Network issues

[awen]

Originally Posted by Vixen

Actually, we have off network internet access within the office, so when we tell you that a server is not down, it means it is not down for us from Road Runner. Also, we know when a server comes back online. Understandably, this does not mean it is up for you wherever you may be but to call us "unprofessional" for telling you that something is indeed up for us, is extremely one sided and unfair. I am sorry that you feel that way but please consider that we do have a clue what we are talking about before making unsubstantiated claims like this.

Craig was very good several times about noting that the forum and systems were up for him, even on an offnet ISP, however at one point he flat out told a customer that they were wrong, it wasn't down.

Just as you noted, "When we tell you that a server is not down, it means it is not down for us from Road Runner", when WE tell you we can't access servers or services, it is from OUR perspective/ISP/location.

We obviously can't all have Roadrunner for our ISP, so if we can't get through when normally we can, there IS a problem and it shouldn't be brushed off as if there isn't. Simply acknowledge it and say, "We're looking into it."

My opinion that this was unprofessional behavior is simply my opinion, not an "unsubstantiated claim". The posts in this thread substantiate the basis for my opinion.

Furthermore I am well aware that you guys have a clue about this business or you wouldn't have such great service, or a business for that matter. I never implied you didn't know what you were doing. I stated I was annoyed with the condescending tone you and your staff often take in times like these with your customers when they report problems, granted we don't always come off in a proper manner either, but typically you don't tell your customers outright that they are wrong, that there is no problem, especially when you have several coming forward and pointing out the problems as they see them. Simply acknowledge that there are still problems and add them to your "big picture" view of the situation. Maybe it will help isolate the cause faster, and it surely won't ruffle as many feathers as it does when you say there isn't a problem when there clearly is from our standpoint.

I really do appreciate your services, hard work, and fast action, but this isn't the first time I've noted this kind of "unfriendly bedside manner" here. In my opinion it's the weakest part of your operation, and the cheapest and easiest problem to fix. For everything else, you're "Golden".

[soky]

ps - I see you even got Vixen in the thread... I miss the old days when she and I would go at it - oh, I miss those days when I had boundless anger. Not really!

ROFL... that was funny. Oh the good ol' days!

[ekrubonline]

Originally Posted by jmbeach

... if you put your biggest client on server at a host with hundreds of resellers and thousands, even tens of thousands of sites hosted, they must not be that big of a client. I mean, come on, if this customer is so important would you not first think of hosting them somewhere with a more robust SLA?
Sorry to rant on you, but come on people. Most of us start out at $35/month to host nearly unlimited sites! What do you expect?!
I'm not happy that this happened either, but this is technology man... if this was an every day occurance, I would expect we'd all be gone. But it's not! And we're not!

That was just downright offensive! I never said that I think that Vortech is usually less than efficient. I never said that I never would have thought a problem like this would even happen. As a matter of fact, I KNOW that it was resolved quickly. But partner, if I had gotten an expensive solution, I'd still be in teh same situation. (But good guess that I'm on shared servers!)

Anyway, my issue was with the customer service. Not IT service, and that would also be the same no matter where I was hosted.

About your comment about the company being very big... I want you to consider that your market is San Diego. I don't know what the population is, but the population in my ENTIRE nation is 1.3 million. A large company here in Trinidad and Tobago has about a couple hundred employees - 300 is REALLY big. And the companies that large do their own hostign services in house anyway. This company has almost 100 employees, AND the cost of these services here (considering that people are now moving into it) and my reality (takingn into consideration that I'm competing with larger companies who have capital to invest etc) means that I pay for what I can afford.

Keep your narrowminded views to yourself. As a Caribbean person, I often am insulted when continentals make these statements as though the whole world has multi million US dollar/Euro markets or that their markets are open to young businessmen (under 30) to make easy money! Cherish the US business mentality of "I dont care who did it, just do it". Down here its more like "Let the rich, accomplished people do it"

There is a difference between us (islanders) and you (continentals) - as far as business and markets are concerned. I just like to watch the big markets to learn, then adapt, not adopt!

