All Poster Forum
Off-Topic Discussion => Board Issues, Suggestions, Updates, Questions & Fixes => Topic started by: Harry Caul on February 11, 2016, 11:25:50 AM
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I've been locked out for over two weeks now! Is anyone else currently having this problem?
Ive spoken with several people who had this problem going back almost a year now and it always seems to be related to a crash following an attempt to copy text from another site and paste it into a thread here at APF. There must be some problematic special character(s) that the server-side doesn't like. When you try to submit the post or even preview it APF crashes with an error. If you try to make changes and resubmit and you missed the problematic character (how could you possibly know what it is anyway) then it blocks your IP completely. I am now locked out using my home internet and at the coffee bar where I normally work. Only reason I can reply now is because I'm using my mobile data. Jeff said he was able to resolve his IP block by doing a factory reset on his router (at which point his Internet provider probably gave him a new IP address). Unfortunately, I use AT&T U-verse and resetting your router does not result in a new IP address. The only way for me to fix the problem myself would be to change Internet providers and that ain't going to happen just so I can get around a bug on the site.
A) Can someone PLEASE and contact the server folks and unblock IP's resulting from the copy and paste bug.
B) Can you also ask them to figure out what special character(s) are causing the problem – – ideally they can fix it on their end so it doesn't continue happening.
C) In the meantime, if any of you ever try to copy and paste something into a post and APF crashes – – sadly, do yourself a favor and give up on the idea. It's not worth the hassle of getting your IP blocked.
What a headache....
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This lock out usually didnt happen on the "first try" (for me, anyhow).
Prior to the server to APF timing out, i would get a page showing a 400 error that was occurring. It was almost like the 3 strike rule. On the third try, the mulit-colored wheel would spin (i'm a mac guy), and after 30+ seconds, I would get a screen from any browser I tried, saying something to the effect that "the server you are trying to reach may be busy right now, check your network connection, firewall issues etc and please try again later."
But it isnt only cut and paste that causes the issue. One one occasion, a fellow member was asking me to edit some info from a very long post he had written. Even trying to do that (again just for me) caused the issue of the error window to appear when i tried to Preview the amended post. I gave up after 2 tries, obviously.
Another time, it was a post that, I think, was using too many characters (letters). I got the same error window.. so i had to reduce what i had wanted to write and post.
We are trying to figure it out, Matt. Hang in there, buddy. :)
It seems quite random, tho the cut and paste issue is one of them. I also was wondering if cutting a pasting an actual url address could trigger this error.
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been having this issue intermittently for 3 years.
it's funny when if I remove the first line or some other edit that makes no difference and it works. who knows what the issue is.
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Jeff your avatar scared the bejeezus out of me!
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I am locked out when at the shopping centre (free WiFi) and I am there everyday and it covers most of my available time to visit the forum. Jeff I left my ip address in another thread for you to unblock if you try the unblocking route.
I was blocked on the third attempt to submit a post that was throwing the server error. My text was only one or two sentences and I typed it straight in not copying and pasting from another site. It seemed to be a word used or two words in combination that threw the server error, however the blocking could be the result of trying to submit multiple times possibly looking like a DDOS attack.
I've been locked out for a week or thereabouts a couple of times but I hope this one won't be longer or permanent like Harry... That must really suck especially locked out everywhere almost and seemingly permanently. I also can only access using my smart phone and typing into the thing makes me give up in frustration half the time especially as I often post with a link to an image I upload via ftp to my website for hosting but can do ftp on the phone as haven't figured it out and its not worth the trouble just to make a post on a forum.
The version of the forum software is version 1 and it was upgraded to version 2 a year or more ago. I doubt there will be any support to solve the issue. Software often gets upgraded to include security fixes, so it wouldn't surprise me if we are being exposed on the site to a greater likelihood of security threats. Upgrading is probably a hassle and has some other risks such as information loss as well. An upgrade may not even solve this issue.
Maybe there is a whitelist of IP addresses you can maintain in the forum that allows always some addresses like our blocked ones. You wouldn't put in an exact IP address like 123.34.456.789 but a range something like 123.34.456.*** as we can be allocated a number from a pool of numbers by the service provider.
Good luck Harry, hope you are accessing normally again soon.
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I am locked out when at the shopping centre (free WiFi) and I am there everyday and it covers most of my available time to visit the forum. Jeff I left my ip address in another thread for you to unblock if you try the unblocking route.
I was blocked on the third attempt to submit a post that was throwing the server error. My text was only one or two sentences and I typed it straight in not copying and pasting from another site. It seemed to be a word used or two words in combination that threw the server error, however the blocking could be the result of trying to submit multiple times possibly looking like a DDOS attack.
