Information Technology Advisory
All Systems Operational

About This Site

Our technology advisory page provides up-to-date information about the operations of Vancouver Island University's Information Technology systems and services. Scroll down for scheduled maintenance and incident history.

Please follow us on twitter @VIU_IT to receive updates regarding service outages and scheduled maintenance.

Computer Accounts and Files ? Operational
Email ? Operational
Network: Internet, Wireless, and Wired ? Operational
Printing ? Operational
Telephone System ? Operational
Websites and Learning Tools ? Operational
VIULearn (D2L) ? Operational
Library Services ? Operational
University Website (viu.ca) ? Operational
InVIU ? Operational
Student Self-service: My Student Record ? Operational
Administrative Systems ? Operational
Student Records (SRS) Operational
Financial Records System (FRS) Operational
HR/Payroll/Employee & Applicant Portal (Stargarden) Operational
Admin Systems Portal (VIUWeb) Operational
Operational
Degraded Performance
Partial Outage
Major Outage
Maintenance
Past Incidents
Mar 29, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 29, 07:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 29, 06:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: wordpress.viu.ca; Our team will be installing updates to the system that hosts wordpress.viu.ca.
Level of impact: Service Interruption. During the maintenance window the above websites will be unavailable for 15 minutes.
Timing: 6am to 7am, Wednesday, March 29.
Preparation: Please save any changes and log out your VIU WordPress blog prior to the maintenance window.

Mar 13, 19:55 PDT
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 29, 01:15 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 25, 01:16 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Employee and student computers; Microsoft updates for Windows 10 and Office 2016 are being installed on VIU computers.
Level of impact: Computer restart. These software updates will require a system restart to complete the installation. Not all workstations will update the first night.
Timing: 1:15am to at 6am, Saturday, March 25. Repeating nightly from 1:15am to 6am, until all workstations are updated.
Preparation: Software updates can cause computers to restart. We recommend that you save and close your work at the end of every day then log off or restart your computer. Do not shut down your computer systems or they will not receive the updates. Your system may not update the first night and may update any of the following nights depending on update load.

Mar 22, 17:31 PDT
Mar 28, 2023

No incidents reported.

Mar 27, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 27, 19:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 27, 17:02 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Generic Email Addresses; Technicians are performing security updates on our legacy Exchange Email Server. Currently only generic email accounts remain active on this server. (eg. @viu.ca or @viu.ca)
Level of impact: Service Interruption. During the maintenance window, Employees accessing a generic mailbox will receive a pop-up. This will tell them Outlook has disconnected, and a few seconds later, it should say it has re-connected. This will repeat multiple times during the maintenance window and can be ignored. Email sent from accounts on the legacy email system during the maintenance window may be slightly delayed but will be sent/received.
Timing: 5pm to 7pm. Monday, March 27.
Preparation: If you plan to use any of the above services during the maintenance window, please login to them before it starts.

Mar 22, 17:34 PDT
Mar 26, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 26, 05:01 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 26, 00:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Employee Portal and related tools; Our vendor is installing updates and performing maintenance on the systems that host our VIU Employee portal. This impacts tools accessed by the portal including HRIS, FIS and Procurement tools, among others.
Level of impact: Service Interruption. During the maintenance period the Employee Portal and related tools will be unavailable.
Timing: 12am to 5am, Sunday, March 26.
Preparation: If needed, please plan to use the Employee Portal outside of the Maintenance Period.

Mar 13, 19:47 PDT
Mar 25, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 25, 00:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 24, 21:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: IT Client and Ticket Portals; Every Friday our vendor performs maintenance on the servers hosting the IT Ticket System (https://ithelp.viu.ca) and the IT Client Portal (https://technology.viu.ca).
Level of impact: Service Interruption. Employees will be unable to access the above sites/services during the maintenance window.
Timing: 9pm to 12:00 am, every Friday.
Preparation: None required. If you need to submit an IT Request during the maintenance window please e-mail ithelp@viu.ca. Once the maintenance is complete, an IT request will automatically be created based on your e-mail and you will be e-mailed a ticket number.

