October 2001
Volume 5, Issue 1

Inside this Issue...

Social Science Computing Laboratory
Faculty of Social Science
Room 1228, Social Science Centre
The University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2

E-mail: ssts@uwo.ca
Web: www.ssc.uwo.ca/ssnds
Phone: 519 661-2152
Managing Editor: Ramona Fudge

SSC Network Update

New Trend Anti-Virus Software

Heather Stevens

Western’s contract with McAfee expires on November 1st. As a result, we have moved to a new anti-virus package offered by Trend Micro. The product was thoroughly researched and we are confident that it will provide us with excellent virus protection. You will be supplied with OfficeScan for your SSC Network computer free of charge.

If you have not already installed OfficeScan by October 9th, then you will be prompted to do so when you boot up your computer. During the installation, McAfee will be de-installed automatically. Updates to the software and virus pattern files are deployed to your desktop automatically via the network as they become available. OfficeScan will notify administrators if virus activity is detected, thereby alerting us to potential virus outbreaks.

All of the servers on the SSC Network are also running the new Trend anti-virus software. Files stored on your H: drive are automatically scanned for infected files. If a file cannot be disinfected it is sent to a quarantine area on the server and removed from your H: drive.

By running Trend software on the UWO e-mail server, ITS will block any known viruses, as well as executable programs in e-mail attachments, before you receive them. If an attachment has been blocked from your e-mail, you will receive a message from ITS with the details. If the blocked attachment is legitimate, you can get around this by asking the sender to rename the file with an “.xxx” extension before sending it.

The home version of the Trend software is known as PC-cillin and can be purchased for $7 from the Campus Computer Store. It is very easy to install and detects when an update is available, prompting to download the update. Since PC-cillin is intended for home use, we advise you not to install it on your SSC Network computer.

Trend does not have any products for Apple MacIntosh PC’s, therefore a number of individual copies of McAfee's Virex product were purchased for University systems. Because of the license agreements, Mac users will need to de-install their existing McAfee Virex software and re-install the new software that is provided. Please contact ITS for more information about obtaining a licensed copy of Virex for your MacIntosh.

The University's existing license agreement for McAfee's VirusScan and Virex software expires on November 1, 2001. McAfee must be removed from all corporate, research, home, and residence computers by November 1.