Veni Vidi Vista … I came, I saw … I supported! ResNet Symposium 2007 UC San Diego

Tufts University at a Glance Private University located on three campuses in Massachusetts: Medford, Boston and Grafton Our Primary Schools and Divisions include: Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences & Engineering Several graduate programs Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy Professional schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, & Veterinary Medicine In addition there are smaller schools, programs and institutes

Tufts University at a Glance By the numbers... Full-time enrollment: 8,832 Part-time enrollment: 850 Average SAT scores for undergraduate students entering Fall, verbal 703 math Total full and part-time faculty: 1,208 (plus clinical faculty) Total full and part-time skilled staff: 2,780

IT Support Organizations at Tufts University Information Technology (UIT) Central IT Organization Includes Tufts Online - ResNet / Student Support Information Technology Services (ITS) Medford Campus decentralized IT organization Office of Information Technology (OIT) Boston Campus decentralized IT organization Veterinary Information Technology Services (Vet ITS) Grafton Campus decentralized IT organization

Windows Vista Readiness Project Phase 1 – Software Distribution Plan November 2006 through March 2007 Develop full understanding of licensing and activation Test and create documentation on activation methods Prepare infrastructure for activation Develop and test custom clients

Windows Vista Readiness Project Phase 2 – Enterprise System Readiness March 2007 through June 2007 Compatibility testing Identify, report problems, and subsequently find resolutions or workarounds Test and implement Enterprise virus protection Address compatibility of WSUS servers with Vista Prepare Active Directory

Windows Vista Readiness Project Phase 3 - Department Specific Vista Testing June 2007 through September 2007 Shared responsibility among all decentralized support groups Gather data and test functionality of department/school specific applications UIT will collect data and distribute a matrix detailing compatibility and identifying vendor resources

Communication Elements Post Service announcement to all faculty & staff Vista Community Updates Windows Vista Wiki Tufts+Windows+Vista+Forum Vista Forum Elist

Microsoft Licensing In 2001 Tufts entered into a Microsoft Campus Agreement Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate are available through the campus agreement Vista Enterprise is volume licensed and most appropriate for business and educational environments UIT has determined that Vista Enterprise is the recommended client at Tufts Vista Ultimate will be made available for personnel who require enhanced media functions

Windows Vista Activation Windows Vista Enterprise is volume licensed and can be installed without a product key After 30 days the installation must be activated or it will enter Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) There are two different activation methods Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) and Key Management Services (KMS) UIT has determined that it is necessary to employ both activation methods in the Tufts environment

Activation Methods Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) MAKs operate like an XP product key Tufts has been provided with a finite number of MAK activations Microsoft records and tracks MAK activations This method is a one time activation with the exception of major hardware changes Disadvantage is that the MAK could be leaked and could trigger an audit by Microsoft

Activation Methods Key Management Services (KMS) Service run on a Microsoft Vista server within the university Activation is completed via a GPO in Active Directory or by manually defining the KMS server Service works like DHCP, clients renew their 180 day lease every time they are connected to the Tufts network Disadvantage is that the client needs to be connected to the Tufts network within 180 days in order to stay activated

Tufts Custom Vista Clients Custom Vista Enterprise Client Preferred client for use at Tufts Client installs Vista with the KMS settings preset to point to the Tufts KMS server This client will be activated by the Tufts KMS server and will continue to renew its activation as long as it is connected to the Tufts network Custom MAK Vista Enterprise Client Intended for standalone systems or systems that will be away from the Tufts network for more than 180 days MAK is embedded and encrypted to protect against leakage This client will be activated over the phone through the Microsoft Product Activation Center

Enterprise System Readiness Compatibility testing of Enterprise applications and services Standard Tufts Software Administration Tools Enterprise antivirus testing - Officescan 8 WSUS servers updated to distribute Microsoft Updates to Vista clients LAN login scripts updated to include a series of pop-up messages

UIT Training & Documentation UIT Training is community driven, scheduling of classes is largely determined by the preparedness of the IT Support community at Tufts Office 2007 & Vista training and documentation development are currently on a similar timeline

UIT Training & Documentation Office 2007 Training An Office 2007 class was offered for Frontline Support Providers (FSPs) in April with full attendance and a waiting list End user training is currently on hold pending requests from FSPs UIT Training is prepared to offer open enrollment classes or department specific classes as FSPs move their groups over to Office 2007 Office 2007 documentation has already been developed and is available to the IT Support Community

UIT Training & Documentation Windows Vista Training UIT Training intends to bring in a consultant to run FSP level training at the end of July The plan is to offer two sessions each consisting of four days These sessions will be in depth operating system training in order to fully familiarize the support community with Vista End user training for Vista will be offered to the Tufts community once the Support Advisory Team (SAT) deems it necessary End user training will be in a half-day format and demonstrate basic operating system functionality Vista documentation is currently underway and will be available once classes have been scheduled

Questions and Comments Discussion, humorous Vista stories, horror stories, requests, concerns, information to share …

Contact Information Kara Bilotta IT Client Services Specialist University Information Technology, Tufts University Evaluations: