Monday, June 26, 2023

EITS will conduct maintenance on the Boyd Data Center on Saturday, July 22.  This maintenance will result in power and cooling outages to the Boyd Graduate Building, McBay Science Library, and Boyd Data Center from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

This maintenance is the first step of a multi-phase project focused on replacing the current Boyd Data Center uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units and expanding the power handling capabilities in the facility. The project is expected to be completed in early 2024. Future phases will require additional scheduled maintenance, which will be shared with the campus community at a later date. 

Key Points for the July 22 Boyd Data Center Maintenance: 

• The maintenance will occur in two phases:  
  
  • Phase I will last an estimated 2-3 hours (4:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.) and will involve the Boyd Graduate Building, McBay Science Library, and the Boyd Data Center. During Phase I, the following impacts are expected: 
    • Power to the Boyd Data Center will be shut down and computing systems will be supported on generator power only. 

• • • Building cooling will be shut down for the Boyd Graduate Building, McBay Science Library, and Boyd Data Center. 
    • Elevator systems will not be operational during this phase. 
       
  • Phase II will last an estimated 2-3 hours (7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.) and will involve the Boyd Graduate Building and McBay Science Library. During Phase II, the following impacts are expected: 
    • Power and cooling to the Boyd Graduate Building and McBay Science Library will be shut down.    

• • • Elevator systems will not be operational during this phase.  
       
• UGA’s Telephone Services should not experience an outage during this maintenance. In case of an emergency and UGA Telephone Services are unavailable, it is important to remember to use a cell phone to contact UGA Police by calling 911 instead of 706-542-2200. The UGA Police Department will still respond to all calls for service during this time. Members of the campus community are reminded that 911 is always the appropriate number to call for an emergency on campus. In the event of a future interruption in landline phone service at UGA, cell phones should be used to contact police.   
   
• Building fire alarm panels may beep continuously until power is restored and possibly beyond if the system does not reset automatically. During the outage time, there is no need to call the UGA Police Department or Facilities Management Division to report this issue. However, employees and students should remain aware and notify the UGA Police Department if they observe any indications of fire or smoke.   
   
• Information Technology System Owners may elect to shut down non-essential systems in the Boyd Data Center during this maintenance.  Information Technology System Owners who would like to request emergency cooling protocols for systems should contact Jeff Teasley at jteasley@uga.edu by July 7. 

If you are aware of activities planned during this maintenance that you anticipate will be impacted and would like assistance with planning or have questions on this maintenance, please contact Jeff Teasley at jteasley@uga.edu. 

Information regarding this maintenance will be posted at status.uga.edu and on the EITS Twitter feed at @uga_eits.