ITD News 
News, Tips, and Information from NC State University
Information Technology Division
For up-to-the-minute reports on ITD-supported systems, see SysNews
For help with a computing problem, contact the NC State Help Desk
March 2006
Table of Contents
-01- NC State Web Page Accessibility Regulation - now official
-02- Microsoft's student discounts now available to faculty and staff
-03- New administrative systems will use Unity passwords beginning March 26
-04- Mail forwarding of "spam" ends April 3
-05- Support for Windows 2000 in Unity environment ends May 1
-06- LabZapp- Make your (Unity/Windows software) wishes known
- 01 - NC State Web Page Accessibility Regulation - now official
After more than four years of work and consultation with many constituencies, the NC State Web Page Accessibility Regulation and its associated Implementation Guidelines have been unanimously approved by the university's Executive Officers. The Regulation requires that people who create official NC State web pages use coding and formatting standards that enable the broadest range of people, including those with disabilities, to access online information and services. New official web pages should be designed in compliance with accessibility standards. The deadline for retrofitting already existing pages is January, 2007. For more information, see the news release at http://www.itd.ncsu.edu/news/webaccessreg-march-06.php
-02- Microsoft student discounts now available to faculty and staff
NC State faculty and staff can now take advantage of the discounted software prices available to students through the Microsoft Student Select License agreement. The agreement covers Microsoft Office (Standard and Mac versions currently priced at $59; MS Office Pro, $69) and the Windows XP upgrade (currently $69.95). The software is available through the NCSU Bookstores Computer Connections department.
Interested faculty and staff will need to fill out the Microsoft Student Select Order Form and License Agreement (http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/ncsubookstores/pdf/Student_Select_Agreement.pdf) and provide campus ID as proof of eligibility. For more information, see Microsoft Student Select Agreement FAQ: http://www.ncsu.edu/it/essentials/software_ncstate/microsoft/student_select.html
-03- New administrative systems will use Unity passwords beginning March 26
Beginning March 26, Unity passwords will be used to authenticate access to the Administrative Portal, the Financial System, and the new Human Resources (HR) System. If you use these systems, please see http://www.acs.ncsu.edu/prepare.html for more information. ITD has implemented stronger password requirements, and users of administrative systems will be required to change their password every 90 days. ITD encourages everyone to change their password at least once a semester. This is easily done by logging on to Unity Password Change Tool: http://www.ncsu.edu/password/
-04- Mail forwarding of spam to off-campus addresses ends April 3
Students, faculty and staff who have their Unity email forwarded to an off-campus email account will see a change in how their email is forwarded beginning April 3. After that date, messages tagged as "spam" by PureMessage, the campus virus and spam detection software, will not be forwarded to off-campus email addresses. For more information, see the notice sent to those who have their email forwarded (http://sysnews.ncsu.edu/news/44197955), or contact the NC State Help Desk: help@ncsu.edu, 515-help(4357), or Room 106 Hillsborough Building.
-05- Support for Windows 2000 in Unity environment ends May 15.
As announced in 2004, ITD Microsystems will end its support of Windows 2000 workstations on May 15, 2006. IT support staff have been alerted that all Windows 2000 workstations that depend on ITD services (such as NAL applications, NDS accounts and policies, and login scripts) will lose these services after the May 15 end-of-life date (http://sysnews.ncsu.edu/news/d70c8ea2). If you have questions about your workstation, contact your desktop support person or the NC State Help Desk: help@ncsu.edu, 515-help(4357), or Room 106 Hillsborough Building.
-06- LabZapp - Make your (Unity/Windows software) wishes known
In early April 2006, ITD will begin conducting a survey of faculty, staff and students to determine what software applications and versions best suit the needs of those who use the Windows computing environment in Unity labs. LabZapp, a web-based software survey tool developed in ITD, will be used to collect the data and report results. IT directors and others who represent entire colleges or departments will also be asked to particpate. Visit the Software@NC State website fo updates and details: http://www.ncsu.edu/it/essentials/software_ncstate/
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