Does anybody know why the site was down so long? Was it a DDoS attack, or something less sinister? I could scarcely believe my luck when coming back just now and seeing no new posts, after nearly 12 hours away.

Last night? I have no idea. I just know that that, combined with my brother annoying me, made me very mad.

jimthedog

The server must have been down. My finger twitched on the refresh button for about 15 mins and the site appeared. Let us just drink and be merry for tomorrow Cable & Wireless may collapse.

I'm glad, in a perverse way, to know it wasn't an idio-Mac attack, she said, twitching & heading in for her fix.

"What's a DDoS ?" she asked displaying, yet once again, her complete lack of knowlege of computer-ese.

Since I didn't check last night I was saved the frustration.
Commiseration to all who tried and were disappointed.

[WARNING: lay person's definition follows]

DDoS = distributed denial of service. It is an internet attack on a website, comprised of sending requests/queries to the site in such volumn and speed as to tie up the resources of the server, thus denying service to legimate users. The "distributed" part comes from the hacker's use of others' computers as dummies to make the requests.

Last night? I have no idea. I just know that that, combined with my brother annoying me, made me very mad.

If it's any consolation, your brother annoys me, too.

Thanks.

jimthedog

I was on when it went down around 4 last evening. It never threw me off, but I couldn't move around either. It was still down when I finished teaching last night. At first I thought it was something in our system because all our applications were running slow.

CJ

What makes everyone think it was an attack? Servers do funny things for all sorts of reasons. They were (up until yesterday ) the bane of my existence. Well, one of the banes, shall we say? Has someone talked to someone who works with the AWAD servers?

CK claims that servers have been pernicious to his well-being

I was unable to update my web-site all week due to server problems. imagine what it's like trying to get AmericaOnLine (HA!) to admit that they have a bad server. ("You stupid fool... clean out your cache... reinstall your aol adapter... delete ALL your temporary files, especiall those darnn cookies")
i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take it any moreDSL or broadband cable??

What makes everyone think it was an attack?


I guess that DDoSs have been on my mind recently after a security-related forum that I frequent was hit by several of them over the last few weeks.

Well, I suggest that people take a peek at the "A Week in the Life of a Help Desk Operator" on your i-drive for some other possibilities ...

...They were (up until yesterday ) the bane of my existence. They are still mine!

CK - Does this mean your spirit begins its travels? Your soul is no longer owed to the company store? You bashed your alarm clock with a sledge hammer this morning?

One of my favorite things servers do is "run out of space".

DDoS = distributed denial of service.
Thank you Sparteye.

It is an internet attack on a website
People do this on purpose?
Why?

People do this on purpose?
Why?
Because they are idiots.

jimthedog

It is an internet attack on a website
People do this on purpose?
Why?


Why do people hunt anymore? It's for the challenge of the "sport".

CK - Does this mean your spirit begins its travels? Your soul is no longer owed to the company store? You bashed your alarm clock with a sledge hammer this morning?

I'm now gainfully unemployed ... we head south to get used to English winters later this week!