Active Incident

Updated 39 minutes ago

Digital & Information Services operate a number of IT Systems at the University of Aberdeen. The status of key services can be found below and is updated by staff during business hours. For help & support, please visit https://myit.abdn.ac.uk
F5 Remote Client Problems / Managed DevicesDegraded Performance

Incident Status

Degraded Performance

Components

Connectivity & Core Services

Services

Remote Access (Direct Access Corporate Laptops), Remote Access (VPN)


October 30, 2026 08:55 GMT
INVESTIGATING

We are aware of multiple reports coming in regarding issues with the remote client (known as the F5 VPN connection) Problems reported include: - Slow connectivity - Random disconnection - Drive mapping issues - Password prompts - SSH problems What are we doing - We are in discissions with the supplier as it is suspected the client that was deployed on Thursday 29 October is faulty. - An IT Service News will be issued to all staff and postgrads as soon as possible

October 30, 2026 20:42 GMT
INVESTIGATING

What's happening? We are aware of multiple reports of remote access issues. Issues started after an update to the F5 remote access client that took place on Thursday 29 October. Our engineers are urgently engaging with our third-party support company to come up with a solution, but we wanted to update you and acknowledge the problems that you could be experiencing. Nature of Problems We are aware of the following issues that have been reported to our IT Service Desk: - Issues with automated installation of the new remote client - Issues with drive mappings e.g. H drive - Prompt for password within F5 remote access client after first logon - Prompt for password within F5 remote access client after idle time period (or when your device goes to sleep) - Intermittent disconnection from the remote connection - Slow connections for Web VPN (also known as SSH) – This affects a small number of people What can you do? Unfortunately, we do not have a direct fix for all issues, and we need a from our third-party provider. As a workaround you can try the following: - Client update issues – If you are having issues with the client not updating then please contact our IT Service Desk for assistance. - Drive Mappings – We believe this is fixed when the new client is updated. - Password Prompt – Enter your username and password after logon within the F5 remote access prompt, please use the format username@abdn.ac.uk e.g.S01MAF1@abdn.ac.uk - Disconnections – We believe some of the issues may be due to client problems. Please log a call for support with the IT Service Desk. - Web VPN / SSH Speeds – Unfortunately there is no workaround for the speed problems with SSH at this time. We apologise for the problems that many of you will be experiencing. We will provide the next update on Monday 2nd November.

November 2, 2026 12:36 GMT
INVESTIGATING

UPDATE: Remote Access Issues (F5 VPN) – Monday 2 November What's happening? We wish to update you on the remote access problems that many staff and research postgraduates are experiencing with their managed laptops. Our third-party supplier has acknowledged that there is a significant problem with a critical software update that was deployed to managed laptops starting from Thursday 29 October. There is no quick fix to the problem, and we continue to liaise with them to seek a solution. Nature of Problems The following issues that have been reported and confirmed: - Problems with installation of the remote client necessitating multiple reboots. - Problems with remote connection after logon again necessitating multiple reboots to try and establish a connection. - Issues with drive mappings e.g. H drive. - Prompt for password within F5 remote access client after logon. - Prompt for password within F5 remote access client after device sleep or idle. - Intermittent disconnection from remote connections - Impossibly slow connections using Web VPN / SSH What can you do? We need the software update from our third-party supplier, however, please do log a support call with our Service Desk if you are finding the problems impossible for your work. Workarounds you can consider using are: - Work On-Site – If you are able to, working from the university campus does not use the remote access connection. On-campus managed devices are not impacted if using a wired connection or when connected to the WiFi network uoa-corporate. - Password Prompt after logon, sleep, or idle – There is no direct workaround for this. You will need to enter your username and password after logon, or when the device wakes from sleep / idle, within the F5 remote access prompt. Please use the format username@abdn.ac.uk - Drive Mapping Issues & Regular Disconnections – Your client may be stuck with the installation issue. Please contact our Service Desk for support. - Web VPN / SSH Speeds – There is no workaround for the speed problems with SSH at this time. We need the new remote access client to fix this issue. We apologise for the problems that many of you will be experiencing. Next Update Tuesday 3 November

November 3, 2026 14:53 GMT
INVESTIGATING

What's happening? We would like to provide a further update regarding the remote access difficulties that some staff and research postgraduate students are experiencing when using managed laptops. Our investigations have identified that some devices contain multiple versions of the F5 remote access client software. IT Services has developed a workaround that removes existing versions of the software and enables the installation of the latest supported remote access client. If you are currently experiencing problems when working or connecting remotely, please log a call with our IT Service Desk. We will arrange assistance to remove the existing software and install the latest client. Please note: This workaround is intended to restore stable service. We are continuing to work with our third-party supplier to identify and implement a permanent resolution to the underlying issue. Next Update We are currently awaiting further information and a long-term solution from our third-party supplier. As a result, we do not intend to issue a further IT Service News update until there is a significant development to share. We appreciate your patience and apologise for the inconvenience caused by these ongoing issues.

