NikonGear'23

The NikonGear Office => Site Issues => Topic started by: Erik Lund on October 21, 2016, 23:23:19

Title: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 21, 2016, 23:23:19
You risk suddenly not being able to log on to the site, we hope to solve this ASAP
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Jan Anne on October 22, 2016, 11:37:38
Like many websites we also faced connection issues due to an attack on the DNS servers.

These two DNS Servers seem to work however:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

A confirmed how to guide for Mac users:
http://osxdaily.com/2015/12/05/change-dns-server-settings-mac-os-x/

 
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 22, 2016, 11:42:01
When nothing of the above helps, put an entry into your HOSTS file to avoid DNS issues external to your own local network.

The following entry* on a separate line will ensure NG access:

Code: [Select]
162.210.51.116 nikongear.net
Windows users should open a command window and will find the HOSTS file at c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc. Open it with Notepad and put the new entry first, then save the file.

From the command line, enter

Code: [Select]
ipconfig /flushdns
to clear the local DNS cache.

Now you can access NG without further problems.


* the current IP address of our server can be found by using

Code: [Select]
ping fiercebearofthenorth.com
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 22, 2016, 13:29:46
Here is how to do it in Windows 10:

http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/how-to-change-your-dns-windows-10

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 22, 2016, 13:43:52
Here is a link to what happened,,,

http://gizmodo.com/this-is-probably-why-half-the-internet-shut-down-today-1788062835
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 22, 2016, 16:34:25
I am not receiving notifications of posts via email anymore - perhaps part of this dilemma?
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bent Hjarbo on October 22, 2016, 20:02:36
My problem was solved by a quick answer from Bjørn who I send a private e-mail.
That you Bjørn.
Br Bent
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 22, 2016, 20:09:49
I am not receiving notifications of posts via email anymore - perhaps part of this dilemma?

Probably another cause. However, we have a lot of topics to investigate in wake of this incident.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 22, 2016, 22:24:27
It's not a huge issue for me Bjørn - I will work my way around that.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 22, 2016, 22:26:18
The Team needs to solve this though, a we apparently cannot distribute a Newsletter to our members either. That functionality would have been extremely helpful these last days.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 22, 2016, 22:45:54
I do know many people don't like FB - but that is an extremely useful tool - that's where I saw about the problems - otherwise I never would have known. In turn I let Bob know - as he isnt on FB
I dont suppose this kind of thing happens every Tuesday - but you are right - being able to let the members know it a good idea.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 22, 2016, 23:22:30
I have sent e-mails to the users I know with the Subject: NikonGear and this content:
 Hi,
we are experiencing problem with DNS but the NikonGear site is running fine ;)
Please set your DNS internet connection as follows below.
All the best
DNS Servers
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
How to Mac users:
http://osxdaily.com/2015/12/05/change-dns-server-settings-mac-os-x/ (http://osxdaily.com/2015/12/05/change-dns-server-settings-mac-os-x/)
How to Windows 10:
http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/how-to-change-your-dns-windows-10 (http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/how-to-change-your-dns-windows-10)

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: John Geerts on October 22, 2016, 23:27:41
Thank you, Erik.

I was able to add the DNS-Servers to my Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) (in Windows 7) and that works  ;)  I could not access the site, so the mail was very helpful. 
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 22, 2016, 23:30:17
Thank you for joining us! We are only very few here,,, ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 22, 2016, 23:48:30
OK, I have sent an e-mail to all Supporters, hope it helps some more of them to reconnect.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 22, 2016, 23:49:02
The numbers visiting sloooowly increase. This DNS outage is really worrisome.

The proactive measure that will work even with a repetition of Friday's massive DDOS attack waves is doing the name resolution locally to prevent being dependent on DNS servers downstream.

All the major OS platforms have a HOSTS file somewhere that might be pressed into service for resolving domain name-IP address right there on your own computer. It is largely a historic relic these days, but don't underestimate its usefulness. As NG has a static IP, all that is required is adding the following line to your HOSTS file, using a text editor such as Notepad or Gedit or what is available on your platform,

162.210.51.116 nikongear.net


On most systems you have to run this action as an Administrator with elevated privileges.

Once the HOSTS file is updated, accessing NG in your browser should work. Perhaps it is a good idea to flush the browser cache first (won't do any harm).
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Airy on October 23, 2016, 00:25:48
I'm back, thanks to an email from Erik.

