Welcome

Tech Express Fall 2012

Virtualization (Cloud @ Middle) is On the Way!

Middle Tennessee State University faculty and students will soon have the convenience of accessing some software programs that are currently used on campus for instructional learning or at work - anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

The Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or VDI project, also known as C@M (Cloud at Middle), grants ITD the ability to deliver a computer to a desktop over the University's network. ITD has been working diligently throughout recent weeks to get MTSU's infrastructure into place so that it can accommodate the virtualization system.

Rollout for University employees and instructional learning PCs commenced in April, and the remote access schedule is set to be activated on August 25.

The C@M project yields numerous advantages for the University including the flexibility in ITD's ability to support individual services, especially in classrooms where there is a multitude of computers, and network efficiency.

As of press time, the following rooms have undergone the virtualization process:

CKNB N119, KOM 124, PH 327, WPS 305, HONORS 118, Monahan 219, Cummings 107, Corlew Smith Hall 149, Ezell 120, MGB 303, AMG 214, VET 242, JUB Dinning, COE 104, COE 110, KUC, and SAEC.

For more information about C@M, visit the ITD Projects Page at http://mtsu.edu/projects/virtualization/index.php.

Students Partner with ITD to Create Mobile App

It's not easy being a freshman on the first day of college, but thanks to the creation of a new downloadable mobile application, the days of new students walking aimlessly throughout the maze of buildings, sidewalks, trees, and parking lots with a crinkled map as their only guide might be coming to an end.

What began as a mere classroom assignment for five senior computer-science majors turned into an innovative electronic resource that could change the way students get around on campus.

After collaborating with the Information Technology Division, the team of ambitious young programmers created MTSU Mobile, an Android app developed to make life a little easier for their fellow Blue Raiders.

"We hope the new app will help students do things like look up class and schedule information, map classrooms and offices, get times and dates of sporting events, and check the latest dining specials," said Craig Murphy of Salem, Ill., a senior computer-science major at MTSU and a member of the student team of developers which also includes Jason Bandy of Murfreesboro, Chris Johnson of Smyrna, Chelsea Rath of Franklin, and Brandon Beard of Nashville.

The app, which is now available in beta form for anyone to use, originated as a project in Dr. Derek Riley's Java programming language class. The student team's advisor, Dr. Sung Kun Yoo, later received a grant that provided funding for the five students to do development work this past summer.

"We had to write a full Java program, and since Android is coded in Java we chose to do an Android app," recalled Murphy, who was inspired to create the app by his friend who developed a similar program at the University of Oklahoma.

Part of the original assignment was to not just write an app, but to write an app correctly.

"That means a lot of time goes into planning exactly what will be in the app and not just sitting down and coding," Murphy noted. "The biggest challenges were deciding what the initial components of the app would be because there are so many features that could be in the app, and then actually coding the app. The Java class taught us a lot, but you can only learn so much in just a semester, so we taught ourselves some aspects of Android programming."

As their ambitious project lifted off the ground, the young programmers decided to partner with ITD to create the app and presented their ideas to Vice President and Chief Information Officer Bruce Petryshak and ITD Associate Vice President Tom Wallace.

"They loved the idea, and so we partnered with ITD," said Murphy, who also works at the ITD Help Desk. "ITD has provided us with great resources for the app. Since the project was bigger than just a class project now, we were able to get a grant for the summer to help us with expenses. Then at the end of the summer, ITD hired us as student workers to continue our work on the Android and start iPhone development."

Wallace said the collaborative endeavor was a means to provide students with a realistic job experience.

"Earlier this year, Bruce and I wanted to seek out ways for our division to assist students in real-world learning experiences," Wallace explained. "We heard about this project and wanted to help by assisting the students and providing financial support. They are a hard-working bunch, and their initiative and expertise has been great."

The MTSU Mobile team has lab space in the Parking Services Building and meets with ITD staff every Monday. Students already have amassed more than 500 hours building the MTSU Mobile app from the ground up, said team member Bandy.

"It's been a pretty steady job," he said. "I have learned a great deal, not only the programming but what it takes working with a client, and actually have learned a lot more about MTSU. This has provided me with experiences that I would have never gotten in the classroom."

In contrast to other software packages, the significance of MTSU Mobile is that it is designed by students for students as opposed to the University hiring an outside firm to develop the app, Murphy said.

