Day to day activities

Adobe support for Flash Player ended on 31 December 2020.  Adobe have also blocked Flash content from running in the Player with effect from 12 January 2021.  Further information is available from Adobe, see https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html

As the software is no longer being updated, it needs to be removed from University computers to ensure that it does not pose a security threat.

Where possible, DTS will remove the software automatically but it is possible that we will need to remotely connect to computers to remove it.

Please note the following advice from Adobe in the web page above and do not install third-party Flash players:

IF I FIND FLASH PLAYER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON A THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE, SHOULD I USE IT?

No.  These versions of Flash Player are not authorised by Adobe. You should not use unauthorised versions of Flash Player.  Unauthorised downloads are a common source of malware and viruses.

If you use Flash content in your teaching, or have other requirements for Flash, please contact DTS via dts@reading.ac.uk.

PCs and laptops that have not connected to the University’s networks in over 3 months will be at risk of login issues.

We are aware of a number of devices across campus that are at risk of login issues due to time logged off the University’s network. This will apply to:

• PCs on campus that have been switched off for more than 3 months
• University laptops that have not connected to the VPN for more than 3 months, and have not accessed Eduroam for more than 3 months

You will see the error message “No Logon Servers Available” and will require a technician visit. Due to the numbers of our colleagues returning to campus over the next few months, we plan to contact individuals directly and arrange a bookable time for our User Support technicians to visit you and apply essential settings to your device.

If you expect to be on campus soon and believe your device belongs to the above categories, please let us know when you plan to return to site by emailing dts@reading.ac.uk and that you will require technician support.

On Tues 16 Feb, a change was made to the University’s email system so that email coming from outside the University now goes directly to Office 365.  This improves the availability of staff email – we have had a few instances where incoming email could not be delivered – and brings the benefit of additional malware checking from Microsoft.

Since the change, we have been made aware that some staff have had issues due to email being sent to “@rdg.ac.uk” instead of “@reading.ac.uk”.  The “@rdg.ac.uk” format addresses have been deprecated for many years and are no longer supported.  However, if you have a vital requirement for this format of address, please raise a TOPdesk ticket via the Self-Service Portal stating the details of this. Our team will investigate and liaise with you.

We have recently made an important change to the way Henley programme members access the varied cloud based resources and cloud authentication methods to the learning platforms and resources.

What are we doing?

Historically there has been two Office365 systems at the University of Reading. One for the bulk of the students at Reading (e.g undergraduates and postgrads on typical University of Reading courses) and one setup initially for the Henley programme members (traditionally taught at the Greenlands campus and for distance learning students).
Time has now come to merge these two systems into the primary system. This process involves:

1. Modifying your University Login Username(UPN/long form username): ab123456@live.henley.com (example)
2. Modifying your Primary Email Address (from address): smith@student.henley.ac.uk (example)
3. Move your existing Exchange Online Mailbox (including mail forwarding rules) and OneDrive content to the new system

Why are we doing this?

In order to provide secure access to the recently upgraded cloud based services (library resources, o365 apps),  it is technically not possible to continue under the previous setup. This change is necessary to enable us to deliver future integrations seamlessly along with maintaining account security in accordance with the University Security Policy.

How will it affect me?

The merging of the two systems brings many benefits to you, as well as the business a whole.

From the 1^st of March 2021 onwards,  there will 3 changes as described:

Please note:  On the first login you will be prompted to set up (MFA) Multifactor Authentication by following the on-screen prompts.  This is an important step in protecting your account against unauthorised access as a result of a security compromise.

On the plus side you will now have seamless access to the wider suite of Office 365 products, such as Teams, Forms, OneDrive & PowerApps and will no longer have to be invited as a ‘guest’ to access shared resources.

The single style of logging into resources such as Outlook, TopDesk self-service portal and Blackboard will make for a simpler experience.

Any technical questions, please email the IT Service Desk at dts@reading.ac.uk

Please be advised that we are carrying out some essential maintenance to the Eduroam WiFi service on Tuesday 2^nd March.

Due to the maintenance, users may be disconnected from the network at about 11:00 and will be asked to reconnect again. You may be asked to accept a new certificate to connect.

Many thanks for your patience whilst we carry out vital improvements to our systems and services.

As part of updating our services to better support remote working, all staff home drives (also known as N: drives) will move to OneDrive for Business.  Our aim is for all staff to have stopped using their home drive and have moved files to OneDrive for Business by 30 April 2021.

Note that we are not moving collaborative shares or students home drives at this stage. These will be migrated following successful completion of the staff home drives migration.

What do I need to do?

