Web-based email outage (2009-01-30)

UPDATE:
The NDPS server continues to have issues with all threads being occupied. Quitting and re-launching GWIA failed. Server reboot required. Services resumed 9:20 PM.

=======

GroupWise WebAccess went down unexpectedly yesterday evening (January 30). Access was restored around 1:25 PM today (January 31).

This was caused by email processing threads in GroupWise WebAccess Agent running on the NDPS server that did not release when done. What caused that to happen is unknown.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

New email system coming Summer 2009

After a year of evaluation and testing, we have decided to migrate the district email system from GroupWise to Google Apps' Gmail. The cutover will occur in July 2009, but we are announcing it now so that everyone has time to make the transition. We will be providing documentation and training sessions from February to June so that everyone has a chance to begin using Gmail prior to the switch.

Between now and July, both GroupWise and Gmail will be fully active and supported, so you can continue using GroupWise, switch to Gmail, or even use both at the same time until you are comfortable with Gmail. We will provide lots of training sessions this spring and again in August to make sure that everyone can use the new system. And don't worry about your old mail- we will move all the messages in your GroupWise cabinet to Gmail.

In case you are curious, a few of the reasons we are switching include:
-seamless integration with shared calendars;
-it saves money; Google Apps Gmail is free, unlike GroupWise;
-more features;
-integration with Google Docs to share documents;
-better support for mobile devices like smartphones, iPhones, and Blackberries;
-integrated spam and virus protection;
-guaranteed 99.99% uptime;
-more storage space for mail;
-easier to search for old messages.

I realize that this, like any change, may cause some concern. I have been using Gmail instead of Groupwise for almost a year now, and although it did take a little time to grow accustomed to a new system, it works much better. We are committed to providing you with training and support to make this a smooth transition. If you have any specific questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.

PowerGrade fix

Since the PowerSchool update to version 5.2.1, some teachers have experienced problems with attendance not showing up correctly in their PowerGrade grade book.  CESA 5 support has fixed the problem on the server.  Each teacher should do the following to make sure that attendance is accurate in their grade book

You must do the following for each class:

1. In your grade book, select Utilities from the top menu
   
2. Select Rebuild Data from Server
3. Find attendance at the bottom of the table
4. Click on it and then select OK.  

This will sync attendance with the office and overwrite what you see in the
grade book right now.  Remember it has to be done for each class.  Feel
free to call or email with any questions.

How to give all your money to thieves

There is a phishing scam going on again this year, as in previous years, that poses as an IRS notification to steal your money and/or identity.

It looks like this:

>>> "Internal Revenue Service" 1/7/2009 11:14 AM >>>
After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we
have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $92.50.
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to process it.
A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid
records or applying after the deadline.

To access the form for your tax refund, please click here :

http://.ca/date/Internal/Revenue/Service/index.html

Regards,
Internal Revenue Service.

© Copyright 2009, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A.

Of course, this is a scam. You can tell because:

1. The URL of the link isn't to the IRS site;
2. The IRS knows where you live, and would just send you a check;
3. The bad grammar of the message;
4. They don't need you to fill out another form, because you (presumably) already filled out your tax forms (otherwise, how would they know you are owed a refund?);
   
5. The IRS has a warning about this kind of fraud;
6. The IRS doesn't communicate via email unless you've asked them to;
   

Don't be fooled. Use those critical thinking skills. (BTW, the URL of the link has been changed above so that it won't actually go there.)

*You may ask, "How did this spam get through our district spam filter?" Easy. It's not spam. Spam is unsolicited email trying to sell you something. This is a phishing scam, which is much harder to identify because it looks legitimate, and isn't selling anything.

2009-01-05 PowerSchool outage info

PowerSchool went down unexpectedly at 11:00 AM on January 5. The issue was escalated to PowerSchool support, who resolved the situation around 2:20 PM.

The cause of the outage was actually due to a "kernel panic" error in Mac OS X, which runs the district's PowerSchool server. The kernel panic dump caused the database to become corrupt because it could not shut down gracefully. Support had to spend time repairing and restoring the database.

A patch to resolve the kernel issue in OS X will be applied during evening hours on January 5.

Thanks for your patience.

2009-01-01 PowerSchool upgraded and back online!

In a happy start to the new year, the PowerSchool server is fully upgraded to version 5.2.1.0 and is online. There is still a little bit of data cleanup to do, which will be done soon, as well as the batch conversion process to link students to the new FamilyID field. However, the system is usable immediately, even while those are getting finished.

PowerGrade is already at the most recent version on all district computers, so no upgrade is necessary. From the teacher perspective, everything should be the same.