Distributed Computing Services, Project Update
Dan deBeaubien , 11/20/2006
Major Central Storage Upgrade
November-December 2006. DCS has purchased and is currently installing 12 Terabytes of disk space to the storage sub-system which support much of the computing facilities on campus. The expansion, which increases the EMC capacity based storage server to just over 30 Terabytes, is used for a wide variety of purposes, ranging from thousands of home-directories for faculty, staff, and students to supporting the entire campus email system. It also provides all the disk space for all administrative computing services, including all Banner and Oracle database storage. (by the way, 30 TB is the equivalent of around 3.14 Million 10MB hard drives, the kind originally shipped in IBM PC XT’s in 1983)
Campus Login Synchronization Process Rewrite
October-November 2006. DCS has redesigned and is currently preparing to implement a new process which is used to create and remove userids from the central directory servers. This service is the authoritative source of all userid and password information for essentially every system on campus. The system is being overhauled in order to accommodate applications which need to generate userid/password information in real-time or “on the fly”, such as when potential students want to register online to get more information about the University, or to get access to electronic resources such as the student Portal, housing systems, etc.
This upgrade represents the first steps into the reevaluation and implementation of a comprehensive campus wide Identity Management System (or IdMS). The yet-to-be-determined IdMS system is going to be a major project undertaking which will continue for the next 12 to 18 months.
WebCT Upgrade
September-December 2006. DCS is currently installing and testing the latest version of the WebCT course management system. The upgrade provides many enhancements to the user interface and grade book function. Also, with major help from AIS, the system will allow for direct submission of WebCT grades into banner. The process is to be used to replace the current paper bubble-sheet system. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in December.
Improved Personal Information Privacy
November 2006 – January 2007. The Online Campus Directory application, which has been in use for many years, is undergoing changes to allow for greater granularity of privacy for those listed. The current privacy system works all-or-nothing, either all of your information is listed, or there is absolutely none. At the request of several groups of several groups on campus including The Student Commission and The Office of Student Records and Registration, the system is being enhanced to allow those listed to display or hide individual pieces of their listing such as their home phone number or mailing address, while leaving others, like their email address, listed. The system also takes into account the audience requesting the directory information, allowing different levels of privacy based on whether the request is coming from on-campus, the internet, or from an authenticated Michigan Tech user. It is currently scheduled to be available by the first week of January 2007.
For more information, please contact Dan deBeaubien, Director, ITS/DCS, dan@mtu.edu