ITS Knowledge Base

Before installing Sophos, please uninstall any anti-virus or virus-update software packages from your computer. Go to Control Panel->Add and Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Uninstall a Program (Vista) for removal.

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Sophos Anti-Virus for Linux (requires kernel version 2.4+, 2.6+)

Sophos Ant-Virus Engine Version: 6.4.3
Threat Detection Data: 4.35E

Release Date: 2008-11-03
File Size: 4,038,903 bytes
MD5 sum: 69f29025bb367de2ddce6ff032d7816b

WARNING!
This package is licensed for current students, faculty, and staff of Southwestern University. Redistribution or other unauthorized use is prohibited. Package contents are maintained by Information Technology Services.

Installation Instructions:

1. Uninstall Old Anti-Virus First: You should manually uninstall any anti-virus software currently on your machine before you begin the installation of Sophos Anti-Virus.
2. Install: Follow the instructions below for installation.
   1. Download: Save this file (Sophos Installer (Linux) - 2008-11-03.tgz) to your desktop or another location you’ll remember easily.
   2. Extract: Double-click the file to open it with Archive Manager, File Roller, or similar GUI. Extract the subdirectory sophos-av to the same location where you downloaded the archive file. Alternatively, you can run the command tar -zxvf Sophos\ Installer\ \(Linux\)\ -\ 2008-11-03.tgz to un-tar the file. (Remember, you can hit Tab after typing the first few letters of the filename to auto-complete the rest.)
   3. Run Install Script: Launch a terminal window (if one is not already open). Navigate to the directory where you extracted the contents of the archive in the previous step (for instance, cd /home/username/Desktop). Run the installation script as root (sudo ./sophos-av/install.sh). This will download engine binaries and virus definitions. It might take some time, especially on a slow connection. If you receive any errors during the downloading process, simply re-run the script.
3. Completion: For Linux, the administrative interface is accessed through a local web server. From any web browser on the machine, navigate to http://localhost:8081/ to view this interface. It will tell you the current status of the engine. (If you are running a web server on port 8081 already, contact ITS and we will recompile the package with a custom port number.) By default, the login username and password for the web interface are both sophos.

   The installer needs the source for the currently-installed kernel in order to build the on-access kernel module. This can usually be found in the software repository of your distribution as kernel-source or similar. (You may also download the source from http://www.kernel.org/, but it is safer to use the package from your distribution’s software repository.) The kernel module may not compile correctly for your distribution. It has been verified to compile in Ubuntu 8.04 x86, but not openSuSE 11.0 x86_64, for instance. Contact ITS if you would like assistance in building the kernel module.

4. If You Need Help: Call x7333 (512.819.7333), e-mail helpdesk@southwestern.edu, or add a help ticket at http://helpdesk.southwestern.edu/.

Before installing Sophos, please uninstall any previous anti-virus software (such as Virex) that you may have installed on your computer. (more…)

If you have replied to an e-mail that you suspect is a scam, and you sent your SU username and password in the reply, change your password immediately. You can do this yourself at http://www.southwestern.edu/password/. Alternatively, you can call the SU Help Desk (x7333, hours 8AM-5PM M-F) or come by ITS with your SU ID.

Be cautious when you receive an e-mail asking you to reply with any type of personal information, including (but not limited to) a username or password. While the appearance of the e-mail may at first glance look legitimate, take the time to inspect it closer. You may find numerous misspelled words, awkward language, references to services that do not exist, or other little things that seem out of the ordinary.

You should always question the provenance and authenticity of such e-mails. Please note, however, that simply receiving a scam e-mail is not typically enough to compromise personal information. If you are unsure if an e-mail is legitimate, call the SU Help Desk or come by ITS with any questions. (more…)

There are a number of different things that may have gone wrong in your installation. First, download a fresh copy from the Knowledge Base (maybe unnecessary, but it never hurts just in case the download was corrupted). If you are concerned about the authenticity of the file you downloaded, use a freeware utility like MD5sums to check the MD5 checksum of the file against that posted in the article.

