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Administrative Computing > Reports > Annual Report 2001-2002 |
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Southern Connecticut State University Annual Report for FY 2002 IntroductionTwo years ago, Administrative Computing embarked on a number of projects which shared a common objective: a web-centric environment. Over the past several years, Administrative Computing has been engaged in building the software and hardware infrastructure necessary for accomplishing this goal. This has included the deployment of dozens of new servers, and the installation of hundreds of new desktops for administrative staff. This academic year, the Banner system was augmented by the implementation of Banner Web for students, faculty and staff. Students now have the convenience of self service for course registration, paying bills, getting grades, and other administrative services. In addition, the WebCT course management system moved from a pilot project to production in the Fall semester of 2001, providing opportunities for on-line teaching and learning. In the Spring of 2002, Administrative Computing played a major part in implementing a new email system, which gives users the capability of accessing their email from any internet connection. Finally, in the Spring of 2002, a new campus web portal has been implemented for the entire campus community. In addition to providing a consolidated method of communication for the entire campus, the portal provides a single entry point for all web services on campus. The “ MySCSU ” portal is the capstone of our goal to provide a web-centric environment to all members of our campus. Administrative Computing is proud of its contributions toward this accomplishment. ScopeAs a result of the preliminary reorganization within the OIT area, the role of Administrative Computing was redefined during the Fall of 2001 when the Banner Applications group was made a separate department reporting directly to the CITO. System Administration, Computer Operations, Internet Services, and Administrative Desktop Support remain as the primary responsibilities of Administrative Computing. In addition to the accomplishments listed above, other major projects for FY2002 include continued service improvements in administrative desktop support and Operations Center reliability, and the continuation of the Windows 2000 Migration project. Windows 2000 Migration PlanMost infrastructure enhancements have been successfully implemented for the Windows 2000 migration project. Servers and software licenses have been purchased and installed and the painstaking process of migrating a variety of file, print and backup services to a more consolidated and centrally managed system is well underway. The objectives of this migration are:
The goal is to complete this migration in FY2003. In addition, the integration of Windows Active Directory and the IPlanet LDAP server will be initiated in FY 2003, with the objective of having a single username and password for authentication of all basic services (Windows login, email, web publishing, etc.). Citrix Thin Client Services. Citrix Metaframe thin client services are used to allow remote dialup and Macintosh users to run Windows based applications. Currently, only the Banner system is available through this service. Plans have been developed to expand Citrix services to include academic applications. The first academic software package to be offered through this system will be SAS, which will be available for the Fall 2002 semester. Application Support. The Windows Server group also provides system administration and backup support for a number of applications. These include
Internet ServicesWeb Services. Additional disk storage has been added to the campus web server, which will support student web pages beginning in the Fall semester of 2002. In addition, authentication for the web server will be linked to the IPlanet LDAP server, so that faculty and students will be able to use the same username and password for web services and email. Email/Web Portal. A new campus email system has been put into production to replace email services that are currently running on the VAX. The new email system uses the UNIX based IPlanet Messenging Server. In addition to the email system, the Campus Pipeline web portal has been implemented as a web based campus communications tool. Student and Faculty portals, web based email, as well as campus news bulletins and announcements will be available through the new “ MySCSU ” portal. This system has been integrated with the Banner administrative system for automatic account creation and a single password/PIN for Banner Web and portal services. WebCT. The WebCT course management system has been in production since the Fall 2001 semester. In the Spring 2002 semester, there were 32 faculty teaching 71 sections using WebCT that serviced over 1600 student seats. Plans for FY 2003 include the upgrade of WebCT to the latest Campus Edition, as well as full integration with the MySCSU portal and Banner system for automatic administration of courses and student registration. Jennings Operations CenterImprovements in the Jennings Operations Center contribute to a more reliable server and network infrastructure to serve a user community that is increasingly dependent on 24X7 service. In conjunction with a UPS system, which includes electrical power conditioning and a generator backup, a new temperature and humidity control system has been installed, which also includes a backup system. Since the installation of this system, the Operations Center has not had a single failure related to either electrical power or temperature/humidity control. The “server farm” in the Jennings Operations Center continues to grow. It currently consists of over 40 Windows and UNIX servers. Vendors have been standardized for more cost effective maintenance and manageability. Dell is the standard vendor for Windows servers and SUN Microsystems is the vendor of choice for UNIX servers. Disaster recovery plans are in place. Backup and recovery procedures include both on campus and offsite storage of backup media. Printer support includes hardware maintenance and repair for campus printers, as well as toner and ink replacement for the entire campus. The Operations Center supplies over $70,000 in toner and ink cartridges for faculty and staff printers on campus. Plans for improved printing services are in development. This includes the replacement of the current Compaq (DEC) LPS32 high speed laser printer, as well as the migration of the current VAX print queues to Windows 2000 and UNIX print services. Desktop SupportBecause of budgetary constraints, desktop replacements for administrative personnel were gradually deferred over the course of the fiscal year. However, the replacement cycle for administrative desktops continued through FY 2002. Over 150 PCs and 30 printers were deployed during this fiscal year. The administrative desktop staff received over 1200 help desk tickets during the course of the fiscal year. These consisted of approximately 500 hardware/repair based calls and 700 software support calls. Since the introduction of a new process, in which an inventory is kept of reusable parts, the hardware repair budget has been drastically cut over the past 3 years. Repair costs, which 3 years ago ran over $50,000 have dropped to less than $5,000 this past fiscal year. ConclusionAdministrative Computing has expanded and will continue to expand a wide array of services for student, faculty, and staff. At the same time, measures have been taken to reduce costs, where possible. Although spending has decreased, Administrative Computing has improved the quality of the hardware and software infrastructure for students, faculty and staff of the University. The migration toward web-centric systems has created a new administrative and academic environment. Training in a variety of technologies and skill sets for both users and IT staff will be a major key to successful implementation. |
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