Category: All News Articles

The College of Engineering information technology (IT) environment is continually evolving, and developments occur regularly. In order to keep the College community informed about what is going on with IT around campus, CAEN posts regular updates on this site.

Changes to the EECS 4440 & Duderstadt Center computer labs

Posted on by CAEN

There have been some changes to two popular CAEN student computer labs this year.

The newly renovated EECS 4440 computer lab is now a multi-use facility. It is a 36-seat flexible active learning classroom, that features five multi-seat collaborative stations with CAEN computers. The collaborative stations are available for drop-in use by students when the facility is not being used for course instruction.

The Duderstadt Center 3rd floor (Southwest area) is undergoing a large renovation, which is expected to be completed by October 5. This space will have new furniture, featuring sit/stand benching, as well as collaborative tables. It will also include 50 new CAEN lab computers, and areas for charging personal laptops and devices.

 

Duo Two-Factor Authentication required for all CAEN remote access starting Wednesday, October 3

Posted on by CAEN

Two-Factor Authentication Icon

Beginning Wednesday October 3, 2018, access to all CAEN remote access services, both Windows Remote Desktop and Linux Login/VNC, will require Duo Two-Factor Authentication at U-M (previously only off-campus access required it). In order to use Duo two-factor authentication, you will need to enroll a device as described in the CAEN Knowledge Base. In addition, you may also need to update your remote access client software. Links to download and use the latest versions are provided below:

If you want to use the remote linux computers for file copying or synchronization (SFTP/SCP) without the Duo prompting, please follow the instructions in this related CAEN knowledge base article.

CAEN is requiring the use of Duo on all remote access services in order to help protect the account data of Michigan Engineering students, faculty, and staff, as well as better secure the College’s IT infrastructure.

Two-factor Authentication (2FA) is a security tool being used to mitigate the threat of online attacks. It provides an added layer of protection by requiring an additional security check, in addition to your password, when logging into your computing account. For example, it is especially useful in preventing malicious intruders from accessing University resources using stolen or hacked passwords, such as those obtained via phishing attacks or malware.

The University of Michigan has adopted Duo as its two-factor authentication solution. Any U-M student, faculty, or staff member can enroll a device in Duo at no cost. In addition to using it for securing login to CAEN remote access services, it can optionally be used to protect access to other University systems that use the U-M Weblogin page. Doing this helps protect web-based access to your online University data, including:

  • Personal information in Wolverine Access, such as enrollment and payroll
  • U-M Google services, such as Email and Drive storage
  • U-M Box storage
  • Canvas course data

Contact the ITS Service Center at 734-764-HELP [4357] or 4HELP@umich.edu for assistance with Duo. If you have any other questions or concerns about this change, please send email to caen@umich.edu.

 

Student CoE Supplemental Printing Allocation set at $16 for Fall 2018

Posted on by CAEN

ITS Printer

Eligible student CAEN Account holders will receive a $16 College of Engineering (CoE) supplemental printing allocation per term for the upcoming academic year. This is a $14 reduction from last year, and is part of a four-year effort to end the CoE supplemental printing allocation by Fall 2020. Note that the standard student ITS printing allocation will remain unchanged at $24 per term.

This change is being made to address historical trends, recognizing that students are printing less each year, along with being mindful to global environmental sustainability. Statistics show that over 50% of Engineering students do not exceed the standard ITS printing allocation. Funds realized from this change will be reinvested into future improvements for CoE classrooms and CAEN computer labs.

 

The CAEN Hotline is now the “CAEN Help Desk” with a new walk-up location

Posted on by CAEN

Starting September 4, 2018, The CAEN Hotline will be renamed as the CAEN Help Desk, and will be located on the second floor of the Duderstadt Center on the left side of the U-M Library Reserves Desk. In addition, the new CAEN Help Desk will have these updated hours of operation:

Walk-up hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m – 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Phone & Live-Chat hours: Monday – Friday, 8:20 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

CAEN Help Desk consultants can also be contacted via email at caen@umich.edu.

Visit the main CAEN Help Desk web page for further information.

 

Reminder: CTools Project Sites to become read-only on August 31, 2018

Posted on by CAEN

As was reported in May, ITS is preparing to retire CTools Project Sites. As part of this transition, ITS announced that all remaining CTools Project Sites would become read-only on August 31, 2018, and remain available at least until July 1, 2019. This means that while site owners would be able to view and download the data stored on these sites after August 31, no edits or changes would be allowed. Project site owners can use a migration tool in CTools to review and delete sites, or download content to move to another service (e.g. cloud storage services such as U-M Google Drive or U-M Box):

CTools Project Site Migration Page

Exemptions from read-only status will be granted for sites that contain export-controlled data. Site owners who need an exemption should contact the ITS project team with the name of the site, reason for exemption, and how long the site needs to remain active.

