ERIS Hosted Services MySQL and PostgreSQL will undergo server maintenance on Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST. Please expect a short period of unavailability during the maintenance window.
If you are the owner of a database on the PostgreSQL or MySQL hosted database service, we encourage you to review and validate your application's connection to your database when this maintenance has completed.
Contact rcc@partners.org with any questions or concerns.
Server maintenance is scheduled for this website on Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 9:00AM to 7:00PM EST. Please expect this website to be down for a short time during the maintenance window.
Partners Healthcare REDCap: Scheduled Downtime
REDCap (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap) server maintenance is scheduled for Saturday, December 7th, 2019 from 9:00AM to 2:00PM EST. Please expect REDCap to be down for a short time during the maintenance window.
If you have any concerns about this scheduled maintenance, please email edcsupport@partners.org
REDCap Upgrades to v.9.1.18 Scheduled:
REDCap (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap) upgrades to v9.1.18 are scheduled for Tuesday December 10th, 6:30AM EST. Expected downtime is 1 hour.
This upgrade will include a number of new features and bug fixes. These include:
New feature: Alerts & Notifications:
The Alerts & Notifications feature allows you to construct alerts and send customized email notifications. These notifications may be sent to one or more recipients and can be triggered or scheduled when a form/survey is saved and/or based on conditional logic whenever data is saved or imported. When adding/editing an alert, you will need to 1) set how the alert gets triggered, 2) define when the notification should be sent (including how many times), and 3) specify the recipient, sender, message text, and other settings for the notification. For the message, you may utilize customized options such as rich text, the piping of field variables (including Smart Variables), and uploading multiple file attachments. While similar in many respects to Automated Survey Invitations, Alerts & Notifications allow for greater complexity and have more capabilities. For example, alerts apply to both data entry forms and surveys, and they also allow for more options regarding who can be the recipient of a notification (project users, survey participants, etc.).
New feature: Rich text editor for field labels and section headers
For any field on an instrument in the Online Designer, users may optionally utilize the rich text editor for styling field labels or section headers with many text-formatting options. The rich text editor allows users to change the color of text (including background color), create tables, add text of varying sizes, bullet lists, and more. For any field labels that were originally created without the rich text editor, users may optionally enable the rich text editor for any field by clicking the 'Use the Rich Text Editor' checkbox. It may also be disabled afterward at any time just the same. Rich text is enabled by default for any new fields being created via the Online Designer.
Improvement: New records can now be created directly from the Record Status Dashboard. If record auto-numbering is enabled, it will display an “Add new record” button, otherwise it will display a text field for users to enter a new record name to create.
Improvement: Links to the Online Designer, Data Dictionary Upload page, and Codebook were added to the left-hand project menu for easier navigation. Also, a new section “Project Home and Design” was added on the left-hand menu to contain all these links, as well as the Project Home and Project Setup page links.
If you have any concerns about REDCap being offline at this time or any questions about these new features, please email edcsupport@partners.org
Open Position: REDCap Application Support Specialist!
Interested in the exciting world of REDCap? Want to join the Partners REDCap support team?
If so, there is an open position for a REDCap Application Support Specialist.
If you have any questions about this career opportunity, please email edcsupport@partners.org
Applies to: All Production and Non-Production DIPR VM's, databases and systems
The ERIS Infrastructure team will begin patching all Non-Production and Production VM's and Systems this week.
Impact
Our scheduled patching process for VM's and Systems will experience downtime when the database servers are patched when the ERIS proxy server is patched and again when the application VM's are patched. Each downtime should be short, however, applications could experience 3 outages during the maintenance window.
Service Level Reminders
The ERIS Infrastructure team will begin patching non-production VM's on Wednesday, December 4th starting at 3:00 pm and Production VM's on Saturday, December 7th starting at 9:00 am
ERIS strives to keep all systems up to their most current and/or stable revisions. Please visit https://rc.partners.org/support-training/eris-service-level-agreement to review the full ERIS Service Level Agreement.
