What's going on?!?

Nikolai · February 5, 2004, 05:26

Hi!
Some days ago, I opened Poly as usual, but to my surprise, I got a message saying that the server was unaviable, and that the page couldn't be opened. I thought that the site just had some problems, and when I was at my dad's work later that day, I came in without problems. Therefore I was beginning to wonder when I got the same problem when I came home!

After trying different url's and serching the Net for mentions of this occurance without finding anything, I asked over at Paradox's forums if they had the same problems. And as I thought, nobody had.

I sent a mail to both Dan and Markos, but I haven't got any answer, so now I sit here at school in one of my few spare times during the week, as this and my dad's job iss the only places I know that I can come in. I hope somebody can tell me what's going on?

I've read before that sometimes boards ban IPs by a mistake, but is that a possibility? Then why? I haven't done anything wrong AFAIK, so the question is if such things are possible at all?

Hope somebody can help, and that I can got the possibility to log in again soon, because Poly is an important part of my Internet day.

Urban Ranger · February 5, 2004, 05:40

What kind of message did you get? Something like a 404, or something like a "database error?"

Nikolai · February 5, 2004, 05:59

Well, you see, the message is in Norwegian. But it says in the header that the server cannot be found. It's nothing about 404 or database error, just that "the page cannot be found. the site might be experiencing problems, or your preferences might be wrong. Something like that. But I hadn't touched my preferences for weeks, and I can't find anything wrong there.

Skanky Burns · February 5, 2004, 08:07

Your DNS (domain name server) could have been having a bad day.

Try typing "tracert apolyton.net" from a dos prompt (without the "" marks, of course) and see how far your connection to Poly goes.

ydiiby · February 5, 2004, 09:50

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai
Hi!
Some days ago, I opened Poly as usual, but to my surprise, I got a message saying that the server was unaviable, and that the page couldn't be opened
...

The 25th and 26th of January?

In my case, it wasn´t the DNS. I had to use a proxy...

DanQ · February 5, 2004, 21:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai

[..]

I sent a mail to both Dan and Markos, but I haven't got any answer...

[..]

Hi Nikolai.

I don't have any recent email from you in my archives... what day did you send the message in question?

-----------
Dan; Apolyton CS

Urban Ranger · February 6, 2004, 01:22

It can be a DNS problem as Skanky said, or just a trunk node died and you couldn't get through.

Do a "ping" at a DOS prompt. If the name servers are dead, you will get something like "unknown hosts," otherwise, you will get something like "network unreachable."

Nikolai · February 10, 2004, 06:14

Dan: 4th or 5th February.

Skanky: I tried what you sugested about DOS, and everything went all right untill line number 20. Then I got an error message.

BTW, I suspect that it might be something with my ADSL line, since I only get the problem home. I tried to use another computer home, with the same connection, and the problem is still there. But since every site except Poly(and the day after last post I found out that a Norwegian gmeas news site also have problems with my connection) works, and then I mean EVERY, what else can it be?

Urban Ranger · February 10, 2004, 06:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai
Skanky: I tried what you sugested about DOS, and everything went all right untill line number 20. Then I got an error message.

Details can be important, you know.

Nikolai · February 10, 2004, 06:31

I know, but the file I saved on the net is gone, and I can't get it now, because I am at school. Sorry.

Alex · February 10, 2004, 17:43

A few days ago, I had some problems when I was trying to access my Yahoo webmail account. Found out that it was a problem with my ADSL line, and it was fixed some time later. Don't know if this information may help, but...

(Note: I did the "ping" and "tracert" things and there was indeed some problem then, but sometimes the connection could be completed, so...)

ok, it is vague as hell, I know...

Qilue · February 10, 2004, 18:54

Nikolai

Technical description - there was probably a bad router cluster between you and Apolyton. It probably took the techs a while to notice and somewhat longer to fix.

Silly decription - The dark sorcery which determines which router must be use to access a particular site meant that while no other site was affected, your path to apolyton.net passed though a possessed router. I imagine after a black mass and the sacrfice of some chickens, the dark acolytes who tend to the evil router boxes managed to excorcise the demon so the router could return to performing it's required function correctly.

Mystical decription - Some days the gods are blessing you and other days they are peeing on you.

DanQ · February 10, 2004, 20:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai
Dan: 4th or 5th February.

Hmmmm...

Either it never got to me, a filter sent it to my email client's "Trash Bin" based on pre-specified parameters before I ever saw it or I accidentally deleted it as I was going through the never ending deluge of spam I receive daily that I am hesitant to attach filters based on their characteristics to for fear of snagging too many false positives...

Feel free to re-send it.

------------
Dan; Apolyton CS

Nikolai · February 11, 2004, 06:18

Here are a picture I've taken of the message I got in DOS. It's written in Norwegian, but what the error message is saying, is something like "question stopped". I will try to contact my Internet provider soon, maybe they know what it is.

But this is really irr itating, as poly has been a site I've visited every day e xcept in the holidays since I registred 3 years ago.

Quile: It isn't fixed yet, unfortunately...

Alex: What was the problem for you exactly?

Dan: I could do, but I think most of what I wrote is said here now.

Skanky Burns · February 11, 2004, 06:40

Forward that image to your ISP along with a description of what is not working. They should then investigate further and hopefully fix the router that is causing problems. Well, notify the techs in charge of that router to fix it.

DrSpike · February 11, 2004, 09:59

Normal service should resume in 4-6 weeks.

Alex · February 11, 2004, 10:18

Nikolai: looking at the screenshot you posted, I can see that the problem is very similar to the one I experienced some days ago. It is not related to your comp, and your ISP will probably fix it, just like Skanky said.

Qilue · February 11, 2004, 14:13

Nikolai - While this may be of no use this time, you can save the output from dos commands to a text file. Using a '>' makes all output from for example netstat be sent to a device other than the screen. Using > prn sends it to your printer, > nul sends it to electronic heaven and > example.txt sends it to a file. The last one is what the command below refers to.

tracert -d >c:\windows\desktop\traceroute.txt

This command will give you a text file to paste into a forum post or email to your ISP. The -d switch turns off the resolving of addresses.

One thing that must be mentioned, with various computer virii and other lower life forms that engage in DDoS attacks conjesting internet, some networks (such as the one Apolyton is part of) no longer reply to pings.

EDIT - fixed typoes