News and Events

A new campus facial recognition system has been integrated into the existing Access Control System and will be rolled out at newly built or renovated offices and campus sites. After a simple, one-time registration, staff and students can access campus entry points seamlessly. A registration booth has been set up at the ITSC Service Counter at 4/F of the Main Building. Early registrants will receive souvenirs while supplies last.  We look forward to seeing you there—register now and enjoy quicker, smarter access to campus!

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new AI-powered chatbot, ITSC Smart Connect, on our ITSC website. This tool serves as an additional channel for you to conveniently access information about our IT services and facilities, and to check the status of your service request tickets. The chatbot is designed to assist with routine enquiries and provide quick responses round-the-clock. It is not meant to replace the personalised support you receive from our team, but rather to serve as a helpful complement when immediate answers are needed. 

We would like to invite you to explore this feature at your convenience through the ITSC website. Should you require further assistance beyond what the chatbot can offer, our support staff remain readily available to help. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

We hope you will find this tool useful in your daily interactions with our services.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the University Event Portal as a centralized platform to showcase all events happening across the University.  All staff and students are welcome to browse, discover and participate all university events in this centralized portal aiming at enhancing visibility and accessibility.

At the same time, we also proudly introduce the new Event Management System (EMS) designed to assist eligible staff to streamline the creation and management of events on this University Event Portal.

The EMS provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for event administration, including:

• Event setup and configuration
• Payment and discount management
• Creation of promotional websites
• Event summary and enrolment management

This integrated system enables event organizers to efficiently manage events while ensuring they are prominently featured on the University Event Portal.

Important Notice – Decommissioning of Registration Builder on 31 August 2026

The existing Registration Builder which has completed its historical mission will be discontinued on 31 August 2026 to allow smooth migration of all current events to the new Portal. All users are advised to migrate their existing events to EMS before this deadline. 

Please be informed that the Degree Works system upgrade will be carried out on 13 June from 9:00 a.m. to 14 June 3:00 p.m. During this period, the Degree Works service will be unavailable.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Best regards,
ITSC

We are excited to announce that the Lingnan University ChatGPT portal has been renamed and upgraded to the LU GenAI Portal to better reflect its expanded capabilities. The new portal is now accessible at:

• https://genai.ln.edu.hk; or

• Or via myLingnan Portal (Academic Matters Tab > Generative AI Tools)

   

What's New in LU GenAI Portal:

• New Gemini Models: Access the latest Google Gemini models, including Gemini 3.1 Pro, Gemini 3 Flash, and Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, offering advanced text, image, and multimodal capabilities.
• High-Quality Image Generation: The previous DALL-E image generation function has been retired and replaced by Gemini 3.1 Flash Image selected from the pull-down menu of models to generate high-quality images inline, including image variations from your uploaded images.
• Video Generation: Create short, high-quality videos powered by the Gemini Veo model.
• DOCX Upload: Upload and parse DOCX files for document analysis and content extraction.
• Continued Support for GPT and DeepSeek Models: GPT-4.1 mini, GPT-4.1, GPT-5, DeepSeek R1, DeepSeek V3, and o3-mini remain available for text and chat tasks.

The platform will be further enhanced once there are new features.  You are welcome to provide feedback to us by emailing to [email protected].
 

To enhance the audiovisual experience in teaching venues and meeting rooms, ITSC plans to upgrade the audiovisual systems in summer 2026. The updated venues are as follows: 

Teaching Venues:  

1. LKK Building: LKK101, LKK102, LKK103, LKK105, LKK107, LKK201, LKK202, LKK203, LKK205, LKK,207, LKK208, LKK304, LKK306, LKK308 and LKK310  
2. Main Building: MBG11 and MBG12  
3. SEK Building: SEKG09 and SEK205  
4. LCH Building: LCH319AB and LCH319CD 

Meeting Rooms: 

1. Paul S. Lam Conference Centre (LYH308) 
2. Conference Room (LYH309) 

To determine the effectiveness and uncover potential deficiencies of the business continuity plan for IT services, and to comply with cybersecurity audit requirement, a business continuity drill for mission critical IT systems will be conducted on 28 March 2026 (Saturday). Details of the schedule and the affected IT services are summarised below. 

Should you have any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

We apologise for any inconvenience it may cause.

Best regards,
ITSC
 

Gemini Enterprise is a powerful, standalone AI platform. Gemini Enterprise provides centralized oversight and management for agents from Google, third parties, and internal teams.

