For more information, please visit https://kb.bham.ac.uk/KB15880
If you’re on a personal device please check that all the software you currently have installed is compatible with macOS 12 Monterey before you upgrade.
Service Status
If your issue is not listed, please contact the Service Desk.
Having trouble viewing this page in Internet Explorer? Please see KB13030.
The country flags indicate the campus affected by an issue, Birmingham 
or Dubai 
Current Outages:
Slow Wireless Network – Aston Webb
Updated: 27 Oct 2021 at 1:18pm
Support teams are currently investigating reports of slow wireless network connections and related difficulties reaching network shared drives.
In an effort to improve the service, a small configuration change is being made at 2pm today (27/10/21).
It is expected that this will cause the wireless network to drop for a few seconds for those connected in or near Aston Webb B Block. If you do lose connectivity, please wait for a minute before trying to reconnect.
If after this you are still having difficulties, please contact the IT Service Desk.
Thank you.
StudentHelp.bham.ac.uk unavailable
Updated: 26 Oct 2021 at 12:40pm
We are aware of an intermittent issue with the studenthelp.bham.ac.uk page where it is showing as unavailable.
We are working with our suppliers to restore the site.
During times when the site is unavailable, you will be able to contact Student Services by leaving a message on the web form that will appear instead of the website. For all other student help services, please try again later.
Thank you for your patience
Known Issues & Workarounds:
On Monday 25th October, 2021, Apple release a new version of macOS (version 12) called Monterey.For users on University devices, the current advice is that you don’t upgrade to Monterey as soon as it is released. Traditionally with a new release of macOS there are issues with some of our software, such as Managed Print, VPN, and antivirus. IT Services will begin testing compatability of these once Monterey is released.
macOS: Monterey Release
Updated: 22 Oct 2021 at 1:37pm
Canvas & Other Websites: Connection Not Private Error
Updated: 4 Oct 2021 at 10:46am
Users accessing Canvas and some other websites might be getting an error in their browser saying their connection is not private.
This is happening because these sites uses Let’s Encrypt certificates for secure HTTPS connections, and their old root certificate expired on 30th September 2021. This means if you’re using an older operating system or browser that doesn’t know about the new root certificate you will get the error.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to make sure you’ve updated your operating system or browser to the latest version(s). This website has more comprehensive details about the issue, but in short make sure you’re running at least the following, along with the latest version of whatever web browser you use:
- Windows 7 or higher
- macOS 10.12.1 or higher
- Ubuntu 16.04 or higher
- iOS 10 or higher
- Android 7.1.1 or higher
Note that some of the operating systems listed above are older and now unsupported (for example, Windows 7), so although these will support the new certificate and allow you to access the site you should update to the latest version you can (for example, macOS 11 or Windows 10).
For those of you using macOS, we’ve written some instructions in our Knowledge Base explaining how to upgrade, and what alternatives you can try if you can’t. See https://kb.bham.ac.uk/KB15835
Users on other older operating systems should try the latest version of Firefox available to them.
Many websites use Let’s Encrypt and so over time you will notice a number of other websites giving the same error message if you do not update your software. Having up to date and secure software is essential for keeping yourself safe online.
Scheduled Maintenance:
Jisc Online Surveys: Offline for Maintenance
Updated: 26 Oct 2021 at 2:55pm | Maintenance Window: 29 Oct 2021 5:00pm to 1 Nov 2021 9:00am
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Recent Service Changes:
Removal of unlicensed versions of Oracle Java from University PCs and laptops
Updated: 4 Oct 2021 at 10:23am
In January 2019, Oracle changed the licensing of Java on computers which means the software is no longer free. Oracle Java is a software programming language and there are some applications and websites that will not work unless you have Java installed on your laptop or PC.
There are some University applications will still require Oracle Java to be installed in order to run and we have purchased licenses for those devices where we have identified this to be necessary. We have also identified a number of devices across the University where an unlicensed version of Oracle Java is installed but is not being used to run University applications. We will begin to remove the software from these devices so that the University does not incur any additional license fees.
How will this impact me?
Oracle Java will only be allowed to be installed on a device running the following software:
- Mimsy
- Oracle WCC/BOXI
- JDeveloper/SQLDeveloper/SQLcl
- Guild CCTV/Legacy Cisco Switches
- AltaHR
- RAS
If you do not use any of the following applications then Oracle Java will be removed from your device.
When is this change happening?
Unlicensed installations of Oracle Java will be removed from devices on Monday, 11 October from 8.00am.
What if I still need Java?
If you use another application that requires Java to run, and which is not listed above, then we have made a free Open-Source version of the Java software available to download from the Software Centre. The software is called Eclipse Temurin JDK and JRE. You should check to see if your application will run under this Open Source version.
If you believe your application is licensed to install the Oracle version of Java then please complete the request software form to ensure it doesn’t automatically get removed again. You will need to include the name of your PC or laptop. You can find instructions on how to find this information here. You’ll also need to provide necessary information to prove that the software is licensed for use to satisfy the request.
Questions?
Further information about this Change can be found in or Knowledge Base article KB15793. If you have any further questions please contact the IT Service Desk.