I've been locked out for a week or thereabouts a couple of times but I hope this one won't be longer or permanent like Harry... That must really suck especially locked out everywhere almost and seemingly permanently. I also can only access using my smart phone and typing into the thing makes me give up in frustration half the time especially as I often post with a link to an image I upload via ftp to my website for hosting but can do ftp on the phone as haven't figured it out and its not worth the trouble just to make a post on a forum.
The version of the forum software is version 1 and it was upgraded to version 2 a year or more ago. I doubt there will be any support to solve the issue. Software often gets upgraded to include security fixes, so it wouldn't surprise me if we are being exposed on the site to a greater likelihood of security threats. Upgrading is probably a hassle and has some other risks such as information loss as well. An upgrade may not even solve this issue.
Maybe there is a whitelist of IP addresses you can maintain in the forum that allows always some addresses like our blocked ones. You wouldn't put in an exact IP address like 123.34.456.789 but a range something like 123.34.456.*** as we can be allocated a number from a pool of numbers by the service provider.
Good luck Harry, hope you are accessing normally again soon.
The "3 error attempts, you are blocked" scenario seems valid to me, too, as had been mentioned previously. Almost as if trying to force a post, that for whatever reason, the server doesnt like, is then causing that IP to get locked out.
Maybe, too, it's similar (in a general sense) to when someone tries to log onto a site that requires a password. If you try 3x and get the password wrong, you can be locked out of that site, for period of time, as those failed attempts (like on a banking website) are seen as possible hacking attempts.
Not saying that is what is happening here on the APF server; just that the multiple attempts to post something that initially brought up the error window could be one (of several) lock out triggers.
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Harry you may be able to access the site from home using a free web proxy service. Google free proxy or similar and you will find a site where you type in www.allposterforum.com into a field and hit return. That makes you look to the forum like you are on another IP address. The coffee shop and the like often ban access to proxy sites and the use of VPN which masks/ changes your IP address, but it should work on your home service
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Any word from the back-end folks yet? 3+ weeks for me and I'm still locked out...
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Sending you a PM
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Sending you a PM
Feel free to PM me too Jeff because this forum thing on my blackberry is starting to really bite... Doh.gif
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I didnt know the forum bit on a blackberry...... sounds sweet & tasty, tho. imbecile.gif
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This is NOT a joke. This is NOT a joke
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This is NOT a joke. This is NOT a joke
YOUR BANNED
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This is NOT a joke. This is NOT a joke
Honestly how many Steve cheeky remarks are we missing out on because of these complications? Unless...wait a second....
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Know it's being worked on and delved into.
I started a similar thread, prior to this one, asking the same, basic question ( http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9931.0.html ), so I well know how it can feel to be locked (timed) out and not able to log on to the forum.
It ain't fun. moron1
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Honestly how many Steve cheeky remarks are we missing out on because of these complications? Unless...wait a second....
I can only access APF via my mobile phone and I can't afford it as im still not working. Every time I open up a page in MAGGs latest acquisition thread my internet provider says I ran out of data and I need to buy another data pack
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Know it's being worked on and delved into.
(http://orig03.deviantart.net/b306/f/2010/365/4/d/delve_deeper_icon_by_linkdragon-d36302t.png)
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Are we talking to the company? Can we just threaten to blow the whole thing up if they can't service their end user needs? Sorry Jeff I know u are working on it... aplogies for speaking about things I know nothing about (although really that's the foundation of my participating) I'm just not sure this is something that can be changed by administrators. Hey T aren't you redoing your webiste? Maybe you should add a forum!
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Are we talking to the company? Can we just threaten to blow the whole thing up if they can't service their end user needs? Sorry Jeff I know u are working on it... aplogies for speaking about things I know nothing about (although really that's the foundation of my participating) I'm just not sure this is something that can be changed by administrators. Hey T aren't you redoing your webiste? Maybe you should add a forum!
It can be.
Already in touch with some folks about it. ;)
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I can only access APF via my mobile phone and I can't afford it as im still not working. Every time I open up a page in MAGGs latest acquisition thread my internet provider says I ran out of data and I need to buy another data pack
+1
Lots of data limit warnings since only being able to access APF on my mobile.
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I wish it would happen to me so I could troubleshoot it. Reset router? Login into the router to see ip for that device. Delete your network connection and start a new connection? Clear cache and cookies.
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I wish it would happen to me so I could troubleshoot it. Reset router? Login into the router to see ip for that device. Delete your network connection and start a new connection? Clear cache and cookies.
