2006 Annual Report

Academic Computing
& Network Services
A 50th birthday affects people differently – for some it is a reason to celebrate,
for others it can be traumatic. Whatever the effect, it is definitely a milestone
and a great opportunity to both reflect on the past and look toward the future.
As ACNS reached 50 years in 2006, we took time to celebrate our heritage and
to consider the impact that information technology has had on our lives. At the
same time, we worked diligently to renew our approach to IT service delivery
with an eye toward providing even higher quality computing and networking
services in the years ahead.

We anticipated that the year would stretch us in new directions and that a new
approach could face skepticism. New methods, processes, and procedures
would challenge the traditional ways we did things. Despite any reservations,
however, we forged ahead with the implementation of ITIL® – Information
Technology Infrastructure Library. We’ve made good progress but much work
remains; an ITIL-compliant service culture is not created overnight.

In addition to our ITIL initiative, we experienced significant organizational change.

Driven in large part by the retirement of long-time assistant director, Bob Wittick,
we reorganized into three main divisions. Richard Moore was named associate
director overseeing Academic Computing Services while Scott Thomas and Mike
Bosko were promoted to assistant directors managing Support Services and Net-
work Services, respectively. One new team was formed (Identity Management)
while another completed its journey (Outreach Systems). We also created three
new task forces (Administrative, Emergency Management, and Security).

Renovations to the Computer Center building continued. A complete overhaul

of the electrical system in our datacenter was completed. Portable generators
can now be deployed with short notice to insure the availability of core
computing services during an emergency. New furnishings and workstations
were installed in certain office areas and signage throughout the building has
been updated. Vending machines were moved out of the first floor hallway to
facilitate walk-in Help Desk traffic and aesthetic improvements were made to
building entrances.

Since introducing MSU’s first digital computer some 50 years ago, ACNS has
provided the campus with platforms for learning and innovation. We have
outlined an aggressive strategy for growth and reliability of services in 2007 and,
as we rise to the challenge of building on the successes of those who preceded
us, our core values – Excellence, Integrity, Service, and Teamwork – will hold
particular importance in guiding our steps.

Tom Davis
Director
integrity
In 2006, Academic Computing and Network Services continued to provide new
technological solutions to advance research, teaching, and learning at MSU.

Our High Performance Computing Center improved the computational

environment for MSU researchers by installing 18TB of home directory space
and doubling the memory and processors of the SGI server. HPCC also installed
a Lustre file system to cope with clusters of tens of thousands of nodes with
petabytes of storage capacity, without compromising speed or security.

Network Storage and Printing worked closely with MSU Admissions to facilitate
wireless printing during academic orientations and partnered with Administra-
tive Information Services to upgrade storage solutions by deploying an IBM
DS4800 SAN. We facilitated web-based printing services by integrating Spartan
Cash with Netprint.msu.edu.

A security task force was formed to advance information security policy devel-
opment activities, serve as a central point of administration for information
security programs, and provide a coordinated and measured response to
information security incidents. Additionally, our network security team Installed
9 new intrusion prevention systems and 25 new firewalls to protect departments
and services on campus.

MSUNet Wireless was added to the south campus farm areas at a fraction of
anticipated costs for conventional methods.

ACNS continues to enhance the university’s e-mail system, mail.msu.edu,

especially in the area of spam reduction. Last year, we designed and deployed
PinPrint, an application used by MSU Human Resources to print PIN letters during
new hire orientations.

