IDNetters Forums

Technical News & Discussion => IDNet Help => Topic started by: Arctophile on Aug 13, 2013, 09:32:33

Title: Email down?
Post by: Arctophile on Aug 13, 2013, 09:32:33
Is IDNet e-mail down this morning?

My Windows Mail client is timing out.

Nothing on IDNet status page.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: davej99 on Aug 13, 2013, 09:37:25
Likewise. Winmail times out on all IDNET ID's. Other providers OK.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 09:42:20
Mine too- had an RSS earlier:
QuoteService: Announcement
Updated: 2013-08-13 07:08:16
State: No Service
Message: mail.idnet.net (Domain Mail / idnetfreemail.co.uk / idnet.co.uk) will be unavailable for a short period whilst we implement a patch to the GMS software.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 09:46:42
yeah down here too.

and yeah why no status update for the people that dont have the rss
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 09:59:53
Quote from: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 09:46:42... the people that dont have the rss

Status updates are available for anyone who wants them... just put the url into your RSS client and set the update frequency.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 10:55:58
Up and running again here.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 11:40:27
I never felt a thing!   :)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 12:02:33
No sense, no feeling :P

   :running:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 12:18:43
 :laugh:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 14:19:02
Quote from: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 09:59:53
Status updates are available for anyone who wants them... just put the url into your RSS client and set the update frequency.


yes but for those that dont have them??  or dont want them.the IDNet home page has a Network Status page that didnt show any thing this morning, now only showing

Announcement    Sub-Optimal Service    Status: Partial Service


saying it will be off for 10 minutes  at 11:29       still down for me

Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 14:25:07
The network status page states:

"Shortly - the idnet.com mail server (and some internal admin applications) will be offline for approximately 10 minutes to facilitate maintenance to the server.
Posted: 2013-08-13 11:29:00 Updated: 2013-08-13 11:29:00"
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 14:25:34
Quote from: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 14:19:02

yes but for those that dont have them??  or dont want them.the IDNet home page has a Network Status page that didnt show any thing this morning, now only showing

Announcement    Sub-Optimal Service    Status: Partial Service



RSS feed, just for you:

QuoteService: Announcement
Updated: 2013-08-13 11:29:00
State: Sub-Optimal Service
Message: Shortly - the idnet.com mail server (and some internal admin applications) will be offline for approximately 10 minutes to facilitate maintenance to the server.

Sorry, but the information is available. If you choose not to receive it then it's your problem.

It's not as if it happen so often it clogs up your HDD or CPU.


edit- it went down briefly a few minutes ago, and is now back up again.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 14:28:18
WOW!!!! thanks Bill  you can be the official RSS re-feed poster here for those that choose not to use it, then we wont have a problem and will save me the bother  ;)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 14:41:27
Well, If you can 'bother' to look at the website and not see the announcement, then post here, it would seem a darn sight easier to enable the RSS feed!  ;)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 14:52:12
Brilliant things, RSS feeds.

They tell me, I don't have to go looking :)

My favourite two are the daily usage updates and new titles added to Project Gutenberg!
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 15:06:36
I thought that was a cake!  ;D
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 13, 2013, 15:14:06
 :laugh:

But it prompted me to correct a typo :P
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 16:06:51
Quote from: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 14:41:27
Well, If you can 'bother' to look at the website and not see the announcement, then post here, it would seem a darn sight easier to enable the RSS feed!  ;)

:D  yeah funny. I looked first thing this morning and there was no announcement, if there was and I missed it, ok good point.

the update in the announcement was even out of date, time related so hardly accurate  :)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Gary on Aug 13, 2013, 16:40:09
Quote from: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 16:06:51
:D  yeah funny. I looked first thing this morning and there was no announcement, if there was and I missed it, ok good point.

the update in the announcement was even out of date, time related so hardly accurate  :)
Baz if you use Firefox which I think you did, or other supporting browsers you can have the RSS feed in the bookmark toolbar if you use it. No add ons required.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Steve on Aug 13, 2013, 17:48:34
I assume if only IDNet mail is not receiving then the server is down, no RSS no status page required. I don't need to be told again what I already know. :evil:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Gary on Aug 13, 2013, 19:11:34
Quote from: Steve on Aug 13, 2013, 17:48:34
I assume if only IDNet mail is not receiving then the server is down, no RSS no status page required. I don't need to be told again what I already know. :evil:
What is it they about assumption? Oh yes its the mother of all screw ups   ;)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 19:25:30
To be honest. I don't have the RSS feed, and I almost never look at the status page.  If something is wrong, I come here.  :)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 13, 2013, 19:36:39
Quote from: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 19:25:30
To be honest. I don't have the RSS feed, and I almost never look at the status page.  If something is wrong, I come here.  :)

