News and Announcements - Columbia University Medical Center Information Technology

Exchange will now also automatically block positive matches of unencrypted PHI sourced from the CUMC Exchange server, and send an automated response from the Information Security Office explaining that the message was blocked and not delivered. It will also contain instructions on how to properly secure the email and remind them of permissible uses of PHI.

On April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will be ending support of Windows XP. This means that no security or other updates will be released. Continuing to use XP - or any other operating system or program that is not supported by its vendor - has a much greater risk of becoming infected with malware, and will be much less likely to be compatible with current technologies.

Network drive storage connected as "O" drives are in the process of being moved to newer, faster server storage. While moves will occur behind the scenes and most users will automatically connect to the new location for their drives, anyone manually mapping to an O drive should follow instructions found on the Mapping a Network Drive Path pages for Windows or Macintosh in the About Network Drives section of the CUMC IT website.

Issues with slowness connecting to O drives have been resolved, please contact us at 5-Help if you are still noticing a delay. Anyone who has Outlook Archive folders stored on O drive that experiences Outlook running slow or stalling can login to Web Outlook to use email as an immediate workaround.

Maintenance on SGBF equipment will begin at 1:00am and is expected to be over by 2:00am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 1:00am on Tuesday April 30th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

For more information please see:
Can I store my email folders (.pst files) on a network drive?
Should I work directly off of my network drive files?
Limits to using personal folders (.pst) files over LAN and WAN links on the Microsoft website

Maintenance on SGBF equipment will begin at 1:30am and is expected to be over by 5:30am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 1:30am on Friday April 12th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

IDXTerm Icon The system will not be available during this time; after the upgrade computers must have updated software installed to continue using IDXWeb. CUMC IT has been pushing the upgrades to managed computers, and CDIS contacted departmental IT staff to have work completed in advance.

Computers that have received the update will have the following IDXTerm 2.71 icon on their desktop (see picture to the right), and both of the following highlighted program versions installed when viewing the Windows computer's Control Panel - Programs - Programs and Features:

IDX Programs in Control Panel

FlowcastDesktopControls version 5.0005.0004
IDXWebFrameworkControls version 5.02.009

If you are not able to use IDX after April 6th or know that a computer still must be updated, please contact 5-Help for assistance. While this upgrade has been mandated by IDX, billing information will be required for CUMC IT to perform manual upgrades.

Exchange email related appliances that will be responsible for sending sensitive messages securely are being upgraded Saturday, April 6th, from 12am to 2am. Exchange mail flow is not expected to be affected during the upgrade.

This upgrade will let administrators transmit ProofPoint Protection Server log events to a centralized syslog host on the network. Also, it will allow administrators to define user roles with greater granularity.
Lastly, it will satisfy ProofPoint support recommendations for upgrading our appliances, in the event an incident arises.
Other specific features and benefits will be announced at a later date.

On Saturday March 9th CUMC IT changed the Exchange email address format from uni@mail.cumc.columbia.edu to uni@cumc.columbia.edu (the word "mail" is being removed from the address). No action is needed to continue using your Exchange email account, and messages sent to the longer address will still be routed and received. Outlook or other email clients configured for a CUMC IT Exchange account will not need to be updated, though new accounts should use the new @cumc.columbia.edu address when setting up an email client; our online instructions will reflect this. The shorter format is being implemented to provide an easier address for long term use of Exchange accounts.

Users accessing CROWN from computers on the CUMC campus can use the address http://crownportal.sis.nyp.org rather than ita.nyp.org. The old CROWN portal site at https://crownportal.columbia.edu site will be automatically redirected the new address of http://crownportal.sis.nyp.org. For computers located off campus, you can either log in to CROWN using ita.nyp.org OR first connect to VPN and use the new address.

