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Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: (540) 831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu

Division of Information Technology
Radford University

DoIT Provides Night, Weekend and Holiday Support for Desire2Learn

To provide support for the growing needs of students and faculty using Desire2Learn (D2L), RU has increased coverage to provide 24-7 support for D2L problems and issues. This expanded coverage is provided by the D2L call center and utilizes its knowledgeable staff to provide night, weekend and holiday support to the RU community.

To access this service, call the Technology Assistance Center at (540) 831-7500 and choose option three from the phone menu. During regular business hours—8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday—this option will connect you to an RU technician for diagnosis. If needed, the technician will connect with a D2L subject-area expert for a higher level of support. After hours, this menu option will connect you directly to the D2L support center.

To learn more about D2L resources, visit the DoIT Technical Knowledge Base at https://php.radford.edu/~knowledge/lore/category.php?id=88.

Sign up for More H:Drive Storage

As announced in the October DoIT Newsletter, Phase I of the H:Drive storage upgrade is now under way. Users who wish to migrate to the enhanced H:Drive, which provides 20 GB of storage during the initial phase, must complete the online request available at http://tac.asp.radford.edu/newHdrive.aspx. On completion of the application, users will be emailed by the DoIT staff to schedule the migration.

To decide if a user should consider migrating to the new H:Drive during Phase I of this project, DoIT offers the following guidance:

• Hosting of websites through the public_html (www.radford.edu/username) or dynamic_php (php.radford.edu/~username) is not available during Phase 1.
• Access from the MyFiles tab on the MyRU portal and from ruacad (Unix/Linux) will be unavailable if a user selects to migrate during Phase 1.

Phase 2 of the project, scheduled for spring 2013, will provide enhanced storage for users who still need to maintain hosted Web pages.

RU Seeks to be among First with Entirely Mobile-optimized Website

This winter, visitors using mobile devices to access Radford University's website will experience a brand-new, mobile-friendly Radford.edu.

Web Communications, a department of the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), has contracted with a vendor to develop code that will detect which device a mobile visitor is using and will present a version of the website that fits that device's dimensions. The code will work on any site housed within the university's content management system (CMS). About 85 percent of "official" university sites are now in the CMS.

This code will make RU the first four-year public institution in Virginia and among the first universities in the nation to have its full "official" website mobile-optimized. In the United States, mobile browsing (that is, visiting Web pages using a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device) accounts for 10 percent of all Web traffic. Here at RU, about 12 percent of Web traffic comes from mobile devices. Mobile Web traffic is expected to grow exponentially in the next several years, and RU is poised to be ahead of the curve.

Watch DoIT News for announcements of the mobile-optimized site launch this winter!

Commonwealth Requires Annual Information Security Awareness Training

To provide a secure information technology environment and ensure that users fulfill their responsibilities to protect university systems and data, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires users to complete IT security awareness training annually. RU is fulfilling this requirement using a system called Managed Ongoing Awareness and Trust (MOAT).

According to DoIT Policy 5103: Security Awareness Training Policy, "Radford University requires that all faculty (adjunct and full-time), administrative and professional faculty, staff, wage employees, student workers and graduate assistants with access to sensitive data or systems, and contractors/vendors with access to sensitive systems or data complete annual security awareness training."

The system will begin to send reminder emails to your RU email account starting 30 days before your training is due for completion. To gain access to MOAT, follow these directions:

• Using Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari, navigate to the MyRU log-in page.
• Click on the link labeled: "IT Security Awareness Training"
• Use your entire RU email address (including the @radford.edu) as your Login ID
• If you are a first time user or you have forgotten the password you initially set, click on the Request a New Password link. A temporary password will be sent to you. If you do remember your password enter it in the password field, and click the Log In button.

If you have questions about the MOAT, or the university's training requirement, visit the Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.radford.edu/content/it/home/about/it-security/moat.html or contact the Radford University IT Security Office at itsecurity@radford.edu.

Passwords to Expire Soon for Many Users

RU users are required to change their password every 365 days. Many RU users have passwords that expire in November and December. To change your password, login to the MyRU portal and click on the My Accounts tab. Then look under the Account Settings channel on the left side of the screen.

When changing your password, there are several things you should keep in mind.

• Good passwords contain a mix of numbers, special characters and upper- and lower-case letters that are easy to remember. For example: 1NewPa$$word4Me!
• RU users should change their passwords while on campus and connected to the RU network. They can then reboot their computers after the password change to properly synchronize the new passwords with their computers.
• Users should also remember to update their passwords on devices such as smartphones, iPhones, iPads and android phones.

