Date:         Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:07:26 -0400
From: Brian Cohen <Brian.Cohen@MAIL.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Update on Blackboard 8.0 Status



Dear Colleagues:

Over the past several days the CIS team has continued to work around the clock to restore the Blackboard 8.0 system to a normal and stable state.  However each time we have restored the system it does not remain stable for long and becomes extremely slow.  In addition to this effort, the Blackboard Response Team is working with Blackboard, Inc to implement the CUNY plan to load all our data onto a hosted environment located in Blackboard's data center in Virginia.  Unfortunately each time the CUNY Blackboard 8.0 system fails it impacts the file transfer processes and further delays our ability to complete, in a timely manner, the other critical activities needed to move to the hosted environment. 

Therefore over the next 24-48 hours our primary activities will be the simultaneous transfer of the data to a physical media source that will be sent to Blackboard and the electronic transfer of the data to blackboard via a secure file transfer protocol.  The Blackboard Response Team will once again focus its efforts on restarting and stabilizing the CUNY Blackboard system even though it will be a temporary solution until the Blackboard hosted system comes online. 

I will continue to keep you updated on the progress and activities underway.

Thank you.

Brian Cohen
Associate Vice Chancellor and University CIO
City University of New York
Brian.Cohen@mail.cuny.edu
(212) 541-0365