Navigator page down

The OSD Navigator page is down due to a server hardware failure. We are working on getting it fixed. Some links are available at http://osdtech.blogspot.com/2012/11/navigator-page-down-this-weekend.html
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Firefox and Java updates

I've noticed a problem with the version of Java we are currently running being automatically disabled by fFrefox because of a potential security threat, so I have updated both of our versions of FF and Java this morning. These should be automatically installed the next time you log in or refresh the Zen icon.

In the past, we've had some problems with Java installing incorrectly if the browser was open during the install. If possible, please wait a few minutes after your next log in before opening Firefox, or, if you care to force the install on your own terms, please close all browsers, then right-click the Zen icon and choose "refresh". Wait 2-3 minutes and everything should be updated. 

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

Firefox 17 and IC incompatibilities

Issue Alert on Firefox 17: The newest release of Mozilla's Firefox 17 has caused an issue with WYSIWYG editor screens in Infinite Campus. For example, on the Assignments screen, the SAVE buttons are not responsive.

Workaround:  Please use Firefox 16 or IE9 as alternatives until this issue can be resolved.

This issue is being tracked as SIS-61030. Our development team is actively working on this issue. No ETA has been provided at this time.

This information is also posted on Campus Community. Click here to see the posting.

New look coming to Gmail Compose window

Fans of minimalist design will really like Gmail's new Compose window. Soon, the new look will be rolled out to all our Gmail accounts. You can get a preview and learn more about it at this link. I've been trying it out for a few weeks now, and although I initially had trouble finding things, I now appreciate the simple, clean look that hides most of the things I don't use often.

Wireless network Captive Portal security certificate fixed

Users trying to log in to the public wireless network this morning got an error message saying the identity of the server could not be verified. The exact error message varied depending on the browser. Chrome and Firefox give you the option to override and continue, albeit with dire warnings about how somebody could be intercepting your traffic. (This was sure to get the attention of the paranoid, tinfoil-hat-wearing crowd.) Safari is apparently a bit more ardent about protecting us from ourselves, and did not provide the option to override. The result is that iPad users on the public network were not able to authenticate.

The actual cause of the warning was that the security certificate for the captive portal (the screen that pops up asking you to log in when you use the public network) had expired over the weekend. We have created and imported a new security certificate, so now devices on the public wireless network can log in normally.

Thanks for your patience, and I apologize for the interruption and inconvenience.

Navigator page down this weekend

The OSD Navigator page (http://db.oregonsd.net/nav/) was unavailable from 7:10 AM on Sunday, November 4, until 7:35 AM on Monday, November 5. We apologize for the interruption.

For future reference, here are some direct links to frequently used sites.

Staff
email: mail.oregonsd.net
Google docs/drive: docs.oregonsd.net
Google calendar: calendar.oregonsd.net
Infinite Campus: https://campus.oregon.k12.wi.us/campus/oregon.jsp

Students
email: mail.students.oregonsd.net
Google docs/drive: docs.students.oregonsd.net
Campus Portal: www.oregonsd.org/portal

Online payments working again

The payment processor has resolved the technical issues on their end, so parents can once again make online payments via the Campus Portal. Thanks for your patience during the disruption.

Online Payments in Campus Portal update

The problem with online payments in Campus Portal appears to be with a third party (neither Oregon School District nor Infinite Campus) which processes the actual payments. It is affecting more than just the Oregon School District. The payment processing company is working on the issue, and we are in contact with them.

Online payments unavailable

Online payments via the Campus Portal are currently unavailable due to a technical issue. We are researching this to try to find a solution in cooperation with Infinite Campus and the payment processing vendor.

OHS planned network outage is complete

We are done replacing the network switches in the LMC and the east side of the building. Everything is plugged back in and configured to work. We did spot checks on several desktop computers and the wireless network to make sure they were able to log in and access the Internet, and all were successful. However, we didn't check every computer, so if you discover that your computer doesn't have a network connection (e.g., you cannot log in, or cannot access the Internet) please let us know by calling the helpdesk at x4025.

