Limited April maintenance to help with end of term: Wed. April 10, 10 pm - 3 am
With assignments due and final exams, we know April is a very busy month for you. So, as we’ve done during previous final exam periods, this month we’re forgoing our regularly scheduled maintenance of most ICT services.
This means PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) and many other ICT services will continue to run as usual throughout this month's scheduled maintenance.
We do, however, still need to go ahead with regular maintenance on a number of services which run on Microsoft Windows since they require essential patches and updates that cannot wait for a later date.
This reduced maintenance work will be performed during the evening of Wednesday, April 10th, from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next morning.
During that time, the following services will be unavailable:
- File services (Cabinet, Jade, Bermuda, TangoWeb (SSAM/gsis), WinWeb (FMD), Datashare)
- Print services (Green, CPAS)
- Database hosting (SQLserver only)
PAWS, Sirius, Unifi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), etc. will remain uninterrupted during this maintenance.
Please note: The Windows servers associated with email, file storage (Cabinet) and printing (CPAS) will be patched after 11:00 pm -- after the Murray Library has closed for the evening -- in order to accommodate students who may be studying there.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
March 05, 2013
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Mar. 13, 10 pm - 2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wednesday, March 13th from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during our regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
Please remember you can check scheduled maintenance dates and times on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
February 12, 2013
ICT Service Outage: Mon. Feb. 18, 12:01 am - 2:00 am
All Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services will be unavailable on Monday, February 18th from 12:01 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. while we work to perform essential hardware and software upgrades to the university network.
Since all ICT services rely on the network, they will not be accessible for this two-hour period. Affected services will therefore include the usask network, telephones, internet including wireless connections, email, PAWS, SiRIUS, UniFi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and all other institutional and college-based IT services.
We recommend that any persons who are required to work during this time should ensure they have access to a cell phone in the event of an emergency.
The Campus Safety line at 966-5555 will be unaffected and remain operational throughout this time.
We would appreciate your patience during this outage. Please know we scheduled this work for the early morning hours to minimize disruption to the university community. The outage is required to complete the last phase of the network upgrade begun last December.
We expect all ICT services to be operating normally after 2:00 a.m. on Monday, February 18th.
For more information, please contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Feb. 13, 10 pm - 2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wednesday, February 13th from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
Please remember you can also look for scheduled maintenance dates and times on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
January 08, 2013
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Jan. 9, 10 pm - 2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wed., Jan. 9 from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
And, so you know in advance when service interruptions will occur, we post all upcoming scheduled maintenance on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
December 20, 2012
ICT Service Levels During Christmas Break
All Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services are expected to be available during the Christmas break, except for a brief period on Thursday, December 27 from 3:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. During this time, all ICT services (including telephones) may be disrupted or unavailable while we work to perform essential hardware and software upgrades on the university network.
The ICT Help Desk will be closed from 5:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013; during this time the Help Desk email and voice mail will be monitored for urgent issues with wide impact only. For general information and self-help support over the holidays, please visit ict.usask.ca; the Guides and Resources drop-down menu offers a wide variety of computing guides and instructions.
The ICT general office will be closed from 3:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca
December 19, 2012
ICT Network Upgrade: Thurs., Dec. 27, 3:30 am to 8:00 am
On Thursday, December 27th, from 3:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services may be disrupted or unavailable while we work to perform essential hardware and software upgrades on the university network.
These services include the usask network, wired and wireless Internet connections, email, telephones, PAWS, SiRIUS, UniFi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and all other institutional and college-based IT services.
The Campus Safety line at 966-5555 will be unaffected and remain operational throughout this time.
Please know we scheduled this work for a day when the university is officially closed to minimize disruption to the university community.
We expect all ICT services to be operating normally after 8:00 a.m., December 27th.
Please also note: the ICT Help Desk will be closed from 5:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013; during this time the Help Desk email and voice mail will be monitored for urgent issues with wide impact only.
For general information and self-help support over the holidays, please visit our website at ict.usask.ca; the Guides & Resources drop-down menu offers a wide variety of computing guides, instructions and support.
For more information, please contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca
Happy Holidays from ICT!
December 11, 2012
Limited December maintenance to help with end of term: Wed. Dec. 12, 10 pm - 2 am
With assignments due and final exams, we know December is a very busy month for you. So, as we’ve done in previous years, this month we’re forgoing our regularly scheduled maintenance of most ICT services.
This means PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) and many other ICT services will continue to run as usual throughout this month's scheduled maintenance.
We do, however, still need to go ahead with regular maintenance on a number of services which run on Microsoft Windows since they require essential patches and updates that cannot wait for a later date.
This reduced maintenance work will be performed during the evening of Wednesday, December 12th, from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. the next morning.
During that time, the following services will be unavailable:
- Exchange Email
- File services (Cabinet, Jade, Bermuda, TangoWeb (SSAM/gsis), WinWeb (FMD), Datashare)
- Print services (Green, CPAS)
- Database hosting (SQLserver only)
Non-Exchange email, PAWS, Sirius, Unifi, Blackboard, etc. will remain uninterrupted during this maintenance.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
November 13, 2012
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Nov. 14, 10 pm - 2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wed., Nov. 14 from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
And, so you know in advance when service interruptions will occur, we post all upcoming scheduled maintenance on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also tweet our scheduled maintenance times and other announcements about ICT services so be sure to follow us on Twitter @usask_ICT
In addition, we post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
October 09, 2012
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Oct. 10, 10 pm - 2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wed., Oct. 10 from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
And, so you know in advance when service interruptions will occur, we post all upcoming scheduled maintenance on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
September 13, 2012
U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) Update
U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) should now be running smoothly for all users.
Our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) team implemented changes Wednesday noon that significantly improved performance. Other performance enhancements were also added during the routine monthly downtime yesterday evening. ICT will continue to monitor the system and implement improvements as they become available.
As always, ICT encourages you to report problems and seek support from the ICT Help Desk.
We thank you very much for your patience.
For more information, contact:
the ICT Help Desk at 966-4817 or email help.desk@usask.ca
September 12, 2012
U of S Course Tools Update
At 12 noon today, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) will shut down for 30 minutes so we can address some of the technical issues affecting the system. This unusual step is necessary since the service is unusable in its current state.
Please save your work and exit the system before 12 noon.
The short downtime at noon will be used to install changes to improve the current situation. Tonight, during the reguarly scheduled maintenance (from 10 pm to 2 am), we will be installing patches which should fix the problem.
We will continue to post updates on our progress here at ict.usask.ca, on the U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) login page at bblearn.usask.ca and via our ICT USASK Twitter feed at @usask_ICT
Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.
ICT always encourages users to report problems and seek support from the ICT Help Desk: 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) Issues
A recurring technical issue with our U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) has resulted in long response times and timeouts for many users.
We understand that this has created complications for many users engaged in the multiple academic activities that take place in U of S Course Tools.
U of S Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is working hard to resolve this issue. We will notify you of our progress and of any performance changes to U of S Course Tools on the Blackboard Learn login page at bblearn.usask.ca and at ict.usask.ca under News & Announcements.
ICT always encourages users to report problems and seek support from the ICT Help Desk: 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
Thank you for your patience.
September 11, 2012
Scheduled Monthly Downtime: Wed. Sept. 12, 10 pm-2 am
PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and other ICT services will be unavailable on Wed., Sept. 12 from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am the next morning. This regularly scheduled monthly downtime allows us to install important security, performance, and stability updates.
To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
And, so you know in advance when service interruptions will occur, we post all upcoming scheduled maintenance on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.
We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.
A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca
August 21, 2012
U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) to be Unavailable Wed. Aug. 22, 6 PM - Midnight
U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) will be unavailable on Wednesday, August 22nd from 6 p.m. to midnight for the installation of important upgrades to improve service.
