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selfhelp

Information at your finger tipsInligting op jou vingerpunte

Friday, November 1st, 2013

Every day we’re bombarded by an enormous amount of information, of which only a small percentage is relevant to us. It’s no wonder then that we struggle to distinguish between the useful and useless.

When it comes to IT related questions, there is indeed one central place where you can find useful answers with a simple mouse click. Whether you want to apply for a telephone line or want to know how to back up your data – all the answers can be found on IT’s selfhelp wiki. 

If you don’t feel like calling the IT Service Desk or want to wait for feedback via e-mail, save yourself some time and see if your question isn’t listed already.

Can’t find your question? Just let us know, we’ll add it and you’ll help to improve our database of information. 

Ons word daagliks toegegooi met massas informasie waarvan waarskynlik net `n klein persentasie bruikbaar is. Dis geen wonder dat ons dit wat wel relevant is, nie kan opspoor tussen die res nie.

As dit by enige IT-vrae kom, is daar wel een sentrale plek waar jy met ‘n muiskliek nuttige antwoorde kan kry. Wonder jy hoe om aansoek te doen vir ‘n telefoon? Wil jy weet hoe om jou data te rugsteun voordat jou skootrekenaar se hardeskyf sy laaste asem uitblaas? Hierdie antwoorde en meer is reeds op IT se selfhelp wiki. 

Nie lus om die IT Dienstoonbank te skakel of te wag vir terugvoer via e-pos nie, gaan kyk gerus of jou vraag nie vinnig beantwoord kan word sonder die moeite van ‘n telefoonoproep nie.

Indien daar geen teken van ‘n oplossing op die wiki is nie, laat weet ons net en ons voeg dit by. Sodoende groei ons databasis en kan ons meer mense help met knellende IT-vrae.

 

 

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Overseas and need our help?Is jy oorsee en het ons nodig?

Friday, October 18th, 2013

Previously you could only reach us by phone or e-mail, then you could follow our blog and tweets.

Now you can contact us via Skype when you’re overseas and in dire need of some computer related assistance.

Save yourself those exorbitant international call costs and look for us on Skype by searching for helpinfo@sun.ac.za or the username itstellenuni.

`n Paar jaar gelede kon jy ons net bel of e-pos stuur, toe kon jy ons blog lees en tweets volg.

Nou kan jy selfs op ons nommer druk as jy oorsee is en sukkel met `n rekenaarverwante probleem.

Spaar jouself die buitensporige internasionale oproepkostes en kom kuier vir ons op Skype deur te soek na helpinfo@sun.ac.za of die gebruikersnaamitstellenuni.

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Password synchronisation giving you a headache?Wagwoordsinkronisasie `n kopseer?

Friday, August 31st, 2012

Every 90 days you receive an email from helpinfo@sun.ac.za asking you nicely to change your password. We all know that, although it’s a bit of a nuisance, it’s also necessary for security reasons. But is there a way to simplify the process?

In 2007 Microsoft Research conducted a study and found that the average user has 6.5 internet passwords, each person has approximately 25 accounts with passwords and has to enter 8 passwords per day.  And this was in 2007 – imagine what the statistics will look like 5 years later.

If you use more than one device, password changes can become a nightmare. But there are a few steps you can follow to make sure it goes a bit smoother.

Switch off all your devices except for one, for example your laptop.

Sign on at http://www.sun.ac.za/useradm, select the Change Password option and select a new password according to the guidelines supplied on the website. Log out of the network with the Logout option given on http://www.sun.ac.za/useradm. Log onto the network with your new password. Make sure you can access all your network applications – email, internet and networkspace. Switch on all the other devices and type in your new password.

Remember, you can change your password any time at http://www.sun.ac.za/useradm with the Change Password option. Try to stick to the guidelines to ensure you have a secure password – it will safe you a lot of effort and frustration in the long run. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can also reset is by browsing to staff portal.

