Managing the membership of a SharePoint Online site without the intervention of CNSIT Staff is another one of the great advantages that SharePoint has over some traditional network file sharing and collaboration services. In this article, SharePoint site owners will learn how to manage the memberships and permissions for their SharePoint online sites.

This article assumes you know the URL for the SharePoint Online site you wish to manage.  This will have been sent to you when the SharePoint Online site was created (contact CNSIT at https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu/help to request a SharePoint site) and should have a URL similar to the following, where SITE_NAME is the name of the SharePoint Online site:

https://colostate.sharepoint.com/sites/SITE_NAME

From here, you should locate the “Gear” icon in the top right of the page. Click on this “Gear” icon and choose the “Site Settings” option.

In the Site Settings menu, you will look at the top right cluster of links. Locate and select the “People and groups” link.

Here you will see a list of all of the group members. You will notice the “Groups” on the left side. The default group is “Members” which should be showing now. You can add additional groups with custom permissions as well, however – this will not be covered here. To add new members to this group, you can choose the “New” menu, and select “Add Users”.

A modal window will appear that allows you to search for and choose the users you wish to add. It is often best to search for individuals that are CSU affiliated and within the Global Address List (GAL) using the format “Last Name,First Name”. For users not in the CSU GAL, you can simply enter in their e-mail address. When you add users, they will receive an e-mail describing the new access. You may wish to enter in additional information before adding as well. You can also choose not to send this message by Showing the Options and un-checking the “Send an email invitation”. This is often a good idea if you are planning on showing them their access in person, and prefer they don’t mess with it until that time.

Once you share access to your new members, they will be able to access the SharePoint site and start collaborating!

For those interested, here is a more in depth document on the various permission levels you can award an specific group (if you would like to customize your site further in this way).

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/understanding-permission-levels

The information in this article is designed to inform users interested in purchasing Adobe InDesign of a potential free alternative.  Adobe InDesign is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud now, and involves annual licensing costs that turn most folks off (https://ramtech.colostate.edu/departmental/software/#adobecc).

Scribus is a free and open source page layout program and is available here: https://www.scribus.net

Along the same vein as the recent article comparing GIMP and Adobe Photoshop (https://wp.natsci.colostate.edu/cnsit/gimp-vs-adobe-photoshop), I don’t use InDesign myself, and therefore am a poor source for determining whether this is a good alternative or not.  However, there are plenty of comparisons and demos online from folks that actually do use this stuff.  Check out the following:

https://www.ghacks.net/2018/05/12/a-look-at-scribus-open-source-desktop-publisher-on-gnu-linux/

Enjoy!

The https://www.natsci.colostate.edu website was recently moved to a new webhost provided by ACNS. This transition included a number of updates and changes to the WordPress installation that powers our website. One of the bigger changes to the website is the login form and account setup. Previously, users had a separate WordPress account tied to their email address. The new site uses CSU’s eID “federated authentication service” to verify your account. Requests for new users to be able to access the site should be made to the CNS Web Developer.

One common request CNSIT sees is for a custom e-mail address to be used for a conference, special group, or any other reason where a personal e-mail address might not be the best solution in the future. CSU provides functionality for a couple of different solutions; one of which will hopefully work for your purposes.

CSU Mailing List

CSU mailing lists are essentially lists of e-mail addresses to which a received message is distributed. When an e-mail is sent to a mailing list, everyone on the list will receive the same message in their personal inbox.

These addresses have an e-mail address the following the following naming convention example:

CNS-LISTNAME@lists.colostate.edu

This solution allows for any e-mail address to be a part of the recipient list (not just CSU affiliates with an active CSU eID).

Mailing lists are most effective when everyone in the recipient group is required to read the e-mail the list receives. It is also advantageous in that a list owner can manage the list creation and membership without CNSIT intervention.

You can can request a CSU mailing list by filling out the form at the following URL:

https://lists.colostate.edu/

CSU O365 Shared Mailbox

An O365 shared mailbox is an e-mail address is a more classic sense. This solution maintains its own inbox, and is managed by members of its access list.

