黑料吃瓜

You鈥檙e sitting at your computer, trying to use Blackboard or check your online library records.  Or maybe you need to add a new event to your personal calendar, use WebPortal or perhaps look up a colleague in the 黑料吃瓜 Directory.

And darn it, it鈥檚 just not working!  It might stall and leave you hanging, or maybe you can鈥檛 access the application at all.

You scratch your head, maybe swear a little under your breath and then you remember. There鈥檚 a newly launched site, just off the 黑料吃瓜 homepage, where you can go for answers!  It鈥檚: . (Hint: bookmark this page!)

About the site

Spearheaded by Helen Habermann of University Computer Operations, the Network and Applications Status site is a 鈥渙ne-stop-shop鈥� where staff, faculty and students can go for updates on what鈥檚 working and what鈥檚 not.

If you鈥檙e having a problem that has already been reported, you can find out details about when it鈥檚 expected to be resolved.

If you鈥檙e the first to experience the problem, you鈥檒l find out how to report it to the appropriate office. (The site offers instructions for students and for faculty/staff.)

What systems does the new site track?

The site lists operation status for the following applications:

• AidLink
• Blackboard
• Calendar (Meeting Maker)
• Email for @mail.sdsu.edu, @sciences.sdsu.edu, @rohan.sdsu.edu
• Network
• San Diego Circuit
• 黑料吃瓜 Web Directory
• SIMS/R
• The PAC
• University Scholarship Management System
• WebPortal
• Websites, including , , ,

If you know of a campuswide application or system that should be listed and is not, please contact Helen Habermann, University Computer Operations, [email protected] or 619-594-3605.

Idea for the site

The idea for the site came originally from Kent McKelvey, director for Telecommunications and Network Services, and Skip Austin, TNS Network analyst, after they discovered similar sites at other universities.  

鈥淭he new site will help us track the quality of the network, how much up or down time we have,鈥� McKelvey said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a repository of how good a job we鈥檙e doing. But its main value will be in providing solid information to the campus about what鈥檚 up and what鈥檚 not, and when.鈥�

According to McKelvey, 黑料吃瓜 faculty and staff are understanding about occasional outages, as long as they know what鈥檚 going on.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 a problem and you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on, that鈥檚 frustrating. If you can check the site and know ahead of time that something鈥檚 scheduled be out, then you can plan around it. Sharing information on the site will also cut down on phone calls to the help desk.鈥�

Network and application problem solving

There will, of course, be times when a problem can鈥檛 be solved immediately, or the cause of an outage isn鈥檛 obvious.

鈥淓ven if we don鈥檛 know exactly what鈥檚 happening, we鈥檒l put up a notice:  鈥榃e鈥檙e currently experiencing a problem. It appears to be system X. We鈥檒l update when we have more information.鈥�  So then people will at least know it鈥檚 being worked on.鈥�

McKelvey added that there鈥檚 also value in posting information about a system failure after the fact.

鈥淪ay that from 3鈥�4 p.m. in this building, a switch failed. Equipment failures do happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople can check the site later and see that that鈥檚 why their system wasn鈥檛 functioning. So they鈥檒l know what happened 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 a problem with their equipment.鈥�

Building the site

UCO鈥檚 Habermann collaborated on the cross-divisional project with Diane Slagle in Student Affairs and Aaron Hoskins in University Relations and Development.

They built the site in the 黑料吃瓜 content management system that already delivers several university websites, including the homepage, the president鈥檚 office site and others. Content management systems simplify the process for creating and maintaining websites.  

The system provides a platform that can be easily accessed by staff from on and off campus, a valuable asset to McKelvey and other staff monitoring the university鈥檚 network and system applications.

Users need only to receive log-in authorization and system training to make site updates. Detailed, easy-to-follow instructions have been provided to those who will be charged with making the updates.

McKelvey noted that IT staff are going to 鈥渘eed to train ourselves to go there immediately and put the information out鈥� so that site information stays current and valuable.