:laugh: :laugh:  yeah probably the best place to visit first
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: mervl on Aug 13, 2013, 21:31:44
I always understood it was not good to rely on your ISP's mail service which is like any freebee, so have always paid a small fee for a business class service (which hasn't let me down). It also looks like that account can still, at least sometimes, collect IDNet mail on those rare occasions when I can't log in directly. I kept it on even once I retired and halved my income, as it still meets my value for money needs. I still think the communication disease is like any drug though, and a bit of cold turkey does me good.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 14, 2013, 07:39:03
Quote from: mervl on Aug 13, 2013, 21:31:44
I always understood it was not good to rely on your ISP's mail service

I don't rely on it, but I use it...
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Tacitus on Aug 14, 2013, 10:03:45
Still down for me at 10:03am.  The status page tells us we have a good service......
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 14, 2013, 10:19:50
Yep......got that deja vu feeling again  :)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Steve on Aug 14, 2013, 10:40:49
Certainly I have no connection to any of my IDNet email accounts, the rest of my email accounts on other servers are working fine! I have dropped support an email.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: SSK on Aug 14, 2013, 10:55:01
Quote from: mervl on Aug 13, 2013, 21:31:44
I always understood it was not good to rely on your ISP's mail service which is like any freebee,

I dispute the assertion that it's a freebee. It's part of the package that I signed up for, just like all the other terms and conditions such as 100Gb per month, etc. If it hadn't been in the package I wouldn't have signed up with IDNet but with some other ISP, so it's part of the contract.

Having said that, I wouldn't and don't rely on it for something as crucial my business, for which I have my own domain etc.

The fact that it's been down for chunks of time on two consecutive days is, however, inconvenient for my personal communications and not something I would expect of the usually high-standard IDNet service.


Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Ray on Aug 14, 2013, 10:59:23
Just received this via the RSS feed: -

Service: Announcement
Updated: 2013-08-14 10:21:34
State: Sub-Optimal Service
Message: We are currently experiencing intermittent problems with the server @idnet.com email is on. our engineering team are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Email on this server will be intermittently accessible during this time.

Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Steve on Aug 14, 2013, 11:05:20
Thanks Ray, Just looked myself which gave me an excuse to update FireFox again. ;)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 14, 2013, 11:31:32
Quote from: SSK on Aug 14, 2013, 10:55:01The fact that it's been down for chunks of time on two consecutive days is, however, inconvenient for my personal communications and not something I would expect of the usually high-standard IDNet service.

Agreed, but in their defence, any ISP could have occasional server issues.  Hopefully IDNet can get on top of this today.   :fingers:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 14, 2013, 12:30:04
Please see Simon from IDNet's announcement here:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,31113
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Baz on Aug 14, 2013, 13:55:56
so does that info in the announcement mean thats why it seems folders in some of my accounts have gone when accessing via webmail?
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Simon on Aug 14, 2013, 14:10:52
Quite possibly. 
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: mervl on Aug 14, 2013, 15:15:18
Quote from: SSK on Aug 14, 2013, 10:55:01
I dispute the assertion that it's a freebee. It's part of the package that I signed up for, just like all the other terms and conditions


It's an interesting moot point, I wondered about. The t&cs describe the contractual services as those described on the homepage, and the only e-mail references are to the paid for services.  ???

Nonetheless I take the point about what we expect; but that's the trouble with the broadband (and whole IT) world. The contracts are not usually what you expect. (I used to write a few, and read rather more, of them). None of them guarantee continuous service.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 14, 2013, 16:38:23
Quote from: Simon on Aug 13, 2013, 11:40:27
I never felt a thing!   :)

This time it was me who never felt a thing, I've had no leccy all day due to work at the local substation. Nice timing, Southern Electric ;D
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Steve on Aug 15, 2013, 06:40:38
A test to my idnet.com email address has been received, previous messages don't appear to have been restored though yet.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 15, 2013, 07:56:14
I don't think any haven't been delivered yet, but can't be 100% sure obviously.

I did get a couple of very old (several weeks) emails (from the tbb "reply notifications") so something odd there- they should have been deleted from the server a week after being read the first time. But that's happened before when the server has thrown a wobbly.

May or may not be connected- my RSS usage feed has gone AWOL again. That's also happened before, usually I can get it back by deleting and re-creating it- I'll check that out later when the brain cell is satisfied with its caffeine levels.

