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Issue 7, March 16, 2001.

Reminder : Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2000
As the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2000 will commence on 1 April 2001, ITSC would like to restress the University's policy against using pirated software.

Unit heads, department chairpersons, and budget holders are responsible for the appropriate management of University assets, in this particular context, computer software. They should maintain a proper record of software licenses and proof of purchase of all the software they are using in their department, conduct periodic software auditing and help disseminate the University's policy to their staff.

All departmental computer/IT staff and network administrators should not use pirated software. They should also refuse and report requests from other staff for installation of illegal copies into departments' computers.

You, as a staff member, should not use computer software that you know or have reason to believe infringes on copyright works. You should also read carefully the terms of the licensing agreements to observe your rights and obligations.

The University has acquired university-wide licenses for commonly used computer software and ITSC has been coordinating various software license programs. Please check out the information at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/mcas/sitelicense or e-mail to itsc-help@cuhk.edu.hk.

For more information about the Ordinance, please refer to http://www.info.gov.hk/ipd/faq/ip_misc_faq.html (English version) or http://www.info.gov.hk/ipd/faq/ip_misc_faq_c.htm (Chinese version).

Anti-Virus Package Installed in Mailserv
As part of a continuing effort to fight against computer viruses spread through e-mail, ITSC has recently installed an anti-virus package, InterScan VirusWall from TrendMicro (the developer of OfficeScan and PC Cillin), in Mailserv. Now, any message containing a suspected virus will be rejected; that is, it will not be delivered to users' mailboxes in 'Mailserv'. When a message is rejected, both the sender and receiver will receive a message sent by the system administrator using the address "root@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk". This message specifies the name, or subject line, of the rejected attachment. In general, only the attachment will be rejected and the content will be sent to a receiver's mailbox as usual. The functions of message scanning and rejection are totally automatic, thus human scanning is not involved, i.e. users' e-mails will not be scanned or opened for inspection by a person.

Please note, however, this doesn't mean that Mailserv is free from viruses. We still encourage you to take the following measures to protect your computer.

  • Install a virus scanner for your computer - at work and at home. PC-cillin 2000 is a site-license program available free for CU staff and students
  • Set real time scanning on all file extensions.
  • Update new virus pattern files frequently and never open files without scanning them.
  • Do not install more than one virus scanner on your computer

    Visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/network/app/email/reject.html for the sample message and more information.

    Support PPP/PAP Login on Dialup Lines ONLY After March 26, 2001
    In order to achieve a better response time during the login process of a modem connection, ITSC has decided to remove support for the text-based login method on Dialup lines starting from March 26, 2001. This means that you can only use PPP/PAP to login.

    The current text-based login has been available since 1992, and it has provided a simple menu to assist users in connecting their computers to a remote system. However, many systems on desktop computers nowadays such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux have already switched to use PPP/PAP (Point-to-Point Protocol/Password Authentication Procotol) for making a dialup connection, so as to enhance user-friendliness. In our records, over 99% of current dialup connections use PPP/PAP, instead of the text-based login method.

    In addition, if a text-based login method is in use, the modem server has to wait for its response before checking via the PPP/PAP method. It is anticipated that, after the removal of this text-based login method, you will experience a better response time for logins using PPP/PAP.

    Should you have any enquiries, please enquire via http://helpdesk.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk or e-mail at datacom-help@cuhk.edu.hk.

    ResNet Service Available in Postgraduate Hall Number 4
    ResNet service is now available in the Postgraduate Hall Number 4 (was Residence Number 9). The connection from the hostel to the Campus Network Backbone is also a 1000Mbps optical fiber Gigabit link which provides high-performance communications for all ResNet users. Each user enjoys up to 100Mbps connection speed, with 10/100Mbps Ethernet (10/100BaseT) technology, for his/her access to the Campus Network and the Internet.