Server owners are responsible for maintaining the applications running on DIPR VMs and systems, ensuring the applications are patched and comply with Partners Information Security Practices and Policies. Server owners are responsible for the backup of critical configurations in case of a failure.
Please contact rcc@partners.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Annual service and preventive maintenance of the UPS and Backup batteries will be performed next week. The UPS will be placed into bypass on utility power only.
Service Date/Time
Date: Tuesday, December 10
Time: 6 AM to 8 AM EDT
ServiceNow Change #: CHG0157000
Please contact rcc@partners.org if there are any questions or concerns!
From Thursday, November 21, 2019 through Monday, December 2, 2019 at 8a.m., there will be limited List Manager (Lyris) support. The infrastructure will be supported, so if there are concerns with connection to https://researchlistadmin.partners.org or mail delivery, they will be addressed and resolved in the normal response time.
Requests for new lists and emails regarding additional support will be responded to starting December 2, 2019.
For answers to commonly-asked questions and requests, please refer to the following resources:
REDCap (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap) was currently experiencing sporadic WebDAV/file server issues. These include users not being able to export data, upload files, or access uploaded files.
If you have any concerns, please email edcsupport@partners.org
This is related to the research website and service outages that started on Sunday, November 10, 2019 around 9p.m.
The root of the problem is fixed and was related to scheduled storage and infrastructure maintenance. However, as of Monday, November 11, 2019 at 11a.m. EDT, not all services are back online.
If you are the owner of websites, hosted databases, storage or virtual servers on ERIS infrastructure, we encourage you to check your connection and reboot if needed.
The GitLab service (https://gitlab.partners.org/) has been restored after a major outage.
A major storage outage incident took place during a scheduled storage controller upgrade task. The incident affected GitLab as well as many other systems. The GitLab system was unavailable from approximately 9:50PM on Nov 10th until 10:50PM on Nov 11th. Due to the large amount of data in the GitLab repositories and other connected storage systems, the disk check and repair operation took much longer than expected, which caused the extended outage. The issue was subsequently compounded by a networking-related reconfiguration (on the storage-side).
At this point we do not believe that any data was affected. Please double-check your repositories, though!
We appreciate your continued usage and support of the service! We are working to make improvements of the service to avoid instabilities such as this one in the future.
If you any questions or concerns relating to this release, please email: rcc@partners.org.
Several research websites and services were unavailable from Sunday, November 10, 2019 starting around 9p.m. until Monday, November 11 around 3:30p.m. EDT.
The root of the problem was related to scheduled storage and infrastructure maintenance.
If you are the owner of websites, hosted databases, storage or virtual servers on ERIS infrastructure, we encourage you to check your connection and reboot if needed.
Contact rcc@partners.org to report any remaining issues or for assistance.
ERIS Website Hosting Services are restored as of 12:30 PM EDT on Monday, November 11, 2019. Several research websites and services were unavailable beginning on Sunday, November 10, 2019 starting around 9PM.
The root of the problem is fixed and was related to scheduled storage and infrastructure maintenance.
If you are the owner of a website, hosted database, storage or virtual server on ERIS infrastructure, we encourage you to check your connection and reboot if needed.
Contact the IS Service Desk to report any remaining issues or for assistance.
REDCap (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap) server maintenance is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 from 9:00AM to 2:00PM EST. Please expect REDCap to be down for a short time during the maintenance window.
If you have any concerns about this scheduled maintenance, please email edcsupport@partners.org
On Sunday, November 10, 2019, Dell Compellent SAN Controllers were replaced with new SC9000s. Many of our services rely on Compellent Storage Area Network (SAN) for underlying storage. This maintenance impacted connectivity to the storage (RFA, RFANFS, DIPR, etc.) being served out by this system.
As of Monday, November 11, 2019 at 9a.m. EDT, not all services are back online.
If you are the owner of a website, hosted database, storage or virtual server on ERIS infrastructure, we encourage you to check your connection and reboot if needed. Contact the IS Service Desk to report any remaining issues or for assistance.
