 |
|
Path: |
Support: News Archive |
|
| SSAfara.Net |
| SpouseConnect News Archive |
ID: 10751 |
|
|
November 21, 2007 (Tracey McTague) Technology News for Schlumberger Spouses - This year we have undertaken several major projects to improve the technology infrastructure for spouses. We know it looks like not much is happening, since much of the progress has been happening behind the scenes with various Schlumberger entities. Wed like to give you an update on progress, since very soon you will see several major changes. More...
November 12, 2007 (US Benefits) 2008 US Benefits Annual Enrollment - Annual Enrollment for 2008 US benefit plans is underway now through November 30. This is an active enrollment period. Many of your current elections including your choice of Medical and Dental coverage will not carry over into next year! More...
October 17, 2007 (SpouseConnect) Mail Server Arrived! - The new SSA mail server has arrived in Delft, Netherlands. The server is being prepared for operating system, security and application installations. We will be coordinating the Mail project with the Schlumberger Corporate Directory team, and will provide you with regular updates as the projects move forward. Stay tuned!
October 17, 2007 (SpouseConnect) Expiring Dormant Mail Accounts - If you have not checked your SSA mail in a long time, now is the time to do so. As part of the Mail and Directory projects we will be implementing a process to automatically expire email accounts that have been dormant four months or longer. To keep your account active you must check mail at least once every 120 days. Check my mail now! If you are unable to check mail. Click here to contact SSA Support.
October 16, 2007 12:34 am DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) Emergency Mail Server Outage - Our SSA Mail Server has run out of mail store space! Emergency actions were taken to keep the service running. These actions included deleting dormant accounts, moving sent mail out of the mail store, and offloading all mail from the 12 largest accounts. If you have not already done so, consider downloading your mail to a POP client such as Eudora or Outlook. If you need any assistance, please contact SSA Support. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
August 16, 2007 19:45 DST +0100 UTC(SpouseConnect) -Mail Storage Limit Change - On Tuesday, August 21 we will perform a change to the SSA mail server to limit mail storage space to 75 MB. Currently more than 140 mail users are over this limit. An email notification will be delivered today about the change to affected users. These changes are being undertaken in preparation for migrating and upgrading the SSA mail services. If you have any questions about the change please contact SSA Support.
August 1, 2007 17:00 DST +0100 UTC(SpouseConnect) - Mail Storage Limit Change - On Wednesday, August 8 we will perform a change to the SSA mail server to limit mail storage space to 100 MB. Currently 70 mail users are over this limit. An email nofication will be delivered today about the change to affected users. A second change will be performed later in the month to limit mailbox storage space to 50 MB. These changes are being undertaken in preparation for migrating and upgrading the SSA mail services. If you have any questions about the change please contact SSA Support.
July 31, 2007, 16:20 DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) - SSA Mail Server Issue Resolved - The Messaging Administration team has resolved the reported issue. No problem was found and the reported issues were unrelated to SSA Mail services. No outage ocurred and the SSA Mail server is reported to have an uptime of 144 days. Ref: TN#0008589258
July 30, 2007, 21:30 DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) - SSA Mail Server Issue - The SSA mail server has suffered an outage which may have affected a large number of users. The messaging administration group is aware of the issue and is investigating. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Ref: TN#0008589258
May 16, 2007 6:20 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) Update: SSA Mail Server Issue Resolved - After reports of a mail loopback problem, The problem was related to server and MTA records configuration. The looping started approx on Tues 15 May 11:00am GMT and affected only mail coming in to SSA from outside. People who sent mail to spouses during this time may have to resend the mail again. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. Ref: TN0008335722
May 16, 2007 4:24 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Issue - We are currently experiencing a problem with SSA mail. Several people are reporting mail loopback problem, upon which the SSA mail user has mail returned to the sender. The issue was initially attributed to problem this weekend with a mail transfer agent with our host. The problem was reported as fixed, but is still occurring. The issue has been escalated to messaging admin team. We do apologize for the inconvenience and will post updates to this space. Ref: TN0008335722
April 5, 2006 (Kim B., SSA Mail User) Re: Spring Cleaning - I wondered why my Trash continued to collect even though I changed my settings. After careful perusal of your notes I realized that I never Log Off the web portal - hence my trash never empties. I usually just close the browser window. I will change my ways - but there may be other users in the same boat. Editor's note: Thanks, for your feedback, Kim. Great observation. If you click "Logout" before closing the browser window in Mail your Trash will empty automatically. This will help us to recover some space in the Mail Store.
April 4, 2006 (SpouseConnect) Spring Cleaning - We are again working to reduce the amount of space used on the SSA Mail server. Please help by checking your SSA email account and deleting old, unread or unwanted mail. You can recover space in your own email account by making a simple settings change in your Webmail account Show me how to empty my trash and recover space on my account! On Tuesday, April 17 we will implement a 50MB limit on all SSA mail accounts. If you are over the 50MB limit after the change, any new mail sent to your account will bounce. Please take the time between now and April 17 to do some spring cleaning on your SSA mail account. If you need any assistance, please contact SSA Support.
March 26, 2007 (SpouseConnect) Electronic Communications Guidelines Updated - As we prepare to upgrade the SSA Directory and integrate SSA records with the Corporate Directory we are also reviewing and updating the content of the SSA Directory and the associated Access Guidelines. Please do take the time to read the SSA Electronic Communications Guidelines and SSA Internet Access Agreement. Voluntary and self governing compliance with these guidelines is an essential aspect of services that Schlumberger provides to the SSA. We will keep you up to date with more information as the project progresses.
February 23, 2007 (Melodie Beveridge SSA Global IT Coordinator) - SSA Website Makeover Forum - We have created an official area for SSA members to give input on the creation of the new website. We want to hear your ideas, comments and suggestions. Your comments now will help build a better SSA website of tomorrow. You will need to register on this site to be able to post to the forums. Click here to go to the forums website.
March 8, 2007 (SpouseConnect) - Daylight Savings Time Change to Affect SSA Services - Daylight Savings Time begins three weeks early this year, on March 11, and ends a week later, on Nov. 4. As a result of this early move to DST the SSA mail and web servers require associated patches. The patching and updates will take place March 8 and 9. Each change requires a restart of the services, which may result in short unscheduled downtimes. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.
December 1, 2006 (SpouseConnect) Webmail Users - How to Clean Your Mailboxes to Recover Space - In preparation for the upgrade and migration of the SSA mail service, we are working to reduce the amount of space used. You can recover space in your own email account by making a simple settings change in your Webmail account Show me how to empty my trash and recover space on my account!
November 29, 2006 (SpouseConnect) Final Notice: Mail Service Change Thursday Nov. 30 11:00 - 1:00 CST - In preparation for the upgrade and migration of the SSA mail service, all mail older than 180 days will be deleted from the SSA mail server on Thursday, November 30. The change will take place between 11:00 and 1:00 pm CST. During this time the mail service will be stopped and all incoming and outgoing mail will be queued for later delivery. Please be advised that if you are storing old mail on the SSA mail server for longer than six months you should download the mail before this time. This includes mail in folders stored on the server. If you need any assistance please contact SSA Support. This is the final notice before the change.
November 27, 2006 (SpouseConnect) Notice: Mail Service Change Wednesday Nov. 29 - In preparation for the upgrade and migration of the SSA mail service, all mail older than 180 days will be deleted from the SSA mail server on Wednesday, November 29. Please be advised that if you are storing old mail on the SSA mail server for longer than six months you should download the mail before this time. If you need assistance please contact SSA Support. This message will be repeated once more before the change.
November 22, 2006 (SpouseConnect) Notice: Mail Service Change Wednesday Nov. 29 - In preparation for the upgrade and migration of the SSA mail service, all mail older than 180 days will be deleted from the SSA mail server one week from today, on Wednesday, November 29. Please be advised that if you are storing old mail on the SSA mail server for longer than six months you should download the mail before this time. If you need assistance please contact SSA Support. This message will be repeated twice more before the change.
October 27, 2006 (Marie Brice, SSA Global Communications Coordinator) Global Nomads Group Working with Global Youth - A fascinating website whose purpose is to foster dialogue and understanding among the world's youth. To serve as a vehicle for awareness, bridging the boundaries of cultural misconception and instilling in our audience a heightened appreciation and comprehension of the world in which we live. It is our strong desire that this endeavor contribute in a meaningful way to the realization of world peace through cross-cultural understanding. Does your childs international school belong to this global network? Visit the following website for more information. Global Nomads Group
October 16 (Melodie Beveridge, SSA Global IT Coordinator) Improving Computer Performance - Is your computer running slower than it should be? A computer starts to slow down with regard to speed and performance when it needs maintenance. Ideally, this should be performed monthly. You can do this yourself, and enjoy a speedier computer!
More...
August 26, 12:07 am DST +0100 UTC, (SpouseConnect) Mail Service Restored - The SSA mail restoration and merge has been completed. Please report any issues to SSA Support
August 26, 12:07 am DST +0100 UTC, (SpouseConnect) Mail Service Restored - The final mail reconstruct is approximately 70% complete. There are many dormant accounts on the SSA mail server with larger volumes of mail and these large volumes of data take longer to reconstruct. Adminstrators report that they expect to have the service up in about five to six hours (midnight London time). We regret that this restoration process took much longer than anticipated.
August 24, (SpouseConnect) Restoring Mail - Outage Extended - We are extending the SSA mail server outage to allow the mail merge to continue. The mail is merging but progress is slow. Mail administrators expect the process to complete around midnight London time (6:00pm Houston time). We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
August 3, 2006, 1:47 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Recovery Update - The SSA Mail merge from backup today was not successful. The issue is related to the size of the disk for recovering the mail. No change was made to the current system. We will resolve the disk space size issue and plan the mail merge for Monday, August 7. Ref:TN0007411187
August 2, 2006 (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Recovery Update - The Mail administration team has successfully recovered the SSA mail backup. They are now in the process of copying this data over to the SSA server. Once this process is complete they will merge the mailboxes. We apologize for the inconvenience and expect to have the historical mail available shortly. Ref:TN0007411187
August 2, 2006, 7:55 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Planned Outage for 03 August - The SSA Mail recovery will take place from 10:00am - 1:00pm London time on Thursday August 3. Historical mail which was lost from the failed mail storage disk has been recovered from tape back up and will be restored to the SSA mail server during this time. The process involves merging the old mail with current mail and will require a four hour outage of the service. We apologize for the short notice to the outage, but recognize that restoring the mail at the earliest possible time is imperative. Ref:TN0007411187
July 24, 2006, 11:47 pm DST
+0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Update - The SSA Mail
service suffered an outage on Friday evening around 11:30pm. The service was
restarted, and during the weekend another outage followed. On the second outage,
the hardware where SSA mail is stored failed. The hardware provider will arrive
on site (London) Tuesday morning to recover the disk. Mail storage has been
moved from the failed disk. Once the hardware is repaired or replaced, the
administrators will recover lost mail from backup. We apologize for this
inconvenience and are working to restore the data. Ref:TN0007411187
July 26, 2006, 5:43 pm DST
+0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) Mail/Web
Server Outage - A power outage in London today affected all services in the
building, including SSA mail and web servers. Services were powered down as a
precaution, and power was restored within two hours.
July 24, 2006, 11:47 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Update - The SSA Mail service suffered an outage on Friday evening around 11:30pm. The service was restarted, and during the weekend another outage followed. On the second outage, the hardware where SSA mail is stored failed. The hardware provider will arrive on site (London) Tuesday morning to recover the disk. Mail storage has been moved from the failed disk. Once the hardware is repaired or replaced, the administrators will recover lost mail from backup. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to restore the data. Ref:TN0007411187
July 23, 2006, 3:30 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Server Issue - You will have received a message from the SSA mail server "Welcome to the SSA." This is a result of a hardware failure on the SSA disk array, where the mail is stored. The administrators are working with Sun on the issue and attempting to recover from backup, but we will not see a resolution at least until Monday. We do apologize for the inconvenience and will keep you informed. Ref:TN0007411187
July 22, 2006, 09:00 am DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Status - The SSA mail service is back in service. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Ref:TN0007411187
July 22, 2006, 11:30 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) SSA Mail Server Outage - The SSA mail service is currently down. We are investigating the issue and apologize for any inconvenience caused. Ref:TN0007411187
May 10, 2006 2:55 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Webmail Outage -
SSA webmail (https://pop.ssafara.net) is currently down. The outage does not affect regular POP mail clients such as Eudora or Outlook. The problem has been reported to the mail admin team. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused.
May 8, 2006 (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Webmail Outage -
SSA webmail (https://pop.ssafara.net) was restarted on Saturday night, May 6. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused for the Friday/Saturday webmail outage.
May 6, 2006 (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Webmail Outage -
SSA webmail (https://pop.ssafara.net) is currently down. The outage does not affect regular POP mail clients such as Eudora or Outlook. The problem has been reported to the mail admin team. We do apologize for any inconvenience caused.
April 18, 2006 (SpouseConnect) -
Planned SSA Mail Server Outage Changed to April 18 -
The SSA mail server will be taken down briefly today, April 18, at 18:00PM BST (17:00 GMT), or 6pm London time. During this time all mail services will be stopped in order to perform administrative work to the server file system. The outage is expected to last less than one hour. Thank you for your patience while we perform this necessary administrative action. This outage was originally planned for April 12 but was delayed in order to obtain information from Sun.
April 11, 2006 (SpouseConnect) -
Planned SSA Mail Server Outage for April 12 -
The SSA mail server will be taken down briefly on April 12 at 18:00PM BST (17:00 GMT), or 6pm London time. During this time all mail services will be stopped in order to perform administrative work to the server file system. The outage is expected to last less than one hour. Thank you for your patience while we perform this necessary administrative action.
October 4, 2005 (Melodie Beveridge, SSA Content Coordinator) -
Web Content Editor's Newsletter - Welcome to the first SSA Web Content
Editor's Newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to help SSA members with
common questions and problems concerning this website.
View the October edition...
September 22, 2005, 10:04 DST -0500 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Support Ticketing - Hurricane Rita Update
Due to the impending storm, RITA, the Schlumberger helpdesk ticketing system will be shutdown around 12:00 today. The administration team reports that there is a backup server on it's way. In the meantime, for the next 36 hours or more, all help desks are using manual ticket logging procedures. Although not expected to have a drastic impact on SSA email or Web services, we will be monitoring the situation.
September 6, 2005 (SSA and SpouseConnect) -
Update - Relocated? - Updating your SSA Directory record is a simple way for you to inform your SSA friends where you are. Click to update your SSA information. (NOTE: You use your email password to access your record.) Having trouble? Fill out the form and an SSA volunteer will help you to update your record.
September 1, 2005 UTC/GMT 16:29 (SpouseConnect) -
Update - Email Problem Resolved - SSA mail service using POP clients such as Eudora and Outlook is restored. The problem was related to a firewall issue in London. Ref: TN0006505818
September 1, 2005 - UTC/GMT 12:07 (SpouseConnect) -
Update - Reported Email Problem - We are continuing to investigate a problem for checking mail from POP clients such as Eudora and Outlook. There is no problem with the mail server itself, the problem appears to be a firewall ruleset issue. If you are having difficulty downloading your SSA mail please use the Webmail until the problem is resolved. To use Webmail, Click Check Mail. A notification will be posted once the problem is resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Ref: TN0006505818
August 31, 2005 16:34 UTC/GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Reported Email Problem - We are investigating a problem for checking mail from POP clients such as Eudora and Outlook. If you are having difficulty downloading your SSA mail please use the Webmail until the problem is resolved. To use Webmail, Click Check Mail. A notification will be posted once the problem is resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Ref: TN0006505818
August 16, 2005 (SpouseConnect) -
Do You Have McAfee Antivirus? - A new worm is being reported to affect Windows 2000 computers. The worm, "worm-rbot.cbq" spreads via insecure networks. Symptoms include the repeated shutdown and rebooting of a computer. Windows 2000 users can download a patch from Microsoft at microsoft.com/security. Additionally, if you do not have McAfee antivirus, you can register for the software from SHI. You must use your SSAfara.net email address.
June 27, 2005 3:31 pm DST +0100 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - All SSA services were brought down down due to a power outage at the server hosting site in London. The power outage occurred Saturday, June 25 around 9:00 pm London time. The power was back up and most SCC services restored by 7:00 am Sunday. SSA Services were brought back online and fully restored Monday, June 27 around 3:15 pm London time. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Ref: TN#0006313078
June 15, 2005 (SpouseConnect) -
SPAM Warning - SSA Support has received recent reports of spam messages sent to SSAfara.net customers.
Subjects of the messages include:
- register@ssafara.net
- service@ssafara.net
- administrator@ssafara.net
The messages appear to come from SSA Support, but please be warned that the message is NOT from us. Some of the messages contain an attachment, and the email asks you to open the attachment to answer questions for the support team. That message is SPAM. The attachment may contain a virus. DO NOT open attachments from unknown senders.
SSA Support will never send you an unsolicited attachment.
May 31, 2005 10:50 am GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Reported problem sending mail - SSA email customers are reporting a problem sending mail from Eudora and Outlook. Receiving mail works, and both receiving and sending work from the web interface. To use the web interface, click "Check Mail". Mail administrators are aware of the problem and should have a resolution shortly. Ref: TN0006233746
May 23, 2005 (SpouseConnect) -
Update - McAfee Home Use Registration for SSAfara.net customers - Now Schlumberger spouses with SSAfara.net email addresses will be able to register for McAfee antivirus and updates directly from SHI. The process has been approved and is awaiting implementation by SHI. In the meantime, the antivirus software is available for home use registration by Schlumberger employees. Use your Schlumberger email address to register and watch this space for updates.
May 17, 2005 (SpouseConnect) -
Virus Alert Update - A trojan is circulating SSA mail. W32/Sober.q@MM uses its own SMTP engine to send spammed messages to email addresses found on the infected system. It can generate several different email messages randomly, in either English or German depending on the version of Windows. Some messages may contain several links inside them. Be sure that your McAfee Antivirus software is up to date with dat 4490. You can get the updated DAT by opening McAfee. Click the 'M' on the bottom right of your screen, then select Virusscan --> Updates --> Check Now. To configure McAfee to automatically check for updates, select Configure --> Install the updates automatically. For assistance, contact SSA Support.
IMPORTANT: If the 'M' icon on your computer is black, that means that McAfee is disabled. You should restart your computer, update your DAT file, and check to see that the 'M' icon is RED.
More info from Sophos (Shows the German subject line descriptions)
CNN Article Experts: Spam a new propaganda tool
May 5, 2005 (SpouseConnect) -
Virus Alert - A virus is circulating SSA mail. W32/Sober.p@MM is a worm that spreads through email attachments and affects Windows operating systems. On an infected computer, the worm will turn off anti-virus applications and sends itself to email addresses found on the infected computer. Be sure that your McAfee Antivirus software is up to date with dat 4484. You can get the updated DAT by opening McAfee. Click the 'M' on the bottom right of your screen, then select Virusscan --> Updates --> Check Now. To configure McAfee to automatically check for updates, select Configure --> Install the updates automatically. For assistance, contact SSA Support.
IMPORTANT: If the 'M' icon on your computer is black, that means that McAfee is disabled. You should restart your computer, update your DAT file, and check to see that the 'M' icon is RED.
April 18, 2005 12:00 pm DST -0500 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - A general WAN problem appears to have caused a problem with SSA Mail services. The issue has been resolved. All mail services have been successfully restarted, and queued mail is delivering. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the short outage.