    To simplify the registration process, ResNet users in the Postgraduate Hall No. 4 can access the ResNet using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology. Pre-registration is not required. ResNet users only need to install a VPN program in their computers and access ResNet using their Campus-wide E-mail System (Mailserv) account. The VPN technology provides additional security and data encryption for the network connection. This connection method will be further extended to all the hostels this September.

    Details for setup procedures can be found at http://www.resnet.cuhk.edu.hk

    Workshop on Web-based Teaching and Learning Facilities
    Between November 2000 and February 2001, the Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC) has arranged various faculty visits to provide teachers and their supporting staff with first-hand and updated information on Web-based teaching and learning facilities (WBT) in the University. In the workshops, an introduction to WBT was followed by an experience-sharing session delivered by the faculty members. Participants were introduced to other available web-based teaching and learning services. They were also provided with information about the future road map of the platform and encouraged to raise questions in the question-and-answer session.

    We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our teaching staff who have generously shared their experiences with us in the workshops. They are

  • Mr. George Jor (English Language Teaching Unit) from Faculty of Arts,
  • Prof. Gordon Cheung (BBA Programmes) from Faculty of Business Administration,
  • Mr. Paul Sze (Curriculum and Instruction) from Faculty of Education,
  • Prof. Leung Man-sing (Physiology) from Faculty of Medicine,
  • Prof. Liu Chun-wah (Economics), Prof. Benjamin Ostrov (Government & Public Administration), Prof. Louis Leung (Journalism & Communication), Prof. Twila Tardif (Psychology) and Faculty Office from the Faculty of Social Science.
  • It was through their enthusiasm in WBT that participants understood how WBT assists teaching staff in instruction, rather than replaces instructional design. Though WBT may not save preparation time, its greatest benefits include its flexibility as an instructional medium and its ability to enhance communication beyond classrooms.

    The success of WBT depends on both the devotion of teaching staff and their students' active participation in learning. We will continue to promote innovative WBT tools to enhance teaching and learning. We hope all of you will provide support and valuable feedback. For more information on WBT, please visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/wbt

    ITSC Training Programmes for Staff Members
    In March and April, ITSC will continue to hold instructor-based and online courses for university staff members. The instructor-based seminars cover techniques on web page authoring and advanced features of Office 2000.

    Web page authoring seminars include:

  • Web Page Authoring Techniques Using HTML
  • Design Simple Web graphics by using Photoshop - introduction
  • Design Simple Web Graphics by using Photoshop - intermediate
  • Office applications include:

  • Office Skill Essentials - Access 2000
  • Word 2000 New Features Highlight
  • Word 2000 Introduction
  • Changjei Input Method
  • The web publishing series emphasizes the use of Photoshop to create simple web graphics. The intermediate course shows you how to create special image effects by using layers and filters, and also how to create transparent GIFs and animated GIFs. Moreover, the basic techniques of HTML authoring will be addressed. In the Office 2000 series, our trainer introduces the new look of Office 2000 and how it is different from its previous versions. This seminar can save you lots of time when adapting to the new version of Office so that you do not have to consult tonnes of manuals to understand features for tables, graphics, web pages and multilingual support. The Access seminar shows you how to plan and design databases, how to build forms, and how to produce reports to automate your daily work.

    In addition, the basic and advanced learning WebCT 2.1 courses are continuing on-line. You can learn how to use this tool at your own pace.

    In order to evaluate the usefulness of our training programmes, we would like to know your opinion of our courses. Please e-mail us at useredu-help@cuhk.edu.hk to let us know the courses that you would like ITSC to offer or the courses that you cannot register in due to full attendance. This information will help us to offer more courses to meet your needs.

    For registration and information, please visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/itsc/training

    Emendation: Grade Capture System
    The last issue of the ITSC Digest described the Grade Capture System. The system is owned by the Registration and Examination Section of the Registry. Its first implementation was in 1996 and it was fully extended to all teaching staff and the examination panel in the first term of 2000-2001.

     
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