Please check the Service Alerts for service-specific instructions and impact. Please make sure you subscribe to receive appropriate email notifications for the services you subscribe to: https://rc.partners.org/subscribe.
On Monday, October 7th, 2019, Apple released their latest version of the System (OS) for Mac laptops & desktops, macOS Catalina. At this time, we recommend you do not upgrade your Mac as this may impact your ability to use enterprise services.
Like prior Apple OS releases, the expectation is the first minor version of Catalina (version 10.15.1) will be stable for the Enterprise. Further information on compatibility with Partners services will be broadcast in the coming weeks.
If you have upgraded already, there are 3 major items to be aware of:
We also recommend making a backup prior to any upgrade, in case you need to downgrade later. Apple, and therefore Partners, only support the current OS and two versions prior. With the release of macOS Catalina 10.15, the only other supported macOSs will be macOS Mojave 10.14 and macOS High Sierra 10.13 If you are running an out of date macOS, Update Your Mac, or contact the Service Desk if you need assistance with an upgrade. Older Mac operating systems introduce risk to your data and the enterprise as they are not patched for security vulnerabilities, nor do they comply with Partners policies.
| Software Tested | Functionality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crowdstrike 5.15.9504 |  |
|
| Trend Micro 3.0.3078 |  |
Update to 3.0.3078 prior to upgrading |
| Forescout 15.3.15303 | |
|
| Cisco AnyConnect 4.800175 | |
|
| Microsoft Office 16.29 | |
|
| Citrix Workspace 19.10.1.31 | |
|
| Crestron AirMedia 3.1.3 |  |
|
| Kingston DTVP30 encrypted flash drives | |
Cannot unlock the Drive on Catalina. New App expected ~ November |
The https://rc.partners.org website was offline for a short period during routine maintenance on Saturday, September 28 from 9a.m.-2p.m. EDT.
Please contact rcwebmaster@partners.org with any questions or concerns.
The https://rc.partners.org website was offline for a short period of time for infrastructure maintenance that took place Sunday, September 22 from 9:30p.m. to midnight EDT.
Please contact rcwebmaster@partners.org with any questions or concerns.
The MySQL PostgreSQL and Storage Maintenance on Sunday Evening has Completed.
The MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Storage Maintenance that was scheduled for Saturday, September, 21st 2019 at 12:00 pm have been rescheduled to Sunday evening September 22nd, 2019 at 9:30 pm. The ERIS Infrastructure team will shutdown all hosted PostgreSQL and MySQL servers at 9:45 pm on Sunday, September 22nd, 2019. The window for this maintenance is from 9:30 pm - 12:00 am. All databases hosted on mysql.dipr.partners.org, mysql2.dipr.partners.org, mysql4.research.partners.org, pgsql.dipr.partners.org, and pgsql2.research.partners.org will be offline during this maintenance window.
If you are the owner of a database on the PostgreSQL or MySQL hosted database service, we encourage you to review and validate your application's connection to your database when this maintenance has completed.
Applies to: iOS Users enrolled in MobileIron
The Partners MobileIron/EMM team has completed testing on latest GM build of iOS 13.1 Beta. Apple released iOS 13.0 on Thursday, 9/19 at around 1pm EDT and will release 13.1 on Tuesday, 9/24 around 1p.m.
If you accidentally hit “Cancel”, you can go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > PARTNERS (OAUTH) to re-enter your Partners password.
Updated MobileIron enrollment instructions have been posted to the Knowledge Base
IS Service Desk https://www.partners.org/ISServiceDesk
BWH 617-732-5927 BWH-RICS 617-525-0848 CDHC 413-582-5005 DFCI 617-632-3399
FALK 617-983-7454 LCC 857-307-4150 MCL 781-416-8940 MGH 617-726-5085
NHP 617-643-2020 NSMC 978-354-2014 NWH 617-243-6001 PCPO 857-282-5999
PHH 617-726-0790 PHS 857-282-4357 SRN 617-952-5555
Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7. If you are currently running Windows 7 or older, you must upgrade to Windows 10 Professional by Jan. 1, 2020.
