Author Archives: Zachary Schuetz

Removal of home directories

Hello everyone,

As part of our ongoing migration from Middfiles to the cloud, we are removing empty home directories starting today. This is only for HOME folders that have no files in them at all, either because the owner has successfully migrated all of their data and deleted it from Middfiles as we requested, or because they weren’t using their home directories in the first place. This is to prevent “backsliding” if someone accidentally tries to put a file in their U: drive.

In addition, new home directories are no longer being created for new accounts. New faculty, staff, and students should use OneDrive or Google Drive for your storage needs.

OneDrive Sharing Settings Update

For security reasons, we’ve set the default when sharing files in OneDrive to only share with specific people. You will still be able to generate a link that will work for anyone in Middlebury College if you so choose, for example if you want to make a GO link for the whole community and/or link to a particular file from a departmental website.

We are also disallowing anonymous global sharing. If you share a document with someone outside the Middlebury organization, they will need to create a Microsoft account and login to see it.

Finally, users outside the organization can no longer automatically re-share items they don’t own; they will need to request access for anyone else from the original owner.

Thank you for your patience as we strive to provide the best experience and keep our systems functioning optimally.

Error with Webmail attachments

Hi everyone,

Several people have reported errors when trying to attach a file to an email. These issues are related to new options for attachments. Specifically, the ‘attach file’ dialog now includes OneDrive as the default data source – see below:

Webmail will use OneDrive as the default location for attachments.

Webmail will use OneDrive as the default location for attachments.

This is fine unless, like some folks, you haven’t yet logged into OneDrive. You’ll need to do so once at http://go.middlebury.edu/onedrive in order to finalize your account. Otherwise, you’ll get an error message when Webmail tries to access your OneDrive.

To attach files from your computer, select the “Computer” category on the left. But we do recommend you explore the options OneDrive opens up for collaboration. Rather than e-mailing separate drafts of a document to each other, possibly resulting in multiple versions and confusion, you can now share documents via a link in OneDrive so you’re all editing the same file.

Again, to clear the error, just login to OneDrive once – but we do want you do use it (or Google Drive) for your file storage going forward. For more information about the benefits of cloud storage and our current initiatives, go to http://go.middlebury.edu/cloud and select “Home Directories”. And as always, you can contact the Helpdesk with any questions.

Sincerely,

~Zach Schuetz

Public Folder access during e-mail transition

Dear Colleagues,

As you may have heard, Middlebury is in the process of moving our e-mail infrastructure to the cloud in stages – see http://go.middlebury.edu/cloud for details. While this has generally gone smoothly so far, there can be issues if people who have been migrated try to access other mailboxes that have not, or vice versa, especially on Macs. (Outlook for Windows generally works well, possibly after some adjustments as explained at http://go.middlebury.edu/mailmove.) In most cases we can move mailboxes together with the people who access them, but due to the nature of Public Folders they all need to be moved at once (currently scheduled for 8/30).

Bottom line: Mac users may find themselves unable to access Public Folders between the time that their own account is moved and August 30th. (Middfiles and other file servers will be unaffected; this is only for shared folders in Outlook e.g. department calendars.)

If this is an issue for your work, please comment here or e-mail zschuetz@middlebury.edu to discuss so we can find a solution.

We appreciate your patience as we strive to keep our systems functioning optimally.

Sincerely,

~Zach Schuetz
Middlebury College ITS

Wireless Login for Windows Computers

One feature that has been requested with increasing frequency of late is the ability to log in to Windows laptops over a wireless connection, i.e. without plugging into a network cable the first time. We have been piloting a way to do this with our Circulation loaners and a wireless lab in MBH for several months now with good results.

We will be bringing this feature to standard College-owned Windows 7 laptops starting this Monday, June 6th. [UPDATE: the upgrade was successful.] After the change takes effect, you may notice the words “Windows will try to connect to MiddleburyCollege” underneath the normal login fields. What this means is that Windows will first use the credentials supplied to connect to the wireless network, and if successful, will then authenticate over the network, allowing you to login with your current username and password, whether or not you have used that device previously.

If the wireless connection should fail for some reason, for example because you are too far away from an access point for a good signal, Windows will check for cached credentials from a previous login as normal.

Please e-mail zschuetz@middlebury.edu with any questions about this change.

Sincerely,

~Zach Schuetz
Information Technology Services

Wireless Updates in January

Hello everyone,

The conclusion to our wireless network upgrade project is in sight. At the end of December, our latest configuration of the MiddleburyCollege SSID was implemented across campus. This has already been in place at our 700 Exchange Street offices for some time and the result has been positive. The final step for us is to replace Midd-standard and MCPSK with the new MiddleburyGuest network across campus (including Breadloaf) on Monday, February 1st. Before then, we encourage you to work with the Helpdesk as necessary to get connected and use MiddleburyCollege from now on. (Note that if you’ve had trouble with MiddleburyCollege in the past, it’s worth trying again; we’ve significantly altered the backend infrastructure to improve connectivity. The recent change also gives us new visibility to help diagnose common connection issues.)