April 18, 2005 11:47 am DST -0500 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - A general WAN problem appears to have caused a problem with SSA Mail services. The issue has been escalated to our Mail Administrators. Updates will be posted here. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Jan 30, 2004 06:57 am CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - SSA email fully functioning again. Sending mail from SSAfara.net was not affected at all. Mail sent to SSAfara.net was enqueued on MTA servers. Those sending mail to SSAfara.net addresses may have received a system message telling them that their message to SSAfara.net was delayed for one day. You can view previous announcements here. Ref: TN#0005851721
Jan 29, 2004 8:13 pm CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Spouses are reporting inability to receive email on ssafara.net. The problem was traced to the outage of a Schlumberger mail server in Gatwick. It has been escalated to the mail administrator and is expected to be resolved Sunday afternoon. We are continuing to monitor progress on the issue and will post updates here. You can view previous announcements here. Ref: TN#0005851721
Jan 29, 2004 4:23 pm CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Spouses are reporting inability to send and receive email on ssafara.net. The problem has been traced to the outage of another Schlumberger mail server in Gatwick, which is affecting Schlumberger employees at that location. This has been escalated to the mail administrator and is expected to be resolved Sunday afternoon. We are continuing to monitor progress on the issue and will post updates here. You can view previous announcements here. Ref: TN#0005851721
Jan 29, 2004 06:31 am CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Spouses are reporting difficulty sending and receiving email on ssafara.net. While there is no problem with the SSA mail server, the issue is related to an upstream server on the network. This issue has been escalated to the EMC-KL WAN team. We are continuing to follow the issue and will post updates here. You can view previous announcements here. Ref: TN#0005851721
Jan 28, 2004 3:38 pm CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Spouses are reporting difficulty sending and receiving email on ssafara.net. While there is no problem with the SSA mail server, the issue appears to be network related. We are following up on the issue and will post updates here. Ref: TN#0005851721
Dec 14, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Anti-SPAM for SSA - An anti-spam solution across Schlumberger will take effect December 15. You should notice a decrease in the number of spam messages you receive in your SSAfara.net email account.
Contact SSA Support for more information.
Nov 25, 2004 07:15 CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - SSA email service is back up. Email traffic flowing. We are continuing to test and monitor. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. You can view previous announcements here. Ref: TN#0005622614
Nov 25, 2004 05:09 CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - SSA email service is currently down, and expected to be restored by 08:30 CST. Our administrators are working on the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience. Ref: TN#0005622614
Nov 24, 2004 19:35 CST -0600 UTC (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - SSA email service is currently down. Our administrators are working on the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience. Ref: TN#0005622614
Nov 23, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Update - Possible Virus - If you receive an email with a zipped attachment and a subject line that includes the word KEY, please immediately delete the email and attached file. Do not open the attachment. The body of the email may include the text, "Your password was changed successfully!" The attached file may be a zipped file, which if extracted will activate the virus. Be sure to keep your antivirus software up to date. If you suspect that your computer may be infected with a virus, please contact SSA Support.
Nov 22, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Possible Virus - We are currently investigating a reported virus. If you receive an email with a zipped attachment and a subject line that includes the word KEY, please immediately delete the email and attached file. Do not open the attachment. The email also may include the text, "Your password was changed successfully!" Watch this space for further updates, and be sure to keep your antivirus software up to date. If you suspect that your computer may be infected with a virus, please contact SSA Support.
Nov 2, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Change Notice - Dialup Access Update - If you are using your spouse's Schlumberger employee dialup account for any reason, please note that on or after Nov 4, 2004, we are implementing a change that will disallow access to the SSA mail service from Schlumberger employee dialup accounts. This is to enforce the existing Information Security policy that prohibits sharing passwords for any account. You may be eligible for your own Schlumberger dialup account if you live in a remote location or are a board member of the SSA. See Dialup Eligibility Requirements for more information.
Oct 31, 2004 15:16 GMT(SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - All SSA Mailboxes have been restored, and the service is being brought up and monitored. On Monday morning 01-Nov, Sun will run hardware diagnostics. For history on this issue, please see the Support News Archive. We are continuing to monitor the problem and apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Oct 31, 2004 12:41 GMT(SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Currently the SSA mail server is down. All SSA Mailboxes have been restored, but we are continuing to work on a related issue. All mail is queueing during this time. Estimated time to repair is by Sunday, 17:00 GMT. For history on this issue, please see the Support News Archive. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Oct 30 20:12 GMT(SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Last evening's outage of the SSA mail server will require restoration of mailboxes from backup. In preparation for this we have temporarily stopped the mail service. All mail is queueing during the restoration process. Estimated time to repair is by Sunday, 31-Oct 17:00 GMT. For history on this issue, please see the Support News Archive. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Oct 30, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcent Update - Friday 29-Oct-04 22:29:11 there was an outage of the SSA web server, followed by an outage of the mail service. Both services have been restored, but there is an ongoing issue with the mail server. You will notice that you have received a "welcome" message from the mail server. This is a symptom of the outage. We have not yet determined the cause and are investigating a possible hardware failure.
If you rely on Webmail or IMAP (storing your email on the server), you will also notice that it appears your mailboxes are gone. Currently, we are preparing to restore the mailboxes from backup.
Our administrators are aware of the problem and are working to resolve these issues. We appologize for any inconvenience caused.
Sept 23, 2004 4:19 GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Dialup Internet access to Schlumberger is now available for spouses. The dialup problem was related to a configuration statement on the routers. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. ref TN#0005312858.
