Friday, January 22, 2010

Technology Update: Maintenance Saturday, January 23, 2010 12: 00pm to 2:00 pm

Office of the CIO

January 22, 2010

Technology Update for Friday:

The microwave continues to fluctuate with its connection this morning. As a result, a maintenance window has been scheduled for Saturday, January 23, 2010 tomorrow at 12:00 pm to 2:00pm. During this time the microwave will not be operational.

We are currently operating on the alternate radio; the original radio is not working at all. Since the alternate radio has not been utilized in some time, it is not stable, causing the microwave connection to go in and out. More troubleshooting efforts are need to either repair the original radio or stabilize the alternate radio.

Good news is when the microwave goes down all VC rooms, BB, Banner and Banweb will connect through the Internet automatically. Users will access the system the regular way. Please note, during an outage Desktop Outlook will not work on the St. Croix campus users should be encouraged to use exchange.uvi.edu to receive and send email when the microwave is not functioning.

When the microwave is down the quality of the VC product is not the best. The picture is a little blurry but faculty can still communicate with their classes via the VC connection. If the VC connection becomes poor, faculty may choose to conduct class by audio conferencing only. These numbers can be used to connect to the class via audio conferencing. Please be advised that technical support will be available to assist faculty at the beginning of their class. Users can call ITS helpdesk at ext 1466 if assistance is needed.

Please note that the internet connection on STT campus may become slow because of bandwidth usage plus users on the St. Croix campus may experience slow connection rates.

Below are the telephone numbers for each VC room:

Room number STT Phone STT Room number STX Phone STX
B-110 2186 EC-401 3106
T-101 2184 EC-713 3148
T-213 2185 EC-302a 3321
T-115 1187 EC-807 4173
B-101 5003 EC-304 4119





PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:

Please remember to utilize the following instructions when attempting to access technology resources.
• Users on St. Croix campus can access the St. Thomas campus by dialing 693 and the 4 digit extension of the person you are trying to call.
• Users on the St. Thomas campus can access the St. Croix campus by dialing 692 the 4 digit extension of the person you are trying to call.
• To access Audix from the St. Croix campus, dial 693-1599 and login to Audix as usual.
• Users on St. Croix campus are encouraged to connect to Exchange Outlook using the web access exchange.uvi.edu.

• Users on the St. Croix campus may experience slow service to the following applications:
Blackboard
BanWEb
Banner
We will do our best to keep our users informed as we continue to work on this inter-island connection issue. Information and Technology Service apologizes for any inconveniences this outage may have caused.
Thank you in advance for your patience as we work through this issue.

“Service is Key”



Cherie Wheatley
Office of the CIO
Manager,Technology Customer Service





LATER THAT SAME DAY: Inter-island Microwave


Greetings,

First I would like to thank those of you who offered up your office microwave ovens for spare parts and for the bubble gum and bailing-wire that have been delivered to my office. 

The interisland microwave has been operating since approximately 11:45 this morning. We have made adjustments to the equipment at crown mountain in an effort to maintain the connection. We have also sent our last MUX card to St. Croix on the 4:30 Cape Air flight so we can keep the microwave from trying to re-connect on its primary path radios and maintain the connection on the alternate radios. These alternate radios have not been activated for use before yesterday so we are moving carefully and cautiously to make necessary changes. The card will be installed tomorrow morning before 8am in an effort to stabilize the connection. We are going to let the system run tonight in an effort to meet evening class needs.

This evening, we will monitor the system closely. If the radios do lose their connection, the vc and other data systems will automatically move back to the data tunnel over the Internet. So services will be available –except for four digit dial—and low quality on the videoconference pictures even if the microwave fails. Again technicians will be hovering to assist with reconnections or audio connections…whichever best meets the needs of the instructors.

Please let me know if you have any questions. We will continue to investigate options to maintain services and a reasonable learning environment for our students.

Keep your happy thoughts near.

Tina M. Koopmans
Chief Information Officer

UPDATE: Inter-island Microwave

Greetings Colleagues,

As you know, the inter-island microwave stopped working again about 10pm last night. As of this morning at 9am all data traffic to St. Croix was rerouted over the Internet. St. Croix can access Blackboard, Banner, and Exchange via the Outlook Web Access. The videoconference rooms are also able to connect. While the audio is reasonable – the picture quality (as we predicted) is quite poor. We are trying to meet with faculty members to provide their class via telephone if they choose. Access to all services is slow because of bandwidth issues on St. Thomas. Four digit dial and Audix are not available.

We believe that the reason the microwave is not working properly is that the main radio on the dish at crown mountain on St. Thomas is rejecting the signal coming from the alternate radio on St. Croix. We have a crew on the way to crown mountain to see if that can be remedied. We will know more in about an hour, at this time the microwave is operating –

While we are hoping for a best case scenario, we continue to plan for service interruptions. We are:
1) Working with Harris-Stratex to move the installation of the microwave to as soon as possible. We will know more about possible timelines soon.
2) In contact with CHOICE communications to immediately increase our bandwidth. We hope to hear something by the end of the day.
3) We are communicating with Student Affairs to reallocate bandwidth from the dorms (only if absolutely necessary) to provide more bandwidth for educational purposes. An announcement will be made if this becomes necessary. The decision will be made before 4pm.
4) Looking at the possibilities to improve quality of service to the VC rooms.

I will provide an update before evening classes begin.

THINK GOOD THOUGHTS – AT THIS POINT IT CANT HURT


Tina M. Koopmans
Chief Information Officer




UPDATE: Inter-island Microwave

Greetings UVI,


The interisland link between St. Thomas and St. Croix is now fully operational.


At approximately 9:30 this morning, the radio on the interisland microwave stopped working. This radio is what makes the connection possible – it is in essence the “heart of the microwave”. The microwave is equipped with an alternate radio. At approximately 1:30 this afternoon working with Harris-Stratex, we replaced several microwave parts in an effort to activate this alternate radio. While this restored connectivity, the connection remained intermittent. As of 5:00, we have been able to “lock” the connection on the alternate radio and the connection is now stable and all services are operational. Classes are proceeding.


However, the main radio cannot be replaced, so we must move forward operating on the alternate radio. This leaves us without a back up. We have exhausted all our reserve parts and cannot predict how long the alternate radio will provide a functioning microwave. The UVI networking staff have completed configuation of a data tunnel between the islands so that when the microwave fails again, all video and data services will be accessible via the commodity Internet. This option will provide us with continuity – although video over the Internet will require a great deal of bandwidth and will decrease the video quality. We currently have an RFP out to increase our bandwidth on St. Thomas that will make this option more usable.


This microwave system, installed in 1994 has served us well. The microwave is obviously at the end of its life and we are in the process of replacing it. Site surveys were complete last week and purchase orders are in process. Scheduled replacement was June 1, 2010. The new system will provide 300 mbps service between the islands (we currently have 12) and greatly enhance videoconferencing and Internet services. We have already begun the process to move as quickly as possible on the replacement to shorten the timeline. However this will require the switch over to occur during the semester, instead of after finals as we originally planned.


ITS will keep you informed on the status of the microwave and the timelines for the replacement project. We will need to work together closely to effectively serve our students as we navigate the transition.


Thank you for your patience and support.


Tina M. Koopmans
Chief Information Officer

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Technology Update: Microwave not accessible on St. Croix campus

Office of the CIO

January 20, 2010

Technology Update: Microwave Intermittent on St. Croix campus

Greeting University Community,

Please be aware that our very aged inter-island micro-wave system is experiencing technical problems this morning Wednesday, January 20, 2010. Users on the St. Croix campus will experience intermittent or no service while trying to access technology resources. Please remember to utilize the following instructions when attempting to access technology resources.
• Users on St. Croix campus can access the St. Thomas campus by dialing 693 and the 4 digit extension of the person you are trying to call. Users on the St. Thomas campus can access the St. Croix campus by dialing 692 the 4 digit extension of the person you are trying to call.
• Internet service is working
• To access Audix from the St. Croix campus, dial 693-1599 and login to Audix as usual.
• Video conferencing services between islands is not currently accessible . Network Services is currently working to re-route video conference traffic via the internet.
• E-mail Services to the St. Croix campus is not accessible.
• Users on the St. Croix campus will have intermittent/or no connection to the following applications:
Blackboard
BanWEb
Banner
Please note these services can be accessed by using a working internet connection outside of the St. Croix campus network. Users will be able to connect to these services through the web interface.

Information and Technology Services are consulting with off island microwave technical support to determine the best course of action.

We will do our best to keep our users informed as we continue to work on this inter-island connection issue. Information and Technology Service apologies for any inconveniences this outage may have caused. Thank you in advance for your patience as we work through this issue.

“Service is Key”


Cherie Wheatley
Office of the CIO
Manager,Technology Customer Service

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

UPDATE: 11:22 AM Blackboard still NOT Accessible

Technology Update: Blackboard still not accessible as of 11:00 AM
January 16, 2010

Greeting University Community,
As of 11:00 AM this morning technicians are still activating the backup Blackboard server. Please keep in mind that once the server is restored the technician would need more time to perform system testing to ensure the data base is up-to-date and the software is functioning properly.
We will provide another update around 5:00 PM this afternoon. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we get through this system failure together.
If you have any questions please call the helpdesk at ext. 1466 or email helpdesk@uvi.edu.
ITS apologizes for any inconveniences this system outage has caused.




Cherie Wheatley
Manager of Technology Customer Service

UPDATE: Blackboard NOT Accessible

Office of the CIO

January 16, 2010


UPDATE: Blackboard NOT Accessible

Greetings UVI Community,
Please be informed that the technicians have encountered some unforeseen difficulties during system maintenance of the Blackboard Course Management System last evening. Which have resulted in Blackboard not being accessible this morning Saturday, January 16, 2010. Users cannot login to the system at this time.
Technicians are currently, activating the backup Blackboard server. This process is expected to be completed before 11:00 AM this morning. If service is not restored by this time we will provide another update through the ITS helpdesk.
If you have any questions please call the helpdesk at ext. 1466 or email helpdesk@uvi.edu.
ITS apologizes for any inconveniences this system outage has caused.

"Service is key"


Cherie Wheatley
Manager of Technology Customer Service

Holiday Protocol

Office of the CIO

January 15, 2010

Greeting ITS,

As a part of our holiday procedure, the email and voice mail greetings for the main ITS extensions will be updated with an out of office message reflecting that the University is closed for the Martin Luther King Day Holiday.

The helpdesk voice and email will be monitored during the holiday. If a technology emergency occurs we will contact the appropriate technical support.

Erik will monitor the helpdesk email at 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
Brian will monitor the helpdesk voice at 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm.

Have a Happy MLK Holiday!


Cherie Wheatley
Office of the CIO
Manager, Technology Customer Service

Second Notice: Libraries Closed on Martin Luther King's Holiday

Office of the CIO

January 12, 2010


Greeting University Community,

The UVI Libraries will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King’s Birthday on Monday, January 18, 2010. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Please note that the Libraries will be open on:
Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm

In an effort to maintain technology services for students during the Holiday, both campuses will observe the following schedule for student lab access.

Lab Access:

On St. Croix campus students will be able to utilize the NWW 120 Lab. Students may request access through the Security Department. Students must present their UVI ID and sign in order to gain access.

On St. Thomas campus the 24/7 library lab is available for students use during the holiday. Students can access the lab by using their ID key cards.

St. Thomas: 24/7
St. Croix: NWW 120 Lab

Students may also access online library resources at any time by going to http://library.uvi.edu.

The Help Desk voice mail at ext.1466 and email will be monitored during the holiday. If a technology emergency occurs please leave us a message and an ITS technician will follow up. If you have any questions, please contact us at the Help Desk.

Enjoy your holiday!





Cherie Wheatley
Office of the CIO
Manager,Technology Customer Service