Public wireless issues fixed

As of 10:45 today, you should see a marked improvement in the functionality of the public wireless and the captive portal. Working with a networking engineer, we found some major configuration issues and fixed them. I was able to do the following:

• Connect to the public wireless network on a laptop (Chromebook) and an iPad.
• Log in to the captive portal with a teacher account and a student account.
• Download, install, and use Evernote and Prezi apps on an iPad.
• Access youtube and facebook as a teacher, but not as a student.

These were the most commonly reported glitches, so I take these results as a good sign. If you are still encountering issues with incorrect network functionality and/or content filtering for yourself or students, please submit a helpdesk ticket. Please include the text of the block page. It was the data from the block page reported by staff that allowed us to identify and fix these issues, so thank you for reporting them!

created ALLOWED APPS - Staff All category and rule

I created a new application group in Palo Alto called Staff ALLOWED and associated it with the ALLOWED APPS - Staff All security policy. It contains some of the applications that we always want staff to have, and/or that people have had problems with, like Gmail.

Committed at 4:00 PM.

Guest wireless access

We have changed the procedure for guests and visitors to log in to the public wireless network to make it easier. We got rid of the user agreement legalese on the captive portal and simply added the instructions for how to log in. Staff and students continue to use their OSD username and password. Guests are told to enter a username and password which is displayed on the captive portal itself.

The guest/visitor account is more limited than staff accounts and is for web access only.

Connecting to wireless Internet

Staff and student procedure for accessing the Internet with a personally-owned computer (or iPad, iPod Touch, phone, Kindle, Android tablet, etc.)

1. Turn on your device.
2. Connect to the wireless network called "public".
3. Open a web browser (Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Chrome). Note: There is an issue with the Chrome browser which causes the initial page load to fail. Click "Reload" and the login page should appear correctly.
4. On the user agreement page, enter your OSD username and password. The network security and content filtering system (aka PaloAlto) will then apply the appropriate content filtering rules for your user account instead of assuming you are an elementary student or guest.
5. Enter the web address you want to visit.

Note: We're still working out some glitches. See https://sites.google.com/a/oregonsd.net/technology/documentation/wireless-network-access for more complete information and a FAQ.

Changes to wireless Internet access

Changes have been made to the wireless access network in the Oregon Schools. The public wireless network now requires a login when a browser is first opened. This is to allow students and staff who bring their own personal devices to school to access the Internet with the appropriate content filtering settings. For example, a staff member will have more access than a student. Without this login procedure, there would be no way to apply different content filtering rules to staff, or to students of different grade levels. (By default, the most restrictive content filter settings are applied until a user logs in to receive additional access.)

What to expect
Logging in on a district-owned computer will not change. Log in as you normally would.

Logging in on a personally-owned computer (or iPad, iPod Touch, phone, Kindle, etc.) will require you to open a web browser and enter your OSD username and password. The network security and content filtering system (aka PaloAlto) will then apply the appropriate content filtering rules for your user account.

Note: There is an issue with the Chrome browser which causes the initial page load to fail. Click "Reload" and the login page should appear correctly.

If the web browsing session is idle for 30 minutes, you will be prompted to log in again before proceeding. After 8 hours, you will be prompted to log in, even if you have not been idle. But frankly, if you've been online for 8 hours straight, you really should take a break.

When using an application that accesses the Internet, you may need to launch a web browser and login first. Until you log in, your Internet access will be blocked. The app won't necessarily tell you that it can't access the Internet. It may just sit there and try. So, if you launch and app and it doesn't seem to do anything, try launching a web browser first, logging in, and they try the app again.

More info will be posted on the IT Operations site at http://itops.oregonsd.net

Google Docs is now Google Drive

The Google Drive online interface looks similar to the Google Documents List you're used to, with a few key differences:

• Collections are now called Folders.
  