"This gave us real insight into what the app should do since we would also be the user of the app," he added. "In general, I would call the app an information aggregator for the University. We tried to think about what kind of information students, visitors, and staff/faculty would want to access quickly on their mobile devices."

A major component of the app provides a map that allows users to see where they are on campus. The program also features academic information through Pipeline accounts, calendars, and contact information for professors.

"My favorite feature is mapping my schedule because at the beginning of every semester I find myself with that little sheet of paper and a map in case there is a new building I haven't been to," Murphy reflected. "Now, with this app, I can do all of that on my phone instantly and know exactly where I am on the map. I think this will help every student and freshman in particular who may be embarrassed to hold that map up and wander around campus for an hour because he or she doesn't know where their building is or even where they are."

As of press time, over 1,000 students have taken advantage of the new mobile app. The beta version can be downloaded at bit.ly/MTMobileApp.

The students plan to have version 1.0 of both Android and Apple applications available by early January. The team is working to add sports schedules, dining information, and other functions for students to download by the spring semester.

Doug Williams contributed to this article.

 

Digital Signs Coming to MTSU

From music and books to movies, everything is getting a digital makeover, and signs are no exception.

Middle Tennessee State University has partnered with a company called Four Winds Interactive to bring digital signage to the campus.

Digital signs employ technology such as LCD, plasma, and LED displays to communicate with target audiences. The innovative signs can be non-interactive and interactive through the usage of a touch screen, barcode scanner, card swipe, and other input devices.

The advantages of digital signage are tenfold. Not only does such state-of-the-art technology mitigate paper consumption, it also limits clutter and engages the audience.

The signs can display various types of media with customized designs, and the content can be displayed in a quick and timely fashion.

The University is currently working with Four Winds representatives to develop a prototype for the signs, which are slated to first appear in the College of Education.

A 65-inch monitor has been installed in the College of Education, and it will be operational later this spring, ITD Assistant Vice President Barbara Draude said.

The first sign using this technology will be an upgrade of the Tennessee Teacher's Wall of Fame that had been formerly located in the LRC. This sign will allow visitors to search for teachers via an interactive touch screen by name or region of the state. Visitors can also view the teachers' photos, read their bios, or view movie clips about them.

Draude said the plan is to implement the signs as University information boards, featuring a top-layered template that in the College of Education's case will be used to display the Teacher's Hall of Fame, but for future signs this layer might serve as a building directory or display upcoming athletic events.

If a patron selects an icon on the first layer, the sign will bring up a second-level template that will be University-focused. Visitors will be able to view current events and news, directories, maps, and more. For example, if you touch the sign for the College of Education but need to find the Business Office, you can bring up a map to help you locate it.

These innovative signs will provide information on events, news, campus directories, maps, dining locations, and athletics.

All of these signs will be managed through a content management system, similar to the Web CMS. Each individual sign will have its own computer attached to it that delivers content to the screen. There will be two kinds of digital signs: those that are interactive and those that are not. However, all the signs will still be managed through the CMS.

The CMS will also enable administrators to take over all the digital signs on campus in the event of an emergency. The departments that own the signs will control the content, but the templates will be maintained by ITD, Draude said.

Virtualization Technology Provides Students and Employees with Anytime Access to Desktops, Apps, Resources, and Personal Files

Middle Tennessee State University and Citrix Systems, Inc. have jointly announced plans to install new technology on the campus that will allow students anytime access to virtual desktops, programs, personal files, and network resources.

Officials with Citrix and MTSU said the implementation of Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenApp, Citrix XenServer, and Citrix NetScaler will give the University the largest virtual desktop service in Tennessee's higher education system.

MTSU has planned a multi-phase rollout approach with the help of Citrix Consulting Services to have more than 2,000 devices virtualized by the fall, after which the process will continue across the remaining campus.

The final phase will enable remote capability: students will have simple, secure access to virtual desktops, applications, network resources, and file storage from any device, PC, Mac, notebook, tablet device, or smart phone on or off campus; University-owned or personally owned devices at any time, 24/7, and 365 days a year.

"MTSU prides itself in being the largest undergraduate university in the state of Tennessee, and as such we are focused on taking a leadership position with the most modern technologies," said Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Bruce Petryshak.

"We are committed to ensuring that our students, faculty, and staff are offered the very best technologies to enable them to learn, collaborate, and access information that ultimately impact student outcomes in a positive way," Petryshak added.