MSU’s primary course management system, ANGEL, continued to support the

collaborative learning needs of faculty and students with 99.9% average
uptime. ACNS Instructional Systems Team Leader, Mike Buchanon, was
recognized for his dedication and vision toward exemplary ANGEL implementa-
tion by receiving the inaugural
ANGEL Impact Award.
Integrity: Integrity is integral
to everything we do. We function in a
respectful, ethical, and honest manner.
Alice Kalush, Al Winters, Andy Keen,
Anne Hunt, Barb Spousta,
Betty Walther, Bob Kildee,
Brian Martinez, Catherine Zhang,
Charles Cloutier, Christina Drewyor,
Dave Beaudoin, Dave Knoester,
Dave Mulder, Davin Granroth,
Dean Franklin, Deb Forcier,
Debbie Malcangi, Debbie Whitelock,
Diana Gover, Diann Cook,
Doug Nelson, Dush Fernando,
Ed Kryda, Ed Symanzik, Eric Holp,
Faye Hardin, Fred Zhang,
Garrett Garcia, George Haddad,
Heather Goldsby, Hung Nguyen,
Jaime Gonzalez, Jane Benke,
Janice Parnell, Jason Coleman,
Jeff Daniels, Jeff Goeke-Smith,
Jeffery Bissonette, Jeff Piper,
Jeff Quinn, Jeff Utter,
Jerry McAllister, Jessica Knott,
Jim Green, Jim Murphy,
Joe Besko, Joe Budzyn,
Joel Walser, John Callaghan,
John Hayes, Josh Escobedo,
Joyce Miller, Katherine Ball,
Kathy Smith, Kathy Stuut,
teamwork
Reliance on information technology for university-critical data and
services increased in 2006. ACNS sharpened its focus on service
continuity with plans, procedures, and technical measures to
recover IT services following an emergency or disruption. Noteworthy
examples of our commitment to protect irreplaceable data
came from our emergency management task force (EMTF). EMTF
orchestrated a disaster recovery planning conference where staff
members gained a better understanding of terms and resources
available. Electrical upgrades were made and generator capability
installed in the Computer Center machine room to insure the
availability of core computing services during an emergency.
An Avian flu committee was formed to prepare for this potential
pandemic.
ACNS celebrated 50 years of Computing at MSU. The pioneers who
built and used MSU’s first computer shared our history as part of a
panel discussion. We held an open house in the Computer Center
with historical displays and partnered with the MSU Museum to
launch an exhibit depicting 50 years of computing. Information
was captured in a 50 years of computing brochure and website,
computing.msu.edu/50years.
The acns.msu.edu website underwent noticeable improvements
over the past year. Navigation has significantly improved with
content now accessible to a greater number of users.
We introduced two new important services to the MSU commu-
nity—Ruckus and Gartner. Ruckus is an interactive media-based
community for students to legally download music and movies.
Gartner research tools provide MSU students, faculty, and staff
timely, objective real-world examples on information technology.
In concert with University Relations, we redesigned MSU’s web page,
www.msu.edu, and created a dedicated website for MSU’s 2006
accreditation with The Graduate School and Office of Planning and
Budgets.
EZproxy service was implemented to simplify remote access to
electronic resources at MSU Libraries.
 Kevin Grattan, Kelly Robertson

Ken Frechen, Ken Josenhans, Kevin Holtz,

Cross functional task forces met last year to provide better Kim Dyer, Kim Geyer, Kyoko Melton,
coordination across the department and to provide input to the
Senior Leadership Team. They were: Leslie Kissinger-Houang, Lih-Er Wey,
• Administrative Lilia Kim, Linda Barrows,
• Communications
• Computer Lab Linea Nicholls, Lisa Besko, Liz Weber,
• Emergency Management
• Machine Room Margaret King, Mark Moallemian,
• Security Matt Holtz, Matt Kolb, Maury Koffman,
We began to integrate identity management with the Mel Micke, Mike Zakhem,
new enterprise business system and managing sensitive
data initiatives in partnership with the Client Advocacy Office. Michelle Carlson, Michelle Strickler,

Mike Bosko, Mike Buchanon, Mike Lang,

Under our partnership with Housing and Food Services, we took
proactive measures to test and correct more than 20,000 Monica Baker, Nancy Spitzley,
residence hall network connections. Network upgrades and new
installations were made in the Natural Sciences Building, IM West, Nancy Stark, Patrick Homminga,
Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture, and the Spartan
Paul Sweitzer, Peter Chen,
Stadium expansion.
Raman Padmanabhan, Randy Hall,
The number of off-campus network connections grew; Ingham
Regional Medical Center, Radiology, and Sparrow Hospital were Randy Fotiu, Rich Wiggins, Richard Ivans,
added to MSUNet. Michigan Medical PC (Radiology) in Grand
Richard Moore, Robert Kerr, Ron Rivard,
Rapids was added to MichNet.
Rose Cooper, Ryan Simmons,
During the summer, ACNS provided technology when MSU hosted
more than 8,500 Boy Scouts and youth leaders as part of the an- Sandy Brasington, Sarah Payok,
nual National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).
Scott Thomas, Sean Driksna, Sean Leahy,
The MSU Computer Store formed a partnership with MSU’s Alumni Sean O’Malley, Sherri Kleinhardt,
Association to offer discounts on computer hardware to associa-
tion members. Shirl Rowley, Silvia Calanchi,