• When you first switch to Google Drive, a new folder called My Drive contains:
  
  • Documents that you own or have previously uploaded
  • Folders you own and the items contained within (regardless of ownership)
• Other items that would have previously appeared in the Home view can easily be found elsewhere. You can choose different views and filters to see recently opened documents, starred items, documents that have been shared with you, items owned by a particular person, files of a particular type, and more.
  
• You'll have powerful new options to search, sort, or preview your files before opening them.
  

See the Google Drive user help to learn more about Google Drive versus your Documents List, and how to navigate your Google Drive online interface.

Need more help? Contact our friendly ITLTs.

Pictures in IC seating charts now working correctly

The issue regarding student pictures not appearing in Infinite Campus seating charts has been resolved. If your seating chart still does not show pictures even when you have selected "show students' pictures" in the seating chart preferences, please submit a helpdesk ticket.

Content filtering explanation

This summer we replaced our old bandwidth management and content filtering server with new, more powerful appliance. I want all staff to know why we did this, what the changes are, and what we plan for the future. Hopefully the benefits will outweigh the inconveniences of the learning curve.

Why we changed
Our old system could only use about half of our Internet bandwidth. So even though we had a 100 Mbps connection to the Internet we could only use about 45-65 Mbps. The new system, called Palo Alto, can handle up to 500-700Mbps, depending on how many services it is running, so we have room to grow. Also, it allows us to prioritize different types of traffic to make sure everyone is sharing equitably.

Where we are now
Currently, we have the full 100 Mbps of Internet speed. Filtering settings roughly match what we had in the past, and we are still tweaking them as we get feedback. The major exception is that if you use a personally-owned device on the "public" wireless network, the system doesn't know who you are, so it applies the most restrictive content filter settings. This will probably be a pain for those of you bringing in personal computers until we implement a workaround.

Where we plan to be
Computers that connect to the "public" wireless network need to know who you are. We plan to roll out a login screen that you will see when you launch a web browser on a device connected to the public network. This will ask you to log in so that you get the filtering rules appropriate to you. We're trying to get this done before school starts, but we need some expert help.

Still have questions? Check out our list of Frequently Asked Questions that we've gotten so far.

IC Video Tutorials

The Campus Community, which I've mentioned before, has some slick videos for how to accomplish common tasks. It also has self-guided walkthroughs and regular old paper documentation that you can print.

The link below is to a special section of tutorials specifically for teachers. If you have not already registered for the Campus Community, you'll have to do that, but it's well worth it.

Knowledge Base > Hands-On Virtual Lab > Teacher HOVL

https://community.infinitecampus.com/kb/display/DOC/Teacher+HOVL

This area will walk you through the following with simulations, documentation and a few videos …

•Getting Started

•Student Info for Teachers

•Grade Book Set Up

•Set up Grading Calculation

•Getting organized: categories & student groups

•Recording Daily Activities & Assignments

•Analyzing Student Performance

•Using Online Assessment to deliver classroom tests

•Instruction Reports

•Student Assignments & Score Reports

•Standardized Test/Assessment Score Reports

•Attendance Reports

•Wildcard

•Submitting Report Card Grades & Scores

•Communicating with Parents & Students

•Messenger

As usual, please let me know how you like it. I think it's almost as good as having your own tech sherpa to help you out. The videos may not have our sparkling personality and wry sense of humor, but they are a lot more accessible when it's 9 PM and you are at home trying to figure out how to set up a seating chart.

New content and security filter in place

Our new content and security filter is in place. As with anything, there is an adjustment period while we figure out the "kinks" and adjust to what is different with the new system.Right now, we are in the process of configuring the content filter rules to be as close to the old system as possible. There are a few notable exceptions.

1. If you are on the public wireless network, you will have limited access because the content filter doesn't know who you are. For students this isn't all that different. But for staff, it will be significantly less access.
2. There is not a way (at this time) to authenticate to the public wireless network once you are connected. This means that you will get the content filtering rules for an elementary student. We are actively looking for solutions to this.