More information and hints on password changes can be found at https://stbsp01.stb.sun.ac.za/innov/it/it-help/Wiki%20Pages/Change%20password.aspx

Elke 90 dae kry jy `n e-pos van helpinfo@sun.ac.za wat jou vriendelik versoek om jou wagwoord te verander. Ons almal weet dat, alhoewel dit irriterend is, ook nodig is vir sekuriteitsredes.

`n 2007 studie deur Microsoft se navorsingspan het gevind dat die gemiddelde gebruiker 6.5 wagwoorde op die internet het, dat elke persoon ongeveer 25 rekeninge het wat wagwoorde benodig en gemiddeld 8 wagwoorde per dag moet intik! En dit was in 2007, 5 jaar gelede – dink net hoe lyk daardie syfers teen die tyd.

As jy meer as een toestel gebruik, raak wagwoordverandering `n nagmerrie. Maar daar is `n paar stappe wat jy kan volg om die verandering gladder te laat verloop.

Skakel al die toestelle af, behalwe een, bv. die skootrekenaar.

Teken aan by http://www.sun.ac.za/useradm, selekteer die Change Password opsie, en kies`n nuwe wagwoord volgens die riglyne wat verskaf word.

Teken af van die netwerk met die Logout opsie wat op useradm gegee word.

Teken daarna aan op die netwerk met die nuwe wagwoord.

Maak seker dat alle netwerktoegang (epos, internet, netwerkspasie) suksesvol beskikbaar is.

Skakel die ander toestelle een na die ander aan, verskaf die nuwe wagwoord.

Onthou, jy kan self jou wagwoord enige tyd verander op http://www.sun.ac.za/useradm by die Change Password-opsie. Probeer om te hou by die riglyne wat gegee word om jou wagwoord so veilig moontlik te hou – dit sal jou baie moeite en frustrasie spaar op die lange duur. As jy jou wagwoord heeltemal vergeet het, kan jy dit self verander deur te gaan na die personeelportaal.

Nog wenke vir die verandering van jou wagwoord kan by https://stbsp01.stb.sun.ac.za/innov/it/it-help/Wiki%20Pages/Change%20password.aspx gekry word.

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Mirror sites at your disposalSpieëlwebwerwe tot jou beskikking

Friday, June 8th, 2012

Did you know there are selected websites you have free access to? These websites are known as mirror sites.

In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site. Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads. Mirroring is a type of file synchronization and a  live mirror is automatically updated as soon as the original is changed.

But why the need for more than one version of the same website. A few reasons are:

  1. To preserve a website or page, especially when it is closed or is about to be closed.
  2. To allow faster downloads for users at a specific geographical location. For example, a U.S. server could be mirrored in Japan, allowing Japanese Internet users to download content faster from the local Japanese server than from the original American one.
  3. To provide access to otherwise unavailable information. For example, when the popular Google search engine was banned in 2002 by the People’s Republic of China, the mirror elgooG was used as a way of effectively circumventing the ban.
  4. To preserve historic content. Financial constraints and/or bandwidth prevent the maintainers of a server from keeping older and unsupported content available to users who still may desire them; a mirror may be made to prevent this content from disappearing.
  5. To balance load. If one server is extremely popular a mirror may help relieve this load this server may become overloaded with demand. Alternative download points allow the total number of download requests to be spread among several servers, maintaining the availability of the distribution.
  6. As a temporary measure to counterbalance a sudden, temporary increase in traffic.

SOURCE: www.wikipedia.org

Therefore, before you download huge files from an international server and run up an exorbitant internet account, check whether there is a local version available. The following websites are available to you free of charge:

A large amount of software downloads are available at http://support.sun.ac.za

MIT OpenCourse Ware: http://ocw.sun.ac.za

Mirror server for linux: http://ftp.sun.ac.za

Mirror services available for free via TENET: http://www.mirror.ac.za

The most popular Linux distros are available (Ubuntu,Debian, Fedora, Opensuse, Mandriva etc.)