:)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 23, 2016, 01:01:26
More and more are joining ;)

Suggested alternative Google's DNS servers to:  8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 from Bill Symmes
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 23, 2016, 03:15:21
Venerable moderators, thanks!  My computer can find my home now.  :)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Fons Baerken on October 23, 2016, 07:30:19
Thanks for the mail, good luck!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Roland Vink on October 23, 2016, 09:17:12
When nothing of the above helps, put an entry into your HOSTS file to avoid DNS issues external to your own local network [...]
Worked for me, perfect.

I also received two emails from Eric, and tried the suggestions first. It worked but access to NG was very slow, almost as if the browser (Chrome) had to try twice before succeeding, and occasionally it still couldn't load the page.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Fons Baerken on October 23, 2016, 10:17:09
There are still quirks.
Page doesnt always load, or refresh, giving an offline error.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 23, 2016, 10:29:58
We might have discovered potential issues with the DNS servers of our hosting provider. I'm writing a support ticket as we speak.

It is important that the NG site is accessed with the basic URL http://nikongear.net, no 'www' in front. That is part of the residual problems we need to sort out after the havoc. Some browsers apparently like to tack on a 'www' prefix in its first attempt to locate a web page, and that might explain some of the slowness that occasionally creep in. Plus of course the fact that the general load on the OpenDNS serves has increased tremendously the last couple of days.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 23, 2016, 12:09:58
There are still quirks.
Page doesnt always load, or refresh, giving an offline error.

I realized the images hosted from flickr tend to load slow and some fail to appear.  Even accessed directly, flickr has been slowed down possibly since it had been purchased by Verizon.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Hugh_3170 on October 23, 2016, 13:44:03
Thanks Erik and thanks Bjørn.  Am now in from OZ.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 23, 2016, 19:34:34
For some folks, the site has become inaccessible again even after re-setting the DNS server.  I can still access here, though.  Have there been any new problem?
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bent Hjarbo on October 23, 2016, 19:37:09
Had to use the hosts solution as the new DNS's seems unreliable at the moment.
Only problem, can't use my phone/tablet  :(
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 23, 2016, 19:42:29
Our hosting supplier site5.com relies on DNS services through Dyn, the US company that was targeted in the recent DDOS attacks. Thus although the OpenDNS serves do their service, they depend on information from site5.com whenever the DNS lease is to be refreshed.

Also at present nikongear.net apparently has been decoupled from its DNS, thus using the HOST file approach is more or less mandatory and required to get access.

For unknown reasons I cannot update the missing DNS records myself from the NG siteAdm panel. It should be possible, but I only get laconic error messages of the most unhelpful nature ('there has been an error' sic). Thus I have lodged support ticket(s) with site5 and hope they can sort the mess quickly.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 23, 2016, 19:57:14
Hmm, that is strange.  I wonder why then I can access here without problem?  I only applied the initial solution provided by you administrators...

The notification is still not working, though.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 23, 2016, 20:02:05
Afraid notification will not work until we have solved the pesky DNS issues of NG at the hosting site. Currently NG is blissfully unaware of the world around itself and has lost any memory of its mail server.

The OpenDNS servers we recommended will occasionally update their caches and at that point they can lose track of NG if the local DNS isn't co-operative due to DDOS etc. I think this is the reason members now start to have connectivity issues again.

As soon a we get the local DNS records updated, things ought to run more smoothly and ordinary DNS servers might be pressed into service too.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: WGHalvorsen on October 23, 2016, 20:39:37
I am in Sweden and I cannot access the site directly from here, with a local IP address, even after changing the DNS settings. However, if I get a Canadian IP address through my VPN, I can access the site with no problem. Strange.

/Bill
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 23, 2016, 20:47:30
Afraid notification will not work until we have solved the pesky DNS issues of NG at the hosting site. Currently NG is blissfully unaware of the world around itself and has lost any memory of its mail server.

The OpenDNS servers we recommended will occasionally update their caches and at that point they can lose track of NG if the local DNS isn't co-operative due to DDOS etc. I think this is the reason members now start to have connectivity issues again.

As soon a we get the local DNS records updated, things ought to run more smoothly and ordinary DNS servers might be pressed into service too.

Appreciate your efforts anyway!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 23, 2016, 22:10:00
OK, I'm in again ;) Thanks Bjørn!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 23, 2016, 22:35:31
 This is on your own risk and for Windows users only:
 
You will need to edit this file with Notepad:
 
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
 
First change the rights to edit the file by right clicking on it and set the security to allow all access
 
Add these two lines at the bottom of the file and save it
 
162.210.51.116 nikongear.net
162.210.51.116 www.nikongear.net (http://www.nikongear.net)
 
From the Command prompt type this and hit Enter:


ipconfig/flushdns
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Jan Anne on October 23, 2016, 22:55:53
Same trick to fix the DNS for NG can be used on a Mac:
http://www.mactip.net/how-to-edit-the-hosts-file-on-a-mac/

And add this entry: 162.210.51.116 nikongear.net

Please be aware that this fix might cause problems if we change IP addresses in the future.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 23, 2016, 22:59:12
Thanks JA!

