News Archives

Fall 2021 IT Support Updates

August 27, 2021

UBCO IT is looking forward to being back on campus to help Staff and Faculty with their technology needs as they return to campus or continue to teach or work remotely. To help you get ready for the new semester, we’ve gathered the following information about the IT support and services available for our return to campus and 2021 fall start-up this September.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have that we can help with. Wishing everyone a safe return.

Topics:

  1. IT Support
    1. IT Service Centre Hours
    2. New IT Service Centre Virtual Line
    3. IT Support Team Delays
    4. Return to Campus IT Support Page & Workstation Reconnects
    5. Having IT Issues?
  2. UBCO IT Updates
    1. IT Equipment Delays
    2. Computer Replacement Program – Accepting New Requests Only
    3. UBCO Studios Service Hub in the Commons – Extended Hours
  3. General UBC IT Updates
    1. Reconnecting to Campus Wifi
    2. FASmail 90 Day Retention (Deleted, Junk & RSS folders only) – Coming Oct. 4
    3. Reminder: UBC Workspace End of Life October 29, 2021
  4. Teaching & Learning
    1. Student Computer Labs, Printing & Study Room Booking now use CWL

IT Support

IT Service Centre Hours

Our IT Service Centre help desk window is officially open to walk-up traffic as of Sept 7th from 8 am to 4 pm Monday – Friday.

Phone support is available from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday-Friday by calling 250.807.9000.

Online support is available via the UBC Self-Service Portal.

New IT Service Centre Virtual Line – Coming Soon

Hate waiting in line to get IT help? Now you don’t have to! Join UBCO IT’s virtual line for the IT Service Centre starting in September and get notified by text message when you’re next in line.

Join by text, online or at the kiosk near the Service Desk. Stay tuned for more details…

IT Support Team Delays

Please note that our Deskside, Telephone (Voice Services) and Audio Visual support teams are extremely busy right now. We appreciate your patience as they work through the current backlog of requests and prioritize support based on teaching and learning followed by new faculty and staff needs.

Return to Campus IT Support Page & Workstation Reconnects

Planning to return to work on campus this fall? To help manage demand, UBCO IT and Research Computing are offering online bookings for office and lab reconnections.

Book your appointment and access other IT support on our Return to Campus webpage HERE including:

  • Recommended equipment
  • Tips for working remotely
  • Cybersecurity best practices

Having IT Issues?

Bookmark the IT Status Page to stay aware of any scheduled or unexpected outages that may impact applications you use during your work day.

UBCO IT Updates

IT Equipment Delays

We continue to see significant delays in ordering equipment that meets our operating needs (3+ months).  We request your patience and ask you to reach out with your equipment needs as soon as possible as we try to procure and install equipment in as timely a process as possible.  We are taking steps to pre-stock in-demand items to reduce wait times.

Hardware or software purchased directly by staff and faculty from retailers may not perform well in a UBC setting and our support team may not be able to support these devices due to lack of enterprise support features, warranty limitations, or application licensing issues when purchased by individuals.

Computer Replacement Program – Accepting New Requests Only

We are currently processing requests for new hires only at this time based on the high number of new roles hired this summer and fall. Outstanding CRP renewal requests will be re-evaluated in October based on available funding.  Priority will be given to those in Teaching and Learning/Support roles and based on the age of equipment and computing requirements of the position.

UBCO Studios Service Hub in the Commons – Extended Hours

UBC Studios equipment lending is back and with increased hours! New hours are 9 am to 4 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Equipment lending services will be closed on Wednesday unless an appointment has been previously scheduled.

To reserve your equipment*, go to https://ubcstudios.ok.ubc.ca/do-it-yourself/equipment-lending/ then come to the Commons Service Hub in COM 204 to pick up your gear. For any questions, feel free to email ubcstudios.ok@ubc.ca.

Booking equipment online in advance is highly recommended as the service hub may be occasionally closed to accommodate filming and other departmental obligations, and media specialists may not be available at all times for drop-in support.