Key Features

AI agents Management: Collaborate with ready-to-use agents made by Google, Create and deploy own custom agents, Access agents made by Google Cloud partners that automate workflow

No-code Workbench: Non-technical employees can create custom AI agents using intuitive tools, simplifying complex workflows.

Broad Integration: Connections to various third-party SaaS applications, including Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint.

Date: 1 January 2026

We are pleased to announce that the migration to the new VPN system has been successfully completed. Following the parallel-run period, the new system is now the official and sole VPN platform for all Lingnan University students and staff.

The new F5 VPN system provides enhanced data encryption and stable remote access, featuring improved compatibility with the latest operating systems to support your remote access needs.

Actions for Users

• System Switch-over: As of 1 January 2026, the old Ivanti VPN system is no longer operational.
• Software Update: If you have not yet done so, please download and install the Big-IP Edge/F5 Access client on your computers and mobile devices.
• Removal of Old Software: You may now safely uninstall the old VPN software (Ivanti/Pulse Secure) from your devices at your convenience.

Installation & User Guides

Comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android are available on the ITSC website:
👉 VPN Connection User Guidelines

Support

If you encounter any issues connecting to the new system or require assistance with the installation, please contact the ITSC Helpdesk:

• Email: [email protected]
• Location: 4/F, Patrick Lee Wan Keung Academic Building

To ensure that the new Wi-Fi 6 infrastructure consistently performs at its best, ITSC has implemented a state-of-the-art proactive monitoring system across all hostel facilities.

To maintain a seamless connection for every student, we have:

• Deployed Performance Sensors: We have installed dedicated network sensors in every hall and selected student bedrooms. These sensors act as "virtual users," testing the connection 24/7 to identify any potential issues before they affect you.
• AI-Driven Optimization: We are now utilizing an advanced Wi-Fi management platform that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze network traffic.
• Continuous Improvement: Based on AI-generated insights and real-time data, our team performs ongoing "self-healing" adjustments to the network. This ensures that the Wi-Fi remains stable, even during peak study hours.

Our goal is to resolve connectivity issues before you even notice them, providing a truly "always-on" experience for your academic and personal needs.

To:        All Staff and Students
From:   Information Technology Services Centre
Date:    23 January 2026

Upgrade of Banner System

In order to keep the Banner System up-to-date, ITSC will upgrade the Banner System during the Easter Holiday in 2026. This upgrade will also strengthen the system support for our Banner ERP System. The upgrade schedule is listed below:

Start Time:        2 April 2026   (Thursday)    9:00 pm
End Time:         6 April 2026   (Monday)    12:00 pm

To facilitate a smooth transition, all Portal Services and Banner Services, namely Banner 9 Administrative Pages, SSB (Banner Self Services in Portal), Degree Works Services, Staff Directory and Banner Report will be suspended during the above period.

Moodle and Email services will not be affected and can be accessed using the following URLs:

Moodle:           http://www.ln.edu.hk/moodle
Email:              http://www.ln.edu.hk/webmail

In case you need more details/clarifications, please email to: [email protected].

We apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.

Best regards,
ITSC

As part of our commitment to safeguarding our university/departmental websites, ITSC is reaching out to inform you about the commencement of the Annual Webmaster Contact Verification Exercise. This exercise is essential for the ITSC to keep accurate and up-to-date webmaster contact records, particularly concerning the individuals responsible for managing our various websites to ensure the right people are overseeing our online presence and enables ITSC to effectively communicate with the appropriate webmasters about any security vulnerabilities, incidents, and best practices. 

To facilitate this process, please access the following Annual Webmaster Contact Verification System to confirm and verify the webmaster contact information for your respective website(s) on or before 13 February 2026. The system allows to delegate this verification task to your appropriate staff member. 

iThenticate 1.0 is reaching its end of life and will be upgraded to version 2.0 during the Chinese New Year Holiday (17–18 February 2026).  From 18 February 2026 onwards, iThenticate Login URL will be: https://lingnanithenticate.turnitin.com.

During the upgrade,

• Access to the current version of iThenticate will be ceased; and   
• All current user accounts, submissions and similarity reports will be transferred to the new version. 

After this date, our current version of iThenticate will be disabled and all users will access past similarity reports and make future submissions via iThenticate 2.0.

