New helpdesk system coming soon

Our current helpdesk system has tracked almost 20,000 tickets over the past few years, but is showing its age. It will be replaced soon with a new product that has better security, is more user-friendly, and have more functions to help us serve you better. More details will be provided before we implement.

Update: Phones are working

Update: Phones are back.
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The district's phone connection to the outside world is not working. Phones internally can call each other, but nothing in or out. I'm working with the provider to try to troubleshoot the issue. (I think maybe the electrons are frozen.) 

I'll either send another email, or post to the tech blog at osdtech.blogspot.com, to update you. Sorry for any disruption this has caused.

Internet bandwidth upgrade complete

The district's Internet bandwidth upgrade was finished late this morning and it seems to be working well. We are using both Internet connections and our total throughput is well over 100Mbps (our old limit). We have eased some of the traffic limits that were in place, but we are continuing to prioritize traffic that could cause problems. For example, Adobe updates are throttled because 2,000 computers all downloading the same update would clog the connection no matter how fast it is. We also will continue to prioritize traffic that is instructional in nature, and limit or block traffic that is not instructional.

Internet disruption Friday, 1/17 4:00 PM for upgrade

Internet service will be interrupted for approximately 10-15 minutes on Friday, January 17 after 4:00 PM so that we can perform upgrades. Please plan accordingly. I apologize for any interruption.

This upgrade will increase our usable Internet bandwidth from 100 Mbps to 500 Mbps. This should alleviate the slow performance of many Internet-based services. Some have asked if this will make all Internet access faster, or if it will just make things "not as slow." This is a nuanced question, and the answer is a bit complex, but I'll answer it using the Beltline highway as an analogy.

Our Internet connection is like the Beltline. The speed limit is 55mph, and if there are only a few people using it, everybody can go 55mph. But at certain times like rush hour, so many people are trying to use it that everybody slows down. If we were to add 8 more lanes to the Beltline, the speed limit would still be 55mph, but even during rush hour, most people would still be able to go 55mph. So adding lanes isn't the same as increasing the speed limit. 

Our Internet connection is similar. The maximum speed is limited by many factors, such as the capacity of the servers on the other end to send out data, and the overall speed of the Internet as a whole. During school day peak usage times, so many of us are trying to use it that we all slow down below the maximum speed. Adding bandwidth makes it possible for more simultaneous users to achieve the maximum speed.

Brief Internet interruption today 4:30 PM

Internet access will be interrupted for about 10-15 minutes today starting at 4:30 PM so that we can replace our firewall. Sorry for the late notice. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.