Complete programming language mirrors are availabla at:

CPAN (perl): http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/

CTAN (Tex/Latex): http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/

Python: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.python.org/

Mathematical languages:

SageMath: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/www.sagemath.org/

Scilab (http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/scilab/www.scilab.org/

R http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/cran.za.r

Octava http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/octave

Opensource software:

sourceware.org: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/sourceware.org/pub/

Free Office packages:

LibreOffice: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/libreoffice/

OpenOffice: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/openoffice/

Downloadable antivirus updates:

Mcafee: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.nai.com/

Symantec: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.symantec.com
/public/english_us_canada/antivirus_definitions/norton_antivirus/

Adobe Reader: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.adobe.com/

SOURCE:  www.wikipedia.org

Het jy geweet daar is sekere webwerwe waartoe jy plaaslik toegang na kan kry sonder dat jy nodig het om Inetkey te gebruik? Hierdie webwerwe staan bekend as spieëlwebwerf, of te wel `n “mirror site”.

In die rekenaaromgewing is `n “mirror” `n presiese kopie van `n datastel en op die internet is `n “mirror site” die presiese kopie van `n ander internetwebwerf. Spieëlwebwerwe word gereeld gebruik om veelvuldige bronne van dieselfde inligting te verskaf en is veral voordelig as betroubare toegang tot groot aflaaibare leêrs. “Mirroring”  is in kort dus `n tipe leêr sinkroniseringsproses waar die aktiewe spieëlwebwerf opdateer word sodra die oorspronklike webwerf verander.

Maar hoekom is dit nodig dat daar meer as een weergawes van dieselfde webwerf is? Enkele redes hiervoor is:

  1. Om die bestaande weergawe te bewaar, veral as dit gesluit is of gesluit gaan word.
  2. Sodat gebruikers vinniger inligting kan aflaai as dit plaaslik is. (`n Amerikaanse bediener kan byvoorbeeld `n spieëlbeeld hê in Japan sodat Japanese internetgebruikers vinniger data kan aflaai.)
  3. Toegang tot andersins onbereikbare inligting. (Google is byvoorbeeld verban in China in 2002 en `n spieëlwebwerf elgooG is daargestel om steeds toegang te gee.)
  4. Om ouer inligting te argiveer wat te duur word om te huisves op die hoofwebwerf.
  5. Om die lading in internetverkeer te verlig.

Voordat jy dus groot leêrs en sagteware aflaai vanaf `n internasionale webwerf en jou internetrekening opjaag, maak eers seker dat daar nie `n plaaslike weergawe is nie. Die volgende klompie webwerwe is teen geen onkoste beskikbaar vir jou:

`n Verskeidenheid sagteware is beskikbaar by http://support.sun.ac.za

MIT OpenCourse Ware: http://ocw.sun.ac.za

Mirror server vir linux: http://ftp.sun.ac.za

Mirror dienste gratis beskikbaar via TENET: http://www.mirror.ac.za

Bekendste linux distros is beskikbaar (Ubuntu,Debian, Fedora, Opensuse, Mandriva ens.)

Volledige Programeringstale mirrors is beskikbaar by:

CPAN (perl): http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/

CTAN (Tex/Latex): http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.dante.de/tex-archive/

Python: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.python.org/

Wiskundige tale:

SageMath: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/www.sagemath.org/

Scilab (http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/scilab/www.scilab.org/

R http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/cran.za.r

Octava http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/octave

Oopbron sagteware:

sourceware.org: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/sourceware.org/pub/

Gratis Officepakket:

LibreOffice: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/libreoffice/

OpenOffice: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/openoffice/

Aflaaibare antivirus opdaterings:

Mcafee: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.nai.com/

Symantec: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.symantec.com/public/

english_us_canada/antivirus_definitions/norton_antivirus/

Adobe Reader: http://ftp.sun.ac.za/ftp/pub/mirrors/ftp.adobe.com/

BRON:  www.wikipedia.org

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IT: Geared for the futureIT: Gerat vir die toekoms

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Until recently the common perception on campus has been that IT’s main responsibility is the maintenance and support of computers on campus. The people you call when your frustration levels have reached new heights and you have the urge to throw your pc out the window. Fortunately things are changing.