November 4, 2026 12:30 GMT
INVESTIGATING

Remote Client Problems & F5 VPN Connection We continue to experience performance issues and inconsistent behaviour with the remote network client known as the F5 VPN connection. Unfortunately, despite efforts to find local workarounds, it has become clear that we must wait for our F5 vendor to provide an approved bug-free software release. We hope to have a fully tested version rolled out to all devices early next week. Services such as Outlook email and MS Teams are not affected by this issue.  With other services, you may be experiencing issues such as network disconnections, slow connectivity, repeated prompts for passwords. What can you do? Whilst we wait for the fix, we recommend that staff needing access to resources stored on shared drives or a stable connection come on campus to work where possible. We apologise for anyone impacted by this unplanned service issue.

November 5, 2026 22:35 GMT
IDENTIFIED

What's happening? Testing is currently underway on a new version of the remote access client to address the connectivity and stability issues that have affected access to University systems when working remotely. As part of this process, a small group of staff members who previously reported issues to the IT Service Desk have been invited to participate in user acceptance testing. Their feedback will help us verify that the updated software resolves the problems experienced and performs reliably in a live environment. Next Update We will issue a further update tomorrow, Friday 6 November. We recognise the impact this unplanned service issue has had on colleagues across the University and sincerely apologise for the disruption caused. We appreciate your patience and cooperation while we work to restore a stable and reliable remote access service.

November 9, 2026 14:05 GMT
IDENTIFIED

Remote Client & f5 VPN Connection – Monday 9 November What's happening? Testing continues on the new version of the f5 remote access client. Our test pool has been expanded and will force installation on IT staff within Digital & Information Services later this afternoon. Thank you to all the IT, Finance, and other non-IT staff that were part of the f5 client testing on Thursday and Friday last week. Next Update We will issue a further update tomorrow to advise on progress. Once again, we apologise to all staff and researchers impacted by this unplanned service issue. Thank you for your continued patience during this complicated problem.

November 10, 2026 11:06 GMT
IDENTIFIED

Update - Remote Client & f5 VPN Connection From Wednesday 11 November, a new f5 Remote Access Client will be available from the Software Center. To give you control over when the installation takes place, we strongly encourage all users to install the new client within the next two days. The update will otherwise be deployed automatically to all devices on Friday 13 November. We’ll send a separate IT News email with step-by-step installation instructions, so please keep an eye on your inbox.

November 10, 2026 16:24 GMT
MONITORING

What's happening? A new f5 Remote Access Client is now available from the Software Center for you to self-install at a time of your choosing. If you have not manually installed the f5 update by 5pm on Thursday 12 November, the update will be automatically installed on your device. This update is mandatory and may cause some disruption. We encourage you to install the client yourself to avoid any inconvenience. The installation guide is below. WARNING: If working remotely, access to on premise applications and files will break during the software update process. Do not reboot your computer until you see the restart your device prompt. How to manually update the f5 remote connection 1. Close applications - Save any documents or files and close any open applications including web browsers such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox. Do not open new applications until the installation completes. 2. Type Software Center in your search bar 3. Search for f5 in Software Center 4. Open f5 and click Install 5. You will be prompted to close browsers, click Close Programs 6. The download will begin to run in the background. A notification box will appear that tells you what part of the process is underway. The process will take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. 7. You may receive the following message during installation: ‘Your configuration data appears to be corrupted. Would you like to reset to the default values? Select Yes. 8. Once the installation is uploaded you will see a restart message. At this point you must restart your device for the installation to complete. Please note: • Microsoft Teams & Outlook – These programs are not affected by the installation. You can continue to use them while the install completes. • Working Remotely - During this upgrade, if you are working off campus you will lose connection to the campus network, but your internet connection will remain. The update process may take up to 30 minutes to complete. • Restart Device - Once installed, you will need to restart your device to ensure the update is applied successfully. • Windows Hello for Business – Users with Windows Hello for Business will continue to be prompted to manually enter their username and password when launching f5. This is a known issue and not linked to this software update. If you experience an issue during the installation process or continue to have connectivity issues after the update has been installed, please contact the IT Service Desk and provide details of the problem, including any error messages you receive. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we have worked on a solution over the past ten days.

Connectivity & Core Services

Degraded Performance

Communication & Collaboration Tools

Operational

Applications

Operational

Research Computing Services

Operational

External Services

Microsoft 365

Status.io

1

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