These addresses have an e-mail address that follows the following naming convention example

CNS_EVENT-NAME@mail.colostate.edu

*NOTE* – There is also a way to add an alias address to point to these shared mailboxes. They can be a more compact and friendly version such as:

EVENT-NAME@colostate.edu

Access to these shared mailboxes is most typically done using its custom web URL. You can use the following tool from ACNS to figure out what your O365 shared mailbox URL is:

http://help.mail.colostate.edu/tt_o365_shared_mailbox_owa.aspx

You can also set up an Outlook desktop client to read this inbox directly. ACNS has directions for setting this up as well:

http://help.mail.colostate.edu/tt_o365_outlook_multiple_mailboxes.aspx

This solution requires that access list members are CSU affiliates (have an active CSU eID).

Shared O365 mailboxes are most useful when the access group will take turns in managing the inbox, and not everyone in the group needs to know about all of its traffic. It is a standalone solution in which ownership and access can be transferred with ease.

To request an O365 shared mailbox or to update the access group of an existing mailbox, please submit a CNSIT ticket at the following URL:

https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

Every so often we are contacted with a MacOS Outlook client that his having trouble searching. The symptoms typically resemble something like “No Results” found or a severely limited set of results returned, such as only the past week’s worth of e-mail.

Outlook on MacOS utilizes the built-in Spotlight indexing system for its search, and sometimes this gets messed up. The following steps are the first to take when trying to remedy this situation.

If you are running a version of MacOS older than Mojave (10.14) – the solution is fairly simple. Just download and run the “Outlook Search Repair Tool” found here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/troubleshoot/outlook-for-mac/useful-tools

For those that are running Mojave (10.14) or newer – the following steps should accomplish the same thing (although more complicated):

1. Choose Apple menu, then System Preferences, and then Spotlight.
2. Select the Privacy tab.
3. In Finder:
   1. On the Go menu, select Go to Folder…
   2. Copy and paste the following location into the “Go to the folder:” dialog box and select Go: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/
4. Drag the “Main Profile” folder to the Privacy tab. Once added, remove the folder, and Spotlight will re-index the folder. You must perform this step for any additional profile folders you have.

More in-depth solutions can be found here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2741535/outlook-for-mac-search-returns-no-results-and-task-items-are-not-displ

CNSIT is about to embark on an ambitious project to inventory all institutionally (CNS) owned networked computers. We are doing so with the goal of gaining a full catalogue of these devices so that we can more proactively manage them in terms of software compliance and endpoint protection.

During this project, CNSIT will be visiting all computers running Windows 10 and MacOS, in person, to document and apply a few updates and changes listed below. These changes will be mostly invisible to the end user.

These changes will not limit your ability to manage these computers in the same manner you are used to and will not affect the data on these devices.

Changes for Windows 10 Computers

• Rename device to comply with CNSIT naming convention
• Label device with new name
• Ensuring our local CNSIT account exists
• Bind computer to the NATSCI Active Directory domain which allows domain (eID) login to be used if the lab desires. This prepares the computer for upcoming changes that will allow eID users to access their OneDrive cloud storage automatically when logging in with their CSU eID credentials (no need to manually connect/map).
• Force a CNS branded lock screen background image – this will be managed remotely and is probably the most visible change. CNSIT can quickly use this lock screen image to determine the computer’s status with this project.
• Force a 15 minute idle screen lock (requires password to unlock. DOES NOT log user out). This complies with the best practices for the physical security of these computers.

Changes for MacOS Computers

• Rename device to comply with CNSIT naming convention
• Label device with new name
• Ensuring our local CNSIT account exists
• Enable Remote Management access for the local CNSIT account. This will enable remote reporting for software and security patch compliance via CNSIT’s ARD server.

Below are instructions for configuring RStor to provide access to others within CNS or at CSU.

Please substitute your RStor folder/Group name everywhere you see “RStorGroup.”    