Let me know if you want me to send it out via an email,,,
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 23, 2016, 23:19:18
The "hack" with the HOSTS file can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Their HOSTS files all use the same format.

To check what IP address NG uses if a similar incident should befall us in the future, and NG becomes unreachable:

From a command line, issue

ping fiercebearofthenorth.com

and write down the IP address in the answer. It will always be identical to what NG itself uses.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 23, 2016, 23:26:03
Let me know if you want me to send it out via an email,,,
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 23, 2016, 23:37:29
Apparently the "hack" works, so why not. Just stress people do this on their own risk.

The support of Site5 is slow to respond after the recent company take-over, so we need to do something to circumvent the issue while waiting for them to act.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: stenrasmussen on October 24, 2016, 00:15:32
After numerous attempts I'm in.
Still no access to NG via my iPhone though  :'(
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 24, 2016, 00:22:48
Consider it an admission test ;) You passed
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrea B. on October 24, 2016, 00:24:22
Hardcoding your /etc/hosts file is risky for a variety of reasons.
And that fix does not always work depending on location. It did not work for me today for hours.
Then I got onto NG for a short time. Then blocked again. Now back on.
I think that there is a big problem at Site5. This is not all because of the DoS attack, although it did affect a large area of Texas.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: John Geerts on October 24, 2016, 00:24:50
The hosts  file adaption seems to work  ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 00:25:09
Good to see you, Sten.

You need to hack iOS on your phone, then.

On a more serious note: it is really food for thought that we now can circumvent the collateral damage of contemporary malicious attacks by employing an approach to networking that dates 30+ years back in time.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 24, 2016, 00:27:24
That is so true! And yes when everything is up and running again we will prepare a clean up recipe ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrea B. on October 24, 2016, 00:27:49
YOu're not hearing me. There is a lot of DNS damage being cleaned up throughout the network and the risky /etc/hosts fix did NOT work today for a long time through *my* ISP. It is currently working again. But I don't know for how long.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 00:29:58
Site5 relies on DYN, the company that was the main target of the attacks. Thus their own DNS servers were attacked as well.

It doesn't help using functional DNS servers, like the OpenDNS servers, when they on occasion have to refresh their DNS info from servers impacted by the attacks. At present, NG has apparently lost its DNS records and is in effect orphaned in cyberspace. Only by making a direct pointer to its IP (through the HOSTS file) outside ordinary name resolution can we access the site.

I agree hard-coding HOSTS isn't a solution for all eternity, but it's the only feasible approach right now until Site5 gets their act together.

When everything is back to normal, open your HOSTS file and add a comment sign (#) first on the line for NG. That's all.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrea B. on October 24, 2016, 00:33:53
You are not hearing me. I have hard coded my /etc/hosts file. But even that does not always work. It only works intermittently from my US location.

This is not a fix which should be implemented. It is risky to hard code your /etc/hosts file. One little punctuation error and you are borked.

And nobody can read the suggested fix anyway because they cannot access NG.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 00:38:24
Erik has sent e-mail to all NG supporters. We see they come back, one by one.

We cannot send info by newsletter as the mailserver is off limits currently.

And of course any error in a HOSTS file will prevent access. However, in a situation where access already is denied, you are no worse off than before :D

No answer to why your ISP blocks IP addresses. I tried at least four different providers over here and the HOSTS hack works with all of them.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrea B. on October 24, 2016, 01:03:19
Because some software is written to bypass the /etc/hosts file. I have no way to know where that is happening.

Oh well. As long as you are aware that this may not work for everyone or may not work all the tiime.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Frank Fremerey on October 24, 2016, 01:06:29
First time in days I have been able to log on. Thank you all admins for the edit hosts & flush DNS hack

Works for me.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: golunvolo on October 24, 2016, 01:07:52
I have been away and come back to find this situation. Thankfully I had two emails from Erik and the second solution works for me in Spain. Just clarify that instead of using cmd+O or cmd+X in terminal I had to use alt+O and alt+X. Everything else worked as scripted and I´m, as you can see, back :)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Øivind Tøien on October 24, 2016, 01:08:41
While the name server "hack" did not work out, the hosts file edit has worked so far from my location in Alaska. Thank Erik for emailing information about this temporary fix.