We know that many of you are using OneDrive for Business instead of your home drive. If this is you, you do not need to do anything further as you are already up and running with OneDrive for Business. Please ensure you have everything you need on OneDrive and empty your home drive by deleting any remaining files.

If you are still using your home drive, we would ask that you move your data to your OneDrive for Business using the following steps

1. Check you have got OneDrive for Business (Windows 10 users already have it installed, otherwise log in to office.com to access)
2. From today, start using OneDrive for Business instead of your home drive
3. Move your existing data from your home drive to OneDrive for Business. The advantage of moving your files yourself is you can choose what to move and when the move happens. Instructions (requires UoR login): Self Service Portal – Home drives (N: drives) move to OneDrive for Business

You may find it useful to review your data on your home drive and delete any unwanted, outdated or obsolete data before you move it across.

Here to help

We understand this is a disruptive change, and DTS are here to help you with it.

If you think you need to keep using your home drive, we need to speak with you to find a workable solution. Examples of this could be:

• where OneDrive is incompatible or problematic with applications required for university work (such as applications launched through Apps Anywhere, EndNote or Diet Plan).
• where a local sync is necessary for your applications to work (such as Case Complete)

To start this conversation, please complete the form (requires UoR login) Self Service Portal – Home Drive requirements form

If you are uncomfortable moving files to OneDrive for Business and would like help, please raise a ticket with the IT Service Desk (email dts@reading.ac.uk or visit uor.topdesk.net).

Important

If you don’t move your data yourself and we haven’t heard from you, DTS will move your data to your OneDrive for Business and delete it from the home drive server. This means your data will no longer be available on your home drive. Where it has been confirmed that someone is on extended leave, on maternity/paternity leave, or long-term sick leave, we will do the same.

Any questions, comments or concerns?

If you have any questions about the migration, please email the project team at UoR-HomeDrives-OneDrive@reading.ac.uk

To raise a ticket to ask for IT assistance from the IT Service Desk, please either email dts@reading.ac.uk or visit uor.topdesk.net

We are also developing a web hub page which will contain further information, FAQs, project progress etc. here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/digital-technology-services/service-catalogue/onedrive

MyID Login changes from 7^th January

The way you login to MyID (myid.reading.ac.uk) is changing to bring it in line with the way you access other systems, such as Office365.

From midday on Thursday 7^th January you will be prompted to login to MyID via a Microsoft screen. You should enter your login details in the format:

<username>@reading.ac.uk

(where <username> is your University username) followed by your password where prompted.

When accessing MyID from off campus you will also now be prompted for Multi Factor Authentication and for now will also still need to be connected to the VPN.

If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please email IT Service Desk.

Please note that we will be carrying out some essential maintenance and security updates on the University’s VPN service on Tuesday 12 January, between 1800-1900.

This essential work will mean that our VPN will be unavailable during this time. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and remember to save any work and log out prior to this change.

After the work has been completed, you will receive notification of an update from Pulse Secure on the next occasion you connect to the VPN.

Many thanks for your patience.

It has been an exceptional year at the University of Reading and whilst there have been many challenges, we are immensely proud of the work our teams have undertaken to ensure teaching, research and work can continue remotely and digitally.

We will be closing our IT Service Desk in the Library at 17:00 on Monday 21st December, and the IT Service Desk (via email, phone and Portal) will be closed from 18:00 on Monday 21st December. We will reopen our IT Service Desk (via email, phone and Portal) at 08:00 on Monday 4th January, and our IT Service Desk in the Library at 09:00. Please note that only booked appointments can be made for our IT Service Desk in the Library, to book please click here.

• During the closure period, our queues will not be monitored but you can continue to log any issues or queries via our IT Self Service Portal or by emailing dts@reading.ac.uk. We recommend checking the DTS website and the IT Self Service Portal for any advice during this time.
• For students, there is lots of information at our DTS Hub and the University’s Student Services blog and Essentials webpages.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing patience this year, we have had an unprecedented number of requests for help and our telephone lines have been incredibly busy. As we relax over the break, we’re excited about the work we hope to undertake in 2021 to improve the experience for our colleagues and community.

AppsAnywhere is now being extended to allow access to applications for non-Windows users.  Applications are being made available to Mac users, and the service will then be widened to support other devices such as Chromebooks.

Around 15 applications are currently open to Mac users, with work continuing to expand this list.

Mac users can see the available applications on the main page within AppsAnywhere.  (If a Windows user would like to see the applications available to Mac users, they should visit appsanywhere.reading.ac.uk, go to the “OS” tab and select OS X.)  Instructions for setting up and using AppsAnywhere on a Mac can be found in the DTS Knowledge Base here.

If you have questions please contact the IT Service Desk on dts@reading.ac.uk or using the IT Self Service Portal.