Vulnerabilities are discovered frequently in software and they put your computer, data and the enterprise at risk. In order to stay secure and compliant with Partners policies, make sure that you are running a current, supported Operating System (OS) and that your software applications are up to date.
HOWTO: Determine whether you are using a standard or non-standard computer
Check the eligibility of your PC
Please review the Windows 10 minimum requirements. Check which edition you're using by right-clicking the Start button, clicking System, and finding the Windows Edition.
| Which scenario best describes your non-standard Windows PC? | ||
| The device runs Windows 7, 8 or 10 Home Edition. |
Option 1 |
Option 2 Replace device. Contact the IS Service Desk to have a ticket opened and sent to the ERIS site team to discussion options and compatibility. |
| The device runs Windows 7 or 8 Pro Edition. |
Option 1 |
Option 2 |
Contact the IS Service Desk with any questions or for technical assistance.
Applies to: All DIPR Servers
Production servers hosted by ERIS were patched on Saturday, September 28 starting at 9AM. If you are the owner of a server hosted by ERIS, we encourage you to connect to your server at the end of our maintenance, verify that your applications restart and reconnect to your database.
The Discovery Informatics Platform for Research (DIPR) platform hosted by Enterprise Research IS is undergoing several essential upgrades in Fall 2019 to elevate security standards. These changes will include increased auditing, enabling SELinux on all systems and patching of the Linux OS on all servers on a monthly basis. The ERIS Infrastructure team will communicate each change two weeks before deploying. Please subscribe to receive DIPR communications and visit https://rc.partners.org/subscribe for more information. Non-production DIPR servers were patched in waves on Wednesdays in September.
We understand that this is a significant change. We need your help to ensure an easy transition for your servers, applications and users. Learn more about the new DIPR Servers Monthly OS Patching Schedule.
Service Level Reminders
To ensure premium supportability, security and performance, ERIS strives to keep all systems up to their most current and/or stable revisions. Please visit https://rc.partners.org/sla to review the full ERIS Service Level Agreement.
Server owners are responsible for maintaining the applications running on DIPR VMs systems and ensuring they are patched and comply with Partners Information Security Practices and Policies. Server owners are responsible for backup of critical configurations in case of a failure.
Please reach out to rcc@partners.org with any questions.
The ERIS Infrastructure team completed the maintenance on the ERIS MySQL and ERIS PGSQL servers. All servers and databases are up and online. If you are the owners of a ERIS Hosted Database, please check your applications connection to the database. Please contact rcc@partners.org with any questions.
This website was offline for a brief period during the maintenance window for MySQL Server patching on Saturday, August 24 between 9:00a.m. - Noon. EDT. This website, https://rc.partners.org, was unavailable for a few minutes while the system is rebooted to apply patches.
Please contact rcwebmaster@partners.org if you have any questions or concerns.
REDCap (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap) server maintenance is scheduled for Saturday, August 24th 2019 from 9:00AM to 10:00AM EST. There will be a short interruption of service during the maintenance window.
If you have any concerns about this scheduled maintenance, please email edcsupport@partners.org
On August 18th from approximately 1:00 am to 5:00 am, Freezerworks will temporarily be offline to complete planned server maintenance work. During this timeframe, we ask users to log out of the system so we can complete this necessary maintenance work. We do apologize for any inconvenience this interruption may cause.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email edcsupport@partners.org
We are upgrading the List Manager (Lyris) system to v12.3.6 on Sunday, August 18, 2019, at 8 PM. We expect this release to take, up to 30 minutes, so please expect the List Manager (Lyris) service to be offline from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
Applies to:
https://researchlistadmin.partners.org
https://researchlist.partners.org
This upgrade was to improve system performance and address defects. The release notes can be found in the Knowledge Base.
Please contact rcc@partners.org with any questions, concerns or issues with the upgrade.