To help ease the transition, on Monday, January 25th we’ll be moving the Library over to the new set of SSIDs so you can see exactly what a “post-Midd-standard” world will look like. Come stop by and check it out. In fact, we recommend having your device “forget” Midd-standard altogether so you can make sure that MiddleburyCollege works in your dorm or office, too.

We’ve anticipated some questions about this project below, but feel free to ask more in the comments. For specific connection issues, please contact the Helpdesk.

When all is said and done, what will people in different situations need to do?
Short version: Middlebury College faculty, staff and students with laptops or mobile devices will use MiddleburyCollege. Most guests will see this page which will quickly get them set up to use MiddleburyGuest. Check out our new Getting Started page for exceptions and further details.

But what about my DS/Kindle/etc.? I was counting on Midd-standard or MCPSK.
Devices like Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo DS and certain models of Kindle and Nook, as well as certain shared-use business devices, need to be manually registered. (Chromecast, AppleTV and wireless printers are not supported on our network at this time.) The good news is that you can register your device right now and when the time comes, connect your device to MiddleburyGuest for Internet access. (Note that this network will not have access to Middlebury College network resources like Middfiles. If you suspect this will not meet your needs, please contact the Helpdesk as soon as possible so we can find a solution that works for everyone.)

Sincerely,

~Zach Schuetz
Wireless Project Manager

Wireless Testing at 700 Exchange Street

Hello everyone,

As part of an ongoing project to improve our wireless infrastructure at Middlebury, we’ll be testing a new configuration in a limited area (namely, 700 Exchange Street) before we go live across campus. Here’s the plan:

  1. On Friday, Nov 20th, we’ll push a new configuration profile to all College-owned computers that covers both our existing infrastructure and our new one. The only change will be at the login window – if, when logging in, your laptop detects the MiddleburyCollege wireless network, it will attempt to connect first and log you in over the network. We have tested this a few different ways and it should be only a minor change in your experience.
  2. During our regular Sunday morning maintenance period, we will move 700ES over to the new configuration and verify that computers and other wireless devices can connect smoothly both at 700ES and when visiting the main campus where the old configuration is in effect. If there are problems, we will roll back to the current configuration and provide an update in this space.
  3. On Monday the 23rd, the configuration from step 1 should be in place and should allow everyone at 700ES to connect to MiddleburyCollege on their College-issued machines with a minimum of fuss. During this transitional period, we expect that you will need to re-enter your email/username and password once, and possibly again when going from 700ES to the main campus or vice versa. (Personal devices such as phones may prompt you to inspect and accept a new certificate before signing in; this is normal.) If there are any issues, you can contact the Helpdesk as usual. Rick James and Billy Sneed have also volunteered to make themselves available Monday morning to ensure concerns are addressed in a timely fashion.
  4. Once the dust has settled, we will make a second change at 700ES to the wireless networks. This time we will remove MCPSK and Midd-standard, and add the new MiddleburyGuest network. We anticipate that this change will take place on Monday, Nov 30th. At that time we will begin a two-week period of testing by ITS staff and others to ensure that our documentation (currently at go/draftwireless) and infrastructure are both up to standards.
  5. Once any issues that surface during testing are addressed, we will make the same changes on campus, with the goal of having the new infrastructure in place the week before J-term classes start.

Although we have done our best to ensure a smooth transition, it is possible that there will be issues we did not anticipate, which is why we are testing with a small group before the main rollout. Your patience and cooperation during this period is much appreciated. Most importantly, please report any Wireless connectivity problems to the Helpdesk, whether they are a result of technical issues or unclear documentation.

If you have any questions about this project, please ask them here or e-mail zschuetz@middlebury.edu.

Peace and testing,

~Zach Schuetz
Wireless Project Manager

Issues with the Middlebury-Monterey network connection

Hi all,

The VPN connection between Middlebury and Monterey is seeing intermittent issues, dropping in and out. It’s being actively worked both here in Middlebury and in Monterey. This will impact all connections between the two campuses, including email and many Middlebury campus based services.

We will update this post when service has been restored.

UPDATE 4:00 PM:

The VPN has been stable since the last message. There is still a concern with the backup systems, but the active VPN is in good health.

There could be one more brief interruption (~2 minutes) before the end of the business day today. We’ll be working with the vendor over the next day or so to find root cause and bring us back to full redundancy.

~Zach Schuetz on behalf of ITS