12 August, 2026
KAUST Community,
The following maintenance activities and service updates are planned to keep KAUST IT’s services reliable, secure, and performing well. Please review the schedule, expected impacts, and any recommended actions below.
| Activity | Details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Center Network Firmware Upgrade | When Thursday, 13 August 2026, 6:00 PM to Friday, 14 August 2026, 4:00 AM Impact You may experience brief interruptions when accessing services hosted within the KAUST Data Center. Action Required No action is required. If you experience connectivity issues during the maintenance window, wait a few minutes and try again. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KAUST Files Storage Platform Upgrade | When Friday, 14 August 2026, 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM Impact KAUST Files will remain available during the upgrade. However, you may notice slower performance when opening, uploading, or downloading files. Action Required No action is required. If you have large file transfers planned, consider completing them outside this window. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KAUST Portal Services (SAP Maintenance) | When Saturday, 15 August 2026, 11:00 PM to Sunday, 16 August 2026, 5:00 AM Impact SAP services accessed through the KAUST Portal may be unavailable during this maintenance window. Action Required No action is required. If you need to complete work in SAP, please do so before the maintenance window begins. For more information about the affected services, please refer to the related maintenance notice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campus and Residential Network Switch Upgrades | When Sunday, 16 August to Tuesday, 15 September 2026 Impact Switches are upgraded one at a time, and each upgrade takes 20 to 30 minutes. While a switch is being upgraded, network access in that area may be unavailable. Action Required No action is required. Your connection will return automatically once the upgrade is complete. If your connection has not returned after 30 minutes, please contact the IT Service Desk. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Application License Server Patching | When Thursday, 20 August 2026, 8:00 PM to Friday, 21 August 2026, 6:00 AM Impact Licensed applications that rely on the Application License Server will not be accessible during the maintenance window. See the list of affected applications below. Action Required Save your work and close any affected licensed applications before 8:00 PM. Please do not open or launch these applications during the maintenance window. If you are planning time-sensitive work, save your progress early and avoid launching licensed applications during this window.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Windows Server Security Updates (August 2026) | When Thursday, 20 August 2026, 8:00 PM to Friday, 21 August 2026, 6:00 AM Impact Microsoft’s August 2026 security updates will be applied to KAUST’s Windows servers. Some services hosted on these servers may be briefly unavailable or may restart while the updates are installed. Action Required No action is required. Please save your work ahead of the maintenance window in case of brief service interruptions. Read the August 2026 release notes or visit the Security Update Guide. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Update Process for KAUST-Managed Macs | When From Thursday, 20 August 2026 onwards Impact Software update notifications on KAUST-managed Mac devices will look slightly different. Whenever an update becomes available, the notification will be similar to the one you see today, but it will include a Managed update heading and a deadline. If the update is not installed before the deadline, your device will install it automatically and restart. Any unsaved work could be lost. This brings Mac devices in line with how KAUST-managed Windows devices already work. Action Required Plan ahead. When you see a notification, install the update and restart your device at a time that suits you, well before the deadline. Choosing your own moment to restart is the best way to avoid losing unsaved work. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zoom Web Experience Update | When Wednesday, 26 August 2026 Impact The Zoom account pages you see after signing in at kaust.zoom.us will have an updated layout and navigation. This changes how the pages look, not how Zoom works. The Zoom Workplace apps for Windows and macOS are not changing and are not affected by this update. Action Required No action is required. Continue to sign in as you normally do. Read more in the #InsideIT article. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legacy Outlook for Mac Retirement | When October 2026 Impact Starting in October 2026, Legacy Outlook for Mac will no longer work with KAUST mailboxes. If you continue to use it, you will lose access to your KAUST email, calendar, and contacts. If you already use the new Outlook for Mac, no change is needed. Action Required Switch to the new Outlook for Mac before October 2026. Read more in the #InsideIT article. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Need help?
Contact the IT Service Desk at 910 or 012-808-0910, seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Walk-in support is available Sunday to Thursday during business hours.
You can also log a ticket using the KAUST IT Chatbot at vita.kaust.edu.sa.
We appreciate your understanding as we continue improving KAUST IT’s services.
KAUST IT
it.kaust.edu.sa
