URSA performance problems are under investigation

Based on performance problems with the URSA Web site, enrollment in spring quarter classes may be slow, according to Andrew Wissmiller, assistant vice chancellor of administrative information systems.

Wissmiller said the definitive cause of the problem has not yet been identified, so there is no estimated date for relief of the issue. Thus, problems may continue for the next few days.

“We apologize for the difficulties and appreciate students’ patience,” he said, adding that updates will be provided via the registrar’s Web site once more information is known. The login problem was unexpected, since the Web site was upgraded in October.

However, in an attempt to address the issue, an additional Web server was added early this morning to help distribute the load and improve performance, said Candace Jones, manager of admissions and distributed technologies. She added that the Administrative Information Systems department is currently investigating areas for improvement.

On Monday, more than 55,000 logins to URSA were recorded, about 20,000 of which were enrollment requests, Jones said.

As of 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, there was a total of 29,126 login requests for URSA, of which 9,800 were for enrollment, she said. Based on this demand, Jones said the department would likely be busy for the next week through second pass enrollment times.

The maximum number of logins allowed on the Web site at one time is 1,500, which reflects the older technology used for URSA that the department is currently trying to rewrite, Jones said.

Now, even before user demand reaches that limit, the Web site is slowing, a problem that Wissmiller said is under investigation.

Jones said the limited number of logins was initially established to stabilize performance. However, she emphasized that the threshold has been in place for several years and that the department’s goal was to remove this limit after the transition to newer technology.