Previously two of IT’s departments, IT Technical Services (ITTS) and IT User Services (ITUS) functioned as two separate entities. However, to ensure that Information Technology stays at the forefront of technology and operates in line with the University’s key aims, the need arose to merge the two departments.

ITTS and ITUS will henceforth function as one department – IT Infrastructure and User Support. The main focus will primarily be Research and Development, Network Infrastructure and Telephone Systems and Hardware and Software Services and Support.

Zenobia Davidse, Hoof: IT Infrastruktuur en Gebruikersondersteuning The responsibility of managing the successful integration of services and continuous support on campus rests on the shoulders of Zenobia Davidse and her team of 26.

With the restructuring the range of focus will also be broadened and moved away from the traditional IT functions. Thanks to technology we can now look at differently at datastorage on clouds in stead of conventional storage on harddrives. More attention will be given to testing of new hardware and software, analysis of users’ technological needs, consultations and selfhelp guides for staff.

IT Infrastructure and User support will become your one stop for any enquiries on e-waste, phone issues, the installation of WAP’s, purchasing and much more.

To improve communication with the rest of campus, faculty representatives will be nominated to speed up problem solving within departments. The additional functions and specialist areas of the various members of the IT staff will also be introduced in Bits & Bytes from now on.

Tot onlangs was die afdeling Informasietegnologie se gesig op kampus hoofsaaklik slegs die van `n diensverskaffer. Die mense wat jy bel as jou rekenaar gekalf het en gemoedere hoog loop van frustrasie. Min mense weet egter presies wie of wat IT is en dat hulle meer doen as om te sorg dat jou rekenaar elke dag werk en jy jou email en internet kan kry.

Voorheen het twee van IT se afdelings, IT Tegniese Dienste (ITTD)en IT Gebruikersdienste (ITG), gefunksioneer as twee aparte eenhede. Om egter te verseker dat Informasietegnologie  in lyn met US-doelwitte en aan die voorpunt van nuwe tegnologie bly, is besluit op die integrasie van die twee afdelings.

Die vorige afdelings word een integrale afdeling wat bekend sal staan as  IT Infrastruktuur en Gebruikersondersteuning met die fokus op drie verskillende areas – Navorsing en Ontwikkeling, Netwerkinfrastruktuur en Telefoonstelsels en Apparatuur- en Programmatuurdienste en ondersteuning.

Zenobia Davidse, Hoof: IT Infrastruktuur en Gebruikersondersteuning Die groot verantwoordelikheid om die suksesvolle integrasie van dienste en voortdurende ondersteuning aan kampus te bestuur, rus op die skouers van Zenobia Davidse en haar span van 26 personeellede.

Met die herstrukturering sal wyer gefokus word op nuwe tegnologie en wegbeweeg word vir meer tradisionele IT-funksies. Daar sal, onder andere, anders gekyk moet word na datarugsteuning op kampus deur gebruik te maak van “cloud”-berging in plaas van rugsteuning op hardeskywe, toetsing van nuwe apparatuur en programmatuur,  analise en konsultasies van gebruikers se behoeftes ten opsigte van tegnologie, sowel as selfhelp-gidse vir personeel.

IT Infrastruktuur en Gebruikersondersteuning word dus die een-stop-plek vir e-waste, enige telefoonnavrae, installasies van WAP’s, aankope, bystanddienste en vele meer. 

In `n poging om kommunikasie met kampus te verbeter sal daar binnekort fakulteitsverteenwoordigers aangewys word wat probleemoplossing binne departemente sal bespoedig. Addisionele funksies en spesialisareas van die onderskeie personeellede word ook voortaan in Bits en Bytes bekendgestel.

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