On 1 July 2016, clickUP will be moved to an external data centre hosted by Blackboard. This means that the servers providing access to clickUP will be provided off-site by Blackboard. clickUP will be down from 17:00 on 1 July until 23:00 on 5 July 2016 while the data from the locally hosted clickUP is migrated to the managed hosting data centre. The migration task team aims to activate the new host environment on 5 July. We apologise for this interruption of the service, but have planned the downtime for a period that should inconvenience only a limited number of users. Lecturers involved in the Winter School have been notified of the downtime.

The move to managed hosting was approved in December 2015 and we have been working with Blackboard since the beginning of 2016 to prepare for the migration.

What is the implication for users?

The only way in which users will be affected is the downtime scheduled from 1 to 5 July. Please note that this migration does not include an upgrade and the new hosted system should look and operate exactly like the current live version. Upgrades will only follow shortly after the completion of the migration.

Access to the new clickUP will still be via the UP portal and users will continue to use their current user names and passwords. The clickUP URL and name will also remain unchanged. Courses will be migrated and users will be able to continue with normal activities on the managed hosting site after 5 July 2016. Should any problems be experienced during the move to the hosted environment, fall-back plans will be in place to ensure service delivery on this date.

What are the advantages of managed hosting?

Blackboard-managed hosting provides stable and reliable technology with high levels of redundancy. This implies that downtime will be minimal even when upgrades are required. True 24x7x365 support, monitoring and problem resolution by an international team with a high level of expertise and experience will be provided. Infrastructure can also be expanded to suit future needs. Managed hosting will allow UP to remain up to date with new releases and service packs. According to South African universities that have already moved to managed hosting, the use of Blackboard has so far been a pleasant experience and has had a positive impact on teaching and learning.

Will I be able to access the managed hosted clickUP if there are network problems on campus?

Users on campus will be affected during UP-related network downtime or when UP experiences problems with accessing the hosting site. Users off-campus will still be able to access clickUP.

Where can I find out more?

Online sessions have been scheduled to give UP staff an opportunity to ask questions about the move to managed hosting. These sessions (URL: http://tinyurl.com/clickUP-MH) will be presented via Blackboard Collaborate.

Please join one of the following scheduled sessions (URL: http://tinyurl.com/clickUP-MH) if you have any questions or would like to find out more about the move to managed hosting:

8 June 12:00–13:00

9 June 12:00–13:00

15 June 12:00–13:00

22 June 12:00–13:00

23 June 12:00–13:00

Please use Google Chrome to access the sessions and go to the Collaborate help site if you need assistance: https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant.

If you are unable to attend the sessions but do have questions, feel free to post them to [email protected]. 

Dolf Jordaan

Deputy Director: E-learning and Media Development
Department of Education Innovation