The systems, which include on-demand app delivery via XenApp running on Citrix XenServer, are expected to save MTSU more than 35 percent in desktop computing costs by enabling easy, centralized management of desktops and applications and reducing the need to refresh expensive PC hardware.

The virtualized solutions will also give the University the ability to leverage low-cost, thin-client computing devices to reduce electricity consumption and drive further simplicity across the infrastructure.

"Having all these new capabilities and being able to extend our reach while reducing costs is an absolute win-win for MTSU," Petryshak said.

The technology, which is being dubbed "C@M" (Cloud at MTSU), transforms any Windows, Web, or SaaS application into an on-demand service that can be accessed by any user, on any device, anywhere, with unparalleled simplicity and scalability, said Lorenzo C. Hines, assistant director of Classroom Technology Support.

Secure access for this new technology will be as simple as opening any browser, going to the URL and logging in with a username and password, Hines said. "It will allow faculty and staff greater flexibility in accessing work-related apps and data without being physically on campus," he said.

Thomas Eacobacci, Citrix's southeast region area vice president, said the company's virtual computing solutions will "help individual students achieve their educational goals and, at the same time, ease budget worries and extend the reach of MTSU."

"Citrix is proud to be a partner with MTSU and we applaud its efforts to be a leader in Tennessee higher education through the use of Citrix solutions," Eacobacci said.

 

What Determines Wireless Signal Strength?

As the number of students continues to increase, so do the numbers of wireless user devices that are connecting to the MTSU wireless network. Wireless technology is continuing to evolve and is being used more often on campus.

One of the most common questions that arrive from wireless users is about signal strength. Signal strength is exactly what it indicates, the strength of the wireless signal from the wireless access point to a wireless device and the reverse.

The closer in proximity the wireless device is physically located to the wireless access point the stronger the signal strength is between the access point and the wireless device. The signal strength coincides with the data transfer rate between the wireless device and wireless access point.

The stronger the signal strength the higher the data transfer rate. An excellent signal strength can offer from 54 megabytes to a 100MB data transfer rate, and this also depends on the radio technology that is being used. A weak signal will offer poor signal strength and will have data transfer rates down to around 4MB to 10MB, and again it depends on the radio technology being implemented.

The result is the closer a wireless device is located to a access point the stronger the signal strength with high data transfer rates, and the further a wireless device is located from the wireless access point the weaker the signal strength and lower the data transfer rates. Wireless signal strength is affected by more than just distance. Building construction material type and interference from unauthorized Access Points, and other devices can also be a factor. For more information, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/itdnet/wireless_itdnet.shtml.

 

Reaching the Help Desk

The MTSU Help Desk is here to assist on all technological needs throughout the University. In-person Help Desk service is available from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the basement of the Cope Administration Building. The Help Desk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone except on University holidays and when classes are not in session. You can reach the Help Desk by dialing 898-5345 or by emailing help@mtsu.edu.

If your laptop is giving you problems, the ITD Help Desk may be able to assist you. The Help Desk can help with wireless and virus issues. Bring your laptop to the basement of the Cope Administration Building where hands-on help is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. When the volume is heavy or if your computer is heavily infected with viruses, you may have to leave your laptop with the Help Desk.

 

Computer Labs

MTSU has a number of computer labs available for student use.

Five "University Computer Labs" are available for all students, faculty, and staff with a current MTSU ID. These labs are:

University Computer Lab at BAS

Business and Aerospace Bldg., S137

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for university holidays and when classes are not in session

898-5515

University Computer Lab at KOM

Kirksey Old Main 350/351/360

Monday through Thursday – 7:30 a.m. – 9:15 p.m.

Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Closed Saturday and Sunday

898-2144

University Computer Lab at LRC

(Temporarily Located in the Walker Library)

Monday through Thursday – 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Friday – 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Saturday – 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Sunday – 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

898-5191

University Computer Lab at James Walker Library

James Walker Library, second and third floors

Monday through Thursday – 7:30 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday – 1 p.m. – 12 a.m.

898-2772

University Computer Lab at Adaptive Technology Center

James Walker Library Room 174

Monday through Thursday – 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Friday – 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday – 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday – 1:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

904-8550

Residents of Corlew, Lyon, Smith, Womack Lane, and WoodFelder residence halls have access to computer labs in their buildings.

