As part of our commitment to modernization and security, DoIT has upgraded the Linux GL environment to be most up to date version of Fedora Linux.  This change upgrades most software packages to newer version that have been requested for classes for sometime. We’d like to mention a couple important notes regarding this upgrade.

• We’ve created legacy.gl.umbc.edu that will continue to be served by the existing Red Hat Enterprise 6 servers for this Academic Year (AY18-19)

• We have increased the security of encryption for logins. This will mean that upon first login to these new systems, you will be prompted and need to accept the updated “key”

If you have any concerns, questions or notice any issues with the new linux.gl environment, please contact the Technology Support Center either submitting a support request at my.umbc.edu/help or calling (410) 455-3838.

Earlier today we completed the repairs to the voicemail and call processing equipment. At this point call processing services have been restored and voicemail is again accessible and accepting new messages.

Despite our best efforts there was some data that could not be recovered. For voicemail boxes this could result in an existing message being lost. For call processing numbers it would result in a loss of the prerecorded message or greeting. Unfortunately due to the age and limited diagnostic abilities of the system we cannot tell which numbers have lost messages.

We would encourage managers of call processing numbers to check their recordings and submit a ticket through DoIT’s Technology Support Center at (410) 455-3838 or https://my.umbc.edu/help. We will be monitoring tickets and working with users promptly to record new greetings.

We appreciate the patience and understanding the campus has shown during this extended outage. DoIT will be evaluating options to modernize this system and to improve the stability of this service. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact either myself or Damian Doyle, our information is listed below.

Ray Soellner

Assoc. Director Telecommunications

DoIT - UMBC

rays1@umbc.edu

x53256

Damian Doyle

Senior Director Enterprise Infrastructure

DoIT - UMBC

damian@umbc.edu

x53872

Today was marked both with failure and success as we made significant progress replacing the faulty, aging voicemail and call processing hardware. Despite our best efforts throughout the day we were only able to repair part of the system. Due to some additional equipment failures that occurred during the outage, we had to overnight more parts and expect to complete the maintenance during the day tomorrow (Friday 8/17).

Throughout this process we have been working closely with the vendor, taking every precaution to increase the likelihood of success. We are working hard to ensure we protect the existing data to the best of our ability. Once the additional hardware has been replaced and tested, we will synchronize the system and determine if there is any data loss.

We expect to complete the maintenance tomorrow afternoon and we will send a follow up email upon completion of the outage.

The campus community has been very patient and understanding during this process and we apologize for any inconvenience this extended outage has caused. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss any concerns with you.

Ray Soellner

Telecommunications Manager

DoIT - UMBC

The Voicemail and Call Processing maintenance window, originally scheduled for today, will be extended to tomorrow, August 16th beginning at 8am. During today’s work we experienced unforeseen complications while installing the new hardware. Service has been restored using the old hardware and will remain in service until tomorrow. We believe to have resolved the complication experienced today and hope to complete the remaining work tomorrow.

We expect this maintenance window to be 8 hours, during which users will not have access to Voicemail or Call Processing. Inbound and outbound calling will be unaffected. Due to the age of the Phone and Voicemail system the potential for lost data still exists. DoIT recommends that you capture all Voicemail and Call Processing settings if you have not already done so.

We recommend users take the following measures to protect any critical voicemail messages ahead of the outage:

- Make note of all your voicemail greetings and settings.

- Capture information from all saved or new Voicemails. DoIT recommends playing voicemails over speaker phone while using a usb recorder or recording app on your smartphone. DoIT’s Capturing Voicemail Messages FAQ

- Please go to DoIT’s Phone FAQ if you have any questions about how to access your voicemail or voicemail settings.

- Please delete any unneeded messages. This will decrease the duration of the service window.

If you have further questions, please contact the Technology Support Center by either submitting a support request at my.umbc.edu/help or calling (410) 455-3838.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try and repair this system.

Ray Soellner

Assoc. Director of Telecommunications

DoIT - UMBC

Tomorrow August 15th starting at 8am DoIT will be performing maintenance on the campus voicemail and call processing systems to address failing hardware. We expect this maintenance window to be 8 hours, during which users will not have access to Voicemail or call processing. DoIT staff are working with the vendor to copy the voicemails and call processing configuration prior to replacement of the hardware; however, there is no certainty that this copy will be successful.

Due to the age of the phone system and voicemail system we don’t have any way to back this information up other than the copy we are attempting prior to the disk replacement.

Departments with call trees or call processing are encouraged to capture all recordings and menu options prior to the service window in the event that this information is lost and needs to be recreated.

We recommend users take the following measures to protect any critical voicemail messages ahead of the outage:

- Make note of all your voicemail greetings and settings.

- Capture information from all saved or new Voicemails. DoIT recommends playing voicemails over speaker phone while using a usb recorder or recording app on your smartphone. DoIT’s Capturing Voicemail Messages FAQ

- Please go to DoIT’s Phone FAQ if you have any questions about how to access your voicemail or voicemail settings.

- Please delete any unneeded messages. This will decrease the duration of the service window.

If you have further questions, please contact the Technology Support Center by either submitting a support request at my.umbc.edu/help or calling (410) 455-3838.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try and repair this system.

Ray Soellner

Assoc. Director of Telecommunications

DoIT - UMBC

The DoIT Technology Support Center is looking to hire additional consultants to work during the Fall. Please see our job description below and visit our job posting on UMBCWorks to apply. (Search for TSC Student Consultant.)

TSC Student Consultant Job Description

Technology Support Center (TSC) student consultants are the first points of technical contact for the UMBC community and those who do well often go on to work in other areas of the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). Minimally, consultants are expected to provide initial triage and support for a wide-range of information technologies including accounts, hardware, instructional technologies, networking, software, telecommunications, and basic web development.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide technical assistance to users by phone, online and in person;
• Answer TSC phones in a professional and courteous manner;
• Create, update and resolve tickets in the Request Tracker (RT) ticketing system;
• Create, update, suggest and recommend relevant FAQ articles to users (www.umbc.edu/faq);
• Provide direct assistance to users on technical issues they cannot easily resolve on their own;
• Complete in-person or online training about quality support as defined in umbc.edu/go/ticketrubric;
• Respond to all work-related communications in a timely manner;
• Escalate urgent problems to the Full-Time staff, as appropriate.

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate by phone or in person.
• Demonstrated writing ability.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve successful outcomes in handling difficult situations and customers.
• Demonstrated analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability & willingness to learn coupled with a clear understanding of one’s technical abilities, so as to triage and escalate an issue that leads to an effective solution for the user.