Small power cog causes big problems for WU computers

ReAnne Utemark

Washburn students, staff and faculty woke up without their Washburn e-mail. According to Michael Gunter, director of Information Systems and Service, a capacitor in the Uninterrupted Power Supply exploded some time after 6:51 a.m. The explosion caused the servers to go down, which is the explanation for users of Washburn’s Internet and banner inability to access services this morning.

“It was basically like pulling the extension chord from the servers,” said Gunter.

Gunter said the capacitors can often dry out and fail if not replaced every five years, this particular capacitor did not reach the five-year replacement mark.

As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, some services had returned and as of 1:30 Wednesday, banner had returned and students could access their class schedules and account information through MyWashburn.