At first, only the original owners and members you have access to this folder. These were set in place when your RStor account and Group Share was created.  Should you want to share this folder with others, group permissions management can be accomplished using a combination of RStor folder permissions (security tab), and groups defined using a University tool called Grouper. Grouper is available by logging into https://grouper.colostate.edu using your CSU eName and CSU eID password. 

Groups created in Grouper are automatically provisioned in Active Directory (the authority that RStor uses for file and folders security permissions) using the following naming convention:  

gpr_csurs_natsci_[grouper folder name]_[grouper group name]  

For your RStor Group Share, CNSIT has created two Grouper groups on default. One is an admins group and the other is a members group.

Members of the admins group (named gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_admins in Active Directory) have full control of your RStor folder and can manage Grouper groups as well as set permissions in your RStor Group folders through the Windows security tab.  You may add members to this initial admins group and/or create additional groups within Grouper to help manage Grouper permissions and/or define RStor folder security.  

Members of the initial members group will have access (edit) to the RStor Group folders, but cannot alter permissions through the security tab nor manage Grouper groups for this RStor folder.

ADVANCED: Managing permissions for your RStor folder using Grouper – with theoretical examples that stray from the default setup.  

The following steps detail how to create an additional group and assign/restrict permissions to your RStor folders.   

Let’s say you have created two folders in your RStorGroup folder as follows:  

Initially, all members of your your admins and members groups have access to these folders. You would like to limit access to allow only a certain group of members to access the “Staff” folder.  Additionally, you only want admins to access the “Private” folder.  

1. Logon to Grouper at https://grouper.colostate.edu
2. In the Browse folders section (lower left), expand Root/app/CSU R-STOR/NATSCI/RStorGroup
3. Verify that the RStorGroup folder is selected. The breadcrumbs at the top (middle) should show: Home > Root > app > CSU R-STOR > NATSCI > RStorGroup
4. Click the green + Create new group button (upper left).
5. The New group screen should appear.    
   • Leave the “Create in this folder” path as it is… it should say app:CSUR-STOR:NATSCI: RStorGroup
   • In the Group name field, type the name of the group you want to create. In this example: staff  
   • Leave the Group ID field as it is, do NOT edit. 
   • Give a description about this group, like: “This staff group will contain users that will have access to the “Staff” folder.”  
   • Click the Save button. 
6. Click on the new staff group listed in the table.  
   • Verify you’re viewing the staff group. The breadcrumbs at the top should show: Home > Root > app > CSU R-STOR > NATSCI> RStorGroup  > staff  
   • Click the orange + Add members button (upper right)  
   • In the Member name or ID field, type the eName of the user (e.g., hsimpson) 
   • Pick the correct user account from the suggestions shown.   
   • Leave the privileges radio button set to “Default privileges”
   • Click the Add button.

This staff group (known as gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_staff in Active Directory) has now been created and you have added Homer Simpson as a member of this group.   Repeat step 6 to add additional members to the Staff group. 

**Please note, creating groups in Grouper may take 60 minutes to replicate to Active Directory**  

Let’s adjust the RStor folder permissions for this new group.  First we need to give the members of the staff group access to your RStorGroup folder so they can get a directory listing. 

