|
Why contacts?
When problems occur
that affect the performance of a site's network connection,
the NOC does it best to keep the appropriate administrators
informed of the scope and likely duration of the situation.
In turn, network administrators can keep their end users and
management informed.
We may also need to
contact the staff at a site when it appears that a local problem
is affecting the wider network.
To ensure prompt communication
with the NOC, it is very important that each site designate
three contacts and ensure that their contact information and
notification preferences are kept up-to-date.
Use
the online contact form
Designated contacts
for a site can use the online Contact
& Notification System to add, delete, or update their
contact information (phone number, e-mail address), contact
hours (weekdays only, 24x7), and notification preferences
(phone, pager, e-mail).
Before accessing the
online form, you may want to review the contact definitions
and administrator definitions below so you can fill out the
form completely and accurately.
Contact
definitions
When using the online
Contact & Notification System, you will be asked to specify
whether you are the primary, secondary, or tertiary contact
for your site. This needs to be worked out with the network
administrator; in many cases, the network administrator will
also be the primary contact.
The primary contact
is included in the first group of people notified of interruptions
or changes in connectivity to a specific subnet. The primary
contact is apprised of all developments that affect any part
of the network: e-mail, web capabilities, DNS, etc.
If the NOC cannot
reach the primary contact, we will initiate communication
with the secondary contact and then the tertiary contact.
Administrator
definitions
In using the online
Contact & Notification System, you will also be asked
to designate all the services area for which you are the administrator
and, hence, the contact person. This helps the NOC determine
under what circumstances you should be notified of a problem.
The four categories -- Network Administrator,
E-mail Aliasing Administrator, DNS
Administrator, and Web Site Administrator
- are summarized below.
Network
Administrator
If you're a network admin, you're probably a primary contact
as well; you'll be among the first group of people notified
of interruptions or changes in connectivity to specific subnets.
Network admins can request changes to routing tables and access
control lists. They also have authority to request additional
services from the NOC on behalf of their department or group.
A network administrator
is responsible for the internal functions of one or more subnets.
This may mean the connections to thousands of machines or
just a few. If we notice trouble on a subnet, we'll get in
touch with the network admin for that subnet to work out a
solution.
E-Mail
Aliasing Administrator
This is the individual who creates, updates, and deletes a
group's e-mail aliases (firstname_lastname@harvard.edu).
DNS
Administrator
DNS admins may modify their group's records in Harvard's domain
name servers. This includes requesting new IP addresses, additional
names for machines, or mail exchange pointers. Domain Name
Services provide the means for the rest of the Internet universe
to find your machines without having to remember a numeric
address.
Web
Site Administrator
A web admin has responsibility for access control, CGI scripts,
and related programs. If your group has a web server that
the NOC manages for you, we'll keep you informed of any issues
affecting your site.
Click here to access
the online Contact & Notification System.
|
