Source: Various Reports
Date: Jul 13, 2006 at 12:00 AM Pacific Time
Source: Jumpseatnews
Updated: July 13, 2006
It appears as though AOL/United has finally resolved the major problems with the web servers, at least to the point where they are continuing to run.
Below are the latest updates:
AOL will implement a permanent fix for the Unimatic connection problems last week with the Cisco Network switch by doing the following:
If the network activity that caused the switch to become unstable on July 5th can be identified and isolated, then remove the 'patch' or upgrade to return the switch to it's previous state.
If the network activity that caused the switch to become unstable on July 5th cannot be identified, then restore the switch to the previous last known configuration by 'reloading' the switch with the software revision prior to July 5th.
If neither of the above addresses a permanent fix for the problem, then the switch will be replaced.
It appears as though AOL/United has finally resolved the major problems with the Unimatic web servers, at least to the point where they are continuing to run.
Technical Mumbo Jumbo: the switch healthchecking was pulling the Unimatic servers out of rotation due to an unusual condition---of which the cause is not yet known. Nevertheless, healthchecking has been halted for the time being on the switch.
Bottom Line: This fix look promising. If you are still unable to connect to Unimatic, please fill out a Problem Report or consult your nearest psychiatrist.
There are still connection problems happening but they do not last as long and only a small percentage of connections are being rejected.
AOL/United has indicated that an AOL technical group will take the lead tomorrow on getting the resources to address the problem. Additional updates will be published then.
AOL/United took some rather drastic action with the wayward switch to stabilize the system. They did two things:
The result is that the servers have been up without going down for the last 20 minutes, even with the heavy loads.
All three of the Unimatic/Apollo Web Servers are now shutting down on a frequent/regular basis. The increased shutdowns are due to the increased volumes associated with the release of the flight attendant bid packages for August. The same web servers that service Unimatic/Apollo are also used to manage traffic to the bid packages on AOL.
The AOL Network Operating Center (AOL NOC) has taken control of restarting the web servers when they go down. This allows AOL/United additional time to diagnose and troubleshoot the problems and to identify a fix. Until a fix is clearly identified, the only technical solution is to continue to try, with a higher likelihood during off hours.
As of July 10, 2006, AOL/United mentioned that the problem was related to a network switch. They were finally able to get the switch restarted and things settled down and became stable. They indicated that if there are any further problems between now and tomorrow they will do whatever they need to up to and including replacing that switch to get this resolved.
Here's the joy today:
We left a phone message for AOL/United about this problem, but have no idea when or if it will be fixed, nor do we really know for sure yet exactly what the problem is. Normally, you see this kind of weird behavior during either a full moon or when the daylight savings time changes.
If you are unable to get into Unimatic, please try the following: