Was the Cellar hit again?

richlevy · 12-17-2005, 09:27 PM

I had trouble getting on about noon today and noticed that there were no new posts since 1 am. At the same time, I could not navigate and I got a message that the Cellar was refusing connection.

Was it maintenance, an outage, or was the Cellar hit again?

capnhowdy · 12-17-2005, 09:49 PM

I had the same thing, about the same time. Got the syntax error thingie. All is well now.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-17-2005, 10:42 PM

Just be thankful I'm here now.

Undertoad · 12-17-2005, 10:58 PM

Yes, there was network congestion of the SOD variety between 4:30 am and about noon, and it's not clear whether the ISP or I have cleared it up 100% yet.

Undertoad · 12-18-2005, 01:35 PM

I was glib about that, on purpose. We are hit with some sort of DOS or similar attack on Apache. We continue to be hit by it. I expect to take the system offline for a few hours at some point to move it - a move many months in planning, long story.

If ever you can't reach the Cellar, just wait, do not panic, it will return.

Elspode · 12-18-2005, 06:36 PM

Don't panic? Easier said than done.

I'd be less concerned about not being able to log onto any of the US Government sites than I am when The Cellar is unavailable. The Cellar is much more important to my day to day life.

richlevy · 12-18-2005, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

If ever you can't reach the Cellar, just wait, do not panic, it will return.

And remember your towel.

dar512 · 12-18-2005, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy

And remember your towel.

Very nice.

mrnoodle · 12-19-2005, 12:09 PM

Looks like a tag line to me..

Undertoad · 12-22-2005, 10:16 AM

OK! The system that the Cellar lives on should now be considered entirely compromised and rooted by a cracker far too clever to let me know exactly how he operates.

I *think* this is my fault, because I have not run the Cellar machine correctly wrt software levels and some of the software it runs is well out of date.

The system is continually cracked and used, I *think*, to generate DOS attacks. When it does this it completely saturates my connection and makes the system unreachable.

I have been planning for about 6 months now to move it to another, secure, co-located system but one last technical glitch does not permit me to move it immediately. I am waiting on another party to finish what they need to do in order to make it all work.

In the meantime, I have an alarm set to check the Cellar once every minute (!) and sound a loud alarm when it is unreachable. Last night it went off at 2am, 5am and 8am. Approx. The system was therefore "fixed" and DOS attack shut off before anyone could realize it.

But just now I had to drive home from the office where I'm spending 30 hrs a week, and that just cain't happen alla time, so the site may be down a few hours this afternoon if they strike again.

After today I should be home most of the time and able to respond to the alarm

And all I need is for this other person to come through with what they have to do...

The Cellar itself is thoroughly and securely backed up in two different ways, so your actual messages will not be lost, no matter what occurs.

The new system is on automatic update and so this sort of UT-based administration error cannot occur.

glatt · 12-22-2005, 10:38 AM

Does that mean you had to get up at 2AM and 5AM to fix things? Or was it automatic?

Either way, thanks for everything you do to keep things humming along. I hope this hobby continues to be fun for you, and doesn't turn into drudgery.

Undertoad · 12-22-2005, 10:50 AM

Worst-case - another system in the house is set to check the status, and because it's in another room, I have it set up to ring a VERY LOUD AND ANNOYING ALARM SOUND. This wakes me up, and I trundle downstairs and shut off the process that they're running, check to make sure everything's back on the air, and then go back to sleep.

Other than the Cellar there is precious little on this system, and the responsible thing to do would be to shut it down and fix it permanently, but because -- any hour now! -- it's all supposed to move off this system anyway, this is the path of least resistance.

glatt · 12-22-2005, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Worst-case - another system in the house is set to check the status, and because it's in another room, I have it set up to ring a VERY LOUD AND ANNOYING ALARM SOUND. This wakes me up, and I trundle downstairs and shut off the process that they're running, check to make sure everything's back on the air, and then go back to sleep.

I do that too, but the VERY LOUD AND ANNOYING SOUND is my cold 3 year old screaming for me from the other room so I'll come in and fix his blankets.

You are a parent too.

