December 2011
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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
Security Tip
It is important to learn about file-sharing risks. Sharing files with a stranger can infect your computer with viruses, worms and Trojan horses. To disable file-sharing, check your operating system and other program help files.
IT Tip
Empty the recycle bin. When you click "delete" on a file or a program, it doesn't go away for good. Instead, it sits in a kind of purgatory in your computer's recycle bin. Go ahead and empty the recycle bin. From then on, get into the habit of doing so about once a week.
IT Sustainability Tip
The best energy saver is to make sure your computer and peripherals like printers and scanners are turned off at the end of every day.
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Division of Information Technology
Radford University
DoIT Announces Winter Break Classroom Upgrades
The Division of Information Technology's (DoIT) Electronic Engineering Services will upgrade Walker 279 and two classrooms (608 and 610) at the Roanoke Higher Education Center over the winter break. The work is part of an ongoing effort to provide faculty and students with a technology-rich teaching and learning environment.
For training on these and other classrooms with advanced electronics systems, please call (540) 831- 7522 or come by Academic Technologies in 268 Walker Hall.
 Beginning this spring, you can carry the Radford University campus in your pocket with RU Mobile, an application for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices.
RU Mobile will feature a variety of useful tools for students, faculty and staff, including a campus directory, class schedules, RU Express balances and dining menus, and will provide a mobile way to interact with campus.
The offices of Web Services and Web Communications and a task force of students, faculty, staff and administrators have collaborated to produce the new RU Mobile app. Informal focus groups with students informed the team about the most desired features.
Featuring more than a dozen options, RU Mobile will be unveiled in two phases. The app will launch for iPhone, iPad and Android devices in January, with the Blackberry version to be released later in the spring semester. Watch upcoming editions of DoIT News for more announcements.
 Public Radio WVRU, 89.9 FM, returned this season as the flagship station for the Radford Sports Network (RSN) and is the home of RU men's basketball regular-season games.
WVRU broadcasts provide Internet streaming for all RU men's regular-season games. To follow RU at home and away, tune to WVRU at 89.9 FM or listen to the Internet stream at http://www.wvru.org/listen.html.
WVRU will also be the radio destination for all RU men's and women's basketball Big South Championship and NCAA Tournament action during March Madness.
The RSN includes commercial affiliate WBLB, 1340 AM, in Pulaski. WBLB's broadcasts are facilitated by a feed from WVRU's studio in Porterfield Hall through a state-of-the-art digital-quality audio feed. Jamie Forrest serves as studio host for each RU broadcast, and WVRU Operations Manager Jon Benfield engineers the RSN broadcasts that are distributed commercially, non-commercially and to the RU athletics website.
Next year WVRU plans to add additional stations to the growing RU sports network.
Wireless Access Upgrade Set for Jan. 9
The Cisco Network Access Control (Clean Access) system used to validate the security posture of computers connecting to the campus wireless network will be upgraded during the week of Jan. 9.
The upgrade will require all Windows users who access the RU wireless network to install an updated Network Access Control client on their computers.
On Jan. 3, DoIT will begin an automated remote installation of the new Clean Access Agent on faculty and staff laptops. This automated installation may not work for some computers that are off campus at the time of the remote installation. Users may install this client manually at any time by clicking on the link http://networks.asp.radford.edu/nac/nacagentsetup-win-4.9.0.33.msi while connected to the campus network. Users who have not upgraded this client by Jan. 9 will be prompted to install the new version the first time they connect to the RU wireless network.
Clean Access is used on campus to validate that computers connecting to the campus network have antivirus software and the latest Windows updates. This update will provide support for an enhanced number of antivirus software packages.
When antivirus vendors release new versions of their software, RU is unable to support this software until Cisco releases the latest version of Clean Access. Several antivirus vendors released new software at the beginning of the fall semester, and users with this software had to uninstall this version and install an older version to access the network.
Faculty members are encouraged to visit classrooms and computer labs in which they are scheduled to teach during the spring semester to test their computers and familiarize themselves with the rooms' technology configurations. For help or questions about this upgrade, contact the Technology Assistance Center at (540) 831-7500.
DoIT to Ensure Automatic Locking of Inactive Computers
Unattended computers and mobile devices create a security risk and are easy targets for prying eyes or someone with malicious intent.
To comply with state and RU security guidelines, DoIT will be updating the security configuration for all faculty and staff Windows computers in January. This update will automatically lock the computer after 30 minutes of inactivity. Users will be required to reenter their passwords to continue using their computers.
Although this setting will enforce locking the computer after 30 minutes of inactivity, all users are encouraged to lock their computers any time they will be away by pressing <Windows Logo><L> or <CTRL> <ALT> <DELETE> and selecting "Lock this computer." This setting will not be enforced on computer lab and multimedia classroom systems at this time.
In addition to Window systems, state and RU guidelines require users of any device that accesses RU systems including smartphones or iPads configured to access RU email be configured with an idle timeout and a security pin.
- Apple OSX users may configure this setting from the Security icon in the System Preferences and checking the option "Require password to wake up this computer from sleep or screen saver."
- iPhone/iPad users may configure the Auto-Lock and Passcode from the General settings screen.
- Android users may configure the Screen Lock settings via the Location and Security settings option.
Maple Update Planned for Jan. 4
The Maple mathematical software used in campus classrooms and computer labs will be upgraded from version 13 to version 15 on Jan. 4.
This upgrade will give faculty and students access to the latest version of this software for the spring semester. For questions about this upgrade, contact Academic Technologies at (540) 831-7521.
Meet the DoIT Staff
 Steven Taylor
Web Programmer
How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University?
I started in July of this year, so I'm still sort of a newbie.
Family:
I have been married for 13 years to my beautiful wife, Monique, and we have two children, Sonja and Audrey. The girls are both 8 (fraternal twins), and are both A students at Fishburn Park Elementary in Roanoke. Sonja and Audrey are the apples of their father's eye. I was born for this fatherhood thing. It's the best job in the world.
Hometown:
Growing up, I lived in Ohio, North Carolina, Kansas, New Jersey, then back to Ohio. When I graduated from college, I headed west to Los Angeles and stayed put for more than 20 years. Most of my friends live either in L.A. or in the Bay Area. Consequently, I consider L.A. to be the closest thing I have to a hometown if it's not Roanoke.
Education:
The University of Michigan, College of Aerospace Engineering, Class of 1985. Go, Blue!
Interests/Hobbies:
I'm a big reader. My favorite authors include Gustav Meyrink, Mishima, Umberto Eco and J. R. R. Tolkien. I also am an avid guitar player with a wide-ranging taste in music. I have quite a collection of instruments at home and a rather extensive MIDI studio. Furthermore, I still like the role-playing games that I picked up when I was in high school. In short, I have more hobbies than I really have time for.
Favorite Vacation Destination:
My favorite destination is the place I've never been before. If you're asking me which trip was the best I've ever taken, that's a tougher call. My wife and I honeymooned in New Zealand—that was fantastic. Prior to that, I spent a month in India, and that was kind of mind-blowing. I'd highly recommend both destinations.
Favorite part of your job:
That's easy! The people . . . the most important part of any job when you get right down to it. I've also found the academic setting to be a good fit for me too.
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