ASU Macintosh Users Group [ASUMAC] http://asumac.asu.edu/ 2008-04-13T21:05:05-07:00 ASUMAC April 2008 general meeting http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2008/04/asumac_april_20.html Dr. Adrian Sannier, University Technology Officer at ASU, will deliver a State-of-the-Mac at ASU address on Tuesday, April 22nd. The ASUMAC general meeting is open to the ASU community and will take place in the Computing Commons Auditorium (CC120) at 9:30 AM. The meeting will also be available online:

https://breezemeeting.asu.edu/asumac/

A PDF meeting flyer is available for download:

http://asumac.asu.edu/Documents/PDF/Apr2008flyer.pdf

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Announcements tsokol 2008-04-13T21:05:05-07:00
ASUMAC Jan. 30th General Meeting: Frank Callaham http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2007/01/asumac_jan_30th.html You are invited to attend the next ASUMAC general meeting taking place in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MU 202) on Tuesday, January 30th from 11am – 1pm. Our guest speaker will be Frank Callaham from Apple, Inc. The topic of discussion will be:

Enterprise Solutions from Apple Inc.: High Performance Storage Solutions

Demands for storage continue to increase exponentially. Acquiring, managing and backing up large amounts of storage can be challenging. Apple provides solutions ranging from direct attached storage, to SAN and clustered file system solutions (Xsan).

Please join us to discuss:

• Xserve RAID - Fast, inexpensive, platform independent storage
• Disk to disk to tape solutions to reduce backup windows
• Xserve & Mac OS X Server as a NAS solution
• Xserve and Xserve Raid in typical SAN solutions
• Xsan - an OS X clustered file system that also allows integration of: Windows, AIX, Linux (Suse/Red Hat), IRIX, and Solaris
• Preview of Leopard Server features

A light lunch will be served, courtesy of Apple, Inc.

More info can be found by clicking here to download the PDF announcement.

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Announcements tsokol 2007-01-23T15:19:49-07:00
Checkpoint VPN SecureClient for Mac may cause problems on Intel Mac http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/11/checkpoint_vpn_1.html It appears the latest Checkpoint VPN SecureClient for Mac OS X 10.4.7+ may cause problems by using a large amount of CPU time and a large chunk of memory.

After installing the latest Checkpoint VPN SecureClient for Mac, a process labeled "airport" may take up 90%+ of the CPU and a large amount of memory. When the Checkpoint client is uninstalled, the "airport" process returns to "normal". This issue may only occur on Intel based Macs and can be monitored by watching the airport process (a sub process of the launchd process) using the Activity Monitor located in the utilities folder.

A possible fix is to uninstall and then reinstall the Checkpoint VPN SecureClient for Mac. To uninstall the SecureClient, open the "Applications" folder and then open the "Check Point SecureClient" folder, then click "Uninstall SecureClient".

The problem has been reported on a few Mac help threads:

Apple discussion thread 693240

Apple discussion thread 3522640

macosxhints

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Useful Information tsokol 2006-11-18T20:37:36-07:00
ASUMAC Nov. 21 General Meeting: Andy Beier http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/11/asumac_nov_21_g.html The Tuesday, November 21st ASUMAC General Meeting will feature a presentation by Andy Beier. Andy's presentation is titled: Corda Technologies Data Visualization Tools for OS X. Andy will also be previewing the new ASUMAC knowledge base to be available soon on our ASUMAC web site. Please join us on Tuesday, November 21st at 10:30 AM in the Computing Commons Auditorium (CPCOM 120). You may even win an iTunes gift card!

More info can be found by clicking here to download the PDF announcement.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-11-18T11:04:37-07:00
Checkpoint VPN Client available for Mac OS X 10.4.7+ http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/11/checkpoint_vpn.html The Check Point VPN client for Mac OS X 10.4(7 or greater) is now available. It can be downloaded from the http://www.asu.edu/security web site by clicking on the Software and Tools link. Documentation can also be found on the UTO security web site or by clicking here to download the PDF.

