Photograph by Virginia Thackeray

Front Row:	Sara Dearing, Elaine Amabile, Sue Darbyshire
Back Row:	Bill Schwarz, Steve Gatt, Mike Grosshandler, Dave Drotar
Not Pictured:	Professor Sandy Schuman, Leslie Carroll, Pat McAuliff

		Sara Dearing, Elaine Amabile, Sue Darbyshire Bill Schwarz, Steve Gatt, Mike Grosshandler, Dave Drotar Professor Sandy Schuman, Leslie Carroll, Pat McAuliff

In January 2006, ITS completed a successful upgrade to its popular Listserv service.  The new version boasts several improvements for list subscribers and makes it easier for Listserv list owners to manage their lists.
 
The successful upgrade was the result of hard work and cooperation between several ITS units:

• Client Support Services (CSS),
• Systems Management & Operations (SMO),
• and the Web Group.

The upgrade team, co-led by Elaine Amabile (CSS) and Sara Dearing (SMO) was assembled and the project began in earnest in mid-2005.

ITS hosts hundreds of active Listserv lists for the University community, so completing a transparent upgrade was a challenging process. Months of testing were required to ensure that all the new features worked properly for both subscribers and list owners. This included maintaining and updating files to prevent damage to any of the active lists, as well as creating files and directories for the upgraded version. The new service was further tailored to meet the needs of UAlbany users and ensure that no information from any existing lists were lost during the upgrade. Additionally, Listserv was migrated to a new server to create an even more robust service.

The Project Team, led by Mike Grosshandler (CSS), worked closely to ensure a successful and transparent upgrade.  Leslie Carroll (SMO) was responsible for performing system administrator (sysadmin) processes, including moving and upgrading program files, while Steve Gatt and Sue Darbyshire (both of CSS) assisted with testing.  Professor Sandy Schuman of Rockefeller College, an experienced list owner, was enlisted as an Early Adopter to test the functionality of the upgrade and provided valuable feedback.  Dave Drotar, Bill Schwarz and Pat McAuliff from the Web Group worked with the Project Team to develop online documentation and notification for Listserv users.
 
For more information on Listserv, visit http://www.albany.edu/its and select "Listserv" from the "Browse/Request an ITS Service" dropdown menu or call the ITS Helpdesk at (518) 442-3700.