CAS 2007 Summer Upgrades

This site pertains specifically to the College of Arts and Sciences' plans for various 2007 Summer Upgrades.  Most of the projects relate to upgrading from Novell products to Microsoft counterparts.

In Fall of 2006, the Information Resources Council approved the Computing and Information Technology Center's request to upgrade from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook, as part of the campus' general strategy to move from Novell products to Microsoft counterparts. To accomplish the migration to Microsoft Outlook in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College's Computing Committee decided the following:

• Upgrade from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook 2007 (and Entourage)
  Since we plan to start using Outlook, we might as well start with the most current version to get the most we can out of the product (and to avoid an unnecessary upgrade later). Therefore, instead of using the version of Outlook already deployed (version 2003) we should deploy version 2007. The corresponding Microsoft product for the Apple Macintosh is called Entourage, and we plan to deploy that as well.
• Upgrade from Office 2003 for Windows to Office 2007 for Windows
  The Microsoft Office suite components work best when the respective versions are the same. Additionally, the College, at some point, would need to upgrade to Office 2007 anyway, so we might as well do that now as well. Microsoft plans to release a new version for Apple Macintosh computers very late this (and possibly early next) year.
• Upgrade remaining Windows 2000 computers to Windows XP
  This needs to happen for a number of reasons. Microsoft dropped support for Windows 2000, which means we can no longer rely on contacting Microsoft to solve challenging problems. Additionally, we can no longer expect software updates (like security patches). This also means that hardware manufactures will cease development of software to make their hardware work with Windows 2000. The final reason for upgrading the remaining Windows 2000 computers to Windows XP is that Office 2007 will not deploy on Windows 2000 computers.

Additionally, our current version of Firefox will not be supported for long, so we plan to upgrade Firefox.
The tentative schedule below was last reviewed on: Mon Oct 22 16:04:09 Central Daylight Time 2007
Tim Christian (x4498) currently oversees the schedule.

	The plan to migrate from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook email is currently on indefinite hold.

This schedule applies to all CAS GroupWise users because we plan to migrate the whole college from GroupWise to the new mail system (Outlook for Microsoft Windows users, Entourage for Apple Macintosh users).

This schedule also applies to all Microsoft Windows users because we must migrate from Office 2003 to Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) to use the new mail system (Outlook).

You should read the following tentative schedule by finding your department in the "Department" column and then reading left to right because, optimally, the chronology flows from left to right.  For each column, you should glance to the column heading to see the corresponding activity.  You may follow the web site links for more details regarding the respective item.

Department Learn Use Office 2007 (e.g., Word) Self-migrate your archive Exit mail before 5PM Use Outlook (instead of GroupWise) and verify your mail migrated correctly Aerospace Studies(ROTC) Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/10/2007 10/11/2007 Biological Sciences Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/10/2007 10/11/2007 Chemistry Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/10/2007 10/11/2007 Communications Studies Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007 CAS Deans Offices Your choice Done. Your choice after 8/1/2007 9/26/2007 9/27/2007 Dance & Theatre Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/10/2007 10/11/2007 Economics Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/17/2007 10/18/2007 English Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/17/2007 10/18/2007 Foreign Languages and Literatures Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/17/2007 10/18/2007 Geography Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/24/2007 10/25/2007 History Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/24/2007 10/25/2007 Institute of Applied Science (IAS) Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/24/2007 10/25/2007 Journalism Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007 Mathematics Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007 Philosophy and Religion Studies Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/24/2007 10/25/2007 Physics Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choic after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007 Political Science Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/24/2007 10/25/2007 Psychology Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/17/2007 10/18/2007 Radio, Television, and Film Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/10/2007 10/11/2007 Speech & Hearing Sciences Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007 Women's Studies Your choice Optional until 8/1/2007 Your choice after 8/15/2007 10/31/2007 11/1/2007

Curry Searle will schedule/migrate our last eight remaining Pegasus Mail users.
Trent Geerdes will schedule/migrate PDA (e.g., Palm Pilot, PocketPC) users on a case by case basis since each PDA model seems to its own set of quirks.

Date(s)	Activity description(s) (displaying important, non-project items in italics)
TBD	CAS Computing still needs the following people to plan/schedule the following activities: Geerdes - Deploying Microsoft Entourage for Apple users Robles - Helpdesk deployment plans (on-site, phone, hot sheets, etc.) Geerdes - Upgrading Instant Messaging from GroupWise Instant Messenger (GWIM) to Live Communications Server (LCS)

The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Sat Jul 21 12:39:47 Central Daylight Time 2007

The training section pertains only to Windows users.  Apple Macintosh users in our test groups did not need additional training.

