We are experiencing a network issue that is affecting Deans Court West block.  All other Deans Court blocks are fully working.  We are looking into this problem and will update this post later on today with any further information.

[Update 26-10-2011, 14:00]  Looks like a fibre cable connecting the ResNet switches in the West block to the local distribution switch was broken.  We have now switched to an alternative pair of cables and we're now back up and running.  Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

We're seeing some problems with OSX 10.7.2 (The latest update to Lion) and the ResNet Activation system (https://go.resnet.bristol.ac.uk)

The major symptom seems to be that if you've got a Mac, running the latest version of Safari (5.1.1), and the latest version of Lion (10.7.2) then you can't access the activation system to set up your connection.  The page appears to load, but is blank.  The last couple of computers I've looked at which have the problem can't open the Keychain App either.  This may or may not be related!

We're actively investigating this problem, and trying to work out what's going on so that we can fix it.  To be honest, we're not making a whole lot of progress at this stage.  Safari appears to make the initial connection to go.resnet, but then stops talking to the server halfway through.  It's all rather baffling!

Workaround:
We do however have a workaround for the problem.  It seems alternative browsers (eg Firefox,Opera or Chrome) can load the activation system fine.  So, if you've got an alternative browser, use that to activate your connection then go back to using safari once your connection is active.

If you don't already have an alternative browser on your computer, use a friends computer to download one and then transfer it to your computer by USB stick.

Update 2011-10-26:
I think I've fixed this.  Lion users should now be able to activate their ResNet connections with Safari.  As a bonus, some customers who were finding the activation system slow may find it to be a bit quicker now.

If you're still experiencing problems activating your ResNet connection, please get in touch with the IT Service Desk.

We're having a few problems with the wireless at Churchill, and some of the wireless points in A block are offline, so the wireless signal in A block may be a little unreliable.

We're not sure what's causing the fault yet (although some signs are pointing towards a faulty power supply) and we don't have anyone available to get up there today to look at it.

We'll get someone up there as soon as we can, but until then we suggest using the ResNet Wired service instead as that's not affected by the fault.

We will update this post when we've got more info.

[Update 26-10-2011, 12:30]  The vast majority of access points are working in Churchill but one WAP on the ground floor of A block and another on the top floor of H block are still down.  We have instructed our cabling contractor to troubleshoot and repair these two connections as soon as possible.  Wired ResNet is still working fine.

We are aware of some ongoing issues with wireless connectivity affecting ResNet Wireless in halls and eduroam on campus.

Common symptoms of these problems may include:

• Intermittent slowness
• Connection attempts time out
• It may take several attempts to connect
• Your computer forgets the saved network password

The problem appears to exist with some of the new wireless hardware that was installed during August 2011. We are currently talking to our hardware supplier to diagnose and resolve these problems, although progress is frustratingly slow.

We at ResNet are very sorry that these issues are causing inconvenience for our users. If you are affected by any of the symptoms described above, the best workaround is to use your ResNet connection via the cable. There are no known problems with the wired network.

We will post an update on this blog when the issue with ResNet Wireless has been resolved, so you might like to bookmark it.

Update 2011-Oct-18 18:11
As described in this IT Services News Item emergency work will be taking place, and ResNet Wireless will be unavailable:

• Wednesday, 19 October, 06:00-08:45
• Thursday, 20 October, 06:00-08:45

This afternoon we took our annual team photo, including our permanent staff and our seasonal casual staff who help with technical and administrative queries.

After an unexpected initial delay we are now pleased to announce that ResNet wireless at Wills Hall is now fully functional.  To setup your wireless devices please connect to the ResNet-Setup wireless signal, open a web browser, and follow the on-screen instructions.

We are still waiting for the cabling contractor to finish at Churchill Hall but we expect to have this fully functional before the end of Freshers week.

Well, it's 3:30pm on the Monday of Freshers' week and we have 4100 customers connected to the ResNet service which is about 95% of all people with a valid subscription.  This is 17 hours quicker than last year which is really great.  Hopefully people have found connecting easier because of this year's new wireless activation system.  Wireless ResNet has over 1400 distinct customers connected and wired ResNet has over 2600.

Our team are still taking lots of calls but the main problem seems to be passwords, which we can't deal with.  If you cannot remember your password (or username) then please visit the Service Desk in the Computer Centre with photo ID.