• In addition to the University Computer Labs, many departments have labs for classes, research, and general use.

• TheResNet Help Desk can be reached at 898-5891. For further assistance, contact the ITD Help Desk at 898-5345.

 

Information Technology Resources Policy

The Information Technology Resources Policy covers appropriate use of IT resources on campus to support the University's goals and objectives and is written for all users ranging from students to system administrators. Users of MTSU's IT Resources have a responsibility to follow policies, procedures, standards, and laws; these may be internal to MTSU or external to the University. The user's responsibility includes protecting the resources from misuse and attack and also not using resources in connection with for-profit or unauthorized not-for-profit purposes. In addition, illegal file sharing is a violation of the policy since it violates copyright laws, consumes campus bandwidth, and can allow malicious software to access the systems. Users are encouraged to read the entire policy at http://www.mtsu.edu/~itd/policies/itres_policy.html .

Star1 - Long Distance

Telecommunication Services is proud to offer you the MTSU long distance service, Star1. This service allows you to make low-cost, long distance calls from any campus residence telephone. Star1 offers low rates that can save you money over alternative long distance services.

Long distance calls are made through Star1 using an authorization code assigned to you by Telecommunication Services. If you are interested in Star1, please contact Telecommunication Services at 898-2991. Information on rates is also available by calling 898-2991.

  

Star1 Services for Students

MTSU residence halls rooms have one, touch-tone telephone line with two jacks for which students provide their own telephone sets for telecommunication services. Residence hall telephone lines include the following features:

• Call waiting

• Three-party call conference

• Call transfer

• Last number redial

• Data privacy on demand

• In addition to the features above, students may also subscribe to voice mail, and caller ID

• Private telephone lines

Caller ID service is available for purchase by resident students. Caller ID is billed through the Star1 long distance system for $5.00 per month. Resident students can also combine this service with voice mail for $7.00 per month for both, also billed through the Star1 long distance system. MTSU Telecommunication Services provides the caller ID feature only. It is the responsibility of the user to provide a telephone that will display caller ID information.

Voice mail service is available for purchase by all students. Voice mail is a service that provides your own personal voice mailbox to answer incoming calls when you are on another line or away. This mailbox makes it easy to store and record messages with technology that is superior to that of an ordinary answering machine.

Voice mail is billed through the Star1 long distance system for $3.50 per month. Resident students can also combine this service with caller ID for $7.00 per month for both, also billed through the Star1 long distance system.

A private telephone line may be provided to a resident student room if telephone cable is available. There are three payment options for a private telephone line:

• Monthly - $30.00 per month plus an installation charge of $30.00. The student must prepay the installation charge and the first month of service, or a total of $60.00, before service will be established. Subsequent months of service will be billed at $30.00 per month through the Star1 long distance billing system.

• Semester - $150.00 per semester, which includes the installation charge. If choosing to pay on a semester basis, the student must prepay for the entire semester, $150.00.

• Yearly - $300.00 per year, which includes the installation charge. If choosing to pay on a yearly basis, the student must prepay for the entire year, $300.00.

Payment for a private line also includes caller ID and voice mail at no additional charge. The student is responsible for any long distance charges incurred on the line. If a Star1 authorization code is used to place long distance calls, the long distance charges will be billed monthly through the Star1 long distance billing system.

Moving the private telephone line to another room will result in a service charge of $30.00.

To establish any of the above services, please visit the Telecommunication Services office, located in the Telecommunication Building room 200, to complete an application.

If you are a student who has applied for voice mail, caller ID, or a private telephone line through Telecommunication Services, please remember to cancel service if you are not residing on campus. You will continue to be billed for these services, unless you call Telecommunication Services at 898-2991 to cancel services.

 

Cable TV

Cable TV service is provided to campus dorm rooms and to the common living area in campus apartments. Additional service may be requested for private bedrooms in apartments for $11.00 per month. MTSU's cable TV service provider, Campus Televideo or CTV, provides an all-digital solution that does not require a set top box. There are even 8 channels in high definition or HD; 96 channels are available. The available channels are numbered from 3 to 181 with a digital tuner and 102 to 195 with a digital to analog converter. Since the cable TV service is all-digital, a digital TV or digital tuner is required. TV's manufactured in the last few years have digital tuners. If you have an older TV that only has an analog tuner, you will need to acquire a digital to analog converter (DTA) to connect to the system. DTA's are available for purchase for $60 from Telecommunication Services. Some standard DTA's for over-the-air reception will not work with this system. To request Cable TV service, please visit the Telecommunication Services' website, http://www.mtsu.edu/itdtele.