We plan to deploy Microsoft Office 2007 (which includes Word, Excel, and the new email software, Outlook) for Windows users months before we migrate your mailbox.  This should give you the opportunity to learn about the new user interface (the menu items, button bars and other things you use to perform your work) before you start using the new mail system.  Caution:  The new interface looks very different from the current Office 2003 version and you should, at a minimum, review Microsoft's major changes before (and when we get closer to) the upgrade in mid July (tentative).  

Think about how you've learned things in the past (e.g., reading, watching, using) and then find a similar method to learn Microsoft Office 2007.  To give you some ideas of available Office 2007 learning resources, you may want to:

• Read Microsofts brief web page overview
• Watch Microsof't's video tutorial of the changes 
• Use Microsoft's on-line, interactive references, which enables you to correlate a 2003 menu option to the corresponding 2007 menu location(thanks to English's Bob Congrove for this handy reference):
• Correlate Word 2003 menu items with Word 2007 menu items
• Correlate Excel 2003 menu items with Excel 2007 menu items
• Correlate PowerPoint 2003 menu items with PowerPoint 2007 menu items
• Research, buy, and read some books that address your needs
• Find and participate in some local hands-on training
• Install and practice using the software
• Read the July 2007 Benchmarks edition for additional computer based training options

Additionally, you may (depending on your department's response to my query earlier this year) receive a reference guide for Microsoft Outlook (Windows only) a day or two before your department migrates.

For Outlook (the new electronic mail software), the CITC plans to offer Microsoft Outlook - Basic and Microsoft Outlook - Intermediate hands-on training.  Ideally, you should register for a class as close to your migration date as possible.  However, please note the last day for hands-on training is Thursday , September 27th (possibly well before you start using Outlook).  You may want to ask a colleague register for the same class with you so you can practice things with the same colleague later.  Finally, Cathy Gonzalez has made the basic hands-on training materials and the intermediate hands-on training materials available for your use/reference.


The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Mon Oct 22 15:59:41 Central Daylight Time 2007
Tim Christian (x4498) is CAS's current lead for this project.

	The plan to migrate from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook email is currently on indefinite hold.

When we do this upgrade, we plan to migrate the following from existing GroupWise accounts:

• Existing mail addresses (your current top-level email address will remain the same)
• All active electronic mail
• All inactive electronic mail (i.e., archives)
• All calendar items
• All address books

We do not plan to migrate the following:

• General preferences
• Signatures
• Mail filtering rules
• Proxy rights
• Shared folder permissions
• Document libraries

Also, we expect the following changes to basic services:

• Using your EUID to login to the  mail system
  Previously, you logged in with your Novell login ID.  On the new system, you login with your EUID.
• Securing Remote Mailbox Access
  Because users will login with their respective EUID and password, we plan to replace insecure remote access methods, like IMAP and POP, with their secure counterparts (which most software programs support, with some reconfiguration).
• New Web Address to Access Your Email
  In the past users logged into the https://gww.unt.edu web site to access GroupWise mail via the Web.  In the future, users will login to another (to be decided) web address.
• New Archive Format
  If you currently use archives, the new format should prove easier to manage. The archive is just one file and is very portable so you may put it any place you like and easily save new versions each year.
• Using quotas instead of  deleting mail older than 180 days
  In the past, the system deleted all active (i.e., not archived) electronic mail older than 180 days.  With Outlook the mail which is deleted/retained is left up to you.  In anticipation of this change, we already implemented quotas on the GroupWise system this summer as a proving/training ground and it seems to work well to date.

Things we are still working on:

• Who and When
  A tentative schedule is now in place.
• We currently plan to provide training in a number of ways:
  • Quick reference Brochure (to be handed out via departments)
  • On-line tutorials (to be made available soon)
  • In class sessions (to be scheduled close to mailbox conversion date)
• Archive conversion problems
  Archive conversion remains very problematic (due to GroupWise archive corruption, not the migration process) and very labor intensive (we must convert many archives by hand).  Please eliminate all unneeded items from your Archive to minimize conversion errors.
• PDA support
  Almost every PDA requires special attention, so we expect these to be migrated more slowly than the mail system.  Trent Geerdes will be working with customers to migrate their current synchronization process.  There may be additional cost incurred by PDA users for software to work with the new system.
• Migrating student employee accounts
  Student employee accounts exist outside of CAS's scope, so they present a more manual process. We plan to work with departments to identify student accounts with the intention of migrating at the same time we migrate the respective department's mailboxes.