Hopefully, the increase in speed will be noticeable, since the new system can handle our full 100 Mbps of Internet bandwidth (with room to grow) as opposed to the old system, which maxed out somewhere between 45-65 Mbps.

Brief Internet interruptions this afternoon

There will be a number of brief Internet access interruptions (less than 3 minutes each) this afternoon as we configure and install a new network security system. Thanks for your patience.

Changes coming to Google Groups

Starting June 26, Google Apps users will see the totally new and redesigned version of Google Groups that offers a new and improved user interface, collaborative inbox, take and assign functionality, full multi-domain support, advanced search operators, new ways of viewing group content, and much more.
You can take a tour of the new Google Groups at http://support.google.com/groups/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=2459437&parent=9216&ctx=topic

Year-end procedures

All computers must be serviced over the summer to receive security updates, updated program, get cleaned, etc. For desktops, this isn't really an issue- just leave them where they are.
If your main computer is a laptop and you are not a year-round employee, you must turn in your laptop on your last day of work to the IT office. We know that some people get really emotionally attached to their laptop (I can relate), but we need you to part with it for a while so we can keep everything operating well. You can pick it up about a week after you drop it off if you really want it back over the summer.

We need iPads for summer school! Please turn in iPads to your library (if that's where you checked it out from) or to the district IT office (if it is assigned to you primarily).
If you are a year-round employee whose main computer is a laptop, please schedule a time with the IT department when your computer can be updated (i.e., you can be without it for a couple days).
Summer equipment checkout

Equipment that is housed at a school cannot be checked out during the summer. The only items available for checkout are from the IT department in the District Services Office. This is to avoid the problems we've had in the past with some schools not getting their equipment back in a timely manner in the fall. DON'T bring a school computer to the district tech office and expect to check it out.

If you want to check out any piece of district equipment during the summer you must check it out from the IT department.
Summer AV procedures and cleanup
If your room is being used for summer school (which is pretty much all of PVE and half of NKE), please don't pack up your SmartBoard items and AV stuff; the summer school teachers have requested projectors and SmartBoards. Please label everything, though. Summer cleaning involves moving everything in your room into the hallway (along with everything from the other classrooms) and sometimes things get switched around. Labeling helps fix this.

Those of you at all other buildings, please:

• label all movable items
• remove all batteries from remote controls. (i.e. Projectors, TV, boom boxes.) This keeps the batteries from draining over the summer, or worse, corroding inside the unit. You may want to label the batteries or tape them to the thing they came out of so you know where they go when you come back.
• Unplug all power cords from all A/V equipment in your room, including TVs.

Everyone:

• Delete old and unused files from the Video (V:), Home (H:), and "share" folders (that you own, of course). If you don't specifically need it as part of curriculum next year, it's just using up valuable and limited space on the network.
• Remove sticky notes, tape, pencil holders, decorations, awards, gum, mysterious life forms, etc., from your computer and monitor. If you plan to replace them next year, just store them somewhere. Or go crazy and throw them out, giving you a fresh start in the new year.

Campus Portal now shows all grades on a single page

The Campus Portal has a new "Grades" tab which allows the student or parent/guardian to view all the student's current grades on a single screen. To view, log in to the Portal, select a student (if you have more than one) and click on the Grades tab. It is highlighted in red in the illustration below.

Please note that the "C" in some standards refers to "Consistently." The three possible scores for are Consistently, Sometimes, and Rarely.

Logins working again

With many thanks to Chris, the OSD login page is now working. We still need to solve the root issue, but the workaround is now functioning. Sorry again for the inconvenience.

Some servers offline due to security certificate "revoked"

Around 5:15 we started seeing error messages when trying to process LDAP logins to our servers. The error says the Security Certificate is "revoked." We are investigating the problem right now and trying to find a solution. The cause is unknown, but may be an issue with the security certificate issuer, which would be a really big problem.

More updates here as we find them.

