For more information on Advanced Technologies , contact:
Eric Lorenz
Director, Infrastructure and Security
phone (989) 774-3612
 

INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT
The Advanced Technologies Systems Support Team actively tests and evaluates new server-based technologies as they become publicly available. Additionally, the team maintains the following centralized services for the university community:

Messaging Services
Campus E-mail services are provided via Microsoft Exchange for faculty/staff and Mirapoint Messaging Server for student Web mail. Mailing lists and distribution jobs can be handled by Lsoft's LISTSERV software.

Backup Services

Altiris
Daily backups of workstations are accomplished by Client Recovery Agent from Altiris. This product allows for backup and recovery of individual files and folders as well as “bare metal” recovery in the event of hardware failure. The software is hosted on current hardware attached to an Apple XSan providing 7 TB to this service offering. Due to the impact of multi-gigabyte client drives on the centralized storage infrastructure, a number of file types are omitted from the backup service:

Tivoli Storage Manager
Daily backups of servers are accomplished by Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). TSM provides backup and recovery services for most server operating systems and their associated data files and databases. Data are backed up to an IBM robotic tape library as well as duplicated for off-site storage. This service is available, for a fee, to servers co-located in the data center.

Software Distribution and Maintenance (SMS)
Software is distributed and maintained from a common set of files using a product from Microsoft called Systems Management Server (SMS). SMS allows CMU to distribute software nearly simultaneously to all workstations, as well as providing scheduled updates, such as anti-virus signature files.

Anti-Virus Efforts
CMU uses McAfee Antivirus for its primary client workstation virus protection. Updated virus signature files are distributed via SMS as they are released, usually weekly. The updates are also available via the IT Help Desk Software Download Center page. Files on this page are generally updated on Thursday.

Additionally, all incoming and outgoing email is scanned for viruses and spam via Can-IT Pro. Viral attachments are automatically cleaned, if possible, otherwise they are deleted. Spam is returned to the sender with a disposition message containing an incident number, if deliverable. This incident number can be utilized to trace delivery issues through the IT Help Desk if the sender believes the blocking was done in error.

Server Co-location
University departments can choose to co-locate their servers in the IT data center to take advantage of conditioned power with generator backup, increased physical security, traffic monitoring and other, for-fee services.

Isolated Test Network
The Systems Support Team, in conjunction with the Networking Team, maintains an isolated test network that incorporates most of the technologies deployed within the production server environment. The network is currently being used exclusively by those departments planning a migration to an Organizational Unit (OU) within CMU's Active Directory landscape.

Storage Area Network (SAN)
Advanced Technologies maintains the university’s IBM Enterprise Storage Server (ESS). Outfitted with over 16 TB of fault-tolerant storage, the ESS is connected to mission-critical servers via a private gigabit Ethernet network.


LISTSERV LIST ADMINISTRATION
See LISTSERV Lists for more information.