The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Tue Jul 24 14:59:53 Central Daylight Time 2007
Curry Searle is CAS' lead for this project.

The Microsoft Office suite (collection) of software consists (primarily) of: Microsoft Word,  Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and more.  In this section, you should find out why you should upgrade early (if possible), what kinds of and how many substantial changes Microsoft and we made to Office 2007, how you may obtain a copy for home use, and how to perform an optional (early) installation here on campus.

Considering the Upgrade with Respective Changes

We strongly recommend you perform the Office 2007 installation on your computer (before we force it out to everyone) because you may:

• Upgrade more at your (rather than our) convenience
• Upgrade during CASCSS office hours to report/resolve a deployment issue
• Plan for the upgrade down time (which takes between 15 and 60 minutes to happen, longer if on an older computer)
• Plan some significant time after the installation to practice using the new Office programs
• Experience a better/smoother upgrade
• Take advantage of new Office features ahead of your colleagues

Major differences between the old (2003) and new (2007) versions for Microsoft Windows:

• Microsoft made numerous changes to the way you work with documents
  Most people in the test groups found the changes helpful and ultimately more productive.  However, we strongly recommend you visit the training section for more information about the new Microsoft Office 2007 changes and features.
• We made the new (2007) file formats compatible with older versions
  To minimize issues you might have exchanging files with people, we plan to make Office 2007 save files, by default, in the old (2003) format.  This gives you and your colleagues the most flexibility and hence, minimum risk to your collaborative productivity.
• Microsoft no longer provides FrontPage for Windows
  FrontPage was a popular web site editor.  We have already deployed the free Nvu software for you to use.  You may install it from the "CAS Software/Utilities/Nvu - HTML Editor" menu item.  Alternatively, you may purchase Adobe's DreamWeaver through our office.

As part of the upgrade process, we also:

• Remove Office 2003 just before we install Office 2007
• Enable routine Office 2007 security updates
  This is similar to how we manage Windows security updates.
• Make the default file location drive H: (or "home")
  This reduces UNT's risk related to hard disk failures and also makes your files remotely accessible (securely) for your convienence.  However, this change also means that if you kept files on the C: drive (your local computer system) previously, you may need to look for your files under "My Computer/Windows (C:)/Documents and Settings/yourLoginName/My Documents" (where "yourLoginName is your login name).

Getting Office 2007 for Personal (e.g., Home) Use

Sometimes people like to try out the software at home before we deploy it on campus.  Other times, people just want to use the same version for maximum compatibility.  For any reason you decide, you may get your own, personal copy of Office 2007 for home use at the UNT Bookstore. Some things to decide before going to the bookstore:

• Office 2007 requires the "XP" version of Windows or newer (see optional upgrade steps two through four in the next section to determine your Windows version).  If you need a newer Windows version, you may also want to purchase Windows XP for the super inexpensive, employee-only benefit price of $21 (plus tax) at the book store.  While the bookstore may offer you "Vista" by default instead of "XP," it ("Vista") has some steep hardware requirements which limit its installation and use on most computers.
• Office 2007 comes on a DVD, so ensure your home computer can play DVDs before buying the software.
• The incredibly inexpensive, employee-only $14 (plus tax) Office 2007 license entitles you to use it on one computer, while your are employed by UNT.  If you have more than one personal computer, you may be able to buy a licenses for each computer.
• When purchasing the software, the agreement you sign, amongst other things, requires your employee ID (a.k.a., emplid). To discover your emplid, login to the Account Management System (AMS) website.  After you login successfully, the "UNT System ID" field  represents what most people call your emplid.  Failing that, your department's office staff should know your emplid as well (e.g., to process payroll).