1. Within Windows Explorer, navigate to your mapped RStor folder.
2. Right-click the RStorGroup folder, choose Properties and go to the Security tab.
3. Click the Edit button to open the Permissions dialog.
4. Click the Add button and type COLOSTATE\gpr_csurs_natsci_ RStorGroup_staff in the object names field.
5. Click OK to return to the Permissions dialog.
6. Choose the following three permissions for the staff group you just added (These permissions will give the Staff group the ability to navigate into your RStorGroup folder and act just like a member of the normal “members” group can) :   
   • Modify
   • Read & Execute  
   • List folder contents  
   • Read
7. Click OK to close the Permissions dialog.
8. Click OK to close the RStorGroup properties dialog. Now give the staff group the ability to add/remove files/folders in the Staff folder, while removing the members group from their access.
9. Right-click the Staff folder and choose Properties
10. Click on the Security tab and select the gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_staff group in the list.
11. Verify the “modify” permissions are still set.
12. Now, click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Security Settings dialog.
13. Click the Disable inheritance button and choose to Convert inherited permissions into explicit permissions on this object.
14. Now, click on the ‘edit’ button and then choose the gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_members group from the list. You will now click on the Remove button.
15. Now we want to restrict access to the Private folder to just the admins. Right-click the Private folder and choose Properties
16. Click on the Security tab and then click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Security Settings dialog.
17. Click the Disable inheritance button and choose to Convert inherited permissions into explicit permissions on this object.
    • Select gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_staff group in the entries list and click the Remove button.
    • Select gpr_csurs_natsci_RStorGroup_members group in the entries list and click the Remove button.
    • This will prevent the staff and members group from accessing files/folders within this Private folder. 
18. Click OK to close the Advanced Security Settings dialog.
19. Click OK to close the folder properties dialog.  

 If you have any questions or need help with these steps, please contact us with a ticket at https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

*Content for this article adopted from WCNR content found here: https://warnercnr.colostate.edu/it/network-data-storage/csu-rstor-instructions-for-wcnr-users *

UPDATE: ACNS has posted official information for working remotely. Be sure to read up on this as well to help you form your work from home plan: https://www.acns.colostate.edu/keep-working

In the world today, working from home can be necessary. Whether you are under the weather and need to quickly respond to something as if you were on campus, or need to stay abreast of the work day while caring for the kiddos during a teacher work day, the ability to access and address work items can be very useful.

One very important thing is to take action in setting up these processes today. Think about your work flow and what resources you would need access to in order to work from home. Don’t wait until you are already at home either – you will be happy you tested this ahead of time and worked out the kinks.

General things

There are a few things you should all be doing already (and if not, should start as soon as possible). These are not specifically geared toward working from home, but do provide a benefit for that use case.

OneDrive

Start using OneDrive to store your files. Not only will your files be backed up in the cloud rendering them resistant to ransomware, they will also be available from anywhere in the world and from any computer. At the core, OneDrive can be accessed from the O365 portal at https://portal.office.com or via the OneDrive client available for Windows and MacOS computers. Start using this from your on-campus computer today!

Configure OneDrive client for Windows
Configure OneDrive client for MacOS

Microsoft Teams

Start using Microsoft Teams to communicate and work with your various work groups. Teams is part of O365 and is already available to you. It has video conferencing capabilities, file sharing, collaboration tools, and other features and is a part of our current Microsoft licensing suite.  Training videos can be found here:  Microsoft Teams Training Videos

Microsoft Teams is also the official recommendation for online instruction in terms of live lectures which can be recorded and posted to Canvas. https://www.acns.colostate.edu/microsoft-teams

If you would like a Microsoft Teams setup for your group – please let CNSIT know: https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

Canvas and Online Instruction

As a student or instructor, your use and understanding of Canvas (https://canvas.colostate.edu) as CSU’s online learning system should already we well under way. If not, please be sure to brush up on this technology. Canvas is a key tool for remote instruction.

Additional information for instructors can be found here including directions for moving your course to an online Canvas course!

https://canvas.colostate.edu/instructors

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Canvas support team at: cns_canvas@colostate.edu

Here is an additional list of other Online Teaching Resources:

https://www.natsci.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/psy-100-online-teaching-guidebook-sp20-3.21.20.pdf

https://www.acns.colostate.edu/microsoft-teams

First thing first – VPN and DUO

It is always a good idea (and in many cases, essential) to first connect to the CSU VPN when working remotely. We already have a good series of articles set up for connecting to the VPN and using DUO – please check these out first!

https://wp.natsci.colostate.edu/cnsit/junos-pulse-is-now-pulse-secure

O365 Portal – Most (if not all) of the way already!

