On Thursday, January 30, 2008, we will have a scheduled downtime of the Linux public cycle servers during normal business hours.
Who is affected:
- This downtime will impact users of the 32-bit Linux cycle servers (tux, opus, and willy) and the 64-bit Linux cycle servers (soak, wash, rinse, and spin).
What is happening:
- The operating systems on these machines will be upgraded to CentOS 5.1. Note that this upgrade will take place during normal hours. We will upgrade the machines in stages (one 32-bit and one 64-bit machine at a time) to minimize disruption. Users logged in will be given a 5-minute warning before each machine is brought down. We expect that each machine will be down for less than an hour.
- Note that we will begin the upgrades at approximately 9:00am with tux and soak.
Special Note: because these upgrades involve a re-install of the operating system, crontab entries will be lost. If you have cron jobs that run on these machines, be sure to re-establish them after the upgrade.
Why it is happening:
- These upgrades address several security issues. We are upgrading them now to avoid disruption once the Spring term begins.