Please Read….

[John D.]

“Hey John, what’s going on with the website?”

As many of you have noticed, this website and forum have been on-line and off-line - bouncing like a well hit tee shot in a tile bathroom…. So, what’s going on “behind the curtain”?

This site is being overloaded with unfiltered service requests from overseas which overload the servers (if you Google Distributed Denial of Service, you can find out more.). I'm trying to deal with them as you read this note…..

So, as I work through all this on my end, please be patient and in that, you have my thanks and appreciation…

I’ll bring you up to date as I’m able, ok?

Thanks!

John

[Andy]

I'll say thanks from all of us and God bless you knowing how to deal with that mess. Good luck.

[Dean Weber]

I had no idea how bad off I was till the last couple days. Not being able to access the forum, I was like an addict having withdrawals. Feel better now........ Thanks John.

[Dean Romig]

Thanks John for all you do for us and for having the unique knowledge to know how to do it and keep on doing it despite it sometimes being such a PITA.





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[Double Lab]

Thanks John. It must be frustrating dealing with these losers with nothing better to do then crash sites. I have a solution but it would have big brother breathing down my neck. Whatever we are paying you it's not enough.

[B. Dudley]

Thanks John.
People get so worked up. And needing to post on other sites even every time something happens. ??? Just be patient and it will get worked out.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Thanks John! What you do is well beyond my pay grade.

[mobirdhunter]

John, I am very thankful to have you doing what you do for us all.

[BRDHNTR]

I don't have a pay grade for the great work you do john. Thanks

[John D.]

First, thanks to all who have commented - I really appreciate it… Thank you! And now that I’ve got my head out of the servers and networks for a bit, here is what’s going on…..

Over the past months, it appears that this forum, along with other larger firearms sites, have been the target of groups trying to disrupt its operation. Some of you may have noticed database error codes on occasion, or the inability to post, or… Well, just a disruption of operations. Most of the time, I was able to take measures which addressed those issues fairly quickly…. But,

Beginning yesterday - the efforts to bring the site down took another tack - overloading the circuits which prevented folks from reaching the site and the servers being able to process all the requests. So, it’s a bit different than previous attempts…

Anyway you may have a few questions - some I can answer and others I’m unable to - but, here goes….

“Why”? Answer: I’ve absolutely no idea! There is no confidential data on my servers like credit card info, user financial data, medical data - nothing that is worth trying to bring a site down for - so maybe it’s just the thrill factor? I honestly don’t know? It’s a bit humbling to think that we are all that important that it’s worth their efforts - and it’s not like we are solving World Peace in these forums - but, there it is…..

“Will it happen again?” Answer: Most likely, when they figure out how this latest flurry was quelled, they’ll try another tactic. When will they give it another go? - I’ve absolutely no idea. Could be this evening, next week or next month…. So….

In the meantime, just enjoy this community! If it goes down - it will come back up once I get a solution in place… And, in the meantime…..

My thanks again for your patience and support! It means a lot - more than you may know….

John