When you run the executable, it will unzip to %SystemRoot%\Sophos_Installer_<YYYY-MM-DD>. Before you do anything else, make sure that all anti-virus programs (McAfee, Norton/Symantec, and Sophos) are completely removed. Check the Add/Remove Programs (in Vista, this is now called Programs and Features) listing in Control Panel. Then, reboot and execute the setup file with no other programs running. You don’t necessarily have to disable background programs or services, but foreground programs like Firefox or Word can disrupt the installation process.

If Sophos successfully installs itself, it will put two entries in the Add/Remove Programs list: Sophos Antivirus and Sophos Autoupdate. If you find that it did not install again, check to see which, if any, of these components was installed. If you still can’t fully install everything, but you do see the blue shield in the notification area (next to the clock), right-click on it and choose Configure updating. Select the Logging tab and click the View Log File button. This file will describe what sorts of things are going wrong when you are downloading updates, which is the source of the vast majority of Sophos problems. Contact the Helpdesk if you are still unable to successfully install Sophos on your machine.

The latest version of Microsoft Office for Windows, Office 2007, introduces a new file format that will not open with previous versions of Office. This new file format is the default setting for saving new documents in Office 2007. Files stored in the new format look the same except you may see a different extension appended at the end of the file. For example, a Word file name may show docx instead of doc at the end of the file name. When you attempt to open an Office 2007 Word docx file in an older version of Office on Windows XP, you will receive a message containing “This file was created by a newer version of Microsoft Word. Do you want to download a compatibility pack so that you can work this this file?” On a Macintosh, the Convert File window will appear.

ITS has assembled information on how to download, install, and use the “Compatibility Pack for Windows XP” for Windows XP and the “Office Open XML Converter” for Macintosh. Click on the links below to view or print these documentation files.

Office 2007 and Previous Versions of Office for XP

Office 2007 Files and Office 2004 for Mac

After you have installed the software, it is recommended you delete the file you downloaded to free up your storage space.

There are various ways you can edit the content of an existing website of an organization or department. Two tools that are in use at Southwestern are NVU and Dreamweaver. NVU is an open-source application that runs on both Macs and PCs and can be downloaded from http://nvudev.com/download.php Dreamweaver is a commercial product from Adobe the runs on both Macs and PCs and the educational price is around $190 at the time of this posting.

In the world of web site creation, the term “publish” is used when you want the world to be able to view your website from a brower. When you are working on your website files, changing the content and saving your work does not necessarily mean that the changes are “on your site”. Most web site design and creation software, such as NVU and Dreamweaver, publish your web site content using a protocol called ftp and need to know the location where to publish the files. ITS has created two documents to help you setup NVU and Dreamweaver to use ftp to publish your web site files.

Site Setup in NVU

Site Setup in Dreamweaver

To connect to the SECURE Pirate Wireless Network you will need to adjust some settings on your laptop.The settings will only need to be done once, and then you will be able to connect to the wireless network anywhere it exists on campus. NOTE: The residential hall (Apogee) wireless network is not considered part of the Pirate network.

• The instructions for Windows XP wireless users are at this link.
• The instructions for Windows Vista wireless users are at this link.
• The instructions for Macintosh 10.4 wireless users are at this link.
• The instructions for Macintosh 10.5 (Leopard)wireless users are at this link.
• A map of the wireless coverage can be found here.

Accessing the Helios file server - Windows XP

Download and install FileZilla, http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/

1. Open FileZilla for Windows
2. Fill in the following in the QuickConnect bar at the top:
   • Address: ftp.southwestern.edu
   • User: (your username)
   • Password: (your password)
   • Port: (leave blank)
3. Once connected, you can choose the folder you want to view or edit. The public_html folder on the remote system, for instance, contains files for your personal website, if you have one.
4. Locate the folder or files you want to transfer by changing the directory path on the local system side of the window. For example, if the files you want to transfer are located on the desktop of the local machine, you will navigate to c:/Document and Settings//Desktop.
5. Drag the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy to/from Helios.

