In preparation for the start of the second semester we've implemented a temporary moratorium on all traffic between the residence network and non-essential parts of the University's main network. Machines on the residence network will only be able to connect to services running on the University's services network (146.231.128.0/21); machines on other parts of the University's network will not be able to connect to the residence network.
This moratorium is the result of bitter experience in previous years. Inevitably the return of students at the begining of a new semester results in the introduction of several new viruses on the University's network. The intention of the moratorium is to give returning student's machines a chance to update their virus definitions, operating systems, etc whilst still offering some degree of protection to the University's network as a whole.
Users of the residence network should still be able to access their e-mail, browse the web, etc. They will not, for example, be able to access content shared from machines outside their residence or access resources hosted on departmental servers.
The moratorium will be lifted once it becomes clear that the residence network does not pose an immediate threat to the integrity of the University's network. It will be reviewed daily begining on Tuesday 25th July.