TechAnnounce

As announced by the University, Lubbock Power & Light has announced that it will join the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) over Memorial Day weekend (5/29–5/30). During this period, affected customers can expect planned, temporary power outages.

• Texas Tech University main campus in Lubbock is scheduled for transition on Saturday, 5/29, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (CDT). 
• Cloud-based services such as Blackboard, Office 365 (TechMail, OneDrive for Business, Teams), Adobe Creative Cloud, and Zoom, will remain operational. 
• TTU Data Centers, which host many IT services, including Raiderlink, eRaider Account Manager, Skype for Business, Banner, and TTU webpages, will remain operational on generator power.
• TTU IT staff will be checking classroom technology in Raider Rooms after power is restored.
• We also recommend that departmental IT staff check their classroom technology after power is restored.
• Since the summer session begins on June 2, faculty should plan to arrive a bit early to their first class to ensure no technology issues are present.
• Network services across Texas Tech University in Lubbock will be disrupted; this includes both the wired and wireless networks on campus and remote access from outside the University. 
• Network services should be restored once power resumes, but some locations may have longer interruptions requiring staff intervention. There is no way to predict which locations will be affected until the power is restored. Once power is restored, Telecommunications staff will be checking all network equipment and will manually intervene as needed; this may take a few hours or longer to complete, depending on the nature and extent of the network equipment failures due to the power outage.
• AT&T has indicated that the cellular coverage in Lubbock will not be impacted. However, the enhanced cellular network over campus may be diminished during the power outage.

• Ensure that your backups are working properly, and data can be restored if needed. Generally, you should be using University-provided storage, such as OneDrive for Business, Teams, SharePoint or TechShare. 
• If your technology equipment is connected directly to a wall outlet, power off and physically unplug all technology, electronics, and computing equipment prior to Saturday, 5/29, so power irregularities do not damage equipment. This includes computers, monitors, copiers, printers, televisions, audiovisual equipment, Mediasite recorders, etc. 
• If your technology equipment is connected to a power strip, with or without surge protection, power off and physically switch the power strip off. 
• If your technology is connected to a UPS, we recommend powering off and physically unplugging equipment from standard UPSs to be safe as there are numerous factors that affect the effectiveness of UPS-powered equipment. 
• If you are unable to unplug from the above locations or if it is more convenient, unplug at the equipment itself after powering off the system. 
• Once power is fully restored to the campus, you may plug in your equipment or make arrangements in advance for someone to power up your equipment. 
• Everyone is encouraged to check all their systems and equipment to make sure they restart properly.
• Once computing equipment is turned back on and the network is stable, remote access to desktop systems should be possible.
• Pause HPCC jobs, if you have any running at the High Performance Computing Center (HPCC). HPCC will be gradually shutting down the job queues in preparation for the outage.
• Fully charge your mobile devices (phones, tablets, laptops, power bricks, etc.) prior to the switchover. 
• Use the LP&L website to determine if/when your home will experience an electrical outage. Note: This information is only an estimate, and is subject to change based on the progress of the project. 

Please monitor communications from the University and from local media for the latest information. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the impact to IT equipment, please contact IT Help Central at (806) 742-4357 (HELP) or via email at ithelpcentral@ttu.edu.