Students and faculty were unable to access the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) UNIX systems for more than an hour yesterday afternoon, and the system experienced temporary slowdowns and service interruptions throughout the day.
The disruptions included telnet, newsgroup and remote e-mail access. Websites hosted by the FAS computer systems were also inaccessible.
While Franklin M. Steen, FAS director of computer services, wrote in an e-mail message that all services had been restored by 5:05 p.m., some services, such as the UNIX "ph" command--which provides users with phonebook information--were still unavailable late last night.
"Service was slow because of what we believe to be a software problem with the software we use to improve system performance," Steen wrote.
According to Steen, problems were present since an earlier system upgrade, but were not encountered by users until the systems encountered heavy usage loads late in the afternoon.
Steen said all systems should be repaired by the morning. Harvard University FAS Computer Services (HASCS) staff members are discussing the problems with software vendors.
Read more in News
Gore, Bush Seal Nominations With Huge WinsRecommended Articles
-
Repairs Bring E-Mail Up to SpeedSixteen days after students and staff began complaining that the "FAS" server was running slowly, Faculty of Arts and Science
-
Faulty Server Results In Old E-Mail SnafuScores of students checking their e-mail on Tuesday found messages from mid to late October that spent at least nine
-
FAS Report Spotlights ComputersA chicken in every pot and a car in every garage are things of the past. The Faculty of Arts
-
FAS Server Failure Slows CampusThe entire Harvard computer network went down for nearly three hours Friday following a routine system update by the Faculty
-
Faculty Fails to Effectively Coordinate ITThe Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) wants to build a bridge to the 21st century. Two months ago, the
-
FAS Server Shut Down To Fix Slower E-MailAttempts to rectify a College-wide slowdown in e-mail service over recent days culminated last night in a total shutdown of
