OIT System Status

November 6, 2009


Scheduled Downtimes

PeopleSoft maintenance weekends coincide with payday weekends.

Symantec AntiVirus Information

The Office of Information Technology provides Symantec Anti Virus software for all University-owned computers, as well as faculty and staff personal computers.

Your Symantec AntiVirus definition file should be Version: 11/05/09 rev. 3 software by choosing Start > Programs (or All Programs) > Symantec Client Security > Symantec Anti Virus.

Locate the 'Virus Definition File' section and note your version date.

If your definitions are out of date, please contact the Help Desk or your college or area network administrator.

Controlled Software Updates and Patches

None at this time.

Microsoft and Macintosh Updates and Patches

It is important to keep your computer current with the most recent patches and updates to ensure the security and the reliability of your computer. Many faculty and staff computers receive critical Windows Updates as well as other Microsoft application updates automatically from the Office of Information Technology.

Mac users receive updates through the Software Update application, accessed via Apple > Software Update, or through System Preferences.

Technical information regarding latest Windows updates can be found on Microsoft's website at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx

Other Application Notices and Warnings

Encouraged by OIT:

If you have any of the following software installed on your computer, OIT encourages you to install the latest updates:

  • Microsoft Office XP should be patched with Office XP Service Pack 3.
  • Microsoft Office 2003 should be patched with Office 2003 Service Pack 2.
  • Microsoft Office 2007 should be patched with Office 2007 Service Pack 1.

OIT will be pushing these patches to those computers joined into our automated Windows patch management system.

For computers on campus not joined into our automated patch management system, the patches can be downloaded and installed from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspx

Discouraged by OIT:

OIT recommends you do not install the following software on University-owned equipment:

Internet Explorer 8: If you use BlackBoard users, BlackBoard support recommends you do not update to Internet Explorer 8 at this time.

Ad-Aware - The Ad-Aware license does not cover University-owned computers. However, it is legal for personal home use. The OIT Help Desk recommends both Spybot Search & Destroy and Symantec Anti-Virus working in tandem to keep Microsoft Windows malware and adware in check.

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