(Interestingly my phone that connects through the PC also seems to have benefited from this as it tested OK without any changes on the phone. Of course a copy of the hosts file was made before the edit so that changes can be easily reversed).
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Frank Fremerey on October 24, 2016, 01:20:06
PS: I have had several NG issues BEFORE the DDOS storm hit. Several of the uploaded JPEGs were corrupted and I could not see all attachments on many posts. One page  loaded like this:
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrea B. on October 24, 2016, 01:26:17
That's a local problem Frank. Nothing on the server end would cause that.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 01:32:48
Looks like a jpg is dumped in text mode?
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Tom Hook on October 24, 2016, 02:29:44
I cautiously used my terminal on my two macs and followed the instructions kindly given by Erik and the gang. I hesitate to play around with the innards of my systems files but the fix was straightforward and for the first time since Friday, I am back online. It's like finding my way back home on a dark and dreary night.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Akira on October 24, 2016, 03:11:51
I'm still on the initial solution which failed once but works now again.  I will stay with the first solution and see what happens.  What's ideal is, of course, the default setting.

Appreciate the efforts of moderators anyway!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: armando_m on October 24, 2016, 04:06:16
Thanks for the email about adding the ip address to the hosts file

It can easily be undone when needed
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: charlie on October 24, 2016, 05:45:34
The initial DNS fix did not work for me, modifying the host file on my Macbook did work. Haven't tried it on the Win10 machine yet.

Thanks for the email.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Anirban Halder on October 24, 2016, 05:47:56
The initial DNS fix did not work for me, modifying the host file on my Macbook did work. Haven't tried it on the Win10 machine yet.

Thanks for the email.
Same here. Thanks for the email.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Frank Fremerey on October 24, 2016, 09:18:07
After hostfile editing worked yesterday, this morning I can only access the site by nickname alias...
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 24, 2016, 10:34:14
Thanks for the feedback that it works ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Anthony on October 24, 2016, 12:50:22
Changing the hosts file on my iMac worked for me, but I will not change this on any of my other devices and hope that normal service will be resumed soon.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 12:54:52
So do we all. The problem is identified, but response and action from the site hosting company are urgently needed. I have a suspicion they are flooded by support tickets at present, as their own DNS servers relied on the attacked Dyn company.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: simato73 on October 24, 2016, 16:02:18
Changing the hosts file on my iMac worked for me, but I will not change this on any of my other devices and hope that normal service will be resumed soon.

Same here...

So do we all. The problem is identified, but response and action from the site hosting company are urgently needed. I have a suspicion they are flooded by support tickets at present, as their own DNS servers relied on the attacked Dyn company.

In the grand scheme of things, NikonGear grinding to a halt is not the worst thing. More essential services should be restored first
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Andrew on October 24, 2016, 16:30:08
Thanx Erik!

With help of my Assistant I am again on-line!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 24, 2016, 18:36:23
I have had messages form 2 members who say they didnt get your mail Erik - so I fowarded your email to them

Fanie Du Plessis
Ro Scubadiver
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 18:40:00
Thanks, Elsa. The more the merrier. There will always be members with a change in e-mail address, or having overzealous blocking filters set up.

We had our supporters as main priority as much had to be done manually since the newsletter functionality became unavailable as well.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Alaun on October 24, 2016, 18:48:50
Thanks Erik for the mails !!!

The host modification (on MAC) seems to work (but only after also resetting my modem/router).

(no connection yet with my iPad)

Is there a further way to connect like entering in the browser something similar like 162.210.51.116//nikongear.com ?
(this does not work, but gives an error message from the server)


 
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 24, 2016, 19:11:17
Thanks for the updates! Nice with some people around ;) Yes so far i have emailed our Supporters how to get online with us,,,
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 19:23:07
"Is there a further way to connect like entering in the browser something similar like 162.210.51.116//nikongear.com ?"

Unfortunately, no. The NG site is run on a multi-homed IP address thus extra information is required to open the correct page.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 24, 2016, 20:09:59
I have now sent an How to reconnect email to our Members that has been actively posting during the last 14 days, lets hope some of them start showing up here as well ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Lars Hansen on October 24, 2016, 20:38:43
I have now sent an How to reconnect email to our Members that has been actively posting during the last 14 days, lets hope some of them start showing up here as well ;)

Thanks for the mail Erik! - followed your instructions and here I am... after a nice digital detox  ;)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Fanie on October 24, 2016, 20:46:44
Thanks Elsa and Erik, I had to dig in places I did not know existed on my laptop :-) , but it worked.