Questions about the ASU UTO implementation of the Checkpoint Macintosh VPN client for Mac OS X 10.4.7+ can be directed to the IT Help Desk at (480) 965-6500.

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Using Macs @ ASU tsokol 2006-11-18T10:53:17-07:00
Apple Sponsored IT Seminar - Dec. 5th - Phoenix http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/10/apple_sponsored_1.html Apple has posted a seminar titled:

Data Retention and Recovery: What you need to know

The seminar is traveleing through cities throughout the US and will stop in Phoenix on Tuesday, Dec. 5th at the Phoenix Hilton Suites. The seminar is not a higher ed seminar, but may be of interest for departments looking for further information concerning data storage and retention.

Further info and a link to register for the event can found on Apple's site by clicking here.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-10-20T09:19:49-07:00
ASUMAC October 18th General Meeting, Coor Hall http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/10/asumac_october_1.html The October ASUMAC General Meeting has been moved to a new date and place this month. The October general meeting will take place at 10:30 AM, Wed. Oct. 18th in Coor Hall, room L1-84. The meeting will feature the following presentations:

- Apple Education Division Systems Engineer Al Teran will present an overview of running Windows on an Intel Mac using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop for Mac.

- Apple Higher Education Account Executive Jeff Wolf will introduce himself and our student Apple campus reps.

- Robin Manke-Cassidy from UTO will stop by to give a brief update on the status of the Checkpoint VPN SecureClient for Mac OS X 10.4.

Please join us on Wednesday, October 18th at 10:30 AM in Coor Hall room L1-84.

More information can found by clicking here to download the ASUMAC October Meeting flyer PDF.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-10-13T09:49:07-07:00
ASUMAC September 19th Meeting: Adobe and Al http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/09/asumac_septembe.html The Tuesday, September 19th ASUMAC General Meeting will feature two presentations. Our first presentation will be from Adobe Systems, Inc., followed by a recap of WWDC 2006 by Apple Education Division Systems Engineer Al Teran. Please join us on Tuesday, September 19th at 10:00 AM in the Computing Commons Auditorium (CPCOM 120).

More info can be found by clicking here to download the PDF announcement.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-09-11T15:15:20-07:00
August 15th meeting canceled http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/08/august_15th_mee.html The scheduled August 15th ASUMAC general meeting in CPCOM 120 has been canceled. The next scheduled ASUMAC meeting is Tuesday, September 19th in CPCOM 120.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-08-14T10:59:13-07:00
WWDC 2006 review http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/08/wwdc_2006_revie.html The Worldwide Developer's Conference 2006 (WWDC 2006) is over and the news from the week long conference has been posted on most of our favorite Mac web sites. In order to not repeat most of the same information, and to avoid posting material Apple may not want posted, here are a few of the many links posting great info concerning WWDC 2006:

WWDC 2006 keynote:
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/aug_2006/event/index.html

Leopard preview:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/

Macworld:
Apple Product Unveilings
WWDC Macworld Live Chat Transcript

Macworld Podcasts:
http://podcasts.macworld.com/2006/08/downloads/mwpodcast48.m4a
http://podcasts.macworld.com/2006/08/downloads/mwpodcast49.m4a

Think Secret:
http://www.thinksecret.com/

Mac Rumors:
http://www.macrumors.com/

MacInTouch:
http://www.macintouch.com/specialreports/wwdc2006/index.html

MacDailyNews:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php

CNET News:
http://search.news.com/search?q=WWDC+2006&tag=srch

There are many other sites posting information about WWDC 2006 that can be reached with a quick Google search.

A few notes of my own:

The keynote seemed to move along without much fanfare and without the famous "Oh, and one more thing..." at the end. I was hoping for a few more announcements, new MacBook Pro enclosure, new iPod video, etc. I was told this is becoming less of a consumer product announcement venue and to look for new product and updates to be announced in the months to follow WWDC. I was hoping to see firm release dates from Microsoft concerning the next release of Office for Mac and Adobe concerning the next Adobe Creative Suite and Macromedia products, but no date, just wait and see.