As of server upgrades on March 8th, CROWN requires login using your CWID. If an error message is received that your credentials are incorrect when logging in with your CWID and password, it might be a password syncing issue. Go to pod.nyp.org and follow the directions to synchronize your password and then retry your log in to CROWN. If you still cannot log in after password synchronization, please call the NYP Service Desk at 4-Help (212-746-4357).

Maintenance on SGBF equipment will begin at 2am and is expected to be over by 3am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 2am on Friday March 22nd.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

Javelin Strategy and Research's 2013 Identity Fraud Report found that the US hit a 3 year high in identity fraud, with over $21 billion in estimated losses. New account fraud, where stolen information is used to open an account at a store or bank, was the largest area of growth.

Safeguarding personal and individual data by making sure that methods of storage and access are adequately secured is especially needed for those who deal with it as a regular business function. The Endpoint Security Campaign, Encryption requirements and help on Using Encryption connect the CUMC community to information and resources to protect data that could be used to commit identity fraud.

Additional information about the report and how to prevent identity fraud can be found at:

After server upgrades on the weekend of March 8th, CROWN now requires login using your CWID. If an error message is received that your credentials are incorrect when logging in to ita.nyp.org with your CWID and password, it might be a password syncing issue. Go to pod.nyp.org and follow the directions to synchronize your password and then retry your log in to ita.nyp.org. If you still cannot log in after password synchronization, please call the NYP Service Desk at 4-Help (212-746-4357).

A planned server upgrade is being performed by CROWN to maintain application integrity and improve performance. During this time users will be unable to use CROWN EHR for viewing, charting, scanning and iCharge.

After the upgrade the application will require using your CWID for login, please see the New CROWN Login Job Aid (Adobe Acrobat file) for details. For additional questions please contact 4-Help (212-746-4357).

From December 3rd to February 28th, free laptop encryption via the CUMC IT Service Desk on the 2nd floor of Hammer was offered. This period is now over, we appreciate the cooperation of those who participated. If you still require encryption assistance please contact us at 5-Help (212-305-4357), option 5. Normal support fees and requirements will apply.

Please see the Endpoint Security Campaign page for related information, FAQs, and additional initiatives including the hardware encrypted USB drive swap program.

CUMC email lists have changed the address format from @cumc.columbia.edu to @lists.cumc.columbia.edu. Listserv subscribers were notified of the change, however we wanted to remind the CUMC community that messages sent to a CUMC listserv will not go out successfully unless the recipient address ends in @lists.cumc.columbia.edu. If a message is sent to the old @cumc.columbia.edu format, the sender will receive a bounce back message with the subject Relay access denied and will need to re-send the message using the format @lists.cumc.columbia.edu. We apologize for any inconvenience, please contact us at 5-Help (212-305-4357), option 5 with any questions.

Microsoft's latest version of its operating system, Windows 8, will take some time to be fully tested for use with CUMC resources; due to this it is not yet supported. As will all newly released operating systems, we advise that anyone who uses their computer for academic, research or work purposes at the Medical Center not upgrade or purchase a system with the new OS installed.

We will post announcements and update the Operating System Compatibility and Support page on the CUMC IT website as testing with resources such as wireless, printing and other applications used at CUMC are completed. Please be sure to also check with your department, school, or IT support staff before upgrading or ordering a computer with Windows 8 installed to be sure that it will be compatible.

Maintenance on SBFG equipment will begin at midnight and is expected to be over by 1am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to midnight on Monday February 28th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

Multiple vulnerabilities in Java, a technical language that is very commonly used to run within a computer's web browser or in other applications, have been patched in the recent update released by Oracle (version 7 update 13). Security experts still recommend disabling Java if it is not needed, though it may cause issues with interactive websites and applications if they are needed for work, research or academic use.

CUMC IT Managed Computers will have received the update over the weekend of February 1st, if you are on a managed system and believe you haven't received the update or may have issues related to using Java please try rebooting your computer to allow the update to be fully applied.

To update or install Java manually you will need to have a login with Administrative Rights on your computer.

