HelioHost Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 We've got some good news and some bad news to announce with regards to the server, Johnny. The good news is it isn't a hardware problem. All of the physical components of the server appear to be in tiptop shape and are performing perfectly. The CPUs are all still working, the hard drive didn't crash and all user data appears to be intact, the memory hasn't gone bad and passes all tests we have run on it, the BIOS is still operating, and everything else seems to be operating optimally too. The bad news is the operating system appears to be corrupt and the system is unbootable. This means that when the server is started it crashes during the boot process, and no services such as http, ftp, or even ssh are ever running to give the admins any kind of remote access. The good news is that we have managed to boot up Johnny from an operating system located on a virtual boot disk with limited networking capabilities. The original filesystem on Johnny has been mounted and is completely accessible to us. We can confirm that all user data is intact, and in fact an automated script at this very moment is crawling its way across the hard drive automatically backing up all user accounts. The bad news is that, while all the user data is currently intact, it looks like we might have to reinstall the operating system which could result in data loss, but that's why we're backing up the data first before proceeding with any further recovery efforts on the operating system in case -- as all the recovery tools warn -- data could be permanently lost. The good news is that the backup process is over 54% completed, and the custom written script by the Heliohost admins appears to be working perfectly as it cruises along as fast as the hard drive will let it, packages each user up one by one, and ships them off to safety. The bad news is that it will probably take at least another 24 hours to finish the backup. We're talking about literally hundreds of gigabytes of data here, and even though this is Johnny's only current task the bottle neck is of course the hard drive input/output speed and the data transfer rate of the network to send the accounts off. The good news is that we expect Johnny to back online and fully functional within the next week, and it's a possibility that this corrupt operating system problem has really been the root of all of Johnny's increasing number of mostly inexplicable issues over the past couple months. Since we have most of the data backed up already, users whose accounts are located on Johnny can request a copy of their files if they wish by starting a new topic in the Customer Service forum. A link to your files will be PMed to you so random forum readers won't have access to your potentially sensitive information. Once you have downloaded your backup file please let us know so we can delete it. If you also wish to move your account to Stevie you will also need to mention that in your post too because the automatic deletion script doesn't work when a server is offline, but a member of the Heliohost staff can still manually delete a Johnny account even if the server is offline. Our deepest apologies for the massive amount of downtime lately on Johnny, but rest assured that we're all working as quickly as possible to get everything put right as soon as possible. 1
abhatia923 Posted October 11, 2012 Posted October 11, 2012 just reminding that email id's of asking users should be compared with the accounts they are requesting data for before providing them with data.
Odysseus Posted October 11, 2012 Posted October 11, 2012 Thanks for the update; good to hear it’s “only” software.
danny0000d Posted October 11, 2012 Posted October 11, 2012 That's good news glad to here it was just a operating system error but just to be save for next time you should have all of johnny's files backed up automatcally incase next time it turns out to have a hardware problem or software problem that way you can just bring up the backup.
HosterSlice Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 No offence danny, but that is your job. Are you aware of how big their harddrive is? While we strive to not be the classic "You get what you pay for", keep in mind many paid hosts do not automaticlly back up YOUR data.
danny0000d Posted October 13, 2012 Posted October 13, 2012 No offence danny, but that is your job. Are you aware of how big their harddrive is? While we strive to not be the classic "You get what you pay for", keep in mind many paid hosts do not automaticlly back up YOUR data. When you put it like that then you're right, by the way offense is spelled like this unless you are from britain then it would be spelled offence.
HosterSlice Posted October 13, 2012 Posted October 13, 2012 I'm not Britain, but I grew up there. Sorry if old habits die hard.....
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