New for the 2012-13 academic year, improvements to U of S Course Tools will include an easier way for instructors to change student email settings, the option of viewing courses by term, and the option of a simplified tools menu. It will also be possible to view courses by term and to navigate more easily from course to course. An improved editing tool will make posting course information simpler. New automatic regrading and grade history options will also be available. We're also adding management tools for Lecture Capture and Sharestream videostreaming inside the regular Course Tools menu, making it easier than ever to add lectures, video and audio material to your course content. A new web conferencing service, Collaborate, will also be available within Course Tools for anyone interested in holding virtual meetings.
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817 help.desk@usask.ca
August 13, 2012
PAWS & Other ICT Services to be Unavailable Wed. Aug. 15, 10 PM to 2 AM
PAWS will be unavailable on Wednesday, August 15, from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. the next morning for regular maintenance and the installation of important security patches.
Other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during this time include:
- Course Tools (Blackboard)
- Email, including Exchange, webmail, mailing lists (including access to voicemail via Exchange)
- SiRIUS & UniFI (Banner)
- File services (Cabinet, Jade, Bermuda, TangoWeb (SSAM/gsis), WinWeb (FMD))
- Print services (Green, CPAS)
- Database hosting (Oracle & MS-SQL)
- U-Who
- U-Friend
- Web Services (Cascade, www, homepage)
- MITS
- CAS
- E-valuation (SEEQ)
- Wiki (Confluence)
- QuestionMark Perception (QMP)
- CVMS
- Matterhorn Lecture Capture
For more information, contact:
ITS Help Desk 966-4817 help.desk@usask.ca
August 03, 2012
Changes to Wireless Access
As of August 15, access to U of S wireless networks will change and the previous “guest” wireless network will no longer be available.
Please ensure you are using the correct wireless network to obtain the best possible service and speed. (For example, holders of valid U of S IDs will find their bandwidth strictly limited if they do not log into the uofs-secure network.)
The U of S wireless networks are as follows:
uofs-secure
This internal wireless network is for use by all U of S faculty, staff and students who have U of S Network Services IDs (NSIDs). This network is fully encrypted and provides the highest bandwidth.
uofs-guest
This guest wireless network is for use by guests who have been provided with temporary U of S IDs (such as conference attendees and visiting dignitaries).
uofs-public
This guest wireless network is for general public access. It offers limited bandwidth service.
For more information on using U of S wireless networks, please contact the ICT Help Desk: Help Desk: 966-4817; help.desk@usask.ca; http://www.usask.ca/its/guides/help_desk
July 20, 2012
Upgrade to U of S Wireless Network Log-in System
On the morning of July 30th at 7:30 a.m., the system used to connect to the wireless network is being upgraded. This upgrade will change the way certificates are handled. Devices that don’t use certificates will not behave any differently when connecting to the wireless network. If you have a mobile device, you should review the remainder of this notice to identify possible changes that may affect you.
Apple Mobile Devices:
If you connect to uofs-secure with an Apple device, you will be prompted to accept a certificate the first time that you connect after the upgrade. You will have to accept this certificate to access wireless services.
BlackBerry, Windows7 and Android Devices:
If you use certificates on your BlackBerry, Windows7 or Android device, you will need to verify that your device has the correct settings in order to access the wireless network after the upgrade. Instructions for the correct settings can be found online at: http://www.usask.ca/its/services/networks/wireless/access.php#students_employees
For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk at 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca
May 29, 2012
PAWS and Course Tools to be Unavailable Saturday, June 2
PAWS and U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) will be unavailable on Saturday, June 2 at 9 a.m. for between four and eight hours due to an important maintenance upgrade.
We expect both services should be back in service by no later than 5 p.m.
For more information, contact:
ITS Help Desk 966-4817 help.desk@usask.ca
May 09, 2012
PAWS & Other ICT Services to be Unavailable Wed. May 9, 10 PM – 2 AM
PAWS will be unavailable on Wednesday May 9, from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. the next morning for regular maintenance and the installation of important security patches.
