dell computers from http://www.dell.com/stanford.

What are the benefits of buying computer hardware and software at the Stanford Bookstore?

Our prices are often academic or less; we usually have the lowest price available for Apple and Lenovo computers. We are conveniently located, we carry a large inventory of products, we are often able to replace new units that are defective, we have in-house repair for Apple computers, and we offer frequent deals on recently discontinued merchandise. Also, we have seasonal promotional offers, especially during the back to school time frame and the winter holiday period.

What kinds of accessories and peripherals do you sell?

We have an assortment of items including computer sleeves, carrying cases, iPod accessories, hard drives, surge protectors, routers, hubs, ethernet cables, video adaptors, monitors, power supplies, batteries, media, thumb drives, web cams, microphones, headsets, ink, toner cartridges, printing paper, PDAs, cleaning supplies, and gift cards. And we usually get shipments of new items twice a day.

Can I order an Apple Computer or ThinkPad with different specifications than those listed on your price list?

Yes, please talk with any computer sales associate for a quote and delivery time estimate on your "built-to-order" computer.

If you don't have an item in your store, can you still get it for me?

We can often accommodate special orders. Please let a sales associate know what you are interested in and they will check on availability, price, and arrival time.

Do I have to purchase AppleCare at the same time that I purchase the computer?

No, you have one year from the purchase date to purchase AppleCare.

What is the advantage of purchasing AppleCare with my computer?

With AppleCare, you will be eligible for 3 years of telephone support. If one of your computer parts fails, AppleCare will cover the parts and labor costs of the repair. If you have a desktop computer (iMac, Mac Pro), Apple will visit your home or office for the repair, if necessary. AppleCare provides international coverage.

Where can I go to have my computer insured against theft and accidental damage?

This company offers computer insurance to Stanford students: http://www.safeware.com/stanford/

Do you ship computers?

Yes, we can ship merchandise to locations in the US. For the protection of the merchandise, all shipments are insured and usually shipped via FedEx 2nd day air with signature required. Sales tax will be based on the shipping location. Please talk with a sales associate if you need a quote for shipping costs.

Can I get my iPod engraved?

Yes, we are happy to provide this service at no extra charge. The engraving process usually takes about a week.

Can I return my computer?

Once you've opened it, we'd like you to keep it. If it is defective during the first 7 days of your ownership, and the defect is confirmed by the manufacturer, you can exchange your computer for a new one. We require your original receipt and box and packing materials to facilitate the exchange.

Can I return my software?

Once you've opened it, we'd like you to keep it. If it is defective within the first 30 days after your purchase, you may exchange it for the same title and platform.

Do you offer computer repairs?

Our computer service department is authorized to repair Apple products. They can also help to facilitate some PC repairs through a Palo Alto company called Computer Care. Our service department can perform backups and data transfers. They sell memory and internal hard drives for most computers. They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. They can be contacted by calling 650-329-1217, x338.

Can I buy my computer on an installment plan?

We do not offer financing. Many customers take out a computer loan from the Stanford Credit Union to finance their purchase.

How can I find out about your latest prices and inventory?

Check our Web site at http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookstore

When are you open?

Normal store hours are:

Monday through Thursday, 8am - 8pm
Friday, 8am - 7pm
Saturday, 9am - 6pm
Sunday, 11am - 6pm

Where are you located?

You can find us on campus, next to the Post Office at:
519 Lasuen Mail_Stanford, CA 94305

What are Your Phone and Fax Numbers?

Phone: 650-329-1217, x456_Fax: 650-325-3476

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