Skyward Windows Not Visible with Google Chrome 18

Skyward Critical Issue

Skyward Windows Not Visible with Google Chrome 18

Who is affected by this mailing?
Districts that use the Google Chrome browser with the Skyward Web Product and have updated to Google Chrome version 18. 

What is the issue?Users that are running Google Chrome 18, which was released last week, may experience issues where new windows in the Skyward Web Product are not displaying correctly.  The new Skyward windows are opening at a size that cannot be viewed.  The new window displays in the taskbar, but is not immediately viewable. How do I correct the problem?
Skyward is creating a work around to the Google Chrome issue that will be included in Addendum9 of the February 2012 Release, which is scheduled to be posted on Wednesday, April 4th.

Please note that the Skyward work around may not correct the issue in all areas. 

Until Addendum9 is posted, users can manually work around the issue by right clicking the window in the taskbar and choosing Maximize to display the window.  Another option would be to use a different Web browser such as Internet Explorer or FireFox.

Thank you,
Skyward Support Staff

Internet Traffic Jam

We occasionally get complaints about slow Internet speeds. As more services move to the web, Internet usage increases. Here is a graph showing the growth of the district's Internet connection speed over the past eight years.

Our current connection speed is 130Mbps.
Although we have upgraded our bandwidth significantly over the past few years, it isn't possible to provide the same amount of capacity that people are accustomed to from a home broadband connection.

Here's a comparison:

Home Internet speed: 10 Mbps
# of computers: 3
# of other Internet-capable devices: 2 (phones)
Internet capacity per device: 2 Mbps

District Internet speed: 130 Mbps
# of computers: 1600
# of other Internet-capable devices: 600
Internet capacity per device: 0.059 Mbps

An additional problem is that our network security server has trouble handling this amount of bandwidth. The IT department has been researching and evaluating other technological solutions to this, such as replacing our network bandwidth manager, requiring all users to log on before accessing the Internet, and installing a caching proxy server. However, there is something we can all do in the meantime- remember that Internet capacity is a shared resource, and use it judiciously. This means:

1. Minimize personal use
2. Limit activities which consume lots of Internet capacity, like streaming music and videos, and large downloads.
3. Try to use Discovery Streaming for streaming video content, since we have a local server delivering that content, so it doesn't use our Internet connection.
4. If you need to download a huge file, do it during non-peak times (such as after 3:30).
5. If a download is slow, resist the urge to hit "reload" since that just make the problem worse.

By following these steps, we can make Internet access more available to everyone. Otherwise, our Internet access could become an example of the Tragedy of the Commons.

We will continue to keep you informed as we make changes to the network and our management systems. Thanks in advance for your help!

Partial Internet service outage, 1/17/2012, 1-5 AM

This should not result in any actual outage because we have dual fiber connections, but I'm posting it here in case something ends up happening which results in a disruption.

Type:              Planned Outage
Location:          Madison
Ticket Number:     23172
Party:             Charter
Start Time:        1/17/2012 1:00 CST
End Time:          1/17/2012 5:00 CST
Description:       Charter Maintenance

Engineers:


Reporters:

Affected:
  BeloitColl
  BerlinSD
  BigFootHS
  DelavanDarienSD
  EdgertonSD
  JacksonCo
  MonroeSD
  OregonSD
  RiponColl
  ViterboUniv

Notices:

Maria Accuardi @ 2012-01-11 09:17:25
  Charter Communications will be performing maintenance that will
     affect your services.

     Location:  Madison, Wisconsin

     Description:  Resplice damaged fiber to prevent service
     degradation issues and ensure optimum performance and
     reliability.

     Impact: 150 Minutes Downtime

     Charter Ticket#:  100434

OregonSD.org website maintenance outage Saturday morning

From our web site provider: "We will be performing server maintenance on Saturday, January 14, 2012 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET. While there will not be a complete outage during the maintenance window, connectivity will be sporadic during the required server reboots. We appreciate your understanding."