System Change - November 2003

Network Slowness Report - 11/19/2003
In recent days, numerous reports of network slowness from various residential buildings have been reported. After a thorough investigation, Telecommunications reports the slowness to be caused by excessive virus-related traffic on the UNH network.

Following an initiative to protect computers from virus and security threats in September of 2003, a significant number of vulnerable and exploited student computers remained active on the UNH network. Telecommunications staff, in conjunction with CIS, launched a proactive campaign to protect student computers through education, communication and distribution of patches and anti-virus software. Amidst these actions, infected computers remain on the UNH network.

Telecommunications staff employed the use of filters to prevent this virus-related traffic from slowing the UNH network. In addition to preventing malicious traffic, the filters also prevented legitimate traffic, forcing Telecommunications to lift these filters. At such time, exploited, unprotected machines began broadcasting malicious traffic, producing the current network slowness.

In order to maintain a healthy, high-speed network, users must take the necessary steps to ensure their computers are successfully protected. By maintaining up-to-date virus protection software, Windows Updates and critical system patches, incidents of infected machines will reduce allowing for exceptional network performance. Until such time all computers on the UNH network are virus-free and protected, network slowness remains a problematic side-effect. For more information on protecting your computer, please visit http://www.virus.unh.edu.

Banner Finance/HR forms environment information - 11/14/03
On Friday November 14, 2003 after 6:00 PM all Banner Finance/HR functional users will begin using a new forms environment ( Oracle 9iAS ). If you plan to be on the system after 6:00 PM today please see the note below for important information.
This upgrade to the Banner Finance/HR forms environment is required as a prerequisite for the next Banner release. Over the past couple of weeks a group of approximately forty functional users have been working daily in this new forms environment without encountering any significant issues. It is important to note that there are no changes in the functionality of any Banner Finance/HR forms. That said, listed below are several items you should be aware of beginning on Friday November 14, 2003 after 6:00 PM.

New Software
The first time you connect to the new forms environment you will be prompted to install new JInitiator software. Please click on the following link for additional information regarding the installation process and other related environment settings.
http://www.usnhgateway.org/Banner_FISHRS_Highlights.html
A couple of notes

• There should be no changes in Banner form functionality
• If you have already installed the required JInitiator you will not be prompted to reinstall the JInitiator on your first connection.

How to login on Monday November 17, 2004
We strongly encourage all Banner Finance/HR users to launch their Banner Session from the USNH Enterprise Systems gateway beginning Monday November 17, 2004.
http://www.usnhgateway.org
Selecting either the USNH Finance or USNH HR link on the left hand side of the page that is displayed and finally select the appropriate link.

• Banner Finance ( BPRD )
• Banner Human Resources ( BPRD )

There are important announcements that are regularly posted on the gateway page in an effort to ensure that Banner Finance/HR users are kept up to date regarding system availability
Should you have a bookmark already established to launch your Banner Finance/HR session; you will be required to update the bookmark on November 17, 2003.

Losing Banner Session when navigating to another web site
Several people working in the new forms environment have observed changes in the behavior of the parent browser window when navigating to another web site. When Banner launches there are two windows that are initiated, one is the Banner Session itself, the other is the parent browser window. In the new forms environment navigating to a new web site from the parent browser window will result in immediate loss of the associated Banner Session, this is a different behavior from the current Banner Finance/HR forms environment.

After 6:00 PM on Friday Only
If you plan to be logged into the Banner Finance/HR system after 6:00 PM today we are asking that you please log out of your Banner Finance/HR session sometime between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM and log back in using the following URL for Banner Finance and Human Resources Production System. You can either click on this URL or copy and paste it into the address area in your browser.
http://bannerfishrs.unh.edu/servlets/f60servlet?config=bprd
If you will be working in a Banner Finance and Human Resources Test System and are not already using the new forms environment please contact marc.behan@unh.edu for the appropriate URL for the test instance you are working in prior to 5:00 PM today.
This is required while we update configuration information in anticipation of the Monday November 17, 2003 cutover to our new forms environment.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.