III. Price College Network

A. Mission

A stable, secure and efficient operating environment is the corner stone upon which all computer applications in the College rely. The Price College of Business Network (PCB Network) links office workstations, computer lab workstations, and classrooms to each other and provides access to computer, communication and informational services both on and off campus.

B. PCB Network Technology Overview

The Price College computer network is housed, maintained and operated by the Center for Economic and Management Research. To meet the College computer networking demands, CEMR operates a total of 8 dedicated servers each with a different function.

PCB Network Servers and Functions

File Storage Server As the Primary File Server for Price College this server contains personal network drives, technical staff drives, and special network shares, (e.g. Faculty Evaluation folders, Strategic Planning folders). It also serves as the print server for faculty staff and holds the networks d primary file backup program.
Applications Server. Operates as the Colleges primary applications and hosts various network version software applications, is our on-site host for MSDN downloads, serves as a testing server for CEMR programming projects. It provides for the storage and restoration of Price Computer Lab images and helps to streamline the addition of new applications to the labs, the college maintains a "Ghost" Server.
Print Manager Server Operates printing service for all Price College Computer Lab printers.
Web Server This server hosts the Price College web site. It also acts as the Microsoft SQL server and hosts assorted databases.
ORIGINS Server Hosts both the ORIGINS, an online economic and demographic database system. Also hosts a variety of student organization sites.
Student Server Functions as a Price College student web server for student projects SQL server for student projects. It will also host automated computer hardware inventory software for the College.
Backup and Data Server Ensures security for faculty and staff data files by providing file backup and file restoration service to tape.
WIKI Server Linux based server which hosts Student Tech, Student Assistant and CEMR Programmer project
Test Server This server is used extensively by the MIS Division to test new web server development products.

C. PCB Network Support Services

PCB IT is responsible for the ongoing development, operation, and maintenance of the PCB Network.
Networking services include:

Ensuring network operating systems are current and patched
Plans, implements and maintains the IT for Price College
Coordinates with University IT on technology issues as they affect Price College
Develop and disseminate computer policy to faculty and staff
Maintaining backup and recovery protocols for all PCB servers
Troubleshoot server hardware problems
Creating and maintaining computer accounts for all PCB users

D. PCB Network File Storage

The PCB Network offers several centrally-maintained file storage locations to provide:

Temporary and permanent file storage
Document management
Increased data security
Automated back-ups and file recovery
Remote access of data files
File sharing across the network

All faculty and staff have the following drive mappings on their personal computer. Some Price faculty rights granting them access to other central file resources. If your access to shared files is not what it was or needs to be then contact Shawn Lam at sslam@ou.edu.

D.1. H:\\PCB-STORAGE\CBATRANS

This drive is for temporary file storage and document management and for transfers of large documents between computers. More permanent file storage needs can be addressed on an individual basis by submitting a request to the Help Desk.

To take full advantage of this directory, follow the steps listed below:

Create a directory underneath the H:\CBATRANS Directory and name it the same as your login name. Example: John Smith would create a directory called: H:\CBATRANS\JSMITH.
Place files there that you want other PCB members to see
Inform those members via email that the files are in the directory
Delete the files after receiving confirmation they have been copied, or direct the receiving member to delete them after copying is completed

At the end of each month a tape backup of the entire directory is produced. All files older than two (2) weeks will be deleted. Any directory in H:\CBATRANS that does the name of a Price College faculty, staff or graduate student will be deleted along with all files contained in the directory. Price College of Business IT Handbook

D.2. I:\\PCB-STORAGE\CLASSFILES

Place power point presentations, spreadsheets, and other electronic materials needed for classroom presentations and lectures in this directory

There are two methods to place and access files on the PCB Network from a classroom.

The first method utilizes the CLASSFILES NP (Non-Public) Directory located on the PCB Network. This method restricts student access from outside Price College but students are permitted access from any of the PCB Computer Labs. Students access files stored in this directory by going to H:\ClassFiles\ClassFilesNP.
The second method utilizes the CLASSFILES Directory. This directory is designed for remote access by students via the Internet. The address for this remote accessible directory is http://pcblabs.ou.ed/ClassFiles. Students can also access files stored in this directory from any of the PCB Computer labs by going to I:\ClassFiles\ClassFiles.

D.3. U:\\ PCB-STORAGE\HOME\User Name

This directory provides 4.0 GB of storage intended personal files, is backed up to tape on a bi-weekly basis and allows remote access. It may be accessed from Price College classrooms when users logon with an OUNetID and password rather than the generic Instructor logon.