LabRat · 12-22-2005, 12:49 PM

Me too! (cold 3yr old). I am trying to design some sheet suspenders for the bed that won't strangle the kid in the process, you can be on the test panel

I gotta remember to donate to the paypal link... Thanks UT, for all you do to keep this place up and running.

SteveDallas · 12-22-2005, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I do that too, but the VERY LOUD AND ANNOYING SOUND is my cold 3 year old screaming for me from the other room so I'll come in and fix his blankets.

How did you get him to do that??? Ours just comes on in to our bedroom & climbs in.

12-17-2005, 09:27 PM	#1
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	Was the Cellar hit again? I had trouble getting on about noon today and noticed that there were no new posts since 1 am. At the same time, I could not navigate and I got a message that the Cellar was refusing connection. Was it maintenance, an outage, or was the Cellar hit again? __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

12-17-2005, 09:49 PM	#2
capnhowdy Blatantly Homosapien Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,200	I had the same thing, about the same time. Got the syntax error thingie. All is well now. __________________ Please type slowly. I can't read very fast............... and no holy water, please.

12-17-2005, 10:42 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Just be thankful I'm here now. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

12-18-2005, 06:36 PM	#6
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	Don't panic? Easier said than done. I'd be less concerned about not being able to log onto any of the US Government sites than I am when The Cellar is unavailable. The Cellar is much more important to my day to day life. __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

12-19-2005, 12:09 PM	#9
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	Looks like a tag line to me.. __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

12-17-2005, 10:58 PM	#4
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Yes, there was network congestion of the SOD variety between 4:30 am and about noon, and it's not clear whether the ISP or I have cleared it up 100% yet.

12-18-2005, 01:35 PM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I was glib about that, on purpose. We are hit with some sort of DOS or similar attack on Apache. We continue to be hit by it. I expect to take the system offline for a few hours at some point to move it - a move many months in planning, long story. If ever you can't reach the Cellar, just wait, do not panic, it will return.

12-22-2005, 10:16 AM	#10
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	OK! The system that the Cellar lives on should now be considered entirely compromised and rooted by a cracker far too clever to let me know exactly how he operates. I think this is my fault, because I have not run the Cellar machine correctly wrt software levels and some of the software it runs is well out of date. The system is continually cracked and used, I think, to generate DOS attacks. When it does this it completely saturates my connection and makes the system unreachable. I have been planning for about 6 months now to move it to another, secure, co-located system but one last technical glitch does not permit me to move it immediately. I am waiting on another party to finish what they need to do in order to make it all work. In the meantime, I have an alarm set to check the Cellar once every minute (!) and sound a loud alarm when it is unreachable. Last night it went off at 2am, 5am and 8am. Approx. The system was therefore "fixed" and DOS attack shut off before anyone could realize it. But just now I had to drive home from the office where I'm spending 30 hrs a week, and that just cain't happen alla time, so the site may be down a few hours this afternoon if they strike again. After today I should be home most of the time and able to respond to the alarm And all I need is for this other person to come through with what they have to do... The Cellar itself is thoroughly and securely backed up in two different ways, so your actual messages will not be lost, no matter what occurs. The new system is on automatic update and so this sort of UT-based administration error cannot occur.

12-22-2005, 10:38 AM	#11
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Does that mean you had to get up at 2AM and 5AM to fix things? Or was it automatic? Either way, thanks for everything you do to keep things humming along. I hope this hobby continues to be fun for you, and doesn't turn into drudgery.

12-22-2005, 10:50 AM	#12
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Worst-case - another system in the house is set to check the status, and because it's in another room, I have it set up to ring a VERY LOUD AND ANNOYING ALARM SOUND. This wakes me up, and I trundle downstairs and shut off the process that they're running, check to make sure everything's back on the air, and then go back to sleep. Other than the Cellar there is precious little on this system, and the responsible thing to do would be to shut it down and fix it permanently, but because -- any hour now! -- it's all supposed to move off this system anyway, this is the path of least resistance.

12-22-2005, 12:49 PM	#14
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Me too! (cold 3yr old). I am trying to design some sheet suspenders for the bed that won't strangle the kid in the process, you can be on the test panel I gotta remember to donate to the paypal link... Thanks UT, for all you do to keep this place up and running. __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within. Last edited by LabRat; 12-22-2005 at 12:49 PM. Reason: typo

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