Other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during this time include:
- Blackboard
- Email, including Exchange, webmail, mailing lists (including access to voicemail via Exchange)
- SiRIUS & UniFI (Banner)
- File services (Cabinet, Jade, Bermuda, TangoWeb (SSAM/gsis), WinWeb (FMD))
- Print services (Green, CPAS)
- Database hosting (Oracle & MS-SQL)
- U-Who
- U-Friend
- Web Services (Cascade, www, homepage)
- MITS
- CAS
- E-valuation (SEEQ)
- Wiki (Confluence)
- QuestionMark Perception (QMP)
- CVMS
- Matterhorn Lecture Capture
For more information, contact:
ITS Help Desk 966-4817 help.desk@usask.ca
February 13, 2008
Improved Access for SaskTel Internet Users
Since early this term, there has been an unexpected increase (almost doubling) in the use of the connection between the University’s and SaskTel’s networks. The connection is being used to capacity, with more demand than can currently be satisfied. The increase appears to be the result of a recent change in SaskTel’s connections to other Internet Service Providers.
The increased demand has resulted in problems for some people trying to use University resources from their home SaskTel connections, and to a lesser extent, when accessing some Internet sites from the University. Difficulties are most apparent during office hours when demand for this access is greatest.
ITS is working to resolve this situation and restore good service to everyone. Steps being taken to resolve the situation include:
- Arranging for more capacity to be added to the connection to SaskTel. This will take some time to complete, as physical changes to the connection will be required.
- Working with SaskTel to re-route the additional network traffic to the University’s connections to other Internet Service Providers in order to relieve congestion.
ITS is continuing to work on making the service as usable as possible. ITS apologizes for the inconvenience this issue has caused.
October 05, 2007
New Monthly Downtimes Begin - First Scheduled October 10
In order to improve the security of the institutional IT services, ITS is implementing a monthly downtime to apply security and related patches to all systems (applications, databases, and servers) that ITS operates. To minimize the impact of service outages, we will coordinate these with other existing scheduled outages (monthly patching of Windows Servers, weekly downtimes of SiRIUS and Unifi) so there is only one scheduled service outage per month.
Monthly outages, occurring on the second Wednesday of the month between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., will begin Wednesday October 10. All IT services provided through ITS, except those listed below, will be unavailable during that time. There will be rare occurrences when the outage will be rescheduled to the third Wednesday of the month and these changes to the schedule will be announced one month in advance.
Services that will be available are:
- About-Us (HR system)
- Network
- Voicemail
Services that will NOT be available are:
- PAWS
- SiRIUS
- UniFi
- U-Who
- U-friend
- File Services (Cabinet, Folder, Jade)
- Web Services (www, homepage)
- Print Services (CPAS, Green)
- Database Hosting (SQL server & Oracle)
- E-mail, including Webmail
- Blackboard/WebCT
- MITS
May 09, 2007
Change to the U of S Wireless Network Security Protocol
ITS is making changes to the wireless network. A significant number of people are now bringing wireless devices (such as PDAs) to the U of S that are not compatible with the PEAP network security protocol currently used at the U of S. By changing the network security protocol, the U of S wireless network will be able to accommodate these devices.
Members of the campus community who use the U of S wireless network will need to delete their existing wireless connection and create a new one that does not use PEAP. Instructions are available online at: http://www.usask.ca/its/services/networks/setup_guides/
Although this change increases accessibility to the U of S wireless network, it also means that information (e.g. usernames, passwords, data) travelling on the wireless network is only encrypted if it is sent using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protection (i.e. the URL uses https://) or over a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Use of VPN software protects your information that otherwise might be viewable by other wireless users.
The VPN service is now available to undergraduate students at the U of S as a result of this change to the wireless network. Previously it was restricted to instructors, researchers, employees and graduate students. To learn about the VPN service at the U of S, visit: http://www.usask.ca/its/services/networks/vpn/
If you have any questions, concerns or need assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk.
November 20, 2006
Welcome to the ITS Announcements blog!
Welcome to the ITS Announcements blog! ITS announcements will provide you with information on new services, system status, upcoming training, alerts, news and more.