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Nexus Updates and Icon Redesign: Enhancements in Computing and Security

This report presents recent changes within the Nexus Computing team, introducing Bruce Campbell as the Manager of Science Computing and Ray White's new IST position in Engineering Computing. A new icon/logo has been selected based on faculty input, designed to function across multiple formats. It emphasizes the core theme of "nexus" as a connection. Additionally, the report addresses new security measures, slow login solutions, and recent developments in workstation management services and permissions following a Christmas break-in incident.

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Nexus Updates and Icon Redesign: Enhancements in Computing and Security

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  1. WNAG: Advisory Report Presented to: UCIST by: Stephen Sempson

  2. Nexus Changes • Engineering • Bruce Campbell has left Engineering Computing to become the Manager of Science Computing • IST • Ray White is now officially with Engineering Computing • this is an IST position shuffle

  3. Nexus Icon/Logo • the branding effect is good • need to move on to a new icon • the icon has to work in 3 formats • this makes it quite challenging to design

  4. Nexus Icon/Logo • large icon - which can be more elaborate, suitable for splash screens, manual covers, etc. • small icon - 32 x 32 pixels x 16 colours, for desktop icons • tiny icon - 16 x 16 pixels x 16 colours, for upper left hand corner icon of apps

  5. Nexus Icon/Logo • suggestion for a logo that should fit all the requirements • go back to the definition of nexus • a means of connection; a link or tie • a connected series or group • the core or centre

  6. Nexus Icon/Logo • a new icon/logo has been selected • based on an earlier attempt to solicit suggestions/designs • a review of all input, with the final design can be found at • http://www.freebsd.uwaterloo.ca/twiki/bin/view/Nexus/NewIcon

  7. Nexus Icon/Logo • this icon has been voted/recommended to be the new icon/logo for use

  8. Nexus Office Computers • more than 50% (conservative) of all faculty-based machines are still unmanaged • there maybe thousands of computers which may move to managed systems • Nexus is frequently and inaccurately thought of only the student network

  9. Nexus Office Computers • to move towards a managed workstation • Faculty has control in the managed system • users can keep control over their system • have different levels of managed control over the workstation

  10. Nexus Office Computers • basically 4 different models: • the very secure and locked down student lab workstation • the fully managed office workstation • the security managed office workstation • the portable devices

  11. Nexus Office Computers • all 4 models have the following managed services in common: • Antivirus • Windows Updates • very strict firewall using Internet Protocol Security (IPSec). • this allows protection to users, within their environment, where office users can be local administrators who can administer their machine

  12. Nexus Schema Change • small nexus schema change • added the field: nexusWksAdministrator • this is being used to deal with distributed management

  13. Nexus Schema Change • moving forward in our plan to implement the new security model, there are two big steps that need to be accomplished • all Group Policies (GPOs) to be moved to the ownership of the people who should own them • all workstations permissions to the people selected by department to have write access • both of these are now possible and are being implemented

  14. WINS Flaw • Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) • provides a distributed database for registering and querying dynamic computer name-to-IP address mapping in a routed network environment • a flaw in Windows server software could allow remote attacks to launched against systems • disabled the WINS server for NEXUS domain

  15. Nexus Break-in • there was a break-in into nexus over the Christmas holidays • various special utilities notification prevented the attacker from going further • the attacker had prior knowledge of two administrator passwords • this person had done significant legwork in advance, much of it in December

  16. Nexus Slow Logins • created a feature whereby the user can elect at login time whether to load the profile or not • if the user enters a dash before the userid (e.g. -erick2) then we revert to a local profile on the workstation. • for the duration of the session, the user has his usual N: drive, but the profile used is what would be given if the user was logging in for the first time

  17. Nexus Slow Logins • this local profile option should give approximately constant login delays (because less network i/o is required). • the exact time will depend on the locally installed software, because each application will add its part to the profile

  18. Nexus Slow Logins • when the user logs off, this temporary profile is not copied back to the network. • it still sits on the hard disk, and is eventually erased. • the user's personal profile is untouched

  19. Nexus Slow Logins the end result • a university-wide solution to this problem • this difficult issue was solved in a very short time, and in a very professional manner

  20. Nexus moving to XP • time to phase out Windows 2000

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