Construction Related Telephone and Network Disruptions
Construction activity in and around Marston Hall is at a fevered pitch. Some of this work is taking place in the main telephone and network wire center in lower Marston (the PBX Room). The expansion of SPU's network infrastructure to accommodate the new Emerson Residence Hall and Science Building has produced many noticeable changes. Since the students left earlier this month, lower campus has been transformed into quite the maze or trucks, trenches and fencing!

The next three weeks is a critical phase of this project and will require some disruptions of campus telephone and network service.

• New network equipment is being installed on the campus backbone. As individual buildings are cutover to the new equipment short disruptions (15 to 30 minutes) will take place. This work will take place after 5:00pm during the coming week.
• The campus computer network runs on fiber optic cabling. All of the fiber optic cables that connect our campus buildings to Marston Hall must rearranged and spliced in the main Marston wire center. The work will disrupt network access to individual buildings for an extended period of time (4 to 6 hours per building). This work will be done during the week of July 9-13 in the late evening/early morning hours (between 8:00pm and 4:00am). We'll publish a schedule of the buildings that will be impacted as we get closer to that date.
• Telephone service cables that route through Marston Hall will also be rearranged and spliced in the main Marston wire center. This work will be done on Saturday, July 14th. Most campus buildings will only experience minor phone service disruptions (a few minutes), but a few buildings will be without phone service for a number of hours during the cutover. We'll also publish a complete schedule of the buildings that will be impacted by this project as we get closer to the date.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as these technology improvements are implemented.

MARS - Management of Accounts and Resources System
CIS is pleased to announce a huge step forward in the way computer accounts and resources are established and managed. Introducing MARS - the Management of Accounts and Resources System. MARS is now on-line and accessible on the web through the Banner Information System under the "Computer Resources Menu."

What is MARS? MARS is a central repository of information related to computer and network resources that were previously managed independently. It includes information pertaining to SPU email and Windows accounts, network shares, as well as Grace, James and Banner GUI access. Through MARS, all activities you need to manage your accounts, from password resets to email forwarding, is orchestrated through Banner. The web interface allows all of this to be done from an Internet browser.

Why is MARS such a big deal? A number of processes are automated and otherwise improved: 1) Incoming students automatically receive email accounts as soon as they've attended Premiere or otherwise registered for class, thereby giving an electronic, immediate and efficient means of communicating important advance information. SPU email is now required - and available - for all SPU students; 2) New employees (including adjunct faculty) automatically receive an email account - a process that was previously done manually; 3) Email forwarding - for those who prefer to have their SPU email directed to another Internet address - can now be done through MARS. Additional features to MARS will be available later in the summer and into the fall.

To implement MARS as an automated system, computer usernames are automatically created based on a combination of first and last names. Initial passwords for computer accounts are set by MARS and are communicated with the user via the MARS menu in the Banner Information System.

We are very excited about MARS and hope you are too! As more developments occur we will continue communication through this bulletin and through the SPU Computer Help pages. In the meantime, please take a moment to become familiar with the new "Computer Resources Menu" in your Banner account. From the SPU Main Web Page, follow the links to the Banner Information System, or click here (http://www.spu.edu/banweb/interim.asp).

Voice Mail System Upgrade
On Monday, June 11th we upgraded to the new campus voice mail system. Migration of personal and departmental mailboxes and menu trees is complete. As with any new system, there are changes in how the system operates and the commands used. A great way to help in learning the new commands to is download and print a copy of the Tri-Fold Quick Reference Guide. This two page guide gives you a quick overview the most frequently used commands and an easy cross-reference between the new system and the old system. Go to the SPU Computer Help pages and follow the tab to Phone/Cable, or clink here (http://www.spu.edu/help/phonecable/trifold.html).

Additional features that will be available later this summer and fall from the voice mail system include FAX services and integration of your voice mail with your Outlook email interface.

CIS Office Access and Noise
The CIS office area in lower Marston is at "ground zero" of the building renovation. Please pardon the noise, dust and debris surrounding our area. Our office is still open, but you may have to take a few detours to find us.

If you see CIS staff and student employees wandering around campus with earplugs and a dazed look on their faces - this might be the reason.