Remote access to the U: drive is also possible and is accomplished through the OU VPN (Virtual Private Network). The OU VPN consists of dedicated hardware access point to the OU Network and uses client software running on your home computer. Use of the VPN requires the installation of client software on your computer.

D.3.1. Instructions for Installing OU VPN on Your Home Computer

Open your browser and go to http://itstore.ou.edu
Logon to the IT Store with your username and 4 X 4
Click "SOFTWARE"
Click "OU VPN"
On "OU VPN Client"page
- There are "Read Me"files and a "User Guide"
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page
- Choose OU VPN Client for your operating system.
The next screen is Download Manager
Click "Begin Download"
Save the file to your desktop
Install it and open the program
Make sure to connect to OU-Norman Campus
A second logon window appears.
- Type in Username: Sooner\4x4 (4 X 4 is your OUNet ID or "username" and your password.
This is the link to your u: drive \\pcb-storage\Home\4x4
Another password box will appear. Again, type in Sooner\4x4 as the username.
Your network drive should appear after login

D. 4. K:\\PCB-STORAGE\Group name

This central directory restricts access to a defined group of users. Only members of these groups are granted access.

D.5. S:\\PCB-CENTRAL\APPS

This directory archives common software applications available from the server.
Many faculty and staff have assigned rights to other central file resources. If your access to shared files is not what it was or needs to be, contact Shawn Lam at sslam@ou.edu.

E. New Price College Faculty and Staff

In order to take advantage of any OU computing resource including email, a new employee must first be assigned a personal OU UserID and then activate their OUNet account. Assignment of an OUNet ID is a prerequisite for connection access to the PCB Network.

E.1. OUNetID and Activating OUNet Account

The request for an OUNetID is best initiated by the new employee's respective departmental secretary or department head by simply contacting OU IT either by phone or email to request assignment of the new employee's UserID (also referred to as a 4 X 4).

Once the OUNetID is obtained, the next step is to activate the new employee's OUNet account.

To activate the account, follow these steps:

Go to http://account.ou.edu and click on "New Users: Activate your account here"
Enter your OUNet ID (also known as your "4+4") and your birth date ( MM/DD/YYYY)
Make sure you have entered a secondary email address as your recovery.
Answer five password questions (you will need to answer these questions if you forget your password in the future and need to reset the password)
Create a new password

OU IT recommends the following protocols be followed when creating and managing passwords:

Length of the Password
Use a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 32 characters

Complexity of the Password
Create passwords that consist of 3 of the 4 items listed below:

At least one upper case letter. (A - Z)
At least one lower case letter. (a - z)
At least one number. (0 - 9)
At least one special character. The following special characters are not allowed: Spaces @ ' ? +

Changing Password
Change your password every 180 days (6 months) to a new password

E.2. PCB Network Access

Upon receiving the OUNetID, the departmental representative next submits a request to the Help Desk. Upon receipt of this request, PCB IT will add this new member to the PCB Network and:

Add them to appropriate departmental network groups
Create a personal U: drive on the PCB Network for file storage
Add the new member to the PCB Help System and
Ensure a working EXCHANGE email account has been created

F. OU Faculty-Staff Web Server

There are two options for those Price College faculty and staff members who wish to publish personal web pages:

The first option is to publish them on the OU faculty-staff web server. Instructions on how to create web pages and publish them to this web server can be found at support.ou.edu. This site contains a number of resources to help you build web pages, including information on how to manage your web account and create, publish, and maintain web pages. OU is going to replace the existing web hosting server with portfolio.ou.edu. Please see section II, E, E.1. for the details.
A second option is to publish your personal web pages on the PCB- Web server. If you choose this option, follow the steps listed below:
- Submit a request to the Help Desk to have your web page "enabled".
- Once the site is enable, you will receive an email notification that the site is ready to be used
- The web address for your home page will be: http://pcbfaculty.ou.edu/loginname John Smith's web address would be: http://pcbfaculty.ou.edu/jsmith

Unfortunately, PCB IT does not have the necessary resources to create or edit personal web pages Price faculty and staff. We can, however, act as consultants to answer specific questions you might have.

G. Network Share Best Practices

PCB IT would like to stress the importance of redundancy. It is highly recommended to keep important files in a minimum of 2 locations. When working on a document that is on a shared drive please follow these steps when editing:

Copy the file to your computer (Desktop, Documents…)
Edit the file that is on your computer
Copy the modified file back to the network location and either save it as a new document or replace the existing document

Following these steps ensures the file is in at least 2 places as well as limiting the risk of file corruption.