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PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

grumpybob
Grafter
Posts: 62
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎05-11-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

This query is directed at Chris Pettitt and Co (i.e. the Plusnet staff):
Please point me in the direction of the full and frank explanation of what went wrong on Thursday evening and what Plusnet are going to do to remove/reduce the risk of it happening again.
tijara33
Pro
Posts: 1,360
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Registered: ‎22-06-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

I've been on pcl- bng01 both before & after the outage without any problems whatsoever & my speeds are consistently good & stable. Smiley I reconnected automatically about 90 minutes after the initial failure.
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

I see that Plusnet can't be bothered to reveal the cause of their failure.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Quote from: vilefoxdemonofdoom
I see that Plusnet can't be bothered to reveal the cause of their failure.

Ive no doubt they will in time.  At least thats one good thing about Plusnet and the CS reps like Bob..  they usually will hold their hands up and give a much better explanation of what happened than most other ISPs.
Some I could name would have denied all knowledge of a problem. 
ejs
Aspiring Hero
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Registered: ‎10-06-2010

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

The explanation is here - assuming it was the same problem as last time, of course.
AndyH
Grafter
Posts: 6,824
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Registered: ‎27-10-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Quote from: ericgripp
I can consistently reproduce the issue that when im on a bng I lose 5 meg throughput. On a non bng I get my full speed.

Your traffic can take a different route through the 21CN network to connect to a BNG - what are your normal speeds? I'm on a BNG now and getting normal speeds.
grumpybob
Grafter
Posts: 62
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Registered: ‎05-11-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Quote from: ejs
The explanation is here - assuming it was the same problem as last time, of course.

Hi ejs. Thanks for your response.
I am very much hoping that the words "same problem as last time" will not, in any way, shape, or form, appear in the explanation Plusnet, ultimately, provide. That would push my blood pressure up quite a bit. "Same" is much worse than "new".
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Why not
The explanation could be
"We thought we had fixed it so that it was most unlikely to happen again.
Unfortunately it did and we are now carrying out further in depth analysis to find out why"
I don't see anything wrong with that as nobody can absolutely guarantee that a problem has been permanently fixed until a few repetitions of the initial trigger haven't repeated the problem
The problem is that, unlike a more limited problem where the event can be triggered manually to check, kicking over 60,000 users off the net just can't be done without massive screams from those affected and isn't really viable as a testing procedure
grumpybob
Grafter
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Registered: ‎05-11-2007

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Reply to Oldjim (#377)
Why? Well I can immediately think of two reasons:
1) I'm assuming that the Plusnet engineers know what they are doing; that we're dealing with experts. So, rather than "we think we've fixed X" I expect them to be able to say "We're sure we've fixed X because we're experts."
2) If they don't know (for sure) that they've fixed it and, essentially, what we're in here is a process of trial and error, then that makes it all the more likely it could happen again.
The scale of a problem (i.e. the number of people inconvenienced, denied a service they are paying for, etc.) should have some influence on how seriously it is taken. If finding a full and robust resolution to a problem that is affecting thousands of customers costs a lot of money, time, and attention then that is what it should get.
ejs
Aspiring Hero
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Registered: ‎10-06-2010

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

I thought part of the problem was the 75k users dropping off a gateway in the first place!
AndyH
Grafter
Posts: 6,824
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Registered: ‎27-10-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Assuming this is the same problem as before, then it looks like PN are waiting for their equipment vendor (Juniper?) to come up with a hardware fix. The fact the it has taken some time, indicates that it is not a straightforward hardware issue and that it can be complicated to fix. I do think that the timing with iOS coming out at the same time as the outage is telling though.
Unfortunately, no ISP is immune to these kind of issues.
StolenLife
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎11-02-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Any new ideas, my father has a HP slate 21 (android) Thompson router. He has tried the support phone and is still unable to connect, has reset and turned off. Left him being told that PlusNet does not support android. He is 85 years old and the internet is the main way that ne communicates with his family. I am not in the UK to assist him. Although I have spent a fortune on the phone talking through with him to try and get connected. His wifi says connected but there is obviously no internet.
AndyH
Grafter
Posts: 6,824
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Registered: ‎27-10-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Can he look in his router log for the error message?
Is he definitely using the correct username@plusdsl.net and password to connect?
StolenLife
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎11-02-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Thanks for replying, I am not much help as I don't know how to get to the logs. He has recounted most of what the PlusNet support told him to do. But I do not recall him having to do a user name. Sorry it is like working with jelly. I know that the lights on the router were green and that the wifi connection is the right router.
AndyH
Grafter
Posts: 6,824
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Registered: ‎27-10-2012

Re: PPP dropped unable to authenticate - 18.00 on 17th Sept 2014

Really you need to see what error there is in his router log. If the lights are green, then it's probably just an authentication issue.
What have Plusnet support told him to do? Do you know what they've been able to see their end?