That particular feed seems a bit delicate for some reason :dunno:

Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 08:35:07
Quote from: Bill on Aug 15, 2013, 07:56:14
I don't thinkmy RSS usage feed has gone AWOL again. That's also happened before, usually I can get it back by deleting and re-creating it- I'll check that out later when the brain cell is satisfied with its caffeine levels.

That particular feed seems a bit delicate for some reason :dunno:


My feed (just usage) seems to have stopped on the 13th August. Hopeing it will catch up sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 15, 2013, 08:44:01
Quote from: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 08:35:07Hopeing it will catch up sooner rather than later.

My own experience is that it doesn't restart on its own, you have to kick it.

It may be because (afaik) it's the only feed I use that has any degree of security involved- I have to be logged in to my account page to get the url, and on a couple of occasions it's given an error of "you do not have permission to access this account", or some such twaddle. Re-creating it a second time has always fixed it (so far...)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 15, 2013, 09:28:49
There's a comment in the announcement (http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,31113.msg715105.html#msg715105) saying:

QuoteWe are now actively considering hosting this service in the cloud in order to eliminate the potential for any similar failure in future.

Could someone explain to me how this would eliminate the possibility of it happening again?

Cloud or no cloud, it's still on a server somewhere, and that server can fail...
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Glenn on Aug 15, 2013, 09:36:14
But IDNet's raid card wouldn't fail if the server is not in use, hence eliminate the failure.  :evil:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Bill on Aug 15, 2013, 09:39:49
IOW, make it someone else's responsibility :eek4:

I don't have a problem with that if there's a good solid SLA in place.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Tacitus on Aug 15, 2013, 09:56:30
Alternatively the mail server could be mirrored to the cloud with automatic fail over, assuming that is possible.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: cavillas on Aug 15, 2013, 10:07:00
I use Gmail and MS Outlook mail, never had a problem in the past 8 years since I started them.  I know Google gather info ut so do all other organizations, but they have nothing of real importance from me. I also use Idnet mail for certain things but everything is collected via Google mail, not had any nasty spam, ever wither.
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 10:18:32
Quote from: cavillas on Aug 15, 2013, 10:07:00
I use Gmail and MS Outlook mail, never had a problem in the past 8 years since I started them.  I know Google gather info ut so do all other organizations, but they have nothing of real importance from me.
That not the point, it does not matter what the importance is, its the fact they do it in the first place, its a breach of your privacy.  :sigh:
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 10:25:01
Cloud backups are not the greatest things for privacy (see googles recent statement) using cloud backups seems like passing the buck a bit, but I can see why I guess...it still and worries me that there may be even less control of the privacy of email from idnet now. Not tha privacy seems to exist any more tbh  :(
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: Tacitus on Aug 15, 2013, 12:19:43
Quote from: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 10:25:01
Cloud backups are not the greatest things for privacy (see googles recent statement) using cloud backups seems like passing the buck a bit, but I can see why I guess...it still and worries me that there may be even less control of the privacy of email from idnet now. Not tha privacy seems to exist any more tbh  :(

Cloud backup does not necessarily mean AWS, DropBox, Skydrive or any other US based service that falls within the NSA's ambit.  It could just as easily be a UK based one, or for that matter one based in (say) Sweden, Switzerland wherever.

Given the current feelings towards US based cloud services and the threat to privacy, there have be loads of business opportunities for UK based providers who can offer the right product.  I know Timico are currently making a big thing about 'private clouds'.

Whether any of this would protect you from either the NSA or GCHQ is a moot point, unless of course the service was encrypted with you alone holding the key.  Even then a Court order could compel you to release the key. 

Nothing like encryption to get the spooks attention.   ;D

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/21/how_to_get_the_nsas_attention/ (http://www.salon.com/2013/06/21/how_to_get_the_nsas_attention/)
Title: Re: Email down?
Post by: cavillas on Aug 15, 2013, 16:51:05
Quote from: Gary on Aug 15, 2013, 10:18:32
That not the point, it does not matter what the importance is, its the fact they do it in the first place, its a breach of your privacy.  :sigh:

But they never get anything of any importance from my emails as all important ones to certain people I have to contact are encrypted and can only be unencrypted at the destination because they have the password.  All other3rd party messages are usually sent straight to spam and have no personal details.  I don't see how anyone can breach my privacy that is of any consequence when they have no important details to see.  This breaching of privacy statement is quite misleading in many cases as nothing happens with the nonsensical information they might get.