Mail issues

[Gary]

Can you image the average computer user waiting this long for a disk check to complete,I would be sorely tempted to press the power button and say b***** it

I have to admit I would get the same feeling

[Rik]

I would have already done it, Steve.

[Tacitus]

I would have already done it, Steve.

Dare I suggest another update from Simon might be a good idea.....

[Rik]

You dare - I'll be phoning shortly.

[Gary]

You dare - I'll be phoning shortly.

could drop them a email Rik

[Rik]

I could and you wouldn't know about the new server for another 48 hours.

[Simon]

As it happens, I've just spoken to Simon, and Trevor is STILL doing it's file check.  He has said they can't wait any longer, and will be taking steps today to utilise another server as a stop gap, so hopefully, some sort of service will be resumed during the day, but it will obviously take a while for the backlog of queueing emails to clear.

[Sebby]

Thanks for the update.

[Ardua]

Frustration has got the better of me. All businesses need a risk management strategy if they are to continue in business. This morning, IDNet has moved from a strategy of 'business continuity' to one of 'disaster recovery'. I am no IT expert; however, I would have thought that an ISP of IDNet's supposed excellence should have had more robust e-mail systems in place. Alternatively, why did IDNet management not consider booting up an alternative server using the back up disk to provide some measure of e-mail service to customers whilst Trevor's 'ills' were being sorted out? It seems to me that 36 hours have been lost. IDNet customers are unhappy and, as many organizations know to their cost, loss of customer confidence is not easily regained.

[Rik]

I can't argue with that.

[Gary]

Frustration has got the better of me. All businesses need a risk management strategy if they are to continue in business. This morning, IDNet has moved from a strategy of 'business continuity' to one of 'disaster recovery'. I am no IT expert; however, I would have thought that an ISP of IDNet's supposed excellence should have had more robust e-mail systems in place. Alternatively, why did IDNet management not consider booting up an alternative server using the back up disk to provide some measure of e-mail service to customers whilst Trevor's 'ills' were being sorted out? It seems to me that 36 hours have been lost. IDNet customers are unhappy and, as many organizations know to their cost, loss of customer confidence is not easily regained.

I have to agree, at least the email service will be up and running though, but this should have been implemented a lot sooner, as the op said, the whole issue does not make sense for customer satisfaction, the thing that I wonder is how they would have reacted if the more expensive email services went down, the ones that are domain related or are premium email accounts?

[Gary]

I could and you wouldn't know about the new server for another 48 hours.

I would as you said new server Rik 

[Rik]

But I wouldn't.

[Gary]

But I wouldn't.

Sneaky

[Gary]

So are we back to "clunker" then, Rik?

[Rik]

I haven't been told, Gary.

[Gary]

It would be nice to be on the more reliable main email server, Rik

[Rik]

I doubt that's going to happen, but...

[Malc]

There will have to be an inquest to find out what went wrong with Trevor, Gary, if it ever gets through the self-check.

I would say you get what you pay for with 1&1,

Sadly, just this one time, not with IDNet. It looks like I am going to loose an important email.

[Gary]

I think a few people are in that boat sadly, Malc

[Malc]

I think a few people are in that boat sadly, Malc

I know.

It's not good business for them this. Hopefully from now on they will provide an IDNet, not tiscalli, standard of email service.

[Simon]

I can only agree that this has gone on far too long, and that hopefully, provisions will be put in place to prevent anything like this happening again.

[Rik]

Sadly, just this one time, not with IDNet. It looks like I am going to loose an important email.

Based on previous experience, Malc, there will be no data loss, but it may take a while for the backlog to get sorted.

[Tacitus]

....Alternatively, why did IDNet management not consider booting up an alternative server using the back up disk to provide some measure of e-mail service to customers whilst Trevor's 'ills' were being sorted out?

As others have said, doing fsck on a disk does not give any indication of progress.  It might have done 5% or 50% - nobody knows.  As a result the tendency is to wait 'just a little bit longer', which, as we've seen can become a very long time.  With hindsight it would have been better to put a standby in operation, but hindsight is always exact.  No doubt this will come out in any internal review.

....as many organizations know to their cost, loss of customer confidence is not easily regained.

Although short term there may be some loss of confidence, the fact remains that iDNet is a solid company which tries to offer a good product and look after its customers.  It has done this for some time and deservedly gained a good reputation.  No company on earth is immune to the occasional failure and I doubt that long term the damage will be too serious.

[Gary]

Agreed Simon, I pay for mail hosting from what I believe to be one of the most reliable providers on the net, and this whole sad collapse of a backbone feature, which email is, should not have dragged on so long. I just hope changes are made to stop this ever happening again.