Windows computers should open their Control Panel (click the Start icon in the lower left corner of your main computer screen and select the Control Panel link), then type Java Control Panel in the upper right search field. Click on the Java icon that appears, select the Update tab and click the Update Now button in the lower right.
Macintosh computers can download the most recent version of Java for OS X by following instructions on Apple's page at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5648.

For more information on the update please see

CERT Vulnerability Note VU#858729: http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/858729
Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory - February 2012: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/javacpufeb2013-1841061.html

The Department of Homeland Security is warning that active exploits could allow for remote attacks, please be very cautious about clicking on HTML formatted links in unsolicited email or instant messages. Disabling Java on a computer is also recommended though it may cause issues with interactive websites and applications. Oracle released an emergency update to Java on Sunday that changes the default security level setting to High (prompting users to approve unsigned applet or web application is run), however the patch does not fix several critical security flaws.

Please do not visit any links included in unsolicited messages; simply visiting a website that has been crafted to take advantage of the flaws can allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable computer. Be especially wary of messages with unspecific text or that stress urgency in visiting a link. If you are unsure verify the information with the sender (call or type in their email address directly rather than replying to the original message) and type in known website addresses yourself rather than clicking on a formatted link, which may mask a different address. Malicious or hacked websites can use the vulnerabilities to run applications on the computer unbeknownst to the user and obtain data and confidential information.

Java is a technical language that is very commonly used to run within a computer's web browser or in other applications, and while the DHS is recommending disabling Java this may not be viable for everyone. It operates on Windows, Macintosh's OS X, and Linux; while version 7 has the recent vulnerabilities, earlier versions may be susceptible to exploits as well.

For more information please see:

The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team's Vulnerability Note about Java: http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/625617
Oracle's Java Update to Version 7 Update 11: http://java.com/en/download/java_update.jsp
Krebson Security's What You Need to Know About the Java Exploit: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/01/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-java-exploit/

To avoid wear well beyond the manufacturer's rated utilization on the color printers, students who have been receiving unlimited Pharos print quotas will be limited to 200 pages per semester on the color printers only. Unlimited printing will still apply on black and white Pharos printers for these students.

After the change on January 9th and at the beginning of each following semester these unlimited quotas will read 1000 pages, with 5 pages being deducted for each sheet printed from a color printer. No pages will be deducted from an unlimited quota when printing out on a black and white printer. We appreciate everyone's understanding with this adjustment that is being made to help avoid future issues on equipment that is shared by the CUMC community. Please see the full list of Pharos printers for the locations of the 17 black and white printers on campus.

Discounted flat rate repairs are now available for iDevices with broken screens and other major hardware issues via the outside vendor Superior Repair Services. Please see the iDevice Equipment page for full information including how to order a repair.
IMPORTANT: devices must be securely wiped of data first, review all instructions on the iDevice Equipment page before sending them to be repaired.

Maintenance on SBFG equipment will begin at midnight and is expected to be over by 8am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to midnight on Saturday December 8th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

Maintenance was performed on the CUMC email lists server Tuesday, November 27th to address issues with spam, if you received spam email messages from CUMC listservs after 7pm on the 27th, please forward the message to 5help@columbia.edu. CUMC email list messages end in lists.cumc.columbia.edu; a spam message would include unwanted content that is not related to the normal email list's topics. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to block all messages related to the recent spam attack.

Protect all PHONES, TABLETS, LAPTOPS, USB/REMOVABLE DEVICES by using ENCRYPTION and a Strong PASSWORD. The CUMC HIPAA Privacy Office and Information Security Office would like to remind you of your responsibilities for securing your mobile devices. Please remember that all mobile devices including PHONES, TABLETS, LAPTOPS, USB/REMOVABLE DRIVES, must be protected using encryption and a strong password.

If a device is lost or stolen, Federal regulations (The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) requires an evaluation of user emails, folders on servers and calendars to determine if Protected Health Information (PHI) was present, and potentially require reporting to the federal government as a breach. It is very important to ensure that every mobile device you use within the CUMC network is appropriately protected, REGARDLESS of the data that you work with.

Please review our Device Encryption information (PDF) for full details.

Echo Lecture Recordings that are available in CourseWorks can currently only be viewed on Windows computers using Internet Explorer web browser. There are known issues with Firefox on Windows that are being researched for a fix; in the meantime please be sure to use Internet Explorer when logging into CourseWorks if you would like to view a Lecture Recording.

Macintosh computers should be able to use any preferred web browser and don't seem to be affected by the issue.

Files and folders on some network drives will not be available beginning at 12am on Saturday, October 27th for up to 8 hours while required maintenance is performed. The specific network drives are:

SGBF003.mc.cumc.columbia.edu (all files and folders)
SGBF010.mc.cumc.columbia.edu (all files and folders)
SGBF001.mc.cumc.columbia.edu - only personal O drives for UNIs beginning with letters a through i

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions on the About Network Drives page under the Finding a Network Drive's Path links in the left navigation column.

Please close any files you may have open from the network drive(s), and be sure to close any Office programs including Outlook. If you are working directly on a file from a drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.

We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

For more information please see:

All requests to record lectures, presentations or other events in rooms with Echo recording capabilities must use the online form at:

http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/it/echo360

Requests must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance. For more information including a list of rooms and specific recording capabilities, Please see http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/it/a2learning/faculty.html#creating.

Maintenance on SBFG equipment will begin at 2am and expected to be over by 3am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 2am on Wednesday, October 17th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

We have received notification within CUMC that some users have been called by malicious "technical support" persons trying to get the user to connect their computer to logmein123.com. The malicious actor is pretending to be from Microsoft, calling to report that a computer has errors and corrupt anti-virus.

The service, logmein123.com, is a legitimate business service that is used to share your desktop with a separate person on the Internet. The malicious actor is using this mechanism to drop additional remote access software on a computer so that they can remote control, monitor and/or access the computer from the Internet.

If you suspect that you or any of your colleagues have fallen prey to this scam please contact the Information Security Office (security@mail.cumc.columbia.edu) immediately with the relevant information including the targeted person's name and UNI, and the computer's hostname, IP address and MAC address. Technical Support staff who manage any targeted computers should start the re-image process as soon as possible.

A security advisory for IT professionals announces that the use of RSA certificates that have keys that are less than 1024 bits long will be blocked. The update has been made available for download in advance of its planned release as part of the October 2012 Windows Updates in order to let System Administrators evaluate its impact. For full information see:

Maintenance on SBFG equipment will begin at 2am and expected to be over by 4am. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 2am on Sunday, September 16th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

Maintenance on SBFG equipment will begin at 6pm and expected to be over by midnight. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 6pm on Friday, September 7th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.

Mountain Lion, version 10.8 of the Macintosh operating system, has not been fully tested for use with CUMC resources. Symantec Endpoint Protection has not yet been certified to run under Mountain Lion. Symantec Version 12.1.2, set for release this Fall, will support it. As will all newly released operating systems, we advise that anyone who uses their computer for academic, research or work purposes at the Medical Center not upgrade or purchase a system with the new OS installed.

We will post announcements and update the Operating System Compatibility and Support page on the CUMC IT website as testing with resources such as wireless, printing and other applications used at CUMC are completed. Please be sure to also check with your department, school, or IT support staff before upgrading or ordering a computer with Mountain Lion installed to be sure that it will be compatible.

Due to issues with the Service Now help desk ticketing program, there may be delays in response time for reported incidents. Please contact us at 5-Help (212-305-4357), option 5, if you have not received timely follow up with a reported incident. Please note this is not affecting ticketed requests, such as Exchange Account creation or Dell Lease orders.

