VPN-DSL Bundled Service

Lower monthly costs for internet access? Can it be true? YES!! BellSouth has introduced a bundled VPN-DSL service. For our 128 and 64K users, this means faster access with lower monthly costs. The original VPN-DSL service was made of separate components, meaning that the line charge was one line item, the router lease another, monitoring another. With the new VPN-DSL Bundled Service we now only have one line item but includes the same services, which in turn lowered our costs.

VPN-DSL service is still distance sensitive and therefore before a site can switch their service from Frame to VPN-DSL we need to verify that it qualifies. In order to do this we will need some information, such as address of site, telephone number (must be a BellSouth telephone line) for the service to run on, a contact person and phone number. Once we have that information, we can contact BellSouth and verify if the site qualifies. Not all sites will qualify for this service.

If the site does qualify for the service, BellSouth begins the paperwork, installation dates are scheduled and the sites are contacted to be sure that the technology contact is available at that time and on that day in case the BellSouth technician has any questions. Once the installation dates have been set, a BellSouth technician will visit the site, install the new router and will test the service to be sure it is working properly prior to leaving the site. If a site uses their fax line for the VPN-DSL Service, please have the BellSouth technician check your fax machine to be sure that it is still working properly.

The ideal telephone line to use would be the line closest to the computer lab. (Again, this service is distance sensitive.) The new router will be configured for the current ip address that is being used, so there are no configuration changes to be made. Once the installation has been completed, you can begin using it immediately.

The lower monthly cost will go into affect once the frame relay circuit has been disconnected by BellSouth. Internet Services will contact the site the week after the service has been installed to be sure that it is working properly prior to disconnecting the frame. If no issues are apparent, we would prefer to have the frame disconnected within two weeks of the installation of new services.

BellSouth monitors the bundled service and lines 24/7 so if any problems occur, BellSouth can begin troubleshooting immediately.

There maybe times when the customer will need to contact BellSouth directly to continue testing to isolate the problem, in cases like that, Internet Services will contact the site and give them a ticket number and the 1-800 number to BellSouth. Most problems are handled and resolved through Internet Services, with few exceptions.

For more information on the services we provide, please feel free to contact our office anytime from 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 504 596-3064.

Summer Vacations
Routers and Equipment

Please remember not to unplug or disable the routers while school is out for the summer as it will set the alarms off at the BellSouth Central Office. If maintenance is being performed in the labs and BellSouth’s equipment (router, modem, etc) will be affected, please report it to our office as soon as possible (preferably prior to beginning the work) so that we can inform BellSouth of the work that is being done. Over the summer months BellSouth still monitors all of our lines & equipment. For more information, please contact Internet Services at 504 596-3064.

Internet Resources Committee Meeting

The topics that were discussed at the recent meetings include bundled VPN-DSL service, parish option, SPAM Guard, 9 meg pipe to internet, firewall and filter concerns.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans now has the opportunity to offer our schools a bundled VPN-DSL service that will lower than their current monthly costs. Yes, you read that right….your monthly costs will be decreasing even more. This is a new service, which works the same as the initial VPN-DSL service, the difference being that one is bundled (including monitoring, lease, etc.) as the other one was in pieces (line costs, monitoring costs, lease costs, etc.) Currently those schools that have switched their service over to the VPN-DSL were paying $323.00 per month, that figure has decreased to $200.00 per month. Who do we think will benefit the most from this service? Those sites that utilize a 128 or 64k line speed. The internet will move a lot faster and will be more cost efficient. For those interested, please contact our office as soon as possible. We will need the address to your location and a telephone number that the VPN-DSL service can run. (Most are using their fax lines.) We than contact BellSouth to confirm if your site qualifies for this service. For more details contact our office. If you contact our office prior to July 1, 2004, you will receive the lower price discount, however, after July 1, we can’t guarantee that the monthly cost will remain at $200.00.

Parish Option: The Archdiocese is currently seeking a service for the parishes that would allow them to be protected by the firewall and site filter and be cost efficient. This item is still being discussed.

9 Meg Pipe to Internet: The pipe that carries our traffic to the internet was recently upgraded from 6 to 9 megs. This increase has helped the traffic move much faster than before. The need to increase that pipe came when the 6 meg pipe was peaking out during working hours and users were competing for bandwidth.

The VPN-DSL pipe will also be increased due to the number of sites switching over to the new service.

Firewall/Site Filter: Recently the Archdiocese experienced downloading problems that affected the entire network. We are ecstatic to report that the issue has been resolved.

The site filter was discussed and how the attempts have dropped immensely and when users attempt to go to objectionable sites and we see their attempts on the firewall, the site is immediately blocked (if it wasn’t already) and more sites are searched for. The site filter is an ongoing discussion amongst the committee members.

E-Rate Reminder

The Archdiocese of New Orleans will be filing the second Form 472 to obtain the rest of our funds that were approved for the basic telephone services. Please be sure to submit your BELLSOUTH telephone bills no later than July 30th. The two pages I am seeking include the first page with the total amount due. The second, should show a breakdown of costs, usually the second page, sometimes the third. If you are not sure PLEASE feel free to contact our office at isd@archdiocese-no.org or by calling 504 596-3064.

SPAM GUARD

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is proud to present SPAM GUARD!!

This is a new service that the Archdiocese implemented for the growing need of our users. Each user with an email account will have a SPAM GUARD account that they can login and release false positives or view the emails that were identified as SPAM. Those that have been identified as SPAM will automatically be deleted after 14 days. (Unless you want to release an email, there is no need to login to delete those messages.)

Many users have noticed a dramatic drop in the amount of emails that are received that are objectionable and vulgar.

To give you an idea of what we are dealing with when it comes to SPAM here are some statistics.

