The Behind the Scenes lectures were formed to give members of the Planning and Information Resources Division an outlet to share their work with the University. The presentations are designed to give the general community a look into the technical workings of programs and services they use on a daily basis. In addition, it gives members of the University the ability to interact directly with the technical minds of the Division in an informal setting.

The lectures are scheduled for the second Thursday of the month from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. In addition to the talk, there will be time for informal questions and answers. Refreshments will be provided.

An RSVP to Karyn Kuzmak at kuzmakk2@scranton.edu is preferred but not required.

Upcoming Lectures:

Fall 2008

September 11, DeNaples 405

John Culkin, Systems Administrator, and Robert Klem, Programmer Analyst, Systems and Software Resources

Networking for Everyone

Since we all use computers and the internet, networking is something that affects us all. This lecture aims to provide brief comprehensible answers to common networking questions in a way that most people will understand. The subject matter should be relevant to anyone who uses a computer network at home or at work. At the end of this lecture, the audience should feel more comfortable explaining simple networking concepts to novices and better equipped to form advanced questions for experts. Security will be addressed throughout the presentation.

Topics will include:
1. How do I connect to a network?
2. What Is the first thing I need to do once I am on a network?
3. How can I send data on a network?
4. How can I use network data to get things done?
 

November 13, DeNaples 405

The IR Division Portal Team

Keys to the Kingdom

Topics to include:
•  Enhancements made to the Portal
•  Features that users may not know are out there
•  Roles – What controls the portal content?
•  Future Plans of the Team
 

Past Lectures:
Spring 2008

March 13, DeNaples 406

Dallas Wisehaupt, Senior Systems Administrator, Systems and Software Resources

Following the Journey of an Email Message from Send to Get Mail

Email is one of the most heavily used tools in the University today. Well over 50,000 messages are successfully transferred every day to users of the University mail system. Each message has to traverse through a selection of servers and face a myriad of checks before eventually being delivered. This talk will give insight into the email architecture at the University. It will also show the processes that are in place to help ensure that valid email messages are delivered while spam and unsolicited bulk mail do not inundate University members.
 

May 8th, DeNaples 406

Calvin Krzywiec, Network Engineer, Office of Network Resources, and
Anthony Maszeroski, Information Security Manager, Planning and Information Management

Designing a university network for high availability, converged services, and security.

As educational and business resources become increasingly dependent on technology, the stability and integrity of the campus network becomes an integral part of the University's infrastructure. This lecture will describe the current network upgrade project and how the new model achieves the design goals of high availability, converged services support, and security. We will discuss how university networks differ from most corporate networks and how the network design goals addresses these issues.