Please note: According to security policy it is not permissible to dialup to Schlumberger access servers using another person's account. Security violations can result in suspension of both the spouse and employee dialup account.
Sept 20, 2004 13:41 GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - SSA mail and web services have been fully restored. An unexpected power outage on Saturday, Sept. 18 affected the services. All services have been restarted and tested. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Sept 22, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Dialup Internet access is currently unavailable for all spouses, due to a problem with the access servers. The SecureCONNECT team is working to resolve the problem as a matter of high priority. We apologize for the inconvenience. ref TN#0005312858.
Please note: According to security policy it is not permissible to dialup to Schlumberger access servers using another person's account. Security violations can result in suspension of both the spouse and employee dialup account.
Sept 21, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Dialup Access Issue - Spouses with dialup access to Schlumberger access servers are currently unable to dial up. The SecureCONNECT team is working to resolve the problem. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Sept 20, 2004 9:35 GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - SSA mail and web services were restored successfully Friday evening after power outage. Currently there is an issue with SSA email, Customers are reporting inability to send and receive email due to password errors. The issue has been escalated to our mail administators. We regret any inconvenience caused.
Sept 17, 2004 17:35 GMT (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Unplanned Outage - The building where SSA Mail and Web servers are housed is undergoing a total power outage today around 19:30 GMT, or 2:30 pm Central time, which will affect all SSA email and web services for approximately 30 minutes. There will be no access to SSA mail and web services during this time. We regret any inconvenience caused by the building power outage.
July 20, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Peer to Peer File Sharing Applications Banned from Schlumberger Network - Peer to Peer applications can leave your computer open to viruses or mass-mailing worms such as Bagel. If you are using applications such as Napster, Gnutella or IRC and have an Internet dialup account with Schlumberger, your account can be suspended. Read the updated policy statements on Peer to Peer file sharing. More...
July 20, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Virus Warning - Bagel Worm is Back! Several emails have been detected in the last few days carrying the Bagel virus, a mass-mailing worm. The worm harvests email addresses from the victim machine, has a spoofed From address, and may include attachment(s) that can be a password-protected zip file, with the password included in the message body or as an image file. Your best defense against this worm is to NEVER open unexpected attachments. A quick reply email or a follow-up phone call to the sender might save you many hours of grief.
More from McAfee ...
June 25, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS - More About Customizing Toolbars - Read Laurent Butre's popular Tips & Tricks. In Issue 31, learn how to customize your toolbar in Word, Excel and Eudora. More Tips...
April 30, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Web Service Restored - The SSA Web server experienced a hardware failure on 04/26. The server has been replaced and restored from backup. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. - ~ the SpouseConnect team
April 19, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
SSA Mail Server Maintenance Planned - An upgrade of the SSA mail service is planned for Thursday, April 22 from 12pm-4pm CST. A short downtime of 15 minutes is expected during this time.
March 3, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Virus Alert - Update your McAfee antivirus NOW!
Bagel Internet Worm detected on SSAfara. A message arrived for some SSA users with the subject,
"Notify about using the e-mail account."
The message includes a ZIP file with a password. If you have received this message, please delete the message and attachment. Do not open the attachment or enter the password provided in the email, since this is what activates the worm. You should update your McAfee antivirus to minimum DAT 4332, available below or on the NAI website.
More info and removal instructions from NAI
More info from Sophos
Login to SSA Support, or get the update directly from NAI.
Feb. 19, 2004 (SpouseConnect) -
Virus Alert - Update your McAfee antivirus NOW!
W32/Netsky.b@MM detected on SSAfara. You should update your McAfee antivirus to minimum DAT 4325, available below or on the NAI website.
More info and removal instructions from NAI
More info from Sophos
Login to SSA Support, or get the update directly from NAI.
Wed Dec. 17, 2003 02:20GMT(SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Incoming Mail Delivery Problem Fixed - Mail from the Internet is successfully delivering to SSAfara. We apologize for the inconvenience caused. If you continue to experience difficulties please contact SSA Support
Dec. 11, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Auto redirect from ssa.slb.com has been successfully discontinued - As an anti-spam measure, all automatic redirects from the old mail server ssa.slb.com to mail on ssafara.net were discontinued as of December 10. Please direct any questions regarding this change to SSA Support.
Dec. 9, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Inactive email accounts to be disabled - Action postponed
- If you have an email account on SSAfara.net, you must login and check mail at least once every six months in order to keep your account active. We have received requests from many spouses and have postponed this action until further notice. Direct any questions to SSA Support.Check your mail now.
Tue Dec. 16, 2003 21:42GMT(SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement Update - Incoming Mail Delivery Problem - We are currently experiencing a problem with SSA (and retiree) mail delivery from the Internet. SSA to SSA mail working OK, but mail is not delivering from Internet to SSA. Issue has been traced to another server that routes SSA mail. Administrators are working on the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience caused
Dec. 16, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Incoming Mail Delivery Problem - We are currently experiencing a problem with SSA mail delivery from the Internet. SSA to SSA mail working OK, but mail is not delivering from Internet to SSA. Administrators are working on the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Dec. 12, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Antivirus Updates - McAfee DAT 4308 - Update your McAfee antivirus regularly! Login to SSA Support, or get the updates directly from NAI.
Dec. 1, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Auto redirect from ssa.slb.com to be discontinued - As an anti-spam measure, the automatic redirect from the old mail server ssa.slb.com to ssafara.net will be discontinued as of December 9. Please direct any questions regarding this change to SSA Support.
Dec. 1, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - Inactive email accounts to be disabled
- If you have an email account on SSAfara.net, you must login and check mail at least once every six months in order to keep your account active. Inactive email accounts will be disabled on 09 December. (Your SSA Directory record will remain.) Spouses who are affected by this change have already been notified by email. A copy of the announcement will be sent to the employee associated with the affected spouse account. Additional notices will be sent to affected accounts on 6 December (4 days before the change) and 8 December(1 day before the change). Direct any questions to SSA Support.Check your mail now.
Nov. 17, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement UPDATE - SSAfara.net mail is now available from all mail clients such as Eudora and Outlook. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Nov. 17, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - SSAfara.net mail users are reporting that they are not able to check mail from mail clients such as Eudora and Outlook. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue. Web mail is not affected by this problem. You can check mail from the Web by logging on here with your email details: Check Mail Here
Sept. 26, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #15 - "Quick Tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre! In this issue: How to Create Charts in Excel. More...
Aug. 29, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #13 - "Quick Tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre! In this issue: Powerpoint Tips. More...
Aug. 20, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Having trouble with passwords to download software? - Go to SSA Password Support (archived Dec 12 03)
Aug. 20, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
High Risk Virus Alert:
All Windows users please update your Antivirus to DAT 4287! - This is a High Virus Alert Upgrade for the W32/Sobig.f@MM worm for Home Users only. This virus has had its Risk Assessment Upgraded to High from Medium. Please help us to prevent the spread of this NEW worm. More...
High Risk Virus Alert
All Windows users please update your Antivirus to DAT 4287.
You can get the update in two places:
Network Associates: http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/
Or from SSAfara.net: Login for Software Downloads
This is a High Virus Alert Upgrade for the W32/Sobig.f@MM worm for Home Users only. This virus has had its Risk Assessment Upgraded to High from Medium.
Justification
W32/Sobig.f@MM has been Upgraded to High for Home Users due to
increasing prevalence.
Read About It
Information about W32/Sobig.f@MM is located at
http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_100561.htm
Detection
W32/Sobig.f@MM was first discovered on 8/19/2003 and detection
was added to the 4287 dat files (Release Date: 8/19/2003). The
EXTRA.DAT is available.
To stay updated and protected download the latest dat files
from http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/
If you suspect you have W32/Sobig.f@MM, please submit a sample
to http://www.webimmune.net.
Risk Assessment Definition
For further information on the Risk Assessment and AVERT
Recommended Actions please see:
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/security/resources/risk_assessment.htm
Best Regards,
SpouseConnect
Virus info forwarded from:
McAfee AVERT(tm) - Anti Virus Research, Analysis, and Outbreak
Management www.avertlabs.com
Aug. 18, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
ALERT UPDATE: All Windows Users MUST Update Anti-virus! - Windows users are vulnerable to the Blaster Internet worm. This worm can infect your computer via your Internet connection. Please update your Antivirus DAT file. Get the update here...
Aug. 18, 2003 (Schlumberger IT Security) -
ALERT UPDATE: SSA Windows Users! - This is an update on activities related to minimizing the risk to SINet from various worms and virus which take advantage of the problems outlined in Microsoft's critical security bulletin (MS03-026). This fix must be applied to Windows NT, 2000, and XP operating systems. Since the last alert, new, more effective exploits have been released. There are a number of these worms actively infecting machines inside SINet. In general, not enough users performed the requested action and many sites have now been adversely affected.
More...
Aug. 1, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #11 - "Quick Tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre! In this issue: What can I do with a Right-Click?. More...
June 27, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
IMPORTANT: Check Your Mail on SSAfara.net!
- If you have an email account on SSAfara.net, you must login and check mail at least once every six months in order to keep your account active. Inactive email accounts will be deleted. (Your SSA Directory record will remain.) A mail forwarding address does not count as checking mail. You must actually login and check your mail, either from a mail program such as Eudora, or from this website. Check it now.
July 18, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Downloading software from SSAfara.net - Did you know that you can download Eudora and McAfee software from SSAfara.net? Just go to SSA Support. Login with your SSA Web username and password, and click on the 'Software' link.. More info and License Agreement...
July 18, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #10 - "Quick Tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre! In this issue: How to customize your toolbars. More...
June 23, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
SpouseConnect partners with Worldwide Dialup for iPass Service - SpouseConnect is pleased to offer the spouses of Schlumberger Employees a global dialup solution with iPass. The signup fee is waived, you pay only for what you use.More...
June 20, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #8 - Have you ever struggled with the Table of Contents in a document? Read our "quick tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre and learn how! In this issue: Table of Contents in MS Word. More...
June 6, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Update your SSA Directory record - It's Easy! Take the time before summer holidays to update your information in the SSA Directory. You can update your postal address, email address, SSA jobtitle, and more!