Just out of interest on first attempt to log in yesterday I got the DNS warning, then on second attempt my firewall blocked the site through the Netnanny I have enabled for the kids.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 20:48:21
One is never too old to learn something new ....
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 24, 2016, 20:48:33
Thanks Elsa and Erik, I had to dig in places I did not know existed on my laptop :-) , but it worked.

haha you guys usually dig in places you shouldnt :) this time round at least it was useful
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Lorne on October 24, 2016, 22:02:49
I am sorry that Eric and Bjørn have had to spend time on resolving this problem instead of getting out in the field with their cameras. The fix works on my iMac & MBP, thanks very much.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: aerobat on October 24, 2016, 22:38:29
Many thanks for the email Erik.
Works like a charm on my mac.

Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Olivier on October 24, 2016, 22:39:07
Finally back, after hosts file modification (thank you for the email).
Hopefully we can resume to normal way or functionning rapidly.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: RonVol on October 24, 2016, 22:40:40
Just received the email from Erik.
I did what was suggested in the email and now all is well.
Thanks for the tip on how to fix this problem.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 22:41:13
In the aftermath of this unfortunate incident we might consider moving the site to another web hosting company with better support. suffice it to say that our hosting company, Site5.com, this time has disappointed us greatly. They were recently sold to a new company and quality of the hosting and support evidently dropped like a rock when eager bean-counters entered the scene.

Any suggestions as to a reliable hosting service? We need to run NG on a VPS not shared hosting.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Matthew Currie on October 24, 2016, 23:02:57
Many thanks to Erik for the email.  For some reason not yet found, I can't get all the way on in Vista, but here on Win10, it's working. 

Oddly this is the only one of the sites I usually visit that was completely clobbered by the problem.  Things slowed down elsewhere for a while, but did not crash.  Did Bjorn do something to piss off Putin?

edit to add:  fixed on Vista now too.  I had a space in the IP number!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 24, 2016, 23:05:23
I know what happened, but getting our provider to rectify the problem has been a nightmare. The error is on their side not ours, which makes everything even less acceptable.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Frank Fremerey on October 25, 2016, 00:23:54
I recommend HOSTEUROPE in Cologne.

When I was working for fotocommunity.de 10 Years ago they were already running subscriber sites with more than 1 Million members.

I have never experienced any glitches since 2004 and the 24/7 support runs in English and German. You nearly never need the support, but when you need it you get someone on the phone who knows the answer, not a call center.


A friend of mine is a professional web developer for huge sites like zentis.de running TV commercials for their landing pages. Also he relies on HOSTEUROPE for running all of his customer sites.

I do not personally know anyone who ever had trouble with HOSTEUROPE, although I have recommended them on several occasions.


They are far from being the cheapest in Germany, but they are very near to being the best in the world.

I have no economical connection to them except for being a normal customer there since 2004.

Should you evaluate & decide for them I can reclaim an award that I am happy to give back to NG in full.

My interest in writing this is only, that I want our site to run flawlessly. Now & forever.

Frank
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 25, 2016, 01:34:40
See http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,4635.msg73050.html

We should be back on track. DNS propagation might take a few hours, though.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Airy on October 25, 2016, 06:31:39
I'm with OVH, no complaints, but I have not yet encountered a crisis situation, so I cannot judge from their reactions. On the other hand, "no crisis" is the best ad.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Harald on October 25, 2016, 06:43:00
Hi,

Germany is Back without any Hacks. ;) Now using Android.

Harald
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Erik Lund on October 25, 2016, 07:27:15
Looks like we are back to normal again ;) About time!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Fons Baerken on October 25, 2016, 07:36:12
What puzzles me that some have been able to connect to the site during the ddos episode while others have not. Anyhow good going.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on October 25, 2016, 07:56:04
Well it works from Paris... :-)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Mike G on October 25, 2016, 08:09:03
Welcome back guys from London!
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: thedutchflyer on October 25, 2016, 10:21:43
Welcome back from Germany.
Thanks to Eric and Bjørn for managing this problem !
And I´glad to be on this site again......

mfG
thedutchflyer     :)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: PedroS on October 25, 2016, 10:23:47
Lisbon here...  :)
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: golunvolo on October 25, 2016, 11:15:37
Spain working normal too
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: elsa hoffmann on October 25, 2016, 11:57:53
Email notifications seems to work again
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: PedroS on October 25, 2016, 13:51:50
Email notifications seems to work again

+1
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on October 25, 2016, 14:19:32
Good to learn mail notification now works. I did reconnect our mail server last night so in theory so work, but one never know with these beasts.
Title: Re: We are having some problems with the site!
Post by: DougB on October 25, 2016, 14:33:15
Up & running when connecting in Canada.!!