This is what I did when it happened to me. Reset my Apple Airport to its default/factory settings, meaning I had to re-create the network, name and password. When i did this, the device generated a new IP. (I have a small info widget on my laptop called Istat-Pro and noted the IP address of the Airport Express before and after this reset. They were different).
This was one method that seemed to work for me, at least.
Clearing just the cache and cookies, alone, tho, didnt do anything, on my end, but it's worth a try as systems can all behave a bit differently.
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I wish it would happen to me so I could troubleshoot it. Reset router? Login into the router to see ip for that device. Delete your network connection and start a new connection? Clear cache and cookies.
Don't bother trying all that. I was on my laptop at the shopping centre using shopping centre wifi when I got the posting error then banned. I then grabbed my smart phone, selected shopping centre WiFi, clicked on APF bookmark, it said I was banned too, I didn't do a single thing else. So, that highly likely means anyone on that shopping centre WiFi is banned. When I then switched off wifi (to use my ISP and thus a different IP address) and accessed on my smartphone the same bookmark for APF I could access no problem.
The IP address must be blocked by the forum software
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I dont go onto the forum on my phone and use my laptop exclusively.
So the workaround fix was what worked for me when at home, since that's where my lockout happened.
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I dont go onto the forum on my phone and use my laptop exclusively.
So the workaround fix was what worked for me when at home, since that's where my lockout happened.
Hi Jeff, sorry I was referring to another post so I updated my previous post.
Yeah, anything to change the IP address the forum sees you as should work
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Hi Jeff, sorry I was referring to another post so I updated my previous post.
Yeah, anything to change the IP address the forum sees you as should work
Steve.. try it now. I was in touch with the hosting company and they said they made an adjustment to a security setting in the server firewall. They said it could be something in the browser, that was setting this off.
Fingers crossed that the adjustment will work for both you and Matt.
Let me know.
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Steve.. try it now. I was in touch with the hosting company and they said they made an adjustment to a security setting in the server firewall. They said it could be something in the browser, that was setting this off.
Fingers crossed that the adjustment will work for both you and Matt.
Let me know.
Sorry can't test now at shopping centre as yesterday I drove 1000km north where I am today for a job interview... the things ya have to do now a days to increase the odds of getting a job... If I go back to Sydney, I'll test and let you know. Thanks very much
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(http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/20151124/5270688/access-granted-o.gif)
Full access has now been restored.
Thanks very much Jeff and APF
(http://data.whicdn.com/images/67655255/large.gif)
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Glad you are back in, Steve. thumbsup.gif
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UPDATE: I've got partial access now... Jeff passed my IP addresses on to the server folks to create exceptions.
At the local coffee shop they use IPv4 addresses and I can now access APF there.
At home I have AT&T Uverse and they use the new, longer IPv6 addresses and I still do not have access there.
Not sure if there is any hope left for home access. Luckily we are considering changing to cable internet, which should solve the problem. Thanks again to Jeff for working on this issue!
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I still don't have access at home on cable internet. Jeff can I also send you my IP for the list of exceptions?
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Sounds like Harry got double banned- coffee shop and also at home... That's a lot of badness
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I still don't have access at home on cable internet. Jeff can I also send you my IP for the list of exceptions?
Just sent you a PM, Vick.
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Steve.. try it now. I was in touch with the hosting company and they said they made an adjustment to a security setting in the server firewall. They said it could be something in the browser, that was setting this off.
Fingers crossed that the adjustment will work for both you and Matt.
Let me know.
The hosting company actually "turned off" a security mod that was active (by default) on the APF server. This likely is what was causing IPs to get blocked, after a number of errors when trying to post or do a cut and paste that triggered the mod.
Hopefully, with this security mod "turned off," there wont be any more triggers that will lock people out of the forum.
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Woo hoo! Now working from home too! My only explanation is that sometimes server changes take a while to percolate through the system.
Jeff, thanks again for your help... You deserve every penny T and Holiday are paying you ;)
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woohoo
So good to read, Matt. Glad that you have "broken thru" and that you're able to get back on from home, now!
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And when Vick is hooked back up, all will be good in APF-land! ;D
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All is back to normal for me too, now. Thanks Jeff et al.
I'm so happy I vow to comment on every single post made from this point on until December 31st, 2017.
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Good to know you are also back on and your IP is unblocked, Vick. thumbup
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Blocked again at home.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Blocked again at home.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
PM me your home IP address and I will look into it for you. :)
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ummm, im back ?
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ummm, im back ?
Re-Ban him!
:P