This one goes out to all HPT inhabitants. As you might have noticed, the HPT network infrastructure is currently being remodelled. In order to be able to take full advantage of the new uplink cables and access switches, ideally all grey patch cables (from the wall sockets to the devices) should be replaced as well (the blue ones are OK). We do realize that this is not realistic in many (lab) settings, but please swap them out for new cat6 cables whenever you can (they're available in the D-PHYS Shop). Don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

The central Informatikdienste will have a scheduled downtime of all networking (cable and wireless) in the buildings HPK, HEZ, HPM, HPL and HPW on Monday 6th Dec 2021 in the evening between 19h00 and 23h00.

This is the second of three downtimes for the ongoing project to split the current networks into smaller chunks. This major undertaking will also induce a short downtime for some computers in the dynamic DHCP pool in other buildings (as some of our IP ranges are being moved to the listed buildings).

Users don’t need to do anything and their computers should come back online automatically. Otherwise try to reboot or get in touch with us.

In order to prepare for the migration, Informatikdienste will forbid all changes to their DHCP servers between Friday 3th Dec 13:00 and Tuesday morning. As a consequence we will not be able to register new devices or hostnames during this period.

The central Informatikdienste will have a scheduled downtime of all networking (cable and wireless) in the buildings HPH, HPP, HPR, HPS, HPV and HPZ on Monday 8th Nov 2021 in the evening between 19h00 and 23h00.

This is the first of three downtimes for the ongoing project to split the current networks into smaller chunks. This major undertaking will also induce a short downtime for some computers in the dynamic DHCP pool in other buildings (as some of our IP ranges are being moved to the listed buildings).

Users don't need to do anything and their computers should come back online automatically. Otherwise try to reboot or get in touch with us.

In order to prepare for the migration, Informatikdienste will forbid all changes to their DHCP servers between Friday 5th Nov 13:00 and Tuesday morning. As a consequence we will not be able to register new devices or hostnames during this period.

After a long (11 years) phase of stability in the D-PHYS network, we are preparing a pretty extensive network reorganization for 2018. This is mainly driven by ever-increasing information security requirements mandated by ETH. The D-PHYS network has traditionally been very open and we will try to keep it that way, but we need to implement some modifications. The basic premise is to partition our current /21 network (2048 IP addressess) into smaller groups that better represent the types of machines in those networks. This will then allow us to tailor each group's firewall rules to the services needed by those machines. The roadmap looks like this:

• Rearrange hosts in current /21 net to align with future VLAN boundaries
• Partition the /21 net into smaller VLANs
• Migrate individual subnets from our DHCP server to that of ID. This will also allow us to assign IPv6 addresses
• Migrate the subnets into different virtual private zones (VPZ)
• Assign and fine tune firewall settings on the different VPZ

As usual, we'll try to implement these steps as smoothly as possible. However, a migration on this scale will not go entirely without issues. Step 1 will entail an IP address change for quite a number of hosts. We'll make sure that our dyndns host names (foobar.dhcp.phys.ethz.ch) will be in sync with the new addresses, but this only works for properly configured DHCP hosts. Here's how you can help: if you have any hosts in the 192.33.96.0/21 D-PHYS network that are statically configured (non-DHCP), please get in touch with us ASAP. The same is true if you're using hard-coded IP addresses from that range instead of host names. We'll need to deal with those hosts individually.
In the course of 2018 we'll keep you updated on project progress and announce specific dates when we implement changes.

Update: since Informatikdienste are currently drafting an even more comprehensive Hönggerberg network reorganization that will deeply impact our plans as well, this project is currently on hold until we know more. Stay tuned.

In collaboration with our colleagues in Informatikdienste we will use the upcoming months to upgrade the D-PHYS network in order to make it ready for the future. In particular, we will enable the IEEE 802.1x protocol in our network that will allow us to virtually patch any VLAN to each individual client. This will also pave the way for the upcoming VoIP telephony deployment in D-PHYS. The migration will be a step-by-step process and we will visit each building and floor individually to address potential questions during the migration. The typical desktop or laptop computer will not notice the change except for a short interruption of < 1 min. Certain macOS clients will need a bit of persuasion however, the required steps are described here.
Things will look a bit different for new clients that connect to the D-PHYS network for the first time only after the migration: they will not display the well-known ISG D-PHYS landing page, but an OS popup or a generic ETH page. This works the same way as the ETH wifi. You either supply your n.ethz credentials in the popup or you log in via the landing page. Your machine will then be patched into the ETH docking network. If you have a specific reason to have your machine in the D-PHYS network (HPx::745 for the technically inclined), please let us know and we will register your MAC address in our database - just like you did in the past. All existing machines at D-PHYS have been preregistered for HPx::745 in order to avoid any confusion.
So please be ready when Alex shows up in your group and announces the migration date.

The Informatikdienste are upgrading the routers in our HIT/D/13 server room causing a downtime of the network of about 1 hour on Thursday morning, 15th September, between 05:30 and 07:30. Please note that various services will not be available during that time.

Today, the 7th of December 2011, around 7pm, there will be a complete network interruption in the whole Department of Physics for about one hour. The central ETH IT Services (“Informatikdienste”) will replace the hardware of the core router to the HPx network zone (includes the HIT building).

Wireless LAN should not be affected, but as the servers will be offline, too, you won't have access to files or mails on the servers, i.e. don't expect to be able to work during the network downtime. The technicians will reconnect the servers first, so access to the servers from the outside of the Department or via WLAN will be restored earlier than 8pm. Workstations and printers will get network access back afterwards.

This Thursday, the 7th of July 2011, around 7am, there will be a short network interruption in the whole Department of Physics. The central ETH IT Services ("Informatikdienste") will move our network zone to new hardware, necessary for some future services.

Additionally, the WLAN Landing Page of the "public" network will have a maintenance downtime from 7am to 8am.

Today around 14:20 the D-PHYS network started acting up. After about 20 minutes the problem could be tracked down to a machine running amok. Unfortunately, the terminal server plimpy did not survive the downtime and had to be rebooted at 16:10. We apologize for any inconvenience.

All computers in the D-PHYS network have to be registered with their MAC address. This is an important measure to ensure the security and integrity of our network. In order to alleviate the inconvenience this might cause in some cases, we now allow expired machines to be reactivated not only by us, but also by their admins and deputies. To this end we have created the website

registration.phys.ethz.ch

which allows you to easily reactivate all expired machines you're registered as an admin or deputy for. We hope to save us all some time with this new service.