I want to apologize for the problems with sprinklerFORUM service since
last Friday. While I know this was frustrating for many of you, I
assure you that it was even more frustrating for us. Distribution for
all AFSA listservs is handled through our internal email server. Last
Friday, our email server suffered a major failure. Although it was
inconvenient to use, our backup email system kept us accessible.
Unfortunately the backup email system cannot handle listservs so the
SprinklerFORUM and other lists became unusable. The entire system was
reinstalled and then we learned that some files were corrupted and the
hard disk had to be reformatted, and the entire system reinstalled
AGAIN. After the new installation, the email list preferences had to
be rebuilt and reconfigured. Some digest information could not be
rebuilt correctly so people who had signed up to receive the digest
ended up on the list to receive each email.
The good news is that our backup email system worked well - no
messages were lost - and our file backup system did what it was
supposed to do. The bad news was that it took a lot of work and a lot
of time to get everything back in working order. In a situation like
this we must deal with priorities, and as much as we all love the
SprinklerFORUM, our listservs have a lower priority than some other
services. For that reason, the email lists were the last to be fixed.
We believe everything is working normally now, but if you experience a
specific problem please let us know. To report problems, send an email
to:
[email protected]
The sprinklerFORUM is a very popular and important service and we want
to reduce downtime to a minimum. While we have had a computer burp or
two in the many years the sprinklerFORUM has been online, this has
been the most serious and frustrating disruption. We will do our best
to keep this from happening again..... but we are dealing with
computers and sometimes they have a mind of their own. I swear I
heard our server say at one point "I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't let
you do that...." (for those who don't understand that comment, get
"2001: A Space Odyssey" on DVD.)
Steve A. Muncy
American Fire Sprinkler Assn.
Dallas, TX
http://www.firesprinkler.org
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