RICHMOND -- Governor Bob McDonnell wants answers about the statewide computer system outage that's affected many state agencies, including the Division of Motor Vehicles.
In-person driver's licenses haven't been able to be processed since last Wednesday.
At the height of the outage, 27 agencies were affected. By Monday, that was down to three - the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, The Department of Taxation and the State Board of Elections.
"I am not pleased that our employees and citizens have experienced this disruption in service. I have directed an operational and performance review of the situation be conducted so that we can determine the proper course of action to best protect the interests of the Commonwealth. It is crucial we learn what happened and why in order to ensure that such occurrences are prevented in the future," Gov. McDonnell said in a statement to WVEC.com.
Virginia Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey explained the failure was in the equipment used for data storage, commonly known as a storage area network (SAN). Specifically, the SAN that failed was an EMC DMX-3.
"According to the manufacturer of the storage system, the events that led to the outage appear to be unprecedented," he said in a statement Monday evening. .
He also said teams and staff "understand that this is a great inconvenience for our citizens and we are doing everything in our power to restore service as quickly as possible."
Duffey asked for continued patience as repair work continues.
The good news is that the Websites for the Va. Department of Emergency Management are operating again. Those sites help the agency get information out to the public during disasters and weather emergencies.
"The outage isn't affecting us as we keep an eye on Earl," VDEM spokesman Bob Spieldenner told WVEC.com Monday.
If your license or ID card expires between August 25 and 30 and you are required to renew at a DMV office, once service is restored you will have to bring your birth certificate, passport, or any other document that states you are a U.S. citizen or legally authorized to be in the country.
Some drivers may still be able to process their license or ID online. To determine eligibility for renewing via computer/phone/mail versus in person, you may visit the DMV website at http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/drivers/ineligibility.asp or call (804) 497-7100.
In Newport News, the Department of Human Services benefits have limited service. Benefits affected by the computer outage include new applications, interim reports, renewals and/or verification of food stamps, TANF payments and Medicaid.
All other services are not affected.
If you have questions, call the department at 757-926-6300.