Performing an Optional (Early) Upgrade

Before performing the on-campus, optional upgrade, which takes about 15 to 60 minutes (or longer) to complete, please learn about the biggest changes to Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, etc.).  After reviewing the material, you should at least know where to find (and have some idea how to use) the following features:

• Microsoft Office Button
• Ribbon
• Galleries

To perform the optional upgrade:

1. Close all open software (better yet: Restart the computer and login)
2. Right-click the "My Computer" icon and select "Properties"
3. On the "System Properties" window, ensure you are running the "Microsoft Windows XP" system.
4. If you are not running "Microsoft Windows XP," you cannot upgrade (contact Scott Powers in our office).
5. If you are running "Microsoft Windows XP," do the following:
1. Select "Start/CAS Software/Maintenance/Installers/Microsoft Office/Install Microsoft Office 2007 (Full-withOutlookProfile)"
   NB: Please ensure you select the correct software package to install.
2. Step away from the computer for 15 to 60 minutes (maybe 2 hours on really old/slow computers)

When the installation completes, you may need to restart your computer.  If you run into problems, please contact our office (cascss@unt.edu or
x4498) from 8 A.M. until 7 P.M. (Mon-Fri) and 10 A.M. until 2 P.M. (Sat).  As usual, CAS Computing Support Services provides system assistance--it remains your responsibility to learn how to use (and adapt to) the software we deploy/configure.


The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Wed Aug 15 16:19:18 Central Daylight Time 2007
Scott Powers is CAS' lead contact for this project.

Because Office 2007 for Windows requires Windows XP (or newer) and Microsoft has (and other vendors have) dropped support for Windows 2000, we must upgrade existing Windows 2000 computers.

Considerations:

• Summer school monies are very limited this year
• We should replace GroupWise with Outlook/Exchange before the next Daylight Saving Time change (October) to prevent another round of GroupWise time zone issues.
• Microsoft states they no longer support Windows 2000.
• Since we must roll out software, we should try to roll out Office 2007 (including Outlook).
• Office 2007 does not install on Windows 2000.
• Department funding for hardware upgrades remains very limited.
• CAS has ~660 Windows 2000 computers still in production.

Therefore:

1. We must upgrade the remaining Windows 2000 computers to something supportable.
2. Departments should be given the following options regarding non-XP Windows computers:
   • Upgrade to Windows XP (pay for hardware upgrade, if needed) by Fall.
   • Upgrade to Linux (shouldn't require a hardware upgrade, but isn't very Microsoft-compatible and is a harder migration for CASCSS and customers).
   • Move remaining Windows 2000 computers off the network in Spring, which means no more updates, ever. This was done with the previous version of Windows(called "NT4") for a small number of computers, usually data-collecting devices. CASCSS would no longer support Windows 2000 computers unless the department enacts a replacement plan. They would be "end-of-life."
3. Operating system upgrade priorities should be:
   1. Upgrade computers for people who do not plan to be here this summer (hardware and time permitting) before the end of this semester.
   2. Upgrade all GroupWise user computers (hardware willing) by July.
   3. Upgrade remaining windows 2000 computers to XP or Linux (if they don't want to upgrade the hardware) before Spring.
   4. Document Windows 2000 computers scheduled for Spring network removal.

Departments would be expected to handle expenses related to upgrading computer hardware (if needed) to work with XP (minimum requirements). This usually consists of a memory upgrade and sometimes a hard disk upgrade. Some departments (way to think ahead, Psychology !) already did this for their entire department, based on the email sent out last June to Administrative Assistants.

We had to upgrade a small number of computers this summer without first notifying the user.  To alert the users to that issue, we are asking department staff to tape a copy of the Windows Upgrade Memo to the respective user's monitor.  The idea being that they will see the note before booting for the first time this year.


The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Mon Jun 18 17:33:27 Central Daylight Time 2007
Trent Geerdes is CAS' lead for this project.

CAS currently plan to upgrade Apple Macintosh users  from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Entourage.


The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Mon Jun 18 15:59:32 Central Daylight Time 2007
Curry Searle is CAS' lead for this project.

Support for our current, Windows version of Firefox (version 1.5) ends soon. Therefore, we plan to deploy the currently-supported version of Firefox (version 2) as part of this summer's upgrades. We do not expect you will need any training to use the new version. The first time you use the new version, you should get directed to a web site, which displays information about the new features (including how to use them).


The information in this section, which is subject to change, is current as of: Mon Jun 18 15:59:59 Central Daylight Time 2007
Trent Geerdes is CAS' lead for this project.

GroupWise Instant Messenger (GWIM) is a special piece of software used by about 600 people on campus for very brief (typically, one liner) messages.  The software runs independently of GroupWise so we plan to create a separate upgrade schedule for the software.  CAS plans to replace the software which accesses Novell's GWIM with another piece of software to access Microsoft's LCS (CITC is responsible for deploying/maintaining that server), but we haven't decided which software to deploy for customers to use (the part you use to "talk" via LCS).