Mar 13, 19:29 PDT
Mar 24, 2023
Mar 23, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 23, 23:01 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 23, 14:30 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Wireless Access – Building 350 - Nanaimo Campus; Technicians will be performing upgrades to the wireless system on the Nanaimo Campus.
Level of impact: Possible Service Interruption. During the maintenance window Wireless connections may be disrupted for up to five minutes as technicians replace or upgrade wireless systems in your area. In most cases there will be no interruption, as other access points in the area pick up the slack.
Timing: 2:30-11:00PM, Thursday March 23th
Preparation: If you are disconnected while connected to one of the above wireless networks, please wait a few minutes and the service may resume. If you are not reconnected shortly, try reconnecting to the wireless network.

Mar 22, 16:58 PDT
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 23, 08:01 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 23, 07:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Inbound email for SRSMail and Stumail; We are changing the route that inbound email takes for the mentioned services, as part of our transition to our new AntiSpam architecture, Exchange Online Protection
Level of impact: Intermittent Mail Delivery. During the maintenance window Wireless connections may be disrupted for up to five minutes as technicians replace or upgrade wireless systems in your area. In most cases there will be no interruption, as other access points in the area pick up the slack.
Timing: 7:00am to 8:00am, Thursday, March 23.
Preparation: None required.

Mar 22, 17:28 PDT
Mar 22, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 22, 13:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 22, 11:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Websites; Our Web team will be changing which cloud hosting service stores our web content.
Level of impact: No Service Interruption. This change only impacts where we host our website, not how employees access or edit it. Being migrated in this batch is content from Cowichan, Parksville-Qualicum Centre, tiwšɛmawtxʷ, Milner Gardens & Woodland sites.
Timing: 11am to 1pm, Wednesday, March 22.
Preparation: None.

Mar 10, 14:04 PST
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 22, 11:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 22, 10:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Websites. Our Web team performs updates to our Drupal Web Content Management System.
Level of impact: No Interruption. While no outage is expected, saving content during this timeframe within the Drupal platform may be slower.
Timing: 10am to 3pm, every Wednesday
Preparation: None

Mar 13, 19:26 PDT
Mar 21, 2023

No incidents reported.

Mar 20, 2023

No incidents reported.

Mar 19, 2023

No incidents reported.

Mar 18, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 18, 00:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 17, 21:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: IT Client and Ticket Portals; Every Friday our vendor performs maintenance on the servers hosting the IT Ticket System (https://ithelp.viu.ca) and the IT Client Portal (https://technology.viu.ca).
Level of impact: Service Interruption. Employees will be unable to access the above sites/services during the maintenance window.
Timing: 9pm to 12:00 am, every Friday.
Preparation: None required. If you need to submit an IT Request during the maintenance window please e-mail ithelp@viu.ca. Once the maintenance is complete, an IT request will automatically be created based on your e-mail and you will be e-mailed a ticket number.

Mar 13, 19:28 PDT
Mar 17, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 17, 23:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 17, 14:30 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Wireless Access – Building 370 - Nanaimo Campus; Technicians will be performing upgrades to the wireless system on the Nanaimo Campus.
Level of impact: Possible Service Interruption. During the maintenance window Wireless connections may be disrupted for up to five minutes as technicians replace or upgrade wireless systems in your area. In most cases there will be no interruption, as other access points in the area pick up the slack.
Timing: 2:30-11:00PM, Friday March 17th
Preparation: If you are disconnected while connected to one of the above wireless networks, please wait a few minutes and the service may resume. If you are not reconnected shortly, try reconnecting to the wireless network.

Mar 15, 16:30 PDT
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 17, 00:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 16, 20:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU physical and wireless networks; All devices connected to VIU's physical and wireless networks (VIU-Secure, VIU-Guest, Eduroam), and VPN (TUNNEL and GlobalProtect).
Level of impact: Service Degradation. During the maintenance window access to the internet, websites, shares, e-mail, logins, and other services you access may feel slower than usual.
Timing: 8pm to midnight. Thursday March 16.
Preparation: None required.