[bebop]

Originally Posted by Craig_Smith

I understand everyones frustration. For everyone who thinks I'm being condescending or less than friendly I'm getting an equal amount of "thanks yous" and "good job"'s. The bottom line is we do our best and MOST people appreciate it.

Sounds condescending to me

[ideatek]

Has vortech ever considered limiting bandwidth via your switch ports for each server, that way no one server can be accepting that much bandwidth and therefore not hoze the router?

Just a thought.

[Dean]

That wasn't the issue. We blocked all traffic to the box on the router and it had no effect. The problem was that there were so many packets hitting the router interface that there was no way they could all be processed. Even packets that are blocked or QoS'd require processing. The sheer volume of packets put the router CPU at 100% and then it started dropping packets, making it seem like everything was offline.

[DigitalSkyline]

My third party monitoring service reports we were down for about 21 hours... I was still able to get on the sites all day but had some customers call about email problems.

Recovery Time: Wed Aug 23 10:12:35 EDT 2006
Total Time on Error: 20 hours, 56 minutes, 23 seconds

[admin]

Originally Posted by jmbeach

ps - I see you even got Vixen in the thread... I miss the old days when she and I would go at it - oh, I miss those days when I had boundless anger. Not really!

Lisa is on vacation this week, so watch and make sure your billing is up todate.. Lisa will also be gone again in 2 weeks for her 2nd vacation..

[electricfox]

Originally Posted by admin

Lisa is on vacation this week, so watch and make sure your billing is up todate.. Lisa will also be gone again in 2 weeks for her 2nd vacation..

But I was told we wouldn't be getting refund for this outage, right?

[admin]

No due to it being an attack, what did I say have to do with a refund. lol

[jtaugher]

Originally Posted by ekrubonline

I like to be reasonable. My recommendation is to have a backup recording for the phone system that says that all personnel are being used to deal with a network outage. I mean, really.... what's the sense of having all these things - server status monitor; status thread in the forum; phone system, when all it takes is a VERY perceivable system (network outage) to destroy all of that planning?
I was taught in school that no plan A is complete without a Plan B. I just thought that there'd be a plan B for a network outage like this. Especally because we all know its possible, and they "SERVERS and NETWORKS go down..."

Why don't YOU have redundancy for their precious little websites then too? Why should the provider have redundant forums, redundant telephones, redundant server monitoring systems, redundant announce-only voicemail systems -- why don't YOU have a redundant website available for your customers? YOU are putting your customers in jeopardy because IF Florida were to fall off the face of this planet entirely -- Florida just fell into the ocean and all is gone -- how would YOU describe this to you customer that you weren't backing them up and putting sites elsewhere *TOO*.

[awen]

IF Florida were to fall off the face of this planet entirely -- Florida just fell into the ocean and all is gone -- how would YOU describe this to you customer that you weren't backing them up and putting sites elsewhere *TOO*.

LOL, I personally would take that as a sign from God to change careers and possibly religions too!

[Altair]

I wish that Vortech would have had some kind of phone report as well. Not for my customers, but for ME.

Many of my customers would hear my words as follows, "blah blah blah blah. Attack! blah blah blah. FLOOD!. blah blah. Denial Of Service?!"

So you see? This would send my customers into an absolute panic, making them want to leave sooner.

My customers just want to hear. We are working as fast as we can and will have it back online soon. I know that's what's happening, so that's what I tell them.

p.s. If Florida fell off the face of the planet, I think phone support would be the last thing on peoples minds =)

[mresell]

Originally Posted by Dean

I'm not sure we can give an answer as to the motive behind the flood. As for who...the owner of the IP in question was Le Groupe Videotron, apparently an ISP in Quebec.

Aren't these listed in spamhaus alot?...they have some pretty bad spammers from this isp.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by bebop

Sounds condescending to me

I would call it sarcasm but that's just me. LoL