PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT September 1993 - Volume 10:1

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Announcements


Antiviral software: Install and use it!

As the new academic year begins, we remind you of the importance of installing and using software that protects against computer viruses, which can damage software and data. Viruses spread when an infected floppy disk is used in a "clean" system. Any floppy disk except an unformatted one can potentially harbor a virus, so it's important that you check any disk that has been used in a system other than your own. That includes new commercial software, shareware, your friends' diskettes, and diskettes that you have used on machines other than your own.

Because virus software is updated several times a year to combat newly developed viruses, it's necessary to have the latest version installed on your system. To make this as easy as possible for you, the Computing Resource Center distributes the most recent versions of recommended antiviral software free of charge to members of the Penn community holding a valid PennCard or HUP ID. The software may be obtained at the CRC at 38th and Locust Walk, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM. For information call the CRC at 898-9085 or send e-mail to CRC@A1.RELAY.

DOS/Windows

The recommended antiviral package for DOS/Windows systems is Vi- Spy (the current version is 11). The main program detects and eliminates the most common DOS viruses. In addition, Vi-Spy has a memory-resident portion known as a TSR, which checks floppy disks for viruses when they are inserted.

To obtain Vi-Spy, bring one 3.5-inch high-density disk (1.4 Mbytes); one 5.25-inch high-density disk (1.2 Mbytes); or three 5.25- inch double-sided, double-density disks (360 Kbytes); to the CRC.

Macintosh

The recommended antiviral package for the Macintosh is Disinfectant (the current version is 3.2). The main program detects and removes all currently known Macintosh viruses from hard and floppy disks. Like Vi-Spy, Disinfectant also has a memory-resident portion, the Disinfectant INIT, which notifies you if a virus is present on a disk you insert or if a virus attempts to infect a disk.

To obtain Disinfectant, bring an unformatted disk (either one high-density disk or one double-sided, double-density disk) to the CRC.


New: campus-wide AppleTalk

One of the strengths of the Apple Macintosh line of desktop and laptop computers is built-in networking using Apple's proprietary AppleTalk protocol. For years, Macintosh users in local work groups have routinely shared laser printers and file servers, while DOS users have had to pay extra--in dollars and complexity--for similar local networking solutions (from Novell, for example). Although comparatively slow using Apple's own cabling (LocalTalk), AppleTalk performs quite well with Ethernet cards and cabling (EtherTalk).

Until this year, however, Mac users wishing to share files and printers outside their local work groups have had to invest in specialized routers to encapsulate the AppleTalk protocol within IP, the primary protocol supported on the PennNet backbone. Such encapsulation is costly, complex to administer, and comparatively slow.

At the urging of the AppleTalk Network Administrators group, Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS) has decided to enable direct routing of AppleTalk campus-wide. Routing AppleTalk will make it possible for Macintoshes connected to PennNet to "see" all other AppleTalk-connected devices, such as servers and printers, regardless of which campus IP subnetwork they are connected to. This capability will make it possible to:

  • Do AppleShare file sharing and printing campus-wide.
  • Be in the same AppleTalk zone but in a different subnet.
  • Share applications across subnets using key servers, wherein users have direct access to a crippled version of commercial software that can only be run when permission (a "key") is obtained over the network. If all keys are in use, users can request to receive the next one available.
The plan is to have AppleTalk routing implemented before September 1. Consult your local network administrator or PennInfo for updates and implications of this major change in campus networking for Macintoshes.


PennNet Passport: networking guide

Confused about networking? Don't know an annex: prompt from a DIAL: prompt? Or what telnet penninfo.upenn.edu means? How about ftp to ftp.upenn.edu? Ever wonder what the comic book characters Archie, Veronica, and Jughead have to do with the net? What's an Internet Gopher? What is Whois, and who is Kermit?

PennNet Passport, the new beginners' guide to networking at Penn, takes you on a whirlwind tour through this jargon jungle. The guide, published by the office that operates and maintains the campus network-- Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS)--explains a variety of networking topics:

  • How to access and navigate PennNet
  • How to use the network security system
  • How to dial in to PennNet via modem
  • What you should know about your rights and responsibilities
  • What e-mail, telnet, ftp, netnews, whois, archie, veronica, gopher, WAIS, and World-Wide Web are
  • What services are provided by DCCS

And more!

You can obtain a copy of the PennNet Passport from Wharton Reprographics (Room 400 SH-DH) or via ftp to ftp.upenn.edu, path pub/dccs. A plain text version will eventually be available in PennInfo (keyword "PennNet Passport").


ISC's five-year plan: feedback invited

ISC's draft five-year plan is circulating for feedback and comment. The plan focuses on integration, interconnection, and access - information technology in service of academic and administrative excellence and a University that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Major thrusts include a new generation of administrative systems that share data and work together. ResNet--wiring all on-campus residence halls for PennNet access, cable TV, and phone services--will help change the way students interact with faculty, with each other, and with Penn administrators. Support initiatives are aimed at leveraging resources campus-wide and developing systems and services that are easier to use in the first place.

Your feedback is invited. For a copy of the draft plan, contact Linda May, Director of Planning (may@a1.relay or 215/898-0005).


Resnet is here!

A new era in computing and residential living begins at Penn this fall, as 1,469 students move into "wired" rooms. Over the summer, construction and wiring crews worked swiftly on Phase I of ResNet. Five residence halls--High Rise North, Ware College House, Kings Court, English House, and Modern Languages/Class of 1925 House - were outfitted with PennNet Ethernet, cable TV, and private telephone service. These residences house both first year and upperclass students from all four undergraduate schools: Nursing, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Wharton.

Via PennNet Ethernet, students have high-speed access to PennLin, PennInfo, e-mail, NetNews, and other University resources, as well as the resources of the worldwide Internet. For those without Ethernet- capable computers, slower-speed modem access is also available. Private telephone service (an extra-cost option) and cable TV enhance the quality and the attractiveness of on-campus living. ResNet cable television offers not only conventional channels but also the suite of public affairs and international programming available on the Academic Video Network (AVN). Several cable channels set aside for Penn programming could increase the demand for video-based instructional tools. With this integrated set of electronic capabilities - voice, video, and data--ResNet is expected to change how students communicate, learn, and interact with University administration.

ResNet is a joint program administered by the departments of University Life, Information Systems and Computing, and Business Services. Scheduled for completion by 1996, it will provide 7,100 students in all 16 student residences with state-of-the-art multimedia information access. Currently, planning is underway for Phase II of ResNet; however, a schedule identifying the order in which remaining residences will be wired has yet to be announced.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about ResNet, call 898-4336 or send e-mail to resnet@pobox. Additional information and announcements about ResNet are posted in PennInfo; do a keyword search using "resnet." To access the latest campus discussion about ResNet, check the newsgroup upenn.resnet. More information about ResNet will be forthcoming in Penn Printout.