northeast US power outages impacting FM??? - Page 2

alaken · 15 Aug 2003, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Onno
[b]I believe they have backup power supplies and redundent connections to the outside world. However you always need to rely on peering links and third parties. If anyone in the long line towards your connection does not have a UPS at one point in their network, their link will go down.

Not very reassuring - I would have thought the host's datacenter would have close-to-direct links to multiple backbone providers. However, I don't understand net infrastructure enough to say whether such a widespread outage would necessarily tkae a datacenter offline. I do note that the NY Times site is up...

mklose · 15 Aug 2003, 06:47 AM

I think I remember reading my fastmail email (web interface) while I was watching the live pictures of people in the Street in NYC, so it must have been on backup power for some time :-)

jgoldberg · 15 Aug 2003, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kwiniec
Down again.

----------

Here is the server status report:

The web server is not responding. I'm running diagnostics now to see what's happening. Wait a moment...

Network provider responds to IP ping perfectly so the network is up.

FastMail.FM responds to IP ping perfectly, so the server is up.

FastMail.FM responds to name ping perfectly, so the DNS system is working.

We can't open a connection to the IMAP server at all!

We could ping the server, but we can't access IMAP. Sounds like there's a problem with the IMAP server software. If you're an administrator, go into the admin screen and choose 'Restart IMAP', otherwise through the forum or by emailing the webmaster.

End of server status report for Thu Aug 14 23:02:36 2003.

Where did you get that server status report? Can you post a URL?

I can confirm from my own tests that DNS is fine, and that at least some other machines
run by FM are working fine, but I do not get
a pong when I try to ping 66.111.4.60

jgoldberg · 15 Aug 2003, 06:58 AM

This does not look like a power supply issue. Things on the same local network are up. This looks like a nasty crash. (and no, it wouldn't from that MS-Worm that's on the loose)

***Edwin*** · 15 Aug 2003, 07:06 AM

Even if a hosting center has power, if the surrounding area for hundreds of miles have no power, nobody's going to be able to access those servers, since the network it connects to will probably not be powered.

This is such an unusual situation that I don't believe purely intra-company contingency plans (backup generators, UPSes and so on) are sufficient to cover the outage. Dozens of sites I use frequently are off the air right now.

Added: there are some major network backbone peers completely down right now, presumably because of the power blackout. See http://www.internettrafficreport.com/namerica.htm

I imagine this will have a ripple effect impact all across the network as more traffic gets pumped and re-routed.

jgoldberg · 15 Aug 2003, 07:09 AM

I can't reach the two US mail exchangers at all.
The EU one is saying "Leave me alone right now, I'm very busy". Well actually it is saying, "Too many concurrent SMTP connections; please try again later"

mlevin · 15 Aug 2003, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Edwin
Even if a hosting center has power, if the surrounding area for hundreds of miles have no power, nobody's going to be able to access those servers, since the network it connects to will probably not be powered.

This is such an unusual situation that I don't believe purely intra-company contingency plans (backup generators, UPSes and so on) are sufficient to cover the outage. Dozens of sites I use frequently are off the air right now.

Really? I'd think that post-9/11, there'd be all kinds of plans to keep the country's network infrastructure up and running during a disaster. Of course I'm relieved that so far it sounds like this was not terror-related...

mlevin · 15 Aug 2003, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jgoldberg
I can't reach the two US mail exchangers at all.
The EU one is saying "Leave me alone right now, I'm very busy". Well actually it is saying, "Too many concurrent SMTP connections; please try again later"

So most sending systems will retry for somewhere between 4 and 24 hours (I've seen some try for up to 4 days), so if things come back up soonish, maybe no lost mail, otherwise, probably lots of bounced messages...?

DaveHanson · 15 Aug 2003, 07:15 AM

Been down for awhile in Spokane, Washington in the USA.

snsh · 15 Aug 2003, 07:17 AM

I'm bored and want to assign blame.
Who wants some blame?

pkirkner · 15 Aug 2003, 07:18 AM

Blame Canada.

unhappysoul · 15 Aug 2003, 07:27 AM

Out from southern California too

snsh · 15 Aug 2003, 07:29 AM

@!#$@#$^% canadians!

Quote:

Out from southern California too

go surf!

robmueller · 15 Aug 2003, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Edwin
Added: there are some major network backbone peers completely down right now, presumably because of the power blackout. See http://www.internettrafficreport.com/namerica.htm

Interesting that it lists 2 NYC networks as up and running.

Unfortunately there's not a lot we can do.

Naturally curious about the history of power blackouts, I did a big of searching and found this:

http://blackout.gmu.edu/highlights/news.html

Rob

**ReuvenNY** · 15 Aug 2003, 07:42 AM

I am in a suburb of New York city, and our electricity was restored 15 minutes ago! I am using now my desktop computer. Mailsnare and Runbox are running, but not Fastmail.

15 Aug 2003, 06:58 AM	#19
jgoldberg Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 88	Not a power issue This does not look like a power supply issue. Things on the same local network are up. This looks like a nasty crash. (and no, it wouldn't from that MS-Worm that's on the loose)

15 Aug 2003, 07:09 AM	#21
jgoldberg Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 88	Both US MXes down, EU up but deferring I can't reach the two US mail exchangers at all. The EU one is saying "Leave me alone right now, I'm very busy". Well actually it is saying, "Too many concurrent SMTP connections; please try again later"

15 Aug 2003, 07:27 AM	#27
unhappysoul Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 504	southern California OUT Out from southern California too

15 Aug 2003, 06:47 AM	#17
mklose Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 693	I think I remember reading my fastmail email (web interface) while I was watching the live pictures of people in the Street in NYC, so it must have been on backup power for some time :-)

15 Aug 2003, 07:06 AM	#20
*Edwin* Administrator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: UK Posts: 3,118	Even if a hosting center has power, if the surrounding area for hundreds of miles have no power, nobody's going to be able to access those servers, since the network it connects to will probably not be powered. This is such an unusual situation that I don't believe purely intra-company contingency plans (backup generators, UPSes and so on) are sufficient to cover the outage. Dozens of sites I use frequently are off the air right now. Added: there are some major network backbone peers completely down right now, presumably because of the power blackout. See http://www.internettrafficreport.com/namerica.htm I imagine this will have a ripple effect impact all across the network as more traffic gets pumped and re-routed.

15 Aug 2003, 07:15 AM	#24
DaveHanson Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 149	Been down for awhile in Spokane, Washington in the USA.

15 Aug 2003, 07:17 AM	#25
snsh Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Boston Posts: 611	I'm bored and want to assign blame. Who wants some blame?

15 Aug 2003, 07:18 AM	#26
pkirkner Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: PA, USA Posts: 31	Blame Canada.

15 Aug 2003, 07:42 AM	#30
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	I am in a suburb of New York city, and our electricity was restored 15 minutes ago! I am using now my desktop computer. Mailsnare and Runbox are running, but not Fastmail.