We have contacted the vendor and expect to have Service Now issues resolved soon. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Course and clerkship exams for the class of 2016 will be given on an electronic testing platform made by ExamSoft called SofTest. To be able to take exams on your personal laptop, it must meet the following requirements:

Windows
- Windows 8 is not compatible at this point, only English 32-bit Versions of Windows XP, 32-bit and 64-bit Versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 can be used
- The processor/CPU must be 2GHz Intel Core/Celeron or equivalent x86 processor
- RAM should be the highest recommended for the operating system, or 2GB
- The hard drive should be the highest recommended for the operating system, or have 1GB of free space
- Web browser must be Internet Explorer version 7.0 or later
- An Internet connection for SofTest Installation, Exam Download and Upload is required
- Screen Resolution must be 1024x768 or higher
- You must have Administrator level account permissions/login to the computer

Macintosh
- Operating system must be Mac 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or 10.7(Lion)
  Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) is not supported; 10.5.8 (Leopard) will not be supported in Fall 2012
  Mac Server versions or virtual operating systems are not compatible
- Processor/CPU must be an Intel processor
- RAM must be 2 GB
- Hard Drive must have 1 GB of free disk space
- an Internet connection for SofTest Installation, Exam Download and Upload is required
- You must have Administrator level account permissions/login to the computer

Please check back on the CUMC IT website for any updates regarding ExamSoft SofTest requirements. Medical Center schools will be emailing more information to students in August regarding downloading and installing this software onto your computer.

Some Columbia University applications will not be available including ARC, SSOL and CourseWorks while required construction work is done this Saturday, August 18th.

Many services will still be available including email, the Columbia website, and Library resources, however other IT services hosted in the Data Center must be taken offline.

Please see the full announcement at http://cuitalerts.columbia.edu/node/1733.

If you are not able to access a SharePoint site, please make sure you are using the updated link for your site. All SharePoint sites managed by CUMC IT now start with https://sps. instead of https://sp.

For example, instead of a site address being
https://sp.cumc.columbia.edu/cumc/mydept
it will have changed to
https://sps.cumc.columbia.edu/cumc/mydept

We notified SharePoint site owners prior to the change, if you are still not able to reach your site please contact the person in your department who manages the site or who originally gave you access.

For help in using the updated SharePoint 2010 interface, see Microsoft's online tutorial at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/make-the-switch-to-the-sharepoint-2010-user-interface-RZ101806469.aspx
The first two videos linked on this page provide a quick introduction. Please note that all of the features described in the presentation such as editing pages in web browsers may not be available to you based on your permissions on a particular site.

For specific questions or assistance please contact us at extension 5-Help (212-305-4357), option 5.

Scheduled maintenance on SGBF equipment must be performed. During this time resources stored on SGBF will be unavailable, this includes:

Files and folders stored on SGBF network drives. Please see below for assistance on checking whether your connected network drive(s) will be affected.
SharePoint sites provided by CUMC IT.
The ECHO system, used to record lectures, classes and events in campus classrooms and auditoriums.
Some CUMC websites.

Please make sure you have closed any files or programs that are open from these drives prior to 10:30pm on Saturday, August 4th.

To find out whether a network drive you connect to is affected, see instructions linked on the About Network Drives page.
Select the appropriate link under the Finding a Network Drive Path heading in the left of this page.
If the drive begins with SGBF and ends in .mc.cumc.columbia.edu, it will be unavailable while maintenance is performed.
To be sure you do not have any files open, please close any Office programs including Outlook before the scheduled maintenance begins. If you are working directly on a file from a SGBF drive, rather than having saved a copy of the file locally and having only the local copy open, the file can become corrupted when the drive is taken offline for maintenance.
We strongly advise against working directly on files stored on a network drive in general, since any disruption in connectivity can cause corruption. This includes issues that may occur on the computer itself as well as general campus or commercial internet provider interruptions.