 

MTSU'S Wireless Network

MTSU has an extensive wireless network available for use. Coverage zones include several courtyards, most eateries, the Walker University Library, many lounges, all residence hall lounges, and most classroom areas. Additionally, higher speed coverage (54 Mbps 802.11g) is available in some areas. Coverage is constantly expanded and upgraded.

To use the MTSU wireless network, you need an "802.11b" or "802.11b/g" capable wireless network card. These cards will say "WiFi" on them and/or on the package. "WiFi" means that the card adheres to the WiFi standards and should work without problems with the MTSU WiFi compatible network.

For wireless access within the coverage area on campus, simply configure the wireless software to use the wireless network WLANMTSU. Make sure WEP and WPA are turned off (this is usually the default setting). It is important to choose "Infrastructure Mode" in the wireless software. Choosing "Any Available Network" or "Ad Hoc" modes could create an unsecured situation by connecting your computer to another wireless computer. Open a web browser to any page, and it will automatically be redirected to the MTSU Wireless Network login page.

To begin your session, enter your PipelineMT username and password for full access.

The nature of wireless activity makes the network occasionally weaker in some areas and stronger in others. Most wireless network software includes a small graph that can be utilized to determine the strength of the wireless signal in a particular area. Machines with internal wireless cards may notice slightly less coverage, as the internal antennas may not capture the wireless signals as well as external type adapters. The coverage area map is a general schematic; actual coverage varies based on numerous factors that include but not limited to: type of network adapter, PC battery power, number of people in the area, and season.

Wireless technology is less secure than connections used on a home computer. It is recommended that for any transactions that involve sensitive data that SSL or SSH encryption is used. Many Web pages are SSL-enabled. Look at the Web address to determine if the site is SSL-enabled. If the URL begins with "https" instead of "http" and has a small padlock icon appearing at the bottom of browser window, then it is SSL-enabled and any data sent and received is encrypted.

If you have any questions or problems, please call the Information Technology Help Desk at 898-5345 any time, or you can stop by the Help Desk in the basement of the Cope Administration Building Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ITD assistants will be available to answer your laptop questions.

 

National Do Not Call Registry Available

The National Do Not Call Registry allows consumers to restrict their personal telephone numbers, including cell phone numbers, from telemarketers. The registry has been accepting requests to restrict telephone numbers since June 2003.

For residential subscribers, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits those attempting to sell consumer goods and services by telephone from calling telephone numbers that appear on the National Do Not Call Registry. However, there are some exemptions, which are as follows:

1. Telephone solicitors may still call in response to an express invitation or permission by the person being called.

2. Solicitors may call on behalf of a not-for-profit organization if a member of the specific not-for-profit organization makes the call.

3. Soliciting is allowed if the person or entity making the telephone call has had a business relationship with the person being called within the previous 12 months

4. Solicitation is permitted if the business calling does not sell or engage in telephone solicitation and does not make more than three calls in any one calendar week.

During its inception in 2003, the National Do Not Call Registry placed an expiration period of five years on registered telephone numbers. Numbers exceeding this five-year period were to be automatically dropped from the registry, necessitating the need for consumers to re-register their personal telephone numbers. However, because of pending amendments to the five-year expiration clause, the Federal Trade Commission will not be removing telephone numbers from the National Do Not Call Registry upon expiration. If passed, telephone registrations will never expire, unless the consumer removes his or her telephone number from the registry, or the National Do Not Call Registry database administrator removes the telephone number because it was disconnected or reassigned.

A consumer who has registered on the National Do Not Call Registry, but continues to get telemarketing calls outside of the exceptions mentioned above, may file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. To file a complaint, visit www.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx. Information needed in order to file a complaint includes:

1. Date of the call

2. Name or telephone number of the company that called

Filing a complaint is a simple and quick process, and helps with enforcement, as violators of the National Do Not Call Registry could face fines up to $11,000 per incident. For more information about the National Do Not Call Registry, including the status of the proposed amendment, or to include your personal telephone number on the list, visit www.donotcall.gov/.

Please note: business numbers may not be included on the list. Therefore, telephone numbers belonging to MTSU cannot be included on the registry.