24-Jan-2022

NoMachine Updates: Tuesday, 25-Jan-2022

Please save your work and log out of any NoMachine Virtual Desktops at the end of today, Monday 24-Jan-2022, to prepare for the following NoMachine updates:

• Starting at 4:00 AM on Tuesday, 25-Jan-2022, NoMachine Workstation and the NoMachine Terminal Server on lnx201 will be updated to the latest release. When this update occurs, all NoMachine Virtual Desktops will be deleted.
• Starting at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, 25-Jan-2022, NoMachine Enterprise Desktop servers running on CHESS station computers as well as our NoMachine Cloud Server (nomachine.classe.cornell.edu) will be updated. When this update occurs, remote connections will be interrupted.

Please submit a ServiceRequest with any questions or concerns.

OpenVPN Retirement: Monday, 28-Feb-2022

On Monday, 28-Feb-2022, we plan to shut down the legacy CLASSE VPN service, OpenVPN. At this point, CLASSE personnel should begin to use our new VPN, known as Pritunl. Instructions for using Pritunl from CLASSE-managed and personal computers are available at ClasseVPN. For enhanced security, our Pritunl deployment includes two-factor authentication via CLASSE Duo (see below).

CLASSE Duo: Two-Factor Authentication

In light of the increased threat posed by ransomware and account compromises, CLASSE is adopting the use of Duo two-factor authentication for enhanced security of web services and remote logins. CLASSE Duo operates very similarly to Cornell's Duo service, although a separate CLASSE registration is required. To enroll in CLASSE Duo, please see these instructions for our web-based management portal. CLASSE Duo is currently required for the new VPN (Pritunl), and we plan to enable it for additional services in the future, such as remote logins. If you have any questions or concerns about CLASSE Duo, please submit a ServiceRequest.

Microsoft Office 2021 Upgrade: Tuesday, 05-Apr-2022

On Tuesday, 05-Apr-2022, we are planning to upgrade Microsoft Office on CLASSE-managed Windows computers to Office 2021. This version of Office is backwards compatible with older versions. Please submit a ServiceRequest with any questions or concerns.

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General network and server maintenance will occur every Tuesday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM. The CLASSE-IT group will always announce any expected disruptions in our NewsLetter and via CLASSE-IT-NEWS-L, but with the size and complexity of our network there is always the potential for something to go wrong. We will do our best to contain all network maintenance and planned outages to Tuesdays from 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM.

Unless other arrangements have been made, CLASSE-managed Windows systems may be updated and rebooted on Tuesday morning at 2:00 AM, so please avoid critical or lengthy operations at that time. For more details, please see SystemExpectations.

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Questions or problems? Submit a service request.

Other resources:

• CLASSE-IT Home Page
• Previous newsletters

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