Forum Q

[aam1234]

I couldn't reach this forum for about a week, both at home and at work. Now that I'm on dial-up (in a different PC) I could open it.

Anybody knows why (btw, this is the 2nd time this happened).

Thanks

[Scottes]

Pekka replaced the server resulting in a new IP address. So www.potn is a different address. The DNS server you use was slow to update and kept the old, non-existent IP for www.potn.

It sucks, but it happens. Nothing you could do except get a new Internet provider - and that won't necessarily help.

[tommykjensen]

Last weekend Pekka moved the site to a new and more powerfull server which required update to the DNS. It takes a while before all DNS servers on the internet is updated maybe You have been unlucky and You ISP have a DNS server that is updated slowly? But a week sound like a real long time so maybe there has been other problems with Your ISP. I have had access since sunday.

[aam1234]

Thank you guys for the replies (and what a relief, I thought I was banned :cry: ).

Have a couple of questions though. All these connections are by the same ISP (the best here), so how come I could reach the forum on this lowly dial-up. The other is, what can I do to remedy this problem (what should I tell the ISP for example).

Thanks

[Jon]

First guess - search your computer(s) for a "hosts" file, then see if it has an entry for POTN. If it does, delete the entry.
Second - check the Network Properties on the PCs that don't work and the one that does and see whether they're all using the same DNS setting (dial-up is probably using what's called DHCP; the other two may have "static IP" ).

[aam1234]

First guess - search your computer(s) for a "hosts" file, then see if it has an entry for POTN. If it does, delete the entry.

Thanks,

Where do you suggest I start searching (it would take some time to search the whole pc).

[aam1234]

But a week sound like a real long time so maybe there has been other problems with Your ISP.

That's a good point. Actually the ISP was cut off (so were we, the users) for sometime. Not only that but also I couldn't load whole pages of some sites (like pbase).

[Jon]

Should be in the Windows directory, or under it. You can always use "Find Files" and walk away from it . . .

[tommykjensen]

First guess - search your computer(s) for a "hosts" file, then see if it has an entry for POTN. If it does, delete the entry.

Thanks,

Where do you suggest I start searching (it would take some time to search the whole pc).

winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

[aam1234]

Thank you guys for the help. But since I'm not a tech guy, I sent our friend Superfly a link to this thread hoping he could decipher it for me.

Thanks again.

[tommykjensen]

The hosts file is a local form of DNS resolve system.

It means You can define a hostname and point it to a arbitrary IP address. For example in the past weekend if Pekka had published the new IP address we could have added folllowing in the hosts file

67.15.72.32 photography-on-the.net

Doing this ww would not have to rely on the DNS servers to get updated. The problem with this approach is that if the IP address change You won't be able to access the site until the entry is removed or corrected.

Hope this helps.

[aam1234]

Thanks tommykjensen,

I didn't mean any negative thing when I said the above. I really don't understand the IT "stuff" that's why I asked Superfly, he is an IT guy.

Thanks again for the help.

[tommykjensen]

Thanks tommykjensen,

I didn't mean any negative thing when I said the above. I really don't understand the IT "stuff" that's why I asked Superfly, he is an IT guy.


I didn't think Your response was negative so no problems.

[SuperFly]

Hey Guys,

aam, im no "IT Guy" mate, just happen to have more than one PC and enjoy messin around with the stuff...
As for your problem, Well, sounds like your DNS server was slo-o--o---w in replicating it's information with the rest of the world, i havent been on here for almost a week, so cant say if my ISP had the same kind of delay...

I've sent you an email so we can continue this discussion off-line :) (Unless of course others would like to participate).

Later dudes...
K.

[aam1234]

Thanks SuperFly.

I purposely didn't open your email here, because if I do I won't get it at home.

Thanks for the help. Btw, SuperFly is a great guy, SuperFriendly :D

[Jon]

Thanks SuperFly.

I purposely didn't open your email here, because if I do I won't get it at home.




You're using Outlook Express? Tools | Accounts, | Properties | Advanced, and check "Leave a copy on the server". If you do this on both computers, be sure to set at least one to delete them after so many days. There are similar settings for Outlook, Mozilla, . . .