The O365 portal located at https://portal.office.com is a quick way to access most of what you will need to work remotely. This method does not require you use a specific computer nor does it require you to first connect to the CSU VPN (although – using the VPN with this is not a bad idea) as all access is through a web browser.

When logging in you must be sure to format your username as eName@colostate.edu. You will use your CSU eID password as usual.

The O365 portal will allow you to access your CSU e-mail, OneDrive files and SharePoint data. To access your SharePoint data, it is important to know what the SharePoint site name is – this is usually in the form of a URL. Alternatively, you can pre-populate the SharePoint area of your O365 portal with your sites by “favoriting” them. Refer to this article for information on doing so:

https://wp.natsci.colostate.edu/cnsit/how-to-view-all-of-your-sharepoint-sites

For most users, this is all you will need.

Remote Desktop for the Complete Experience

Important: The information below has some specific details about computer naming conventions that apply to the Biochemistry, Biology and Chemistry departments within CNS. If you are viewing this article from another department, be sure to adjust the instructions for your area’s naming convention or specific computer name/ip address.

Connecting to your computer on campus involves a little bit of premeditated setup. The scenarios we will cover here are limited to Windows and MacOS in terms of the client (home computer) and server (computer on campus you are connecting to).

Setting up your computer on campus

The first note is that the computer must be left on (you cannot connect to a computer if it is off). You will need to gather some information about your computer and possibly make/request a few changes in order for remote access to be established.

First, you should record the name of the computer on campus you want to connect to. For most of the machines on the CNSIT controlled networks, the catalogue process has given them a unique name based on our CNSIT naming convention (https://wp.natsci.colostate.edu/cnsit/interpreting-the-cnsit-naming-convention). This name will be displayed on a white label somewhere on the computer. With this computer name you will then know your computer’s FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) by appending “.natsci.colostate.edu” after the CNSIT computer name. For example, if your on-campus computer name is MEDFOR1802DTW02 then your FQDN would be: MEDFOR1802DTW02.natsci.colostate.edu

You should also record the IP address for your computer on campus. To get this information follow the appropriate steps below:

Windows 10: https://www.windowscentral.com/node/52448
MacOS: https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Your-IP-Address-on-a-Mac

If the computer on campus is a Windows computer, the setup should already be in place for administrator accounts to connect via remote desktop. If the account you use is not an administrator account, please contact CNSIT to request the account be added to the remote desktop access group. You will need to provide the CNSIT name for this computer you have already recorded as well as the username of the account you will be using to log on (please let us know if this username is your CSU eName) – https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

If the computer on campus is a MacOS computer, you will need to contact CNSIT to request remote access be set up. https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

Setting up your computer at home

The setup for your home computer depends on the combination of OSs in use.

Windows at home and Windows on campus

This setup requires you are running Windows 10 at home (Windows 7 and older will not work) and is a fairly simple setup – using the built in Microsoft Remote Desktop program.

You can launch the Microsoft Remote Desktop by searching for this in the Cortana search bar located next to your start menu. Once opened you will need to provide the FQDN computer name or IP address which you have recorded when you set up the computer on campus. Simply typing this FQDN computer name or IP address in the “Computer” text box and hitting enter will contact the correct device. It will then ask you to log in. You will use the username and password for the remote computer in the login in step. If you are using a CSU eName account to log in, you should prepend your eName with “COLOSTATE\”. For example: COLOSTATE\eName

Windows at home and MacOS on campus

Connecting to a MacOS computer on campus requires extra software. We currently are seeing the best performance using Teamviewer (free for home use). This is available at the link below:

https://www.teamviewer.com

You will need to install the Teamviewer program on both the MacOS computer at work and your Windows computer. Teamviewer does require administrative access to install, so let CNSIT know if you are going this route and need us to provide credentials to install this software.

