Issues with Instructor Stations in Registrar-Controlled Classrooms

Outage category: 
Hardware
Location: 
All Fairfax technology enhanced classrooms controlled by Registrar
Status: 
Closed
Resolved alert: 
07/18/2024 1:21 pm

Instructor stations in Registrar controlled classrooms constantly rebooting.

Initial symptoms: 

Computers were stuck in an update loop, rebooting when system reached around 30% completed.

Duration: 
07/15/2024 1:12 pm - 07/18/2024 1:21 pm
Impact to Mason: 

Instructors had to teach without access to a computer and displaying materials.

Affected Services: 
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Cause: 

Windows Updates and Deepfreeze software conflicts.

Resolution: 

Windows Updates were immediately suspended. All crashed systems have been manually reimaged.

Prevention: 

This is the second instance in 12 months. The vendors are aware of the issue and have not provided solutions. Previously a script had to be created to address a conflict. Further testing will be needed to find what is causing the issue and what possible solutions can be found. Testing updates on backup systems as a sandbox and waiting a week for possible conflicts may be a consideration, but this will delay updates and maintenance.

STATISTICS
Service Team: 
Computing Services