ICS maintain vulnerable periods that are used for Engineering IT infrastructure maintenance where important patches and updates to systems are applied in order to maintain security compliance as part of the University’s wider Systems Management Policy (SMP). These periods may result in some services being intermittent or completely unavailable until the maintenance work is complete.

In addition to Engineering IT infrastructure maintenance, UIS also maintain a separate schedule of vulnerable periods that may impact university-wide IT services. There is also a UIS change calendar that provides detail on proposed IT system change activity.

 

Routine Maintenance

Server Infrastructure

Maintenance relating to core infrastructure and services, divisional servers and fileservers is scheduled as follows:

• Monday evenings after 18:00

Network Infrastructure

Where disruption to network services is expected this will typically take place during one of the following periods:

• Monday evenings after 18:00 to coincide with server infrastructure maintenance
• Monday to Friday before 08:30
• Monday to Friday after 17:30

 

Critical Maintenance

Where urgent critical maintenance is required to address a specific service affecting issue or vulnerability, and in particular where the service being provided is externally accessible, ICS may need to make updates and/or changes to systems outside of the above times. ICS will endeavour to provide communication in such circumstances with as much notice as possible.

For Remote Access (SSH) Server Maintenance:

• Monday to Friday between 18:00 and 20:00

 

Major Upgrade Maintenance

For planned significant and widespread disruption to IT infrastructure and services, this will be announced at least two weeks in advance of any proposed work and, where possible, scheduled to take place out of hours after 17:30.