For more password help, contact the Technology Assistance Center at (540) 831-7500.

Stay Current with Live CNBC and CNN Broadcasts on Your Computer

To accommodate recent requests from faculty who want to track current events and market trends for classroom discussion, DoIT is pleased to announce the availability of CNN and CNBC from any computer connected to the campus network through a wired connection. At this time, the broadcast is not available on the campus WiFi network.

To view these channels, connect to http://tvoip.radford.edu and click on the "Tune In" button. (If you receive a security warning, click "Run.") You can then click to select the channel and click "WATCH TV" to view the channel full screen. Laptop users may need to manually turn off their wireless connections to make sure their computers are using the wired connection.

If you have problems accessing this new service, please contact the Technology Assistance Center at (540) 831-7500.

Behind the Scenes: 'RU Leaves' Photo Gallery

Fall colors on campus are fleeting at best, lasting only a few short weeks. Director of Web Communications Jaime Hunt thought a photo shoot highlighting an RU made out of freshly fallen leaves would be a fun way to highlight fall on campus.

Multimedia Producer Jaslyn Gilbert went on a mission to make the photo shoot happen. Gilbert tracked down Landscape Superintendent Neal Thompson, who enthusiastically provided her with rakes and barrels. Because the groundskeepers are constantly busy making the campus look beautiful, it was up to Gilbert to find some willing students to do the raking.

Three students and the willing Web Communications staff quickly raked leaves and created piles in the shape of the letters "RU" outside Peters Hall on the Moffett quad side. To get the most effective angle on the RU shape, Gilbert contacted Kim Noonkester, a Facilities Management lift operator, to take her up in a cherry picker.

Pictures were snapped as students walked by on their way to and from class. Some even stopped to take their own pictures! After the official photos were completed, the students who volunteered to rake and some of their friends who were passing by took the opportunity to play in the leaves.

The gallery of images has become the most popular gallery on the RU Facebook page, sparking comments and messages from students, alumni, parents, grandparents and more, all of whom agree that autumn at RU is incomparable.

View the full gallery on the Radford University Facebook page.

Banner Document Management (Xtender) Tips

While working with imaging users over the past few months, Enterprise Systems has noted some items that may be useful for all BDMS/Xtender users.

• Internet Explorer is the preferred browser for use with BDMS. Currently IE8 is the latest version that is supported. To verify your IE version within IE, navigate to: Help (blue question mark) > About Internet Explore
• If you are using the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Internet Explorer on your computer, be sure to use the 32 bit version with BDMS. Usually the 64 bit version is called Internet Explorer (64) and the 32 bit version name does not have a number in parenthesis following Internet Explorer. BDMS will currently run only on the 32 bit version of the browser.
• As in many applications, BDMS requires pop-up blockers to be turned off. To check this, go to: Tools > Pop-up Blocker
• The way that you exit out of BDMS/Xtender can affect it. The preferred way to exit is to use the menu to exit. (File > Logout) If you exit by clicking on the "X" you could experience errors when you return to log in again.
• At this time, there are issues when using the newest version of Java (Java 7,) so please do not update your Java client to 7 until you hear from DoIT. Banner INB also requires Java 6 at this time.

Web Communications' Student Video Contest Concludes

Web Communications held a student multimedia contest this fall on the theme "Why do you love Radford University?" Students were asked to create videos less than 60 seconds in length explaining their reasons.

A panel of judges reviewed the entries and selected three finalists. All three finalists were posted on the RU Facebook page for voting. The creator of the winning video was Melissa Cupp, a senior majoring in media studies. She received a cash prize, and her video was featured on the RU homepage for a week. She will also be highlighted in a future edition of The Magazine of Radford University.

Watch the winning video on http://www.radford.edu/content/radfordcore/home/multimedia-contest/winner.html.

Meet the DoIT Staff

Mary Fowler-Hughes
Administrative Assistant and Customer Service Specialist

How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University?
I have been in the DoIT at RU for four months.

Family: I have been married 11 years to my husband, David, and we have two wonderful children. My son, Blake, is 9 years old, and my daughter, Jorja, will be turning 7 this month. We also have a cat named Oreo who adopted us several years ago.

Hometown: Riner.

Education: B.S. in fashion merchandising from Radford University.

Interests/Hobbies: Reading, shopping and helping my husband build our house.

Favorite Vacation Destination: Any beach area.
Favorite part of your job: My co-workers and learning new things.