It was nice to see the unveiling of the Mac Pro and Xserve. The Intel transition was not much of a topic during the conference, which was a good thing. The transition, for most of the attendees, appears to be running along smoothly, with only a few glitches or problem programs along the way.

Leopard's new features, such as Time Machine, which is rumored to change and evolve before the final release, and Spaces are two very welcomed additions. Sessions concerning Time Machine were packed and numerous features were requested for the final release, including secure deletes to ensure items are removed from the system. Other cool updates, such as iChat's ability to show Keynote presentations and Safari's Web Clip feature, were welcomed additions. There were numerous sessions throughout the week so I am still trying to digest all the new information.

A special thank you to Apple Systems Engineers Al Teran and Steve Nelson for making the week informative and fun. They were a great resource to bounce back ideas and to explain the new features. The ASUMAC group will look forward to Al giving a recap of the WWDC 2006 events at a future ASUMAC general meeting (hopefully in September).

TJ Sokol


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Announcements tsokol 2006-08-14T09:54:44-07:00
July ASUMAC meeting cancelled http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/07/july_asumac_mee.html Please note the ASUMAC general meeting scheduled for July 18th has been cancelled.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-07-12T08:57:14-07:00
ASU Campus AppleTalk shutdown reminder http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/07/asu_campus_appl.html Just a reminder that AppleTalk routing has been shutdown on the ASU Campus:

From Robin Manke-Cassidy in Central IT:

------------
Subject: Campus AppleTalk Routing Shutdown 7-12-2006


"This is a reminder that on Wednesday morning 7/12/2006., Data Communications Operations will be permanently shutting down AppleTalk routing on the ASU network. AppleTalk routing will no longer be supported on any ASU campus after that date.

Thank You."
------------

A workaround procedure from Denise Hutchinson:

------------

Here is a quick outline on how to access servers without browsing AppleTalk zones:


From a Mac running Mac OS X:
1) Bring the Finder to the front by clicking on your desktop
2) Select the Go menu
3) Select "Connect to Server"
4) In the Server Address field, enter either the dns name or IP number of the needed server. 
         For easier use in the future, you can add servers to the "Favorite Servers" list by clicking on 
         the "Plus Sign" button to the right of the Server Address field.  Then select servers from your 
         Favorites list rather than retyping in it's name each time.
5) Log in per usual


From a Mac running Mac OS 8 or 9
1) Go to the Apple menu, select Chooser
2) In the Chooser window, select the AppleShare Icon
3) Click on the "Server IP Address" button in the lower right hand corner
4) In the following window, enter either the dns name or IP number of the needed server
5) Log in per usual


If you have any questions or problems, please let me know. 

--Denise

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Announcements tsokol 2006-07-12T08:50:18-07:00
ASU Computer Store Inventory Closure Dates http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/06/asu_computer_st_1.html A note from the ASU Computer Store:

The ASU Computer Store will be closed Friday, June 30th and Monday,
July 3rd for 2006 fiscal year end inventory.

We will resume regular summer hours (8am - 5pm, Monday - Friday) on
Wednesday, July 5th.

We will continue to fill orders for in stock items through the end of
business Thursday, June 29th.

Kevin Snow
ASU Computer Store
Arizona State University
480.965.0234 voice
480.965.1168 fax

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Announcements tsokol 2006-06-22T07:33:47-07:00
ASUMAC June 20th Meeting: Announcing iTunes U at ASU http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/06/asumac_june_20t_1.html The June 20th ASUMAC General Meeting will feature Sam DiGangi, Associate Vice Provost of the University Technology Office. Sam will discuss iTunes University. To learn more about this exciting new partnership between ASU and Apple Computer to enhance online teaching and learning, please join us on Tuesday, June 20th at 10:00 AM in the Computing Commons Auditorium (CPCOM 120).

More info can be found by clicking here to download the PDF announcement.

