Virgin Media are doing essential overnight works in the Exeter area between 00:05 and 06:00 tomorrow (Weds AM). These works will affect the main SWGfL connection for the Exeter network - access to Scomis services should be unaffected due to the resilient network connections in place.
Apr 262011
Following on from the SWGfL firewall migration, a problem has arrisen that has caused a widespread loss of service across the entire south west.
Typically Schools will be able to access the Internet (such as www.bbc.co.uk) but will be unable to access services such as Hosted Terminal Server, Remote Backup and Remote Support and more.
SWGfL/RM are working with suppliers to correct the fault, although at time of writing we are unable to give schools an estimated time for a fix.
Please keep checking our News website or this post for further updates.
13:42 - The SWGfL/RM third party has applied a fix which currently appears to have resolved connectivity issues.
16:30 - Following this mornings SWGfL Firewall problems, RM have put a fix in place - the platform has been stable since lunchtime and it will be monitored to prevent any further problems from recurring. Investigations are ongoing into the root cause.
RM have decided in conjunction with SWGfL to postpone the firewall update that was scheduled to take place tonight 15th February 2011. The revised date is to be advised, and schools will be informed of the new dates shortly by email.
All Schools will have already been notified of the switchover to the new Central Network Facility via Email.
This Friday evening (10th September) we'll be making preparations for the switchover and then on Saturday (11th September) we'll actually be switching over the circuits.
What's the impact?
Friday 10th September from 18:00 to 23.59
The availability of individual servers may be affected during this period. Some school websites may be unavailable for a short time (not exceeding 15 minutes). Core services including DNS, mail and web access will not be affected on Friday.
Saturday 11th September from 00:00 to 15:00
There will be service interruption (total loss of service) intermittently throughout the day. Individual local authorities will be affected at different times during the day.
External connectivity from Schools to ScoMIS Hosted Services like Terminal Services and Remote Backup may also be affected as a result of the intermittent loss.
What do I need to do?
You should ensure that everyone accessing the network from school premises is informed of the intermittent service interruption over the weekend. Access to SWGfL Mail/RM EasyMail Plus from home connections will be unaffected.
What do I do if there are issues after the switchover?
We've undertaken significant testing to ensure that the switchover goes smoothly, and without any issues. We've also set up a number of automated 'checks' that run frequently on the network so that we can proactively detect and immediately resolve any issues.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Work has been carried out on Merlin in preparation for the release of the new functionality later in the autumn term including Communicator, Parental Engagement and an upgrade to the core service details of which can be found :
http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Learning/SWGfL-Merlin-Home/SWGfL-Merlin-in-Action/Development-Roadmap
This area will be changing regularly to incorporate the very latest information in relation to upgrades, new functionality and features.
Full functionality will be restored at 12 noon today.
May 202010
There is currently an intermittent problem accessing Easymail via the internet and Outlook. RM are currently working on the problem and we expect to hear from them within the hour.
Please keep an eye on the ScoMIS news pages for updates. If you are still unable to access Easymail at lunchtime, please log a call with the Service Desk.
The SWGfL have informed ScoMIS that emergency work needs to be carried out on parts of the SWGfL network.
Services have been described as being “At Risk” from 18:00 hrs 18th May until 06:00 hrs 19th May. During this period, although not expected, users may experience varying network performance or connectivity issues.
This issue could effect ScoMIS Remote Backup, SIMS Terminal Server and SIMS Learning Gateway.
The resilient connection on the Exeter network is now up and running, meaning that Devon schools on the Exeter Network can use the internet at a limited rate. External connectivity to ScoMIS hosted applications such as Terminal Services and Remote Backup has been restored and users connecting in via the VPN or Sims Learning Gateway will also be fine. However, due to the underlying fault still being worked on, certain schools in Torbay and Plymouth will still have no internet connection at all. The fault has been escalated to the highest levels with the service provider and should be fixed over the weekend.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause
ScoMIS Service Desk
As part of the improvements made last summer to Easymail, the size of every user mailbox in the SWGfL was increased to 1GB at no charge to schools. This has been a very popular change and more and more schools are making good use of this.
Because of the increase in use, SWGfL need to add more storage capacity to their systems to continue to provide this functionality. The work is scheduled to take place at 6am on Thursday 6th of May. The work will probably only take about two hours and it is not expected that Easymail will unavailable in this period and you should be able to log in and use your Easymail as usual during this period.
Please contact the SWGfL Helpdesk or your Local Authority support team if you have any questions about this or have problems afterwards.
You can read about the SWGfL Mail service and find out your support team contact numbers here: http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Services/SWGfL-Mail
The 2010 SWGfL Regional conferences are now available for booking by visiting the following link:
http://www.swgfl.org.uk/News/Regional-ICT-Conferences/Regional-ICT-Conferences-(1)
The Conferences provide an opportunity to meet some of the biggest suppliers in the educational ICT industry and, thanks to a host of keynote speakers of international renown, provide an informative insight into best practice and the future of the industry.