• Existing iThenticate user will receive a “Welcome to iThenticate” email from [email protected] once the migration is complete on 18 February 2026.
• This email will invite you to activate your new iThenticate 2.0 account.
• The activation link will expire in 7 days. If it expires, please contact [email protected] to request a new welcome email.

Due to the recent acquisition and restructuring of VMware, the provider of our VDI platform, their licensing terms have undergone significant changes. To ensure the most efficient use of University’s funds, the campus VDI service will be officially retired by the end of February 2026. ITSC has already reached out individually to current users to coordinate a smooth transition to alternative solutions.

To enhance the audio-visual experience in teaching venues and meeting rooms, significant upgrades have been implemented. Two of the key enhancements are the replacement of the traditional display with the LED wall and the wireless microphone, updated to rechargeable digital wireless microphones. The list of updated venues is as follows: 

New LED wall Classroom:  

LBYG06, SEKG03, LYH317, and LYH320 

Rechargeable Digital Wireless Microphones: 

Teaching Venues:  

MBG01, MBG06, MBG07, MBG19, MBG22, LBYG01, LBYG02, SCM Function Hall, LYH111, LYH112, LYH317, LYH319, and LYH320 

Meeting Room:  

LYH309 and LYH310 

After five years of operation, one of our two Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) clusters is reaching the end of its lifecycle. To ensure uninterrupted service for the University’s mission-critical systems, ITSC is establishing a new, upgraded HCI cluster. Featuring enhanced processing power, memory, storage, and network bandwidth, this new platform will significantly improve the performance of all hosted application systems.

ITSC continues to enhance our campus infrastructure to meet the growing needs of our academic and administrative communities. We have successfully completed and upgraded the AV infrastructure for several key campus development projects at Lingnan University. They are: Lingnan Hub, M+14/F, LBYG01, LBYG02, LBYG06, SEKG03, and the President’s Lodge, all equipped with state-of-the-art IT/AV technology. 

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a secure, low-power IoT communication protocol capable of transmitting data over long distances (up to 15km). It is highly effective for university applications such as environmental monitoring and control.

To advance our Smart Campus initiative, the foundational LoRaWAN infrastructure, including gateways, software, sample sensors, and a demo dashboard, was successfully installed. The University Library is already utilizing this network to deploy IoT devices that enhance operations and the reader experience.

A training series on HPC and Linux essentials will be held for postgraduate students of SDS and WJYSIS in March and April 2026. These sessions will explore key concepts in High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments, covering foundational topics such as Linux basics, HPC fundamentals, and parallel programming. This training will provide valuable hands-on experience for students who are new to HPC or looking to strengthen their Linux and parallel computing skills.

Click here to register.

The orientation talk and materials provided by the ITSC are designed to introduce new staff and students to the technology resources and services available on campus. It covers topics such as the campus network, email, learning management systems, software and hardware resources, and IT policies and guidelines. The session aims to provide attendees with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize technology resources in their academic and professional endeavors.

To review the presentation materials, please visit:

Staff Orientation 2025

Student Orientation 2025

ITSC collaborated with the NVIDIA AI Technology Centre (Hong Kong) to host the University’s HPC Week from 7 to 11 July 2025. The event was designed to promote the adoption of high-performance computing and encourage innovative, tech-driven research. Led by three invited experts from NVIDIA, the week-long program featured a full-day student bootcamp culminating in a team-based skills competition, a full-day Deep Learning Institute offering hands-on experience, and a technical workshop focused on the NVIDIA software platform and GPU computing best practices. Over 80 staff and students participated, reporting that they found the sessions highly beneficial. The winning team of the bootcamp competition was awarded a HK$500 cash coupon."

The grand opening ceremony for Lingnan HPC NexT, the University’s first High-Performance Computing (HPC) Data Centre, was held on 8 July 2025 during the Times Higher Education Digital Universities Asia Conference hosted on campus.

Having begun operations in February 2025, Lingnan HPC NexT boasts over 6,000 TFLOPS of computing power which is capable of processing trillions of calculations per second. By combining cutting-edge GPU and CPU clusters, the facility empowers researchers to tackle complex challenges once deemed impossible. From simulating new material synthesis and advancing AI-driven geographical models to optimizing smart cities and exploring diverse machine learning topics, HPC NexT serves as a gateway to groundbreaking discoveries.

Faculty members and research students are highly encouraged to explore how the cutting-edge power of the University’s new HPC resources can elevate and accelerate their research.