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iOS 7 downloads causing network outages at several school campuses, activation server failures

As noticed by BusinessInsider, Apple’s release of iOS 7 today is causing havoc for the networks of several college campuses and other schools where a large number of iOS device users are attempting to download the new OS. Some schools, including Ohio University, is even urging students to delay upgrading to iOS 7 as the network experiences network problems due to the high amount of traffic.

Others having WiFi issues today include New York University, Michigan University, and Western Connecticut State University. Those three schools haven’t confirmed iOS 7 is the cause of network outages today, but students on Twitter have noted that iOS 7 is likely the culprit…

We’ve learned that Apple has has communicated to retail stores and AppleCare that it is aware of the activation servers failing following today’s release of iOS 7.

Many other schools and large companies seem to be experiencing the same problem:

https://twitter.com/rspwnblgmng/status/380419116940550145

https://twitter.com/butdiontho/status/380423261030318080

https://twitter.com/lely_1/status/380430142998204416

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Comments

  1. Ryan Callahan - 11 years ago

    JWU WiFi crashed this afternoon because of the downloads.

  2. Jonathan (@Jon889) - 11 years ago

    Perhaps the networks should detect the large number of users all downloading the same file (well several files, as each model downloads a different file) and then download it once and cache it, then users download it from the cache. (this all being hidden to the user)

    • Chris Hallgren - 11 years ago

      Or just block all the apple sheep from hogging all the bandwidth

    • Alborz Heydaryan - 11 years ago

      it won’t be possible since all the downloads have to authorized by Apple first.

      • Ryan Callahan - 11 years ago

        Exactly. It’s like trying to cache a file when each copy of that file has its own encryption code.

      • Joel Garnick - 11 years ago

        I believe apple has a caching solution, but you have to use their proprietary system. Lame, but…apple…Here’s what bugs me about it…we’ve gone through 6 years of iOS updates, none of those ones crashed networks left and right….of course, we noted today that the ipad update was 900MB!

  3. Bao D Nguyen - 11 years ago

    Funny. haha!

  4. Cory (@CheekyCory) - 11 years ago

    I got mine with no problem. started download @ 0955 PST and was done by 1003

  5. weakguy - 11 years ago

    So this is why UT doesn’t give us unlimited data usage… Still, 250 MB per week is still too less! Oh well, UT does look smart in this situation.

  6. Felonius NoSpamius - 11 years ago

    Worst iOS release for me ever. Especially since I’ve been without my phone for 4 hours now. Had I known this would happen, I would not have done it until late at night. Business phone too. Really lame.

    • Kye Alexander C - 11 years ago

      That must be a lie because you can still use all the features of the iPhone while it updates with no interruption. #fakeappleuser

    • Paul Morelli - 11 years ago

      What’s lame is your whining and expectation that everything was going to go fast and smooth when millions of others are trying to do the same thing. Just plain dumb.

    • George Rae - 11 years ago

      Clearly your first Apple launch. Like this every time. Just wait until this weekend with phone activations :)

  7. Ryan Callahan - 11 years ago

    They really have to do these releases in “waves” across the country. Tens of Millions of people/devices cannot download one file from the same set of files as everyone else, and then try to activate that file, all at the same time. Being one of the developers, this even happens when a new beta comes out. And that is only for a few hundred thousand devices.

    • Kye Alexander C - 11 years ago

      It is done in waves. Not every update comes from one server farm. The world doesn’t just get it from USA. The problem isn’t that people are doing it at the same time, apple devices will change to a new server un-noticed in download if it’s not working to the benefit, the problem is when one router or base station is trying to request 4k files on one request.

  8. Amit Kalra - 11 years ago

    My iPhone can’t connect to activation server. I’m at my house. No one is using wifi but me :(

  9. willo (@mozfart) - 11 years ago

    I´m having problems accepting new Terms. Unable to connect. iCloud not working? Anyone else?

    • Jerry Pon (@jerryponmac) - 11 years ago

      I’m working fine. Downloading now…

      • Paul Morelli - 11 years ago

        Yep. Took a few hours to download the install package and it took a few tries to start installing, but now it’s installing on my phone. Gotta be patient with all the others trying to do the same thing right now.

      • Jerry Pon (@jerryponmac) - 11 years ago

        Ok, now I got stuck at the installing part. iPhone is never able to pass that but iPad is now finally installing after like 5 tries. iPhone started first but still stuck. Really have to be patient on this one.

  10. Sounds like some crappy network engineers out there. For as big as those schools are, they should have some traffic shaping ability.

  11. fabrica64 - 11 years ago

    I wonder during Android KitKat release how many network outages we’ll see

    • Tyler Sheehy - 11 years ago

      None….. Only Nexus devices will get it release day (and possibly Google edition variants of devices like the S4 or HTC 1) and everyone else has to wait until the carrier and manufacturer decide to release their own branded and tweaked versions of Kitkat. It’s spread out over time and not such an issue of network congestion.

  12. pbranham - 11 years ago

    The network didn’t go down at Purdue today for me, but I did have trouble downloading the update in the middle of the afternoon. Had to wait until the evening for it to go all the way through. So I never lost internet access, but I couldn’t download the update or search on the App Store. I could download apps if I got to them through Google, but the search function on the App Store timed out all day.

  13. ksec (@eddychik) - 11 years ago

    We can now talk about this as the largest unintended DDOS Attack. Killing Both Servers and Last Mile Network in one go.

  14. Dominic Chapala (@domc3) - 11 years ago

    Mississippi State University’s network crashed because so many ppl tried to get this update.

  15. Elliott Gear - 11 years ago

    I torrented the golden master done downloading in 15 minutes…

  16. Pierre Calixte - 11 years ago

    Apple released an itunes update, ios update, and app updates all on the same day…yeah that was smart. begs the question…did they do this on purpose? who didn’t see this coming?

  17. oldrogue - 11 years ago

    Do you mean The University of Michigan? The one in Ann Arbor
    If so, get the name right, K?

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.