Fault reporting service

We operate a fault reporting process to deal with all problems at both a network and a site level, as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, this process can only work if all Janet-connected organisations are familiar with the correct reporting routes.

Reporting problems

All members who wish to report a problem with their connection to Janet should follow the route set out in their fault reporting letter. Contact information is sent to the management and technical contacts by email on an annual basis and includes the current telephone, fax and email address of the appropriate fault reporting contacts.

The service desk

The service desk is the first point of contact for reporting faults with Janet connections. This includes problems with:

• External circuits and all the associated routing and switching equipment
• If the fault to be reported is known to concern the Janet backbone, contact the service desk.

Who should report problems

Problems may only be reported by one of the designated Jisc contacts, not by individual end-users. In order for the fault reporting mechanism to work efficiently, it is essential for each organisation to establish a clear reporting structure, and make users aware that the correct route for reporting problems is via the technical contact.

Please note that the contact information provided by the service desk is only to be used by designated contacts. It must not be passed to end-users at the site.

Response times

Under the provisions of the current Janet Network service level commitment (pdf), the Jisc service desk will contact your organisation’s registered fault reporting contact within one hour of identifying an issue with your Janet connection.

Emergency cover

Emergency cover is provided outside normal working hours. The fault reporting information provided by the service desk includes the telephone number for the emergency service. Please note that the out-of-hours emergency telephone number is not advertised on the web and is only provided to named Jisc contacts. Contact the service desk for more information.

Escalation procedure

Please visit the escalation page for details of our escalation procedures.

Trouble tickets

All Janet-connected organisations are asked to set up a generic email address using the format operations@sitename.ac.uk, and then to use this as their internal mailing list for all technical staff who should receive information about the Janet Network. Please email the service desk to register for the service, once this address has been set up.

Scheduled maintenance period

Scheduled maintenance work is normally timed to take place in the period between 07:00 and 09:00 on Tuesdays. All such work is advertised via the trouble ticket system. We aim to provide a trouble ticket describing proposed work at least 14 days prior to the start date of the maintenance. The trouble ticket will be sent to the generic email address provided by your organisation.

Emergency maintenance

From time to time, it may be necessary for us to implement maintenance work in relation to an ongoing network issue. This work is normally undertaken to ensure that we resolve a problem or to prevent one from escalating into a bigger issue. In these circumstances, it is not possible for us to provide the standard 14 days’ notice.

We will still raise a trouble ticket to be distributed to the affected organisations and will provide as much notice as is possible. We will also attempt to contact, by telephone, the fault reporting contact provided by your organisation.

Scheduled work on Janet site networks

Please note that all Janet-connected organisations should advise the Jisc service desk of any planned work on their local network that may make the site temporarily inaccessible. Arrangements may then be made to circulate the details to other Janet Network sites as necessary.

Janet availability

We understand your need for a network service which is always available to you, especially at business critical times such as clearing.

Our Janet availability document (pdf) describes how we design high levels of availability and reliability into the Janet Network and how our operational staff work to maintain the integrity of the network 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Major incidents management

Incidents which cause significant and widespread disruption to our members businesses are rare. However, when they do occur, it is essential that we fix the problem as quickly as possible and keep members informed about the incident, its impact and the progress we are making to fix it.

Our major incident response team comprises experienced members of staff, specially trained in the management of major incidents. We have a dedicated network and service issues page and Twitter feed where members can monitor the progress of major incidents.

We categorise major incidents as bronze, silver and gold according to their severity and impact. We now use Everbridge to allow us to target major incident communications to the technical and management contacts based on their preferences. For example, information about bronze level incidents might be sent only to network operations staff, while more severe silver or gold level incidents could be reported to IT directors or other senior management. Everbridge can send email, SMS or recorded telephone messages to customise how your organisation is informed about major incidents.

If your organisation is not yet enrolled in the Everbridge service, please contact the Jisc service desk.

If you would like a copy of your fault reporting letter please contact help@jisc.ac.uk.