Cluster Split - GeorgiaVIEW Vista Extended Maintenance
----------------------------------------------------------------
This message is from Tom Maier, Vice Chancellor/CIO, regarding the upcoming GeorgiaVIEW Vista Extended Maintenance.
----------------------------------------------------------------
To our GeorgiaVIEW Vista user community,
This past January we experienced some serious performance issues with the GeorgiaVIEW Vista course management system. These issues were exacerbated by unanticipated stress on the Vista software, resulting from a number of factors including the size of our current installations (the largest in the world). By temporarily disabling some potentially problematic features (such as Reports & Tracking), and returning GeorgiaVIEW Vista, we were able to restore a high level of performance and reliability through the remainder of the spring, and throughout the summer term. However, we need to take additional, more permanent measures to allow us to reenable these functionalities, minimizing the risk of future problems. Toward this end, we are optimizing the size of each Vista server cluster.
Much discussion, caution, and deliberation has been involved in this decision, as well as a wide range of USG personnel and expertise. We have fully engaged with Blackboard, our vendor partner, to assist in identifying and planning steps for rearchitecting our current GeorgiaVIEW Vista environment. The first and most important step is to reduce the size of our server clusters by dividing these two environments into four environments. In support of these efforts, the Chancellor has provided additional resources for hardware and support. To accomplish this cluster-split, we will need to take down both clusters—D.VIEW and U.VIEW—for about 48 hours. We have been planning this strategy with campus technical/functional staff to determine the least disruptive time for the split to occur prior to the start of Fall Semester. Each campus has been communicating this timeline and extended maintenance period to their respective, institutional Vista users.
Given the diverse nature of USG institutional calendars, we recognize that there is no universally convenient time for the Vista system to be unavailable, due to maintenance. We also recognize the mission-critical nature of this service, and the necessity of improving the stability and reliability of the system. This concern has been echoed by USG Faculty, Staff, and Administrators through various communication channels, and during each Vista Town Hall Meeting, conducted across the state this past spring. After reviewing and comparing academic calendars, a very brief window of time presented itself as being the only time during which this maintenance could be performed without imposing an extended maintenance downtime in the midst of Fall semester or Summer semester finals.
We will continue to communicate next steps regarding our ongoing GeorgiaVIEW Vista rearchitecture efforts. Please realize and understand that such efforts may require additional downtimes in the future. We will provide dates and details for future maintenance associated with rearchitecture endeavors as soon as these are officially available. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we continue to support USG teaching and learning endeavors.
Here are the scheduled downtimes for each cluster, and its associated institutions. To better communicate this information to USG Faculty & Students, these dates are included in the GeorgiaVIEW Maintenance Calendar, and at the Online Support Center.
D.VIEW Cluster: Monday, August 6th (10:00pm) - Wednesday August 8th (10:00pm)
- Albany State University
- Atlanta Metropolitan College
- Augusta State University
- Clayton State University
- Columbus State University
- Dalton State College
- East Georgia College
- Georgia College & State University
- Georgia Perimeter College
- Georgia State University
- Macon State College
- Regional Education Service Agencies
- Savannah State University
- USG Collaboratives Institution:
- eCore
- European Union
- Foreign Language Collaboratives
- WebBSIT
- WebMBA
- USG Learning Objects Repository
- USG Outreach Institution
- USG Training Initiatives
____________________________________________________________
U.VIEW Cluster: Friday, August 10th (10:00pm) - Sunday, August 12th (10:00pm)
- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
- Armstrong Atlantic State University
- Bainbridge College
- Coastal Georgia Community College
- Darton College
- Fort Valley State University
- Gainesville State College
- Georgia Highlands College
- Georgia Southern University
- Georgia Southwestern State University
- Gordon College
- Kennesaw State University
- Medical College of Georgia
- Middle Georgia College
- North Georgia College & State University
- South Georgia College
- Southern Polytechnic State University
- Southern Regional Education Board
- University of Georgia
- University of West Georgia
- USG Alternative Media Access Center
- Waycross College
____________________________________________________________
We continue to work closely with Blackboard to find additional ways of enhancing reliability, ensuring performance, and improving the robustness of GeorgiaVIEW Vista to accommodate the continued growth of online learning in Georgia.
Tom