Due to the sensitive nature of export-controlled research, there are a limited number of compliant solutions that can store the associated data properly. A current listing of services where this data can be stored is available on the U-M Sensitive Data Guide. Engineering faculty site owners who would like assistance with choosing an alternative service to store their export-controlled data can contact CAEN to discuss the available options.

 

ITS hosting collaboration training sessions for U-M faculty & staff

Posted on by CAEN

The ITS Collaboration Team is offering a series of instructor-led training sessions to U-M faculty and staff this summer. They are offered at no-charge and open for registration via My LINC.

 

Chesebrough Auditorium screen sizes and configurations explained

Posted on by CAEN

Last year Chesebrough Auditorium gained some new flexibility in the way the projectors work, allowing several different projected image sizes and locations. Some of the available options are listed below, including information on how to select them using the room’s touch panel (located on the lectern).

Want to show two sources?

Chesebrough Auditorium is capable of displaying two different sources on the projection screens at the same time. For example, you might have your laptop with PowerPoint presentation on one display, and your written notes on the document camera shown on the other. To do this, select the two sources you wish to use on the touch panel, one from the Main Screen column, and the other from Screen 2:

This will bring down the large screen, and the two sources will appear side by side as seen below:

Showing only one source?

If you only need to show one source, you can choose between two sizes/locations: large and centered, or medium-sized and offset to one side.

Large and centered

If you are not using the whiteboard, this will give the largest and most readable display for all students. The trick is to make sure the Main Screen (small) is turned Off, and select your desired source from the Screen 2 (large) column:

The large screen should come down, and your image will take up the space as shown below:

Medium-sized and offset to one side

If you are using the whiteboard, or prefer the projected image to be smaller, you can instead make sure Screen 2 (large) is turned Off, and select your source from the Main Screen (small) column:

The smaller screen will come down, and your image will appear as below:

If you have any questions about the A/V system in Chesebrough Auditorium or any of the other college classrooms, contact CAEN anytime at caen@umich.edu.

 

Mimics Software Workshop at U-M, sponsored by CAEN

Posted on by CAEN

On Thursday, June 28, Materialise will be providing a Mimics software workshop on the University of Michigan campus, sponsored by CAEN. During this hands-on training course, Materialise experts will take you through all of the capabilities of the Mimics Innovation Suite step-by-step. You will learn more about how Mimics can be used for Engineering on Anatomy. Registration is required to attend.

Topics will include:

  • How to import CT and MRI data
  • Design and engineering on 3D STL files
  • CAD models
  • How to refine FE meshes, design custom devices, and more.

This training course is ideal for both beginner users looking to get an introduction to the robust toolbox of the Mimics Innovation Suite, and experienced users looking to optimize their current workflow. For more information and a link to register, refer to the Materialise Hands-On Training Courses website.

 

Cryptocurrency mining should not be performed using U-M resources

Posted on by CAEN

The U-M Safe Computing group recently sent a notice to the University community that U-M resources should not be used for cryptocurrency mining. Outside of faculty-approved research and coursework, it is an inappropriate use of information technology resources, a violation of U-M policy, and potentially illegal. CAEN would like to remind the College of Engineering community that this includes running cryptomining processes on computers in CAEN Labs, and remote services like Windows Remote Desktop and the Linux Login Servers. For more information, refer to the U-M Safe Computing article, NOTICE: Do not use U-M resources for cryptocurrency mining, or contact CAEN with any questions.

 

CTools Project Sites to become read-only on August 31, 2018

Posted on by CAEN

Over the last few years, ITS has been working to transition sites off of CTools. The transition of CTools Course Sites to Canvas was completed over Summer 2016. Since then, ITS has been working on the transition of CTools Project Sites. Background about this transition was announced in the University Record, and is available on the main ITS CTools Project Sites Transition website.

As part of this transition, ITS recently announced that all remaining CTools Project Sites would become read-only on August 31, 2018, and remain available at least until July 1, 2019. This means that while site owners would be able to view and download the data stored on these sites after August 31, no edits or changes would be allowed. Project site owners can use a migration tool in CTools to review and delete sites, or download content to move to another service (e.g. cloud storage services such as U-M Google Drive or U-M Box):

CTools Project Site Migration Page

Exemptions from read-only status will be granted for sites that contain export-controlled data. Site owners who need an exemption should contact the ITS project team with the name of the site, reason for exemption, and how long the site needs to remain active.

Due to the sensitive nature of export-controlled research, there are a limited number of compliant solutions that can store the associated data properly. A current listing of services where this data can be stored is available on the U-M Sensitive Data Guide. Engineering faculty site owners who would like assistance with choosing an alternative service to store their export-controlled data can contact CAEN to discuss the available options.