General UBC IT Updates

Reconnecting to Campus Wifi

Many people have not been on campus for an extended period of time, and likely have updated their CWL password during that time (CWL is required to be reset every year). You may need to update your password on your devices (laptop, phone, tablet) to connect to UBCSecure wifi when first on campus.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to connect to the ubcsecure Wireless Network using AutoConnect.

FASmail 90 Day Retention (Deleted, Junk & RSS folders only) – October 4

Starting October 4, 2021, a 90-day automated data retention schedule will be implemented to items in the Deleted items, Junk Mail and RSS Feeds folders for UBC Faculty and Staff Email (FASmail). This is being implemented in compliance with UBC Records Management policies and requirements.

This data retention schedule will affect all faculty, staff and student employees at both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses who use FASmail. It will ONLY affect items stored in the Deleted items, Junk Mail and RSS Feeds.

Actions to Take

  • Review folders that will be impacted by the 90-day schedule once implemented.
  • Move messages and links that are meant for long-term inbox storage out of the Deleted items, Junk Mail and RSS Feeds
  • Review and update any automated rules that you may have set up that affect the Deleted items, Junk Mail and RSS Feeds default transitory folders.

Reminder: UBC Workspace End of Life October 29, 2021

Faculty and staff who currently use Workspace 2.0 (files.workspace.ubc.ca) as a storage solution need to migrate all of their files off of the service and onto another UBC supported storage service before October 29, 2021. The file sharing service, Workspace 2.0, is end-of-life and will be decommissioned on October 29, 2021. To ensure that data you have stored on this service is not lost, please migrate your files to the data storage solution appropriate to the content of the file being migrated.

Teaching & Learning

Student Computer Labs, Printing & Study Room Booking now use CWL

To reduce the number of accounts and logins students require to access campus services, starting September 1, students will no longer need a Novell username/password to access computers in the library or instructional computer labs, printing or to book study room bookings. These services will all be updated to use CWL logins and passwords instead of Novell.

Students will login using their CWL credentials with “.stu” added at the end (e.g. cwl.stu).

If you have course material that references student Novell login, please update it with new information available here: https://it.ok.ubc.ca/student-login

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Students to use CWL authentication for Library and Labs

August 26, 2021

UBC IT Okanagan is working to reduce the number of accounts and logins students require to access campus services. Starting August 30, students will no longer use a Novell username/password to access computers in the library or instructional computer labs. Instead, students will use their CWL based authentication. Student Printing and the Study Room Booking System will also be updated to use CWL authentication. For more information, please visit it.ok.ubc.ca/student-login

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Behind the Scenes with UBC IT’s Network Team

August 25, 2021

This article was published on Wed, 08/25/2021 - 09:30
This month marks the start of our #readyforcampusreturn series, which sheds light on the incredible IT teams who are working behind the scenes to support UBC's transition back to campus. Thank you to our amazing staff, who are adapting to meet UBC's connectivity needs as we prepare to welcome everyone back this fall.

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A 90-day data retention schedule for FASmail default transitory folders is coming October 4, 2021

August 16, 2021

This article was published on Mon, 08/16/2021 - 16:29

Starting October 4, 2021, a 90-day automated data retention schedule will be implemented at UBC to default transitory folders in the enterprise email service UBC Faculty and Staff Email (FASmail) in compliance with UBC Records Management policies and requirements.

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UBC Studios is ready to welcome you back

August 16, 2021

This article was published on Mon, 08/16/2021 - 09:37
Welcome to our #ReadyforCampusReturn series!

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And that’s a wrap – 2021 ARC Research Computing Bootcamp a success!

July 26, 2021

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EML Workshop: Introduction to Machine Learning

July 9, 2021

Submitted by moore28 on Fri, 07/09/2021 - 14:23

 

You are invited to join Dr. Matt Yedlin, Faculty in Residence, Applied Science and Machine Learning, for this first-of-its-kind event offered through the UBC Emerging Media Lab (EML). This workshop will present the languages of machine learning in an intuitive way. Jupyter notebooks will be used to incorporate computer code, visualizations and descriptive text. No coding background is required.

