Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Blackboard Steps to Resolve Connectivity Issues

At 3:15am Tuesday 4/25 Blackboard reported a global DNS issue, resulting from a security update. This issue resulted in some networks returning an error when attempting to access blackboard.udmercy.edu, while other networks had no interruption.

 

Blackboard implemented a fix to this issue at approximately 9:30am on 4/25. Unfortunately, DNS fixes require time to propagate across the internet; how much time depends on the refresh settings of the DNS server you are using. Most DNS servers should have restored access as of approximately 11:15 am on Wednesday 4/26.

 

 

If you are still unable to access Blackboard, we recommend you flush your DNS cache.

 

 

On WINDOWS:

1 - Hit the WINDOWS button on your keyboard, type COMMAND, launch the command prompt app.

 

2 - In the command prompt app (little black window) type --

 

ipconfig /flushdns

 

3 - Press ENTER. You should get a SUCCESS message.

 

4 - Close the Command window, restart your computer.

 

 

ON MAC

 

1- Open the LaunchPad in the Dock and type in Terminal in the search bar.

 

2 - Enter the following syntax at the command line:

 

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

 

3 - Press Return, enter your password, and press Return again.

 

4 - Exit the Terminal, restart your computer

 

 

 

IF these steps do not work for you

 

Accessing Blackboard via a VPN will likely get you to Blackboard. Similarly, try accessing from a mobile device on a cellular network rather than local Wi-Fi -- folks have reported success switching to a cellular hotspot. Relocating to a local public library or other location with free Wi-Fi may help as well (we do not recommend using Wi-Fi from a place like Starbucks or Panera for online testing, as the connections there often reset at inopportune times).

 

We can also report that on-campus access has not experienced any downtime. If you can come to campus, the Wi-Fi and / or lab computers will work for you.

 

We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.

1 comment:

Seelmake said...

I am still unable to access blackboard on my home network (ISP: WoW). I have followed the reset steps in this blog with no success. I have been able to access Blackboard by hotspotting from my iPhone. However, that connection is slow and spotty. Is there anything else I can try other than seeking different internet service providers?

Seelmake@udmercy.edu