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Announcements tsokol 2006-06-19T23:40:09-07:00
ASU AppleTalk Decommission Update http://asumac.asu.edu/archives/2006/06/appletalk_decom.html The following information was provided by Denise Hutchinson:

In case there are folks that haven't heard the news from their UNCEL representative, the University Technology Office (UTO) is planning on decommissioning the routing of the AppleTalk protocol at ASU on July 1st, 2006. The plans, support and impacts of this project were presented at the last UNCEL meeting held on May 17th.  For your reference, the text of this document is included at the bottom of this note.

What does this mean to Macintosh users at ASU?  This doesn't mean that Macintoshes won't work at ASU.  Newer Macintoshes and newer Macintosh services no longer use the AppleTalk protocol for file services or printing; they use TCP/IP and have for many years. Macintoshes running anything newer than Mac OS 8.1 will function as they always have.  Macintosh services running on servers such as W2K or greater, Mac OS X, AppleShare IP and Novell 6 or greater will continue to function without issue.  

What does it break?  Macintosh clients using Mac OS 7.5 or earlier will lose their ability to communicate beyond the building they are housed in as they can only use the AppleTalk protocol.  Macintosh services provided by NT or AppleShare 4 or older won't publish beyond their own building but will continue to function internally to the building. Old printers solely using AppleTalk, won't be accessible to others outside of the building, but again, will continue to function for the Macintoshes internal to each building. 

To generalize, after AppleTalk routing is disabled, older services based on AppleTalk for client, server or printer usage, are still in business but only internally to the building they are housed in.  Newer services such as Mac OS X or W2K will not be impacted and will continue to have the same cross building access.

If you have specific devices or services that you are unsure of it's AppleTalk requirements,  please contact your department tech support and/or UTO representative to help you determine and/or resolve any issues that may arise with this change.


Below is the information shared with UNCEL by UTO's Data Comm division.
----------------------------------------------

End of Support for Appletalk on the ASU Network
 
The University Technology Office plans to discontinue support for the Appletalk routing protocol on ASU network routers as of July 1, 2006
 

Rationale: It is costing ASU several thousand dollars per year for special network routing software and flash memory on ASU’s core network routers to support Appletalk on the ASU network.  Alternatives have been available for several years which allow Apple networks to function using the IP protocol.  UTO will assist any remaining Appletalk users in the ASU community with preparing for the elimination of Appletalk Support. 

 

Issues:

-     The router operating system software (IOS) necessary to support Appletalk costs $10,000 per router.  The IOS necessary to support IP only comes standard on the router (zero cost). 

-     There are no dynamic tools available to monitor and decode Appletalk packets in order to identify AppleTalk security violations. 

-     The size of the current Cisco IOS which includes support for AppleTalk has outgrown the hardware flash currently available on ASU network routers. Eliminating Appletalk support will preclude the need for the purchase of several hundred dollars worth of flash cards to accommodate the size of the IOS. 

-     Booting from flash cards increases the exposure of failure during router reloads.

-     Proficiency and documentation necessary to troubleshoot and route this legacy protocol are scarce.  Appletalk routing courses are no longer available.

 

Considerations: 

-     AppleShare servers older than version 5.x require AppleTalk to publish services.  Therefore, any AppleShare servers older than version 5.x will require upgrade

-     NT servers providing Macintosh Services require AppleTalk to publish Macintosh accessible shares.  Therefore, an alternative to this method of publishing Macintosh accessible shares must be determined

-     Novell servers older than version 5.x (maybe 4.x) providing Macintosh Services require AppleTalk to publish Macintosh accessible shares.  Therefore, any Novell servers older than version 5.x must be upgraded

-     Macintosh clients back as far as Mac OS 7.6 (with a retrofitted AppleShare client 3.8.3) will be able to function in an IP only world

-     Macintosh clients back as far as Mac OS 8.1 will function in an IP only world out of the box

-     The Macintosh to AFS file translators provided by UTO currently require AppleTalk.  Therefore, if these translators are to be kept beyond AppleTalk decommissioning, they will have to be upgraded to remain functional.

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Using Macs @ ASU tsokol 2006-06-08T21:02:58-07:00