A statewide computer system that handles motor vehicle registration came back online this evening after shutting down shortly after 11 a.m. today.

A backup system has been put in place while a permanent fix is expected to be completed by about noon tomorrow, city Information Technology Director Gordon Bruce said.

The outage meant motorists seeking to obtain or renew vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses in all four Hawaii counties this afternoon will need to come back next week, although those taking written or oral tests were allowed to do so.

The glitch also meant police officers, at least on Oahu, needed to take additional steps to access criminal warrant records because they typically do so through the motor vehicle data processing system, said Gordon Bruce, the city’s director of information technology.

Police could still access warrant information through the state Judiciary Information Management System, although it takes a few additional steps, Bruce said.

The city operates the statewide motor vehicle registration system for the state under a long-standing arrangement.