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eCommunicator is a quarterly newsletter about technology tools, services, and support at Northwestern University.

In the Queue

NU Validate: Coming Soon

NUIT will roll out Northwestern’s new identity management system, called NU Validate, to the University this summer. Information Systems Architecture (ISA) and Technology Support Services (TSS) are in the process of evaluating existing SNAP pages and current business processes for NetID management and are developing new, more streamlined Web pages for NetID administrators.

In preparation for the transition from SNAP to NU Validate, NUIT will be hosting a NU Validate First Look Demo Session in late May for NetID administrators to get a preview of the new Web interface.  A proposed rollout plan for schools and departments will also be discussed.

The entire University community will see phased changes over the summer. Look for more information on the What’s New and Changing section of the NUIT Web site about the roll out schedule and new service in the coming weeks.

Expanding the Northwestern Wireless Network

Student Affairs is working with NUIT this summer to equip all residence halls with wireless access before the beginning of the academic year. The new wireless access will supplement the standard network connection so students can connect to the Internet and the NU Network wirelessly from every room in their residence hall as well as common areas. The new access points will utilize the upgraded 802.11n wireless standards, increasing network security, as well as, Internet browsing and download speeds.  Students will still have the option to connect to the NU Network via an Internet cable when their needs require a more robust connection, such as accessing NUTV.

Students will continue to log onto the "Northwestern" Service Set Identifiers (SSID) wireless network to take advantage of the expanded coverage.

NUIT Telecommunications and Network Systems (TNS) plans to continue expanding wireless coverage to many of the public areas of the University, including a new guest access feature, following the completion of the residence hall project this summer.

In-Building Cellular Service Upgrade

Also this summer, Students Affairs is collaborating with NUIT to expand cellular coverage in residence halls to accommodate students who use a cellular phone as their primary contact point. Student Affairs has also asked for the expanded coverage because students are depending more on new phones, such as the iPhone, to surf the Web and check e-mail accounts.

Telecommunication and Network Services (TNS) technicians plan to upgrade the following buildings over the summer:

Emergency Devices in Residence Halls

Telecommunication and Network Services (TNS) technicians will install emergency devices in residence hall common areas this summer. The emergency devices will be similar to the "blue light" emergency phones located on campus. Once the devices are installed, students can request emergency services by pushing a single button and speaking to an emergency operator through a speaker phone.

Look for more information on the What’s New and Changing section of the NUIT Web site this summer.

VoIP Update

Recently, faculty and staff received new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones at the Medill School of Journalism, the NU School of Continuing Studies (210 S. Clark) on the Chicago Campus, as well as the Rebecca Crown Center on the Evanston Campus. Telecommunication and Network Services (TNS) is currently testing the VoIP phones features, such as three-way calling, call forwarding, transferring calls, and caller ID on the NU Network.

TNS is also testing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) infrastructure that will facilitate VoIP service to both campuses. SIP is an industry standard infrastructure in multimedia communications. Testing of the SIP infrastructure is scheduled to be completed in by the end of spring quarter.