Steve Anderson, Steve Devine,

Michigan State University students now enjoy an updated
computer lab Sue Weesner, Susan North,
at the Union, a
central gathering Teamwork: We believe teamwork is vital. Tammy Brakora, Tim Boyd, Tim Childs,
place on We strive for high levels of cooperation,
campus. Tom Davis, Tom Peters,
coordination, and communication with
Tony Beyers, Trevor Barnes
people and organizations.
February 2007 staff list
service
ACNS continued to focus on process and support improvements by centralizing
Help Desk functions. A unified support center provides system users with easy
and immediate assistance. The ACNS Help Desk now serves as the single point of
contact for information and incident resolution within our department.

Scoring Office satisfaction survey and High Performance Computing Center fol-
low up calls revealed exceptional results.

MSUNet Wireless continues to grow on campus. Last year we added 252 access
points including the addition of wireless technology to collaborative meeting
areas in the MSU Union.

150 internal and external web sites administered

459 people received ANGEL training
217 TechBase articles contributed and updated
472 computers upgraded in computer labs
731 total wireless access points in 88 buildings across campus
946 network maintenance responses
1,788 computers maintained in computer and instructional labs
2,101 personal computer repairs
5,188 enrollments in LCTTP courses
8,195 network upgrades and installations
19,665 tape back-ups
22,565 sections in ANGEL
38,258 hours of instruction in computer labs
45,325 help desk consultations
91,000 computers networked in 136 buildings
147,689 MSU e-mail accounts
296,133 subscribers to 723 LISTSERVS
1,722,183 average network intrustions blocked per day
1,178,708 forms, tests, and quizzes scanned
6,364,320 pages printed in computer labs
11,769,688 virus-laden messages rejected
21,481,700 ANGEL sessions
236,868,630 SPAM messages marked
1,714,505,760 e-mail messages with mail.msu.edu
28,640,248,000 billion operations performed on HPCC systems

Service: We are committed to providing

services which best meet the changing
needs of the university.
excellence
The accomplishments highlighted in this report speak to our commitment to all
of our stakeholders, namely the students, faculty, and staff of Michigan State
University. We have been actively building a foundation to serve the long-term
needs of the campus community. Operational processes, management disci-
pline, and a dedicated group of employees contribute to our ability to deliver
the highest value.

We will continue to invest in the people behind our services. Through training,
conferences, and sharing of expertise, ACNS staff will stand ready to address
university objectives. Developing and following best practices under ITIL will
influence the quality of services we deliver. And we look forward to another year
of collaboration and communication as we integrate new technology into the
learning environment.

Much of what ACNS does is “invisible.” Our contributions are not always seen or
touched, but they are present every day. When faculty teach students online,
the network is behind it. When researchers explore new paradigms, the high
performance computer center enables larger, broader and more complex
computation. Just as people expect water to flow from a drinking fountain, they
anticipate computers will just work. People may not know plans for disaster re-
covery exist, but in the event of an emergency they are glad they do. Next year,
our disaster recovery plan will include a reciprocating storage system with Penn
State, additional improvements to the Computer Center machine room, and a
centralized back-up system to ensure mission-critical services are available when
needed.

In 2007, we will invest additional resources to increase our ability to respond to

today’s rapidly changing environment including:
• intensifying measures to fight spam,
• implementing a single sign-on system for authentication
• Upgrading the MSUNet backbone to 10Gb per second

The discontinuation of dial-up services will usher in new and advanced systems
including podcasting, server and application virtualization, Tripwire security, and
secure guest and staff access to MSU resources.

In all we do, we foster a culture

of Excellence, Integrity, Service,
and Teamwork in providing
high-quality computing and
networking services.
Excellence: Our goal is to excel in all our
endeavors because we realize that high
quality work will lead to
satisfied customers and employees.
Academic Computing Services
Classroom Technical Services Academic Computing
Information Systems
Instructional Systems
& Network Services
Computer Repair
Scoring Office Mission
To provide high quality computing and networking services in support of
the scholarship and work-related activities of the university community.
Support Services
ACNS Help Desk
Datacenter Operations
Communications and Training
MSU Computer Store
Special Projects
Systems Integration

Network Services
E-Mail Systems
Identity Management
Network Engineering
Network Management
Network Security
Network Storage and Printing

acns.msu.edu
© 2007 Michigan State University Board of Trustees.