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June 2004 Update

In This Update


Web Site for Technology Advisory Committees (TACs) Is Up

A new Web site for the Technology Advisory Committees is now available and links from the Office of the President's page under Committees and Task Forces. The direct Web address for the TAC Web site is http://www.washington.edu/president/tacs/, and it provides links to:

  • Information about each committee (University Technology Advisory Committee, Academic Technology Advisory Committee, and Information Technology Advisory Committee)
  • Committee membership
  • Meeting agendas, minutes, documents, and presentations

We welcome your feedback on how to make this site more useful. Email TAC staff at tac-staff@cac.washington.edu


Technology Advisory Committees Update

A look at the issues being addressed by each Technology Advisory Committee:

  • University Technology Advisory Committee (U-TAC) is considering:
    • What steps the UW might take centrally to support the technology infrastructure and environment necessary to advance research
    • Current status and future of the UW's data center that houses the university's main computer systems
  • Academic Technology Advisory Committee (A-TAC) is considering:
    • Long-term strategic and funding plans for classroom technology, learning technologies, and adaptive technologies
    • Institutional wireless proposal and draft guidelines for classroom wireless use
    • Site licensing
  • Information Technology Advisory Committee (I-TAC) endorsed an approval and priority setting process for administrative systems projects to ensure that major projects are prioritized by I-TAC in the context of institutional strategic goals

Blocking of Some Email Attachment Types in Effect

Due to security risks from viruses, several email attachment file types, including .zip, .vbs, and .exe, are now being removed from messages before they are delivered through UW Email. The viruses that spread through these file types are being introduced so rapidly that it is no longer possible to reliably protect UW systems without taking this step.

For a list of all attachment types blocked, see http://www.washington.edu/computing/email/manage/blocking.html


Oracle Calendar Available Through Pilot Project

C&C has launched a pilot project to offer Oracle Calendar on a for-fee service basis to departments that are not part of Nebula (C&C's managed desktop service). Oracle Calendar provides group calendaring, including the ability to schedule meetings with 2,000 Nebula users who use this system.

For more information on Oracle Calendar, see http://www.washington.edu/computing/calendar/
For information on Nebula, see http://www.washington.edu/nebula/


High Scoring Spam Automatically Discarded

Email messages are now automatically discarded when the UW's spam filtering system finds they have a greater than 99 percent probability of being spam. All email handled by the UW's central email system is assigned a spam probability, with 100 percent being the highest.

This action was taken in May after it was discovered that Hotmail and MSN had stopped accepting email from the UW because the amount of spam exceeded a certain threshold. As a result, large amounts of UW Email set to forward to Hotmail and MSN addresses were delayed or not delivered. Since the change went into effect, we've seen a large reduction in the volume of spam, and the Hotmail/MSN block has been removed.

The change applies to all email addressed to @washington.edu, @u.washington.edu, @cac.washington.edu, @alumni.washington.edu, and @myuw.net. In the first five days, more than a million inbound messages were automatically discarded, with a noticeable decrease in the number of spam messages being delivered to UW Inboxes. This action should also reduce the amount of spam mail that gets stored on UW Email servers, improving service for everyone.


Disc That Helps Rebuild Computers Available Online

Due to the number of computers being infected by viruses and worms, C&C now provides online access to an "update disc" that may help to prevent Windows 2000 or XP systems from being compromised, or to rebuild them after a compromise.

The disc provides recent updates (including service packs) for Windows 2000 Professional, XP Professional, and XP Home Edition, and also contains McAfee VirusScan software. The disc may be used on any computer owned by the UW or by any current UW student, faculty, or staff.

This update disc is intended as an aid when rebuilding a system after reformatting the hard disk and re-installing MS Windows 2000 or XP. It should be used to update the system before reconnecting it to the network to help prevent the system from getting immediately re-infected or otherwise compromised. It can also be used with new computers that do not have the most recent updates.

For more information, see http://www.washington.edu/computing/software/sitelicenses/winupdates/ or contact C&C Software Licensing, software@cac.washington.edu, 543-3650.


Free Service Helps Students Keep Computers Secure

A free "computer vet" service is again being offered to UW students to help them apply the latest security updates to their Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP computers. The service is available at

  • OUGL Computing Commons
  • Mary Gates Hall Computing Resource Center (after June 11). Before June 11, Mary Gates Hall Room 120 (C&C Information), noon to 4:00 p.m.

For hours of the labs, see http://depts.washington.edu/sacg/facilities/labs/hours.shtml


First BizTech Was a Big Success

More than 1350 staff and faculty representing 250 UW departments attended the first "BizTech Showcase 2004: Taking Care of Business." The March 26th event featured demonstrations and presentations on UW work-related technologies. More than 90 percent of those attending rated the overall experience as good or excellent, according to participant evaluations of the event. BizTech 2005 planning starts this fall.

For more information and to view a slideshow of BizTech 2004, go to http://www.washington.edu/admin/biztech/


C&C Web Site Updated With New Contact Information

C&C's updated Web site includes contact information for C&C senior management as well as a link to general C&C contact points and services. In addition, you can find this "Update" and past ones archived there under "Technology Directions."

For more information, see http://www.washington.edu/uwtech/contacts.html