Why am I getting AOL server errors on every other thread?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TB2K spinoff uncensored : One Thread

OTFR: Any idea? *I* don't use AOL, and I don't think Greenspun does either.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), November 24, 2000

Answers

Yes. Very curious. The fact that all of the threads were political might be a clue, except 90% of the threads are poltical these days. Still and all, it smells like sabotage to me, since the threads that I cannot access show numerous answers on the Recent Answers list, implying they were accessible for a time, then were shut down.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), November 24, 2000.

Me too. I think some troll is trying to sabotage the forum, probably Randy Gay.

-- (tealtext@hiv.positive), November 24, 2000.

I don't think it's sabotage. Threads on the GICC are having problems too, like this one...

Apocalypse Proteins: Part I - Mad Cow, Mad Sheep, Mad Deer and Sick Humans

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0047nN

-- (lurker@at.Lusenet), November 24, 2000.


Those threads were never viable threads,from the moment they were posted they have been fried.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), November 24, 2000.

Not true cap'n. I posted the "It's a Wonderful Life" thread, and had a good conversation going for a while. Now it's toast.

-- (oh.no!@it's.y2k!!), November 24, 2000.


I stand corrected,I thought I caught them as soon as they were posted but apparently I had a slow hand.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), November 24, 2000.

Anita:

Subject: Why am I getting AOL server errors on every other thread?

OTFR: Any idea? *I* don't use AOL,

Anita, I would like to make a CASE here. Everyone uses AOL servers. :^)

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 24, 2000.


Greenspun's hardware runs "AOLServer" which is a server package like Apache, or Microsoft Internet Information Server, and the like, a choice of which any web site needs in order to run.

It has nothing to do with AOL the commercial service provider, except that I think AOL may also user AOLServer (probably a good guess, anyway!).

Now as for the important question WHY is this happening and what can we do about it? Beats me!

Things don't seem quite as robust lately, though.

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.


Just for the sake of accuracy, which any web site needs in order to run not quite true; you only need a server package if you're hosting your own website. Which Greenspun is. :-)

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.

I would like to make a CASE here

Very Punny, Z!

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.



Off, I say!

Gee, this is fun! I wonder how many more postings I can squeeze in before my service conks out again today?

It's been like frozen molasses, I tell ya! (Is everyone shopping and clicking at the same time on this biggest shopping day of the year or what?)

OK Anita, you can have your thread back. (grin)

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.


heh. [blush]

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.

I am on AOL and its been very slow all day. If you are a regular user of AOL you have to accept this. And if you get up at 4am so you can have the net to yourself (east coast) thats when AOL does its maintenance and shuts down their mail system, etc. Taz

-- Taz (Rockingchair@farm.com), November 24, 2000.

Taz:

I am on AOL and it is working fine. Must be a local thing. Haven't heard from you in a while, how are things going. Where was it, NC.

Debbie:

My post was meant to say AOL server. Glad that you caught the pun. You are correct. Since so many of the commercial sites that I go to attempt to download a cookie from site name: AOL server, I assume that the use of the package is widespread.

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 24, 2000.


Since so many of the commercial sites that I go to attempt to download a cookie from site name: AOL server,

They do?? I have NEVER seen any such cookie (and I do ask for alerts). But then I don't use AOL. Curious.

I assume that the use of the package is widespread.

AOLServer runs on only 1% of servers (which took part in this survey, anyway).

http://www.netcraft.com/survey/

As expected, AOL runs on AOLServer.

http://uptime.netcraft.com/graph?display=&site=aol.com&find_site= GO

Makes it sound like the cookies have to do with *your* AOL service somehow. But why? This should not be. But then, I never understood AOL, only enough to know they do things "differently".

If you think of it, name me a site where you get such a cookie. You got me scratching my head!

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), November 24, 2000.



Debbie:

I see these cookie attempts when using a net running on Apache and not using AOL. I haven't kept track but they are common.

Best Wishes,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), November 25, 2000.


Since the error only affects certain threads and not others, I would venture a guess that there is something in the content of a posting that causes the thread to go haywire. We recently had an issue where longer posts would cause a server error upon posting, although that seems to be fixed. If anyone is fortunate enough to have created a post that suddenly caused a thread to go bonkers (technical term), perhaps he or she could experiment with their post on one of the HTML test forums here.

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), November 25, 2000.

OH for crying out loud! Mother of Jehosaphat! Jimminy Crickets! LOL! What is happening? Is Phil Greenspun behind this? LOL!

-- LOL! (l@o.l), November 25, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