Once the Teamviewer is installed on both locations (and running on the MacOS computer on campus), you must launch it from your home computer and enter in the IP address you have recorded in the previous step (the FQDN computer name may not work with Teamviewer from off campus). The connection process should walk you through the connection. Please let us know if you have trouble – https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

MacOS at home and Windows on campus

Connecting to a Windows computer from a MacOS computer requires the installation of the Microsoft Remote Desktop program from the MacOS App Store. This is a free download from the following link (should launch the App store):

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-remote-desktop-10/id1295203466?mt=12

Once you have that installed, you can launch this from your Applications folder. You will first add your on-campus computer by clicking on the Connections->Add PC menu item found at the top of your screen when Microsoft Remote Desktop is active. You will now need to type the FQDN computer name or IP address (this was collected when you set up the on-campus computer) in the “PC name:” text box and hitting enter will contact the correct device (all other settings are optional in this setup dialog). It will then ask you to log in. You will use the username and password for the remote computer in the login in step. If you are using a CSU eName account to log in, you should prepend your eName with “COLOSTATE\”. For example: COLOSTATE\eName

MacOS at home and MacOS on campus

Connecting to a MacOS computer on campus requires extra software. We currently are seeing the best performance using Teamviewer (free for home use). This is available at the link below:

https://www.teamviewer.com

You will need to install the Teamviewer program on both the MacOS computer at work and at home. Teamviewer does require administrative access to install, so let CNSIT know if you are going this route and need us to provide credentials to install this software.

Once the Teamviewer is installed on both locations (and running on the MacOS computer on campus), you must launch it from your home computer and enter in the IP address you have recorded in the previous step (the FQDN computer name may not work with Teamviewer from off campus). The connection process should walk you through the connection. Please let us know if you have trouble – https://cnsit.natsci.colostate.edu

Before starting this process you will want to connect to the VPN using the Pulse Secure client

• Use this link to start the password update process:  https://eid.colostate.edu/eIDModify/Password.aspx
• Once you have completed the password update process keep your computer on and logged into VPN for about 20-30 minutes
• Restart your computer and try to use your new password
• If the new password is not accepted, you will still be able to use your old password to log in
• After using your old password to login to Windows, launch Pulse Secure and sign in using your new password
• Once you have signed into the VPN you will get a Windows pop up stating that your password has been changed and to lock your computer and then unlock it with the new password
• Once you have done that quit any Microsoft programs you may have open (Teams, Outlook, Onedrive) and relaunch them to sync your new password

Saving data to the cloud and/or an external drive to be analyzed at home will be key in helping labs maintain social distancing.  If you have an external drive these programs provide another location to backup data free of charge that can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. These directions cover the web interfaces for two popular cloud storage tools available to the campus community. These processes are most appropriate for users of lab equipment that generate data to be analyzed off-site (a different computer) from a local non-CSU-eID account that is running the instrument.

Onedrive

Navigate to https://portal.office.com in your preferred browser of choice and sign in with your CSU eID credentials.  After you have signed into the Office 365 portal and selected “Onedrive”, you will be able to upload files and folders to Onedrive for storage and access off campus.  Currently there is a file size limit of 15 gb, but Microsoft is currently working on increasing that limit to 100 gb by the end of June, 2020.  While the file or folder is being uploaded you will need to stay in the lab until the uploading process is done in order to logout of the Office 365 portal for security purposes.  Once you are home you can access the uploaded files and folders by logging into https://portal.office.com with your CSU eID credentials.

Information on Onedrive: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/invalid-file-names-and-file-types-in-onedrive-and-sharepoint-64883a5d-228e-48f5-b3d2-eb39e07630fa?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Google Drive

Navigate to https://mail.rams.colostate.edu in your browser of choice and sign in with your CSU eID credentials.  If you don’t have a Google account through CSU there is a link in the middle of the page that you can use to create one.  Once you have logged in and launched “Drive” you can upload files and folders up to 5 tb in size.  As with uploading files and folders in Onedrive you will need to stay in the lab while the data is being uploaded in order to logout of Google and close the browser for security purposes.  The data will now be available to you at home by logging into https://mail.rams.colostate.edu with your CSU eID credentials.

Information on Google Drive: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/37603?hl=en

Comparison Table