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Accessing the Helios file server - Mac OS X

Download and install Fetch, http://www.fetchsoftworks.com/

1. Open Fetch for Macintosh
2. Fill in the following:
   • Host: ftp.southwestern.edu
   • UserID: (your username)
     
   • Password: (your password)
3. Click OK.
4. Once connected, you can choose the folder you want to view or edit. The public_html folder on the remote system, for instance, contains files for your personal website, if you have one.
5. Drag the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy to/from Helios.

The wireless network pirate, used by students, faculty and staff for access to the Internet and secure access to the campus intranet, is not compatible with the wireless authentication built into the 1st generation iPhone. Pirate is configured to use 802.1x authentication via PEAP, and the iPhone does not currently support PEAP.

There is an open, publicly accessible network on campus named su-public, but its coverage is restricted to the Smith Library Center, 1st floor and the McCombs Campus Center, 1st floor. The iPhone can connect to this network with no configuration necessary.

Two Firefox extensions can be substituted for Endnote that I found in an article and copied info below.

Scrapbook link to Scrapbook (or Alternate link if the other link is too long)

Zotero “What works even better is Zotero, a free Firefox extension that makes it easy to collect, manage, and cite your research sources. You can compare it to EndNote, a frequently used program to create research bibliographies, but Zotero is free and works within your browser. Not only can you create notes from webpages, save their location and export them in a formatted bibliography style it also works nicely with Google Books and Google Scholar!” Link to Zotero

BibMe: Another Web-based Bibliography tool

BibMe is a new web-based bibliography tool created as a software development project at Carnegie-Mellon. Unlike CiteULike and Zotero, two other powerful web-based bibliography tools that seem aimed at scholarly researchers, this tool seems geared primarily toward students. It strips down the bibliography process to simply typing in search terms. All one needs to do is type in a search term under the appropriate category, and a list of possible sources appears. Clicking on an option automatically generates a bibliography entry. Entries may also be manually entered if the source is not contained in the database. The tool lacks the social aspects of CiteULike, where one can peruse other users’ libraries or browse through tags, but it does have a suggested reading feature where similar sources appear under the bibliography entries. Sadly, the bibliography can only be exported to Rich Text Format, and I didn’t see an import option so that existing citations could be uploaded. It does seem like an interesting tool and probably useful for students.

If the PDF was created as a form you can edit it in ‘Preview’. Simply open the application folder, double click on Preview, open the PDF form, choose Text Tool from the Tools menu. Then click a field and type in your info. If the field doesn’t highlight in blue, the PDF isn’t a form that you can fill out.

If you need to edit PDF’s that are not forms you might try this free tool: Skim - Read & Edit PDF Files http://www.coolosxapps.net/2007/04/03/skim-read-edit-pdf-files/

PC USERS ONLY

The new McAFee Virus DAT file is labeled 5004. Please download and install.

The Mailman mailing list manager provides options that control the format and delivery of messages sent to a mailing list. For example, messages can be received individually, when sent, or can be received periodically in “digest” form. Follow these steps to change Mailman options.

1. Find the mailing list to be modified in the list of lists found at http://www.southwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/ and click on it.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the next screen, to the section labeled Subscribers.
3. Enter your e-mail address in the last text box on the page and click the Unsubscribe or edit options button.
4. Enter your password for the mailing list that you are attempting to modify and click on Login. If you do not know the password, click on the Remind button near the bottom of the screen and your list password will be immediately e-mailed to you.You will now see a screen through which you can unsubscribe from the list, see a list of all your subscriptions, and change list options.
5. To change list options, scroll down to the Options section of the page and select appropriate settings. For example, click the On button in the Set Digest Mode section to receive a digested (aggregated) form of the list postings.
6. Make sure to click on Submit My Changes on the bottom of the screen otherwise your changes will not take effect.

You may have made changes to the default identity within the Mail Options in Webmail. Here’s how to fix it:

1. From within WebMail, click the “Options” icon at the top.
2. In the “General Options” column, click “Personal Information”
3. The “From” and “Reply-To” fields should have your full email address (not just your username). Edit those fields as needed and click “Save Options” at the bottom of the page.

You should be set. Send yourself a test message after you make these changes to ensure it works.