In one day the Archdiocese received 19,800 emails and 12,000 were identified as SPAM. In one month the Archdiocese received 666,000 emails with 105,000 identified as SPAM.

For questions or additional information on SPAM, please feel free to contact our office at isd@archdiocese-no.org or by calling 504 596-3064.

Broderbund & Broadcasting PC's

As you know our network is saturated with misconfigured pc’s and an array of different spy wares. This constant barrage of network activity caused by these nuisances is forcing us to do something about it. Our director has sent out emails concerning the Broderbund software on our network, if you have received one please handle the situation promptly. If you do not know how to handle the situation, please contact us and we will take care of the issue for a fee. This type of constant network activity not only slows down your Local Area Network, but it also has a negative affect on the Archdiocesan Wide Area Network. Spyware is called that because it compromises your privacy and bandwidth.

The solutions to these problems can be different depending on the spyware installed. Some of the most popular spyware can be uninstalled in the add/remove programs applet inside the control panel. You might be saying “which one of these is spyware?” well this can be the hard part. If you see any software in the add/remove programs that you do not recognize, type the name into google.com and I’m sure you will get some information on the software. If you are having trouble, contact us and we will assist. Please find step-by-step instructions on removing Gator:

	Single-click the Start Menu, mouse over Settings, and then single-click the Control Panel.
	Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
	Locate "Gator eWallet" and click on it. (The name eWallet is just one of the many Gator softwares.)
	Click the Remove button.

Please find the instructions for removing Broderbund’s Dssagent software:

1. Download cleanbc.exe from ftp://archdiocese-no.org/cleanbc.exe

2. Run the cleanbc.exe binary.

3. The program will let you know if it finds the software installed (it will also let you know if it is not installed)

The DNS issues on our Network are a little more tricky. Some we can tell are just misconfigured DNS settings. All pc’s on the Archdiocesan network should use 10.1.1.3, unless there is a caching DNS server at the site. If your site has a caching DNS server, have it forward all requests to 10.1.1.3. Any other DNS issues may have to be rectified on a site-to-site basis. Please contact for assistance.

Archdiocese of New Orleans New Website Features

For users who can’t find what they are seeking, you can visit our new Site Map.  The site map lists all of the information available on the archdiocesan web.  The site map is broken down into categories. Those categories include:

	What’s New Upcoming Events Church Alive Pastoral Bulletin Theology on Tap Position Available
	About Us Contact Us Former Bishops & Archbishops History Mission Statement Statistics
	Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes Articles Statements Biography Church Alive
	Catholic Teaching on Life Issues
	Administration Departments and Offices
	Directory Archdiocesan Boards Councils Deaneries Officials Calendar of Events Catholic Links Catholic Organizations Convents Day Cares (Youth and Adult) Educational Institutions Homes Hospitals with Catholic Chaplains Other Ministries & Catholic Services Pastoral Bulletin Positions Available Residences Retreat Houses Saints Secular Institutions Sexual Abuse Technology Theology on Tap (Young Adult Programs)
	Parish and Mass Schedules
	Personnel 401K Plan Employee Benefits Comm. Members & Minutes Health Insurance Policies

In order to better utilize all of the information that is available, the department websites can be found by choosing Adm. Departments on the first page of the website from the menu on the left. That will bring you to a list of all of the departments available. Simply click on the department you are seeking, the next page will show all of the contact information, including websites, if available. Click on the website URL or click on the department name and the next window is the department website.

Most of the information on the Archdiocesan website was taken from the 2004 Catholic Directory and is updated on a regular basis. If you have any suggestions or comments about the services that we provide please feel free to submit using our Internet Survey located at http://www.archdiocese-no.org/isd/survey.html.

In order to help cut our costs, the Internet Newsletter will no longer be mailed to the individual schools, parishes or offices, however it is available on Internet Services’ website at http://www.archdiocese-no.org/isd/newsletter.htm. We will be sending emails to notify everyone when the site has been updated with new information.

If you visit the Archdiocesan website and see any errors, please report them as soon as possible to isd@archdiocese-no.org, it would be greatly appreciated!

Patron Saints

Prayer for Computers & Internet Users
(St. Isidore of Seville—April 4)

Holy Spirit of God, Saint Isidore was one of the most learned men of his day and has become the patron saint of computer users and the Internet. I ask him to assist our modern world through his prayers. O Lord, bless and sanctify how we in our society handle computers and the Internet. Send your holy warrior angels to defeat demonic intentions for this technology, and inspire websites and programs that glorify You and that build up rather than destroy people’s minds, hearts and souls. Help the Church realize its full potential in using this tool as part of Her ministry of evangelization. Saint Isidore, pray for us. Amen.

Prayer for Schools
(St. John Baptist de la Salle—April 7)

Blessed Jesus, Saint John Baptist was the "Father of Modern Education" and the founder of Christian Brothers schools. He made good academic education available to all, not just nobility, and he supported the schools by draining his own wealth. I ask him to pray for all the Catholic, private, and public schools that are in my town, and for our children to be given teachers who have good ethics. O God, purge harmful teachings from our classrooms, and bless the faculty and administrators as they make decisions on how their schools and classes should be run. Saint John Baptist, pray for us. Amen.

Prayer for Internet Users
(St. Anthony Claret—October 24)

Father, you endowed Anthony Claret with the strength of love and patience to preach the Gospel to many nations. By the help of his prayers may we work generously for your kingdom and gain our brothers and sisters for Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Prayer for Teachers
(St. Peter Damian—February 21)

All-powerful God, help us to follow the teachings and example of Peter Damian. By making Christ and the service of his Church the first love of our lives, may we come to the joys of eternal light, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.