As part of our ongoing project to improve our services and ensure they meet current requirements, we are replacing the Mailman email distribution list service. You can read more about why we need to move away from Mailman in our post Changes to email distribution lists.

We have already migrated over 400 lists to Microsoft Outlook Distribution Groups. These are lists which contain internal members only.

Moving from Mailman Lists to LISTSERV

We are now ready to tackle moving our external facing Mailman lists to a new managed email service called LISTSERV.

LISTSERV has been running since 1986. Thousands of organizations worldwide use LISTSERV to manage email newsletters, discussion groups, email communities and opt-in email marketing campaigns that reach millions of subscribers.

Key information for existing list owners

The migration of lists and users will be done automatically by DTS over the next few weeks. If you are a list owner, we will email to let you know when your list migration will take place.  This email will also contain your new email list address.

There are a few steps we would like you to take to smooth the transition for yourselves and for your members.

• Familiarise yourself with the new interface (demo at Moderator interface)
• Notify members of the changes: We advise you to notify your members of the change of email address for your list.
• Update moderation and list settings: We have configured the new list moderation to be fairly restrictive, however you can make changes to these settings as you please.
• Use the new email address: We encourage you to use the new address as soon as possible. There will be a grace period of two weeks where both email addresses can be used.
• Send emails to both lists for two weeks: to allow all members to ensure that they have been successfully migrated, and that emails from the new service are being correctly delivered (and not sent to spam/junk).

I’m subscribed to a Mailman list, what do I need to do?

First of all, wait until you are advised by your list moderator that the list email address has changed!

• Familiarise yourself with the new interface (demo at Subscriber interface)
• Use the new email address: Please note that for the first two weeks after the migration, all email sent to the old address will redirect to the new list. An autoreply will notify the sender of the new email address to use.
• Create a LISTSERV account so you can access your settings and check your subscription status has migrated successfully. You must use the same email address as the email address used by your existing list.

Instructions, demos and FAQ

Instructions for list owners and subscribers can be found here: KI 1816 LISTSERV Information. We have also published an FAQ on the same page.

There are demos of the new LISTSERV interface you can try out:

• Subscriber interface
• Moderator interface

Further information and Contact

If you have any questions or need any advice, please contact the Mailman migration team via the IT Service Desk.

What do I need to know?

The Eduroam wi-fi security certificate has been renewed, which in some cases requires re-authentication when you join for the first time.

What do I need to do?

If you are using wi-fi on campus for the first time after 22/12/22 and you are having issues connecting, you should “forget” the Eduroam wi-fi network on your device and then re-join Eduroam, re-entering your username and password (particularly iOS users). If you get a message e.g. “Do you want to accept this new certificate”, please accept the new certificate.

If forget and re-join doesn’t work, please go to wifi.reading.ac.uk and download a new certificate for your device before connecting (you may need to use mobile data to do this if you have no other connections available to you).

Further help

If you still can’t get on to wi-fi, please visit our Service Desk on the first floor in the Library at Whiteknights where we can help in person. Alternatively, raise a ticket with the IT Service Desk.

Here are the DTS Service Desk opening times during the Christmas & New Year vacation.

Email and the IT Self-Service Portal will remain open; however, we will not be working as standard. New and existing tickets will not be actioned, but we will be monitoring urgent systems and services.

From Monday 9th January, all services are back to operating normally – term time opening hours.

SURVEY NOW CLOSED

Each year DTS carries out a short survey to make sure we are fulfilling our role in supporting the University staff and their digital requirements.

We are pleased to launch the 2022 annual DTS Survey today. In this year’s short survey, we hope to get an idea of what staff members would like from their DTS department, whilst gaining an idea of how we are performing in day-to-day support tasks.

Previous years’ feedback has allowed us to implement the popular Teaching and Learning priority phone line for those calling from teaching and learning environments, the IT Status Hub, the implementation of a new phone system with place in queue and call back functionality, a wider selection of Self-Help guides, and a campus-wide Wi-Fi refresh amongst other initiatives.

With the feedback received this year, we plan to use this input to implement further improvements as well as hosting roadshows, focus groups and workshops to allow you to help shape our way forward. Further details of this will be shared via the DTS website in 2023. 

The survey will remain open until the Christmas break, please encourage your colleagues to respond. We look forward to your responses and sharing the findings in the future.

Update: 7/11/22. This has now been resolved

There was a problem with the overnight import of enrolment data from RISIS into Blackboard, which meant that many students’ enrolments on Blackboard courses became disabled – i.e. students could not see the courses on which they were enrolled.

Any assessments due today will need to have their deadline extended by 24 hours.
Programme Administrators are already aware of this, and of what steps need to be taken.

DTS have identified the problem and we are in the process of resolving it. We will be running the enrolment scripts again and expect this process to be complete for all students by around 11:00 7/11/22.

The announcements in Blackboard regarding this will be updated when we are sure the issues are all fixed.

In the meantime, you can check the IT Status Page for updates.

What is happening?

The New Ways of Working (NWoW) Programme is an ambitious project including a sub-programme to replace all University devices with a standardised, easy to support-and-use, modern and portable device. The project to replace these aligns closely with the University’s strategic aims in terms of new ways of working, and this Programme will work closely with Estates, Health and Safety and HR to ensure consistency across each of these working areas, with a specific focus on digital flexibility and efficient working.

Alongside device replacement, there is an ongoing requirement to manage the entire lifecycle of the University devices, including disposal, maintenance and repair, and security and hardware activities. There are a number of projects and events across the University that also require devices to be set up, maintained and supported.

How will this work?

The Device Lifecycle team is responsible for the successful delivery of the Device Replacement Programme, working closely with colleagues in all schools and functions.

This includes:

• Help and advice in deciding the most appropriate device and peripherals to request
• Access to an envisioning centre to look at the devices available and the configuration options
• A dedicated manager to coordinate every aspect of the project for each function or school
• A dedicated engagement analyst to ensure support is available throughout the process with logistics and planning
• A dedicated team of four experienced User Support technicians to supply, configure, install and connect the new device ensuring it has the full functionality of the original
• A dedicated Teams chat channel for direct and immediate communications regarding any questions relating the project
• A fully audited delivery process ensuring every agreed expectation has been delivered before customer sign off
• A environmentally managed disposal process for old devices

DTS are gathering details about current devices and completing the recruitment process for a number of additional positions to support the existing team along with formalising a detailed, efficient and standard process to ensure consistency.

Do I need to do anything yet?

The DTS Device Lifecycle team will be publishing plans for 2022-23 by mid-November.

The IT Service Desk is closed on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June 2022 for the Jubilee holiday.

The IT Service Desk will close at 6pm on Wednesday 1st June, and will reopen at 8am on Monday 6th June. This means there will be no telephone service (6262) or ticket processing between these dates.

The IT counter in the library will be open as normal 11am to 5pm Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June.

Greenlands IT Service will be closed on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June, and will be open Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th as normal.

Please visit reading.ac.uk/dts for details of our weekend opening hours.