Location and times:

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UBCO Employee IT Onboarding & Offboarding Forms

July 5, 2021

Do you have new staff starting or staff leaving? Need IT equipment, phones or printing accounts for new staff? Have you requested the cancellation of phone lines or Zoom accounts for staff who have transferred departments or left UBC?

Did you know that UBCO employees have unique accounts and equipment that aren’t coordinated via Workday? We’ve created two simple forms to help manage the IT needs of staff joining or leaving UBC Okanagan.

New Employees

Administrators looking to set-up IT services for individuals that are new to UBC or new to the department, can use the Okanagan - Employee IT Onboarding form in the UBC Self-Service Portal.

Applies to: Contractors / Researchers / Faculty / Staff / Student Employees

Purpose: This is a one-stop form with the ability to request accounts, phone services and IT equipment.

This Okanagan - Employee IT onboarding request is for additional items a new hire might need like:

  • Novell account for print and network access.
  • Computer Equipment like CRP, Loaner, Research Gear etc…
  • Voice services items (e.g. telephone, long distance pins)
  • Zoom Account
  • Departmental website access or departmental staff listing update

NOTE: The form cannot be submitted until the new employee has been processed through Workday and they have completed the Simplified CWL sign up process sent to them by HR AND have a UBC FASmail account.

If you need to order equipment (4-6 weeks in advance is recommended) please submit an Order New Hardware ticket in the Self-Service Portal to get this started before a CWL is issued.

For more details on the hiring process in Workday and known CWL and FASmail creation delays click HERE.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UBCO ONBOARDING HERE

Leaving or Transferring Employees

Administrators looking to discontinue IT services for individuals that are leaving UBC or transferring to another department, can use the Okanagan - Employee IT Offboarding form in the  UBC Self-Service Portal.

Applies to: Contractors / Researchers / Faculty / Staff / Student Employees

Purpose: This form completes the IT accounts and access termination process for Okanagan based employees. It is required IN ADDITION to the  Termination BP in Workday. This form initiates the disconnection of Okanagan accounts, phone services and IT equipment which is not currently triggered via the Workday termination process, including:

  • UBCO Novell account for print and network access
  • Voice services items (e.g. telephone, long distance pins)
  • Zoom accounts
  • UBCO website or application access
  • Returning UBC funded computer equipment including  Computer Replacement Program (CRP) and loaner equipment

NOTE: Account Extension: If some accounts need to remain active after the official termination date, this will need to be activated within the Termination Business Process in Workday by requesting a Grace Period.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UBCO OFFBOARDING HERE

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2021 ARC Research Computing Bootcamp

June 28, 2021

Submitted by moore28 on Mon, 06/28/2021 - 13:17

UBC Advanced Research Computing (ARC) is hosting a 3-day Research Computing Bootcamp from Monday, July 12 – Wednesday, July 14 2021. This virtual training program will feature beginner and intermediate level courses on GNU/Linux, HPC, Cloud Computing and more. Additionally, ARC is hosting a DRI Open House and taking questions regarding the use of UBC ARC Sockeye and UBC ARC Chinook. 

Note: The interactive sessions are now full.

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UBC Forms Retiring Fall 2021

June 18, 2021

UBC IT Okanagan will be retiring the UBC Forms service by the end of this year. Existing forms will be disabled by September 1, 2021 and the site turned off completely by December 1, 2021.

If you no longer need your form(s), please unpublish them and ensure you have kept any data required.

If you need to recreate forms or develop new ones, we recommend using Qualtrics. More details on using Qualtrics including on-demand training and other support can be found on the UBC IT Survey Tool page.

If you have any concern with this timing, or questions about alternative options or actions required, please contact the Web and Applications Team or submit a ticket via the UBC Self-Service Portal (Get Help -> Issue: Website).

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