Mar 13, 20:08 PDT
Mar 16, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 16, 23:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 16, 14:30 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Wireless Access – Building B350 & B365 - Nanaimo Campus; Technicians will be performing upgrades to the wireless system on the Nanaimo Campus.
Level of impact: Possible Service Interruption. During the maintenance window Wireless connections may be disrupted for up to five minutes as technicians replace or upgrade wireless systems in your area. In most cases there will be no interruption, as other access points in the area pick up the slack.
Timing: 2:30-11:00PM, Thursday March 16th
Preparation: If you are disconnected while connected to one of the above wireless networks, please wait a few minutes and the service may resume. If you are not reconnected shortly, try reconnecting to the wireless network.

Mar 15, 16:26 PDT
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 16, 21:02 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 16, 20:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: Outbound mail for 35 shared mailboxes at VIU that are not yet migrated to Exchange Online, as well as SRSMail and STUMail. Changing routing of outbound mail that still exists on On-premise mail server
Level of impact: Potential Interruption. None expected. Possible interruption may occur for emails being processed by 35 non-migrated shared mailboxes during the change. If this occurs, it is expected that the sending system will retry.
Timing: 8pm to 9pm, Thursday, March 16.
Preparation: None required.

Mar 15, 16:45 PDT
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 16, 18:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 16, 17:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Generic Email Addresses; Technicians are moving generic email addresses from our legacy email server to Exchange online. Example accounts (Department@viu.ca or Program@viu.ca).
Level of impact: Service Interruption. During the maintenance window each generic email address may be unavailable for up to 10 minutes. After the maintenance window you may have to restart Outlook to regain access to the generic email address.
Timing: 5pm to 6pm. Thursday, March 16.
Preparation: Close Outlook and ensure the generic account is not logged into a computer.

Mar 15, 16:35 PDT
Mar 15, 2023
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 15, 19:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 15, 17:01 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: All VIU technology including email, files, VIULearn, printing, internet, etc. A complete list of services is included below.
Level of impact: Service Interruption. All services listed will be unavailable for up to 15 minutes during the maintenance window.
Timing: Wednesday 5pm to 7pm
Description: All servers are receiving monthly updates and must be restarted.
Preparation: Please close these systems and all applications connected to these systems before 5:00pm. Do not use these systems during the maintenance period.

Services that may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes between 5pm to 7pm:
- VIU email (including Outlook, webmail and public folders)
- VIU websites (including isapp.viu.ca sites, InVIU, viuresidences.ca, stuweb.viu.ca)

Mar 8, 15:49 PST
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 15, 15:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 15, 10:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: VIU Websites. Our Web team performs updates to our Drupal Web Content Management System.
Level of impact: No Interruption. While no outage is expected, saving content during this timeframe within the Drupal platform may be slower.
Timing: 10am to 3pm, every Wednesday
Preparation: None

Mar 8, 14:58 PST
Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.
Mar 15, 08:00 PDT
In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.
Mar 15, 06:00 PDT
Scheduled - What is impacted: All VIU technology including email, files, VIULearn, printing, internet, etc. A complete list of services is included below.
Level of impact: Service Interruption. All services listed will be unavailable for up to 15 minutes during the maintenance window.
Timing: Wednesday, 6am to 8am
Description: All servers are receiving monthly updates and must be restarted.
Preparation: Please close these systems and all applications connected to these systems before 6:00am. Do not use these systems during the maintenance period.

Services that may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes between 6am to 8am:
- Internet access on campus
Internet access on campus
- VIULearn online courses (D2L)
- Student and Employee Printing
- Employee and Student U Drives, My Documents and Desktop Files
- Department Share Drives
- Website logins (including VIULearn, VIUTube, VIUBlogs, VIUSpace, InVIU, Unit4/UBW, and isapp.viu.ca sites)
- VIU databases (including Checkbox Survey, Research Office app, StarRez, Tableau)

Mar 8, 15:45 PST