ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

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Plarz ( 362 )
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ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by Plarz »

Hello,

In the past few (2 or so) years, the Bartertown.com server has experienced some troubles. Last year, the site was slow, unresponsive and occasionally down. This year, many e-mail providers blacklisted us, stopping e-mail notifications from getting to your inbox. We've fought these issues as best we could, utilizing the help of the hosting site's tech support staff (who are amazing, BTW).

Yesterday, I found out we'd been added to four more blacklists, and today, I found out Yahoo has again blacklisted us. So, I contacted tech support to double check that we hadn't gotten infected, and that all e-mail traffic off our server was our own. After all, if we're going to approach companies like Yahoo, Google and Microsoft and ask to be taken off the blacklist because we're not a spammer, we need to be 100% sure. In the past, we'd come back clean. This time, I asked for a manual, in-depth search of the server - not just an anti-virus / anti-bot scan.

Lo, and behold, we found something.

I won't go into details, and I won't point fingers, but there was a personal site secretly being hosted on our server that was abandoned about two years ago, and I'm guessing that around that time, it's e-mail account was compromised. Since that time, it has been sending out spam e-mails, and when we found it today, there were about 150,000 e-mails in the queue.

I believe this was the cause of the poor server health we've been experiencing, and the reason so many e-mail providers have blacklisted us.

Our host has deleted and purged anything on the server not Bartertown.com related, and is clearing out that massive set of e-mails in the server's queue. They estimate that will take about an hour, and when they let me know that it's done, I'm going to perform a server restart, just to be sure no latent processes are running, and all the system resources get a chance to free up.

tl;dr: We found the equivalent of a forgotten tupperware dish full of rotten food in the back of the fridge that's been causing that funky smell we couldn't pin down. We're in the process of removing it and we expect a much faster and healthier site once that's done.
MagickalMemories wrote:Please, nobody take this the wrong way when I say... Plarz, I love you.
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MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by MagickalMemories »

You rock, Plarz.
The site wouldn't be the same without you!

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
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friar.tuck ( 20 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by friar.tuck »

Great job finding it! This site rocks! Thank you all for maintaining it!
Respectfully,

Friar.Tuck

---------------
Want:
FOW: U.S.: U.S. dice tin
6mm: Baccus Imperial Romans & their enemy, other 6mm

Have to trade:
FOW: German: 3 Tigers
FOW: British (both NIB): Para Roy. Engin (BR806), 4.5" Howitzer Battery
FOW: American (NIB): Rifle Company (UBX03)
Heroes of Normandie (NIB: still shrink wrapped)
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XBoxDude79 ( 430 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by XBoxDude79 »

Stay Vigilant brothers!
Lower rating? You ship or pay first. PP fees are buyers responsibility.
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by MagickalMemories »

For those of you reading this who want to help... we accept donations.
You can send them to Linrandir@gmail.com via PayPal.

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
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psiekier ( 240 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by psiekier »

XBoxDude79 wrote:Stay Vigilant brothers!
"Strike from the sky, brothers!"

Good job, Plarz! I was wondering why I wasn't getting any personal message notifications to my Yahoo account.
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ShadowcatX ( 18 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by ShadowcatX »

Congrats on finding the source of the irritation. I hope everything works out well. :-D
HAB miniatures ( 28 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by HAB miniatures »

Robin Williams would have taken that tupperware dish and added it to his comedy act funky smell and all!!!
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Plarz ( 362 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by Plarz »

Well, the work's all done.

Anyone noticed any issues in the past few days? With any change as big as this, I want to be sure there are no adverse effects.

For me, the site seems to be considerably faster and more responsive, so nothing but good stuff.
MagickalMemories wrote:Please, nobody take this the wrong way when I say... Plarz, I love you.
No, no, guard, turn, parry, dodge, spin and - then - thrust!
Plarzoid.com: A Miniatures Blog
Currently trading with: - | Owed Refs from: - | Owe refs to: -
If I owe you a ref, PM me!
Magos Explorator ( 144 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by Magos Explorator »

Seems to be working well for me too! :) Thanks Plarz.
Thanks, Bartertown!

Please let me know if you're no longer interested so I can offer items to others; I'll assume you're not interested if I don't hear from you within 72 hours of a message.
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EldarExodite13 ( 70 )
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Re: ATTN: All Users, RE: Server Health & Status

Post by EldarExodite13 »

Thank you! You guys rock!
People that owe me Positive References: thesustainablecenter, NobleSeven, Ironwarriors83, Edwardp, otter


All I ask is that offers and counteroffers be made/responded to within a reasonable time.



"I am Luigi Vampa, a smuggler and a thief." - Luigi Vampa, the Count of Monte Cristo
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