More ...
June 6, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #7 - Need to send a large file? Read our "quick tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre and learn how! In this issue: WinZip Compression Tool. More...
May 23, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #6 - Do you do Windows? Read our "quick tips" newsletter by Laurent Butre and learn how! In this issue: Windows Basics. More...
May 9, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #5 -
Dot what?? Laurent Butre explains file extensions and shows what can tip you off to a possible virus. Read all about it in our "quick tips" newsletter. In this issue: Viruses and File Extensions. More...
April 25, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #4 -
Laurent Butre demystifies Windows for everyone in the fourth issue of our popular "quick tips" newsletter. In this issue: Explorer Window and Tricks. More...
April 11, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
TIPS Issue #3 -
Peripatetic technology guru Laurent Butre releases the third issue of this popular "quick tips" newsletter. In this issue: How to set margins in Microsoft Word, and a quick tutorial on size. More...
April 7, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Web server upgrade successful -
Sendmail was successfully upgraded to version 8.12.9 on the SSA webserver today, closing a security vulnerability that was published last week by CERT.
April 4, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Planned SSA Web Server Outage -
The SSA Web server will be brought out of service for a critical patch updgrade on Monday, April 7, 2003 from 10:00-14:00 GMT. This outage will not affect your ssafara.net email service. Thank you for your patience while we perform this upgrade to make the SSA Website more secure.
March 18, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Author Robin Pascoe praises Schlumberger in new book -
ExpatExpert Robin Pascoe, author of three previous books on relocation issues, calls SpouseConnect "a good example of using high tech as a high touch tool" in her new book, "A Moveable Marriage: Relocate Your Relationship without Breaking It" More...
March 14, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Planned SSA Mail and Directory Server Outage
Monday, March 17, 2003 from 10:00-14:00 GMT, the SSA mail and directory server will be brought down for: security additions or patch upgrades; Move the mail.log to a new partition to resolve space issue; Archive logs. Mail will be queued on Schlumberger mail transfer agents during the outage. Thank you for your patience while we perform this necessary service.
March 11, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement -
Secure Certificates for SMTPS, LDAPS and HTTPS were successfully implemented March 10. Server downtime was less than 10 minutes. Some people are experiencing an error when attempting to send mail from Eudora. For more information, see the FAQ...
March 3, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Planned SSA Mail and Directory Server Outage on Mon, 10 March, 2003 -
SSA Directory and Mail services will be restarted on Monday, March 10, at 09:00 CST so that recent security configurations will take effect. Certificates for SMTPS, LDAPS and HTTPS have already been added. The downtime is expected to be minimal, but not longer than two hours. Mail will be queued on Schlumberger Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) during the outage. Note: This outage will also affect mail service for VIP Retirees using 4slb.com.
Feb. 25, 2003 (SpouseConnect) -
Service Announcement - The old SSA mail server, ssa.slb.com will be decommissioned on Wednesday, Feb. 26. If you have a personality set to log on to ssa.slb.com you may experience an error. Redirects and SSAfara.Net mail will not be affected. FAQ ...
Feb. 06, 2003 (SpouseConnect)
Service Announcement -
SSA mail and Web services were affected Feb 5 from 4:30pm CST for a period of eight hours by an outage of the Houston Internet firewall. You may have experienced some problems sending and receiving mail or accessing the Web pages during this time.
We regret any inconvenience caused.
Feb. 03, 2003 (SpouseConnect)
Hardware upgrade successful.
We have successfully implemented the upgrade of the SSAfara.net mail storage sytem. Mail and directory services are fully in service.
Jan. 27, 2003 (SpouseConnect)
Planned SSA Mail and Directory Server Outage on Mon, 03 Feb, 2003
The SSA mail/directory server has had a successful hardware upgrade, and we now need to plan one more outage to finish the work. SSA mail and Directory will again be taken out of service on Monday, February 3, from 09:00 GMT (03:00AM CST) for a period of six hours. During this time we will complete the installation of the new mail storage system. Mail will be queued on Schlumberger Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs). Note: This outage will also affect mail service for VIP Retirees using 4slb.com.Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Jan. 25, 2003 (SpouseConnect)
Planned SSA Mail and Directory Server Outage on 27 Jan 2003
The SSA Mail and Directory server will be taken out of service on 27 January from 09:00 GMT (03:00AM CST)
for a period of six hours. During this time a hardware upgrade will be performed to increase the mail storage space. Mail will be queued on Schlumberger Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs). Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Nov. 22,
2002
(SpouseConnect) Windows software downloads are now available, Macintosh software coming soon! Available
software for Schlumberger spouses include Eudora 5.1 (without the ads!), McAfee Antivirus, and antivirus
updates.Login...
Nov. 15,
2002
(SpouseConnect) Effective
November 18th, Schlumberger will improve the security
for dial-up access to SINet. This general change from the
old system, TACACS, to a new service called
"SecureCONNECT," will affect all those who have
Schlumberger dialup accounts. This includes employees,
contractors, spouses and students. If you have a dialup
account with Schlumberger, you will